Title Douluo, Ants!

"Thunder Academy is willing to offer up our sect's supreme treasure with both hands. We only beg Dean Xu for a place!"

The square instantly turned into a frenzied assembly of allegiance.

Every faction was desperately trying to curry favor with Xu Qing.

There was only one thought in their minds: send their own geniuses into Blue Silver Academy. Even becoming a menial would be worth it if they could gain even a trace of such an opportunity.

Yu Xiaogang, standing outside the gates, was dumbfounded.

He collapsed to the ground, never having imagined that after all his painstaking instigation, not only had he failed to provoke a united attack—

he had instead made the major factions even more determined to flatter Xu Qing.

Seeing Sword Douluo's terrifying sword aura already locked onto his throat,

Yu Xiaogang's entire body began to tremble violently beyond his control.

As though clutching the last lifeline left in this world, he suddenly whipped his head toward Spirit Hall's seats.

"Bibi Dong!"

"Your Holiness the Pope!"

Yu Xiaogang howled himself hoarse, his eyes filled with morbid fanaticism.

"Spirit Hall governs the soul masters of the continent! You cannot allow such a heretical power to rise!"

"Your Holiness, act quickly!"

"With your invincible strength and Spirit Hall's many elders, as long as you take down Xu Qing, this heaven-defying fortune will belong to Spirit Hall!"

The veins in Yu Xiaogang's neck bulged as he shouted.

He looked expectantly at that peerlessly beautiful woman seated high above, hoping she would descend divine punishment as she had before.

Yet Bibi Dong, seated in her chair, looked like a rigid statue.

Act?

Go against Xu Qing?

Bibi Dong's mind was now filled with nothing but buzzing.

She gripped her luxurious scepter so tightly that her knuckles had gone completely bloodless.

At the instant the Life Domain had opened just moments ago,

the lofty, domineering Rakshasa Divine Power within her had shrieked like a mouse encountering its natural enemy and retreated straight into the deepest depths of her soul.

Even now, her Soul Power remained stagnant, and she could not mobilize even a trace of divine power.

This was not something some damned treasure land of favorable geomancy could accomplish!

This was absolute suppression of rank, a dimensional strike upon the soul from a superior being against an inferior one!

Provoking such a terrifying, unfathomable existence was no different from voluntarily stretching her neck beneath the executioner's blade!

Bibi Dong clenched her back teeth, tasting a hint of blood in her mouth.

She did not dare turn to look at Yu Xiaogang outside the gates even once. She sat as though nailed to her seat, pretending she had heard nothing.

Just as Yu Xiaogang was despairing to the point of nearly fainting,

an aged yet remarkably upright figure slowly rose from the core seats in the front row of Spirit Hall.

Qian Daoliu.

This Rank Ninety-Nine Peerless Douluo, the true pinnacle of Spirit Hall's authority, the invincible ruler of the skies.

At this moment, more than half of his originally snow-white hair had turned jet-black.

He completely ignored Yu Xiaogang's noisy howling outside.

Nor did he pay any attention to the ridiculous, fawning expressions of the various factions.

Qian Daoliu's expression was solemn as never before.

He raised a hand and carefully straightened his luxurious robes as the Grand Enshrined One, smoothing every crease.

Under the shocked gazes of thousands across the square,

Qian Daoliu stepped away from his seat and took two steps forward.

With his hands folded and his back slightly bent, he gave Xu Qing on the platform an exceedingly formal salute reserved for a junior.

"Senior Xu."

Qian Daoliu's voice no longer sounded aged. Instead, it carried a deep vitality that resounded throughout the entire square.

"Great kindness needs no words of thanks."

"Today, I heard the Great Dao and received the blessing of Senior's domain. Qian Daoliu feels as though he has been reborn and has benefited immensely."

He slightly raised his head. In those eyes that had once looked down upon the world, only devotion and reverence remained.

"The barking of those ants outside is nothing but foul, unbearable drivel. Senior need not take it to heart."

Qian Daoliu drew a deep breath, and his expression abruptly turned sharp.

"I, Qian Daoliu, swear here today in my capacity as Grand Enshrined One of Spirit Hall."

"As long as I live, everyone in Spirit Hall shall never become enemies with Blue Silver Academy."

"If anyone dares offend Senior's dignity or covet Blue Silver Academy's foundation,"

"there will be no need for Senior to dirty your hands. Spirit Hall will mobilize every soldier in the hall and raze their entire sect to the ground!"

Boom!

As those words crashed down, it felt as though the air across the entire square had been sucked away in an instant.

