Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Education Committee.
A faint scent of gunpowder hung in the air. The Three Education Committee Members sat at the very top, while the Imperial Dou Team and Shrek Academy sat facing each other.
"Tianheng, do you remember me?"
Yu Xiaogang rose from his seat, his gaze toward Yu Tianheng carrying a hint of anticipation.
"Of course I remember you, my dear uncle—the disgrace of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
Yu Tianheng showed no mercy, his face full of contempt.
Di Lintian gave Yu Tianheng a satisfied glance. It seemed his instigation—no, persuasion—had worked quite well.
He had never been stingy about feeding Yu Tianheng negative information about Yu Xiaogang.
For example, how Yu Xiaogang had used the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's name to swindle others, stolen Spirit Hall's theories, summarized them as his own, and published them.
Sure enough, Yu Tianheng's attitude toward Yu Xiaogang was vastly different from the original story.
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened, and he froze on the spot. He clearly had not expected Yu Tianheng to say something like that.
"You..."
Yu Xiaogang pointed at Yu Tianheng, but stammered for ages without managing to say anything.
"You what? If you don't put that hand down, you can forget about keeping it." Dugu Yan fiercely defended her man.
"Dugu Yan, how can you speak to Grandmaster Yu like that?" Qin Ming had served as Dugu Yan's team leader for some time, so he questioned her.
"Him? A grandmaster?"
Dugu Yan did not even spare Qin Ming a glance as she sneered.
"You dare insult my teacher!"
Tang San bristled like an angry cat entering Spinosaurus form. Blue Silver Grass instantly possessed him, and three Soul Rings—white, yellow, and purple—appeared around him.
Watching the scene turn into something like a marketplace brawl, Meng Shenji rubbed his forehead in headache.
"Three chairmen, is this the genius you spoke of? A ten-year Soul Ring?"
A calculating glint appeared in Di Lintian's eyes as he asked teasingly.
There was only so much one could endure.
Even if an uncle could endure it, an aunt could not.
If they still did not speak up, would they not become turtles hiding in their shells?
Dai Mubai and the others also released their martial souls, and the smell of gunpowder grew thicker.
Only Xiao Wu silently stood behind Tang San without releasing her martial soul, occasionally glancing at Di Lintian.
"Want to fight?" Di Lintian stood and walked toward the Soul Fighting Arena. "Don't say we're bullying you. Six of us against eight of you."
Di Lintian was now a Soul King. Aside from Qian Renxue, no one knew that; everyone else still believed he was merely a Soul Ancestor.
"Wait."
Before Di Lintian could leave the Education Committee's doors, he saw three people walk in.
Ning Fengzhi? Why was he here?
Di Lintian stopped in his tracks. Behind him, the Imperial Dou Team, who had just risen to their feet, and the Shrek group also came to a halt.
"Clan Master Ning, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Three Education Committee Members rose to greet them.
They had originally intended to get up and watch as well. Perhaps Shrek truly could create a miracle and defeat the Imperial Dou Team, which was missing one member.
"Three chairmen, I came to take my daughter home." Ning Fengzhi wore a springlike smile as he beckoned to Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, aren't you coming over?"
"Dad?" Ning Rongrong had clearly not expected her father to appear here, much less to take her away. She shook her head like a rattle-drum. "I'm not going back."
She looked at Sword Douluo Chen Xin behind Ning Fengzhi, hurried over, and tugged at the corner of his clothes. "Grandpa Sword."
"Be good, Rongrong. You'll go home with us later." Sword Douluo rubbed Ning Rongrong's head, not indulging her as he usually did.
Before entering, they had already heard the argument inside. Anyone could tell that Shrek had been targeted.
This place was now a pit of fire. Naturally, they had to pull their precious granddaughter out as soon as possible.
Everyone's eyes fell upon Sword Douluo and Ning Rongrong. No one noticed Di Lintian and "Xue Qinghe" exchanging meaningful looks.
"Xiaotian, it has been a long time." Ning Fengzhi looked at Di Lintian. "May I call you that?"
"Of course, Uncle Ning." Di Lintian stopped communicating with "Xue Qinghe" through his eyes and politely nodded at Ning Fengzhi.
He had not met Ning Fengzhi many times. The last time had been during the grand ceremony, when they had exchanged a few words at the final banquet.
"What is this about..." "Xue Qinghe" understood Di Lintian's meaning and deliberately asked the Three Education Committee Members.
"Your Highness, this is Shrek Academy, which has come to our academy for an academic exchange. They are about to have an academic exchange with our ace team, the Imperial Dou Team," Meng Shenji said tactfully.
"An academic exchange? Perfect. My teacher and I can observe the empire's outstanding talents." "Xue Qinghe" said with a smile.
"It is their honor, Your Highness," Bai Baoshan said humbly.
The Three Education Committee Members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy were all supporters of "Xue Qinghe."
Qian Renxue's disguise as Xue Qinghe was flawless. Before outsiders, he had always maintained the image of being refined, courteous, and respectful of talent.
That image suited the scholarly dispositions of the Three Education Committee Members. Thus, they supported "Xue Qinghe," believing he would certainly become a wise ruler.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Soul Fighting Arena.
"Hey, what's going on with the Area 1 Soul Fighting Arena?" A student in academy uniform reached out and stopped another student.
"I don't know. I was planning to spar with someone here, but now I can only go to another one." The stopped student shook his head and headed toward the other Soul Fighting Arenas.
As Heaven Dou Royal Academy, it naturally did not have only one Soul Fighting Arena. There were three in total, named the Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3 Soul Fighting Arenas.
The Area 1 Soul Fighting Arena was the largest, and the only one capable of holding team Soul Fighting matches.
Now, soldiers in silver armor stood solemnly one after another, surrounding the Soul Fighting Arena and preventing anyone from approaching.
Inside the Soul Fighting Arena.
Ning Fengzhi and "Xue Qinghe" sat in the highest viewing stand.
Ning Rongrong sat slightly below them with an unconvinced expression, while Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood behind them like a sharp sword.
In the viewing area surrounding the Soul Fighting Arena below, the Three Education Committee Members and Shrek Academy's teachers were all seated.
Flender pushed up his glasses and said, "Let the little monsters give Heaven Dou Royal Academy a shock."
Flender had not watched the previous battle between Imperial Dou and Shrek, so he did not know how miserably his little monsters had lost last time.
Otherwise, he definitely would not have said that.
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji's mouth twitched. He did not have much confidence in the Shrek Seven Devils.
He still remembered what he had seen upon returning to the inn: Ma Hongjun unconscious on the ground, while the other six were frozen inside blocks of ice, unable to move at all.
He had needed to slap Ma Hongjun awake before Ma Hongjun could use Phoenix Evil Fire to melt the ice and rescue them.
Yu Xiaogang stood, walked to the railing, looked at the two teams below that were poised to strike, and said calmly:
"I have personally trained the little monsters for so long. The Imperial Dou Team will not be their match. Besides, they are being overconfident by fighting while their team is incomplete. I truly do not know how their team leader teaches them."
Yu Xiaogang did not hide his words in the slightest, criticizing the Imperial Dou Team right in front of the Three Education Committee Members.
"Uh..."
The Three Education Committee Members, who had originally held some favorable impressions of the Shrek group, immediately darkened their faces upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's shameless boasting.
However, they were the Education Committee Members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy—scholars.
They would not trade verbal barbs with a fake grandmaster like Yu Xiaogang. They merely made a silent note in their hearts:
Shrek's teaching staff and students are indeed outstanding, but their character leaves much to be desired. Good thing we did not let them join Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
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