Everyone stared dumbly at Qian Daoliu, who remained in his bowing posture, their minds incapable of thought.

That was Qian Daoliu!

The most supreme Peerless expert on Douluo Continent, an existence even the two great empires had to look up to!

Even he had lowered himself and called himself a junior?

Even he was making such a respectful declaration to the Dean of this Blue Silver Academy, even swearing in Spirit Hall's name?

Tang Xiao felt a chill shoot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head, his legs shaking uncontrollably.

Xue Ye stood with his mouth open, unable to utter a single sound for a long time. His assessment of Xu Qing soared beyond all bounds.

On the high platform,

Xu Qing sat steadily in his grand chair.

A breeze brushed past the loose strands of hair over his forehead. Not a single ripple appeared on that handsome, ethereal face from beginning to end.

Facing Qian Daoliu's oath, enough to shake the entire continent,

facing the fanatical allegiance of every faction in the square,

Xu Qing merely raised his eyes slightly and swept a glance over the crowd below.

"Quiet down."

"The lecture isn't over yet."

His voice was as calm as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.

Yet it was only that casually spoken sentence.

The entire square instantly fell deathly silent. Even a pin dropping to the ground would have been heard clearly.

Qian Daoliu immediately withdrew every trace of his aura.

This Peerless Douluo was like a schoolchild afraid of angering his teacher. He obediently turned around and sat cross-legged in his original spot.

When Yu Xiaogang and Tang San outside the gates saw this,

their eyes rolled upward, their faces turned ashen, and they sank into boundless despair.

Xu Qing's voice lingered through the air above the square.

The leaders of the major factions, who had been boiling with fervor moments ago, instantly shut their mouths tight.

None of them dared breathe too loudly.

Like pilgrims, they fixed their eyes upon the figure in green robes on the platform.

They feared missing even a single word.

Outside the gates,

Yu Xiaogang lay collapsed in the mud, his stiff face pale as paper.

His wheezing breaths, like a broken bellows, sounded especially piercing amid the dead silence.

Bibi Dong sat upright in Spirit Hall's seats, and extreme disgust flashed through her eyes.

The Grandmaster she had once considered so talented now looked like a foul, mangy rat scurrying through the streets.

That useless trash had just shouted and screamed, actually trying to drag all of Spirit Hall into an abyss of eternal damnation.

His intentions were truly unforgivable!

Bibi Dong tightened her grip on her scepter and looked away in disgust.

"Gui Mei, Yue Guan."

She could not even bear to look at Yu Xiaogang again as her red lips parted lightly.

"Go deal with that noisy trash outside."

"If they dare make even the slightest sound to disturb Senior again, tear out their tongues!"

The two Title Douluo immediately accepted the order.

They transformed into two ghostlike black shadows and rushed toward the gates.

The leaders of the major factions saw Spirit Hall making its move and immediately turned red-eyed.

This was a perfect chance to demonstrate their loyalty to Xu Qing. How could they let Spirit Hall take all the credit?

Huyan Zhen's massive body suddenly sprang up.

He slapped his bald head and roared in a rough voice.

"Your Holiness the Pope, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?"

"Leave this dirty work to the Elephant Armor Sect!"

"These Shrek bastards have provoked Senior Xu time and again. I've long been sick of the sight of them!"

Feng Xiaotian of Wind God Academy also stepped forward, staring fiercely toward the gates.

"Sect Master Huyan is right!"

"These ignorant country bumpkins actually dared question Senior's cultivation. They deserve to die!"

"Everyone, attack!"

"Break all their arms and legs! Let them learn how high the heavens are and how thick the earth is!"

For a moment,

the sect masters and academy deans who usually stood high above all others were like starving wolves fighting over food.

They rushed toward the gates in a frantic scramble.

All manner of dazzling martial soul lights instantly illuminated half the sky.

The immense commotion made the Shrek group outside feel their scalps go numb.

Tang San gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling violently beyond his control.

He watched those experts who had once seemed unreachable now pounce at him like mad dogs just to please Xu Qing.

Intense humiliation and terror intertwined in his heart.

Why!

Why had things turned out like this!

What kind of bewitching potion had that hundred-year-old man fed these people!

Flender's legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. His horse-faced features twisted with extreme terror.

"My lords! Seniors!"

"Please show mercy!"

"We'll leave at once! We won't dare do it again!"

Ning Fengzhi stood below the platform, looking contemptuously at Shrek's miserable state.

He turned around and respectfully cupped his hands toward Xu Qing.

"Senior's divine might is vast. Such jumping clowns truly do not deserve to dirty your eyes."

Xue Ye hurriedly seized the chance and stepped forward.

"Dean Xu!"

"Among the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial clan, there are several descendants with passable talent."

"Could they perhaps be fortunate enough to enter Blue Silver Academy to serve tea and pour water?"

"As long as they can remain at the academy and bask in even a trace of Senior's radiance, the Heaven Dou Empire will surely devote the strength of the entire nation to supporting Blue Silver Academy!"

When Tang Xiao heard this, his rugged face filled with anxiety.

The Clear Sky Sect had only just offended Xu Qing. If they did not quickly find a way to make amends, where would the Clear Sky Sect have any place left on Douluo Continent?

He suddenly dropped to one knee, his knee striking the bluestone slabs with a dull boom.

"Senior!"

"My Clear Sky Sect also has several exceptional geniuses!"

"Even if they come to Blue Silver Academy only to sweep floors and chop firewood, we will do so willingly!"

"Please grant us this favor, Senior!"

Watching these powerful figures below the platform argue until their faces were red over a mere menial position,

Xu Qing lifted the clear tea from the table and took a light sip.

His expression did not change in the slightest.

"Blue Silver Academy has always accepted only monsters, never trash."

He set down his teacup and calmly swept his gaze over the crowd.

"However."

"In this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Blue Silver Academy will send participants."

That lightly spoken sentence fell into everyone's ears.

Yet it was no different from detonating a ten-thousand-ton nuclear bomb upon a tranquil sea!

The thousands of soul masters in the square collectively sucked in a cold breath.

Everyone's eyes widened round, their mouths opening wide enough to fit a fist.

Participate in the Spirit Master Tournament?

With Blue Silver Academy's terrifying foundation now, even their gatekeepers could probably crush the geniuses outside!

How was this a competition?

This was clearly a one-sided slaughter from a higher dimension!

Xue Ye trembled so excitedly that his beard shook wildly, both hands gripping the dragon throne's armrests.

"Good heavens..."

"This Spirit Master Tournament is about to change forever!"

Qian Daoliu's heart jolted violently as well, his eyes filled with shock.

He knew very well that if Blue Silver Academy entered the competition,

Spirit Hall's so-called Golden Generation would not even be worthy of carrying their shoes!

Outside the gates.

The battered and bruised Shrek group rolled about painfully in the mud.

Tang San listened to the cries of astonishment coming from within.

His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding with crackling sounds.

Blood continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Extreme jealousy and resentment twisted his reason.

He suddenly struggled up halfway from the mud and let out a hoarse roar toward the gates.

"Xu Qing!"

"Don't get carried away!"

"Don't think that using underhanded methods means you can rule this continent with one hand!"

Ma Hongjun clutched his broken arm and cursed venomously as well.

"Isn't it just because you have a treasure land of perfect feng shui?!"

"Once we reach the Spirit Master Tournament and you're without this treasure land's support, let's see how you keep playing gods and ghosts!"

Dai Mubai spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his gaze vicious.

"Shrek Academy will never admit defeat!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!"

"On the Spirit Master Tournament stage, we will personally tear off your hypocritical masks!"

After delivering those harsh words.

The Shrek group did not dare linger for even a moment longer.

Supporting one another, they fled into the distance like a pack of homeless dogs, scrambling away in miserable haste.

They did not even dare look back.

All they left behind was a trail of mottled blood and mud.

However.

Inside the plaza, no one cared about the impotent rage of those insects.

Not a single person could even be bothered to spare them a glance.

Everyone's attention was focused on Xu Qing atop the high platform.

The birthday banquet was nearing its end.

The evening clouds on the horizon dyed all of Blue Silver Academy in a magnificent golden glow.

Xue Ye suddenly gritted his teeth.

He abruptly rose to his feet and directly took out a strange crystal radiating dazzling blue light from his storage Soul Tool.

The Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud!

Holding this priceless treasure in both hands, Xue Ye strode quickly to the foot of the high platform.

His knees bent, and he dropped solidly to the ground.

"Dean Xu!"

"This Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is a supreme treasure passed down through my Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family for a thousand years!"

"Today, I, Xue Ye, boldly offer it to you, Dean!"

He raised his head, his aged face filled with fervor and anticipation.

"I only ask that Dean Xu condescend to become the Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial Protector!"

"As long as you nod, Blue Silver Academy may draw freely from the Heaven Dou Empire's treasury!"

"To see the Imperial Protector is to see me!"

The moment those words were spoken.

Another enormous uproar erupted across the entire venue.