Honorary Elder? Public Trial!

The office was frighteningly silent.

Qian Renyuan did not wait for Yu Xiaogang to answer, nor did he spare a glance at Tang San's hateful stare from the corner.

Stepping over splintered wood and past the mangled door, he crossed the room at an unhurried pace and walked straight behind the desk.

That had originally been Yu Xiaogang's place.

Under Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's watchful eyes, Qian Renyuan turned and sat down in that chair.

One hand rested casually on the armrest as he leaned back slightly, lowered his gaze, and silently looked at Yu Xiaogang kneeling on the floor.

His eyes were unnervingly calm, as though he were looking at nothing more than an insignificant insect.

Under the crushing pressure radiating from Jiangmo Douluo, cold sweat seeped across Tang San's forehead, and even breathing became difficult.

He stared fixedly at Qian Renyuan in the chair.

The luxurious carriage at the city gates, that scene in which he had been stripped of all dignity, stabbed into his mind once again.

Old grudges and new hatred tangled together. It was this lofty bastard who had crushed the apprenticeship ceremony he had been looking forward to with a single step.

Looking at Qian Renyuan seated in the place of honor, then at his teacher pinned to the ground with blades at his throat, Tang San felt a ball of vicious fire trapped in his chest. Yet he did not even have the strength to stand straight.

Not far away, Yu Xiaogang felt as though his face were burning. He wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Two steel blades rested against his neck, while the disciple he had just taken in stood watching nearby.

One moment ago, he had been an aloof master, gesturing grandly as he expounded upon the world. The next, he was kneeling on the ground like a dog. Yu Xiaogang's already pallid face instantly flushed a liverish red.

He absolutely could not lose even his last shred of dignity before this genius he had only just managed to win over.

His desire for dignity barely overcame his fear of a Titled Douluo. Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth, craned his neck, and forcibly answered Qian Renyuan's earlier interrogation.

"Ma Xiunuo! Tell them to remove these blades at once!"

Yu Xiaogang forced himself into an unquestionable posture. "What do you mean by leading men into the academy uninvited? Don't forget, I am an honorary elder of Spirit Hall!"

The moment he uttered the words "honorary elder," Yu Xiaogang seemed to regain a little confidence, and his hunched back instinctively tried to straighten.

Ma Xiunuo sneered and looked at him as though he were an idiot. He had no intention of responding, merely lowering his head respectfully as he waited for the person behind the desk to speak.

Qian Renyuan remained seated with one hand on the armrest, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Jiangmo Douluo, standing slightly behind and beside him, did not even raise his eyelids. He merely let out an extremely faint snort through his nose.

The little bit of straightness Yu Xiaogang had managed to regain instantly collapsed. His knees slammed heavily into the floor, and the tremendous impact darkened his vision as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

In an instant, the honorary elder who had been putting on airs moments ago collapsed into a heap of mud. Yu Xiaogang trembled all over, harsh rasping sounds escaping his throat as he failed to utter a single complete sentence.

"Teacher!"

Seeing this, Tang San's eyes filled with blood. The Mysterious Heaven Skill within him began circulating wildly as he instinctively tried to rush forward.

The moment he exerted himself, the lingering force of that crushing pressure swept over him. Tang San felt as though a mountain had descended upon his shoulders.

"Thud."

Tang San was forced to one knee, shattering the wooden floor beneath it. No matter how he urged his internal energy, he could not rise even the slightest bit.

Qian Renyuan looked at Yu Xiaogang on the ground, the corners of his lips curling into a faintly mocking smile.

"Honorary elder?"

There was not a trace of warmth in his voice. "You will soon learn that you are not even worth as much as a dog of Spirit Hall."

Yu Xiaogang's eyes flew open. His lips trembled as he tried to argue, but the froth of blood surging up quickly clogged his throat.

Qian Renyuan did not look at him again. He shifted his gaze to Ma Xiunuo at the doorway and began issuing orders.

"Pass down the order. Gather all teachers and students of Notting Academy on the training grounds."

His fingers lightly tapped the armrest. "Today, this Holy Son will let everyone see the true face of this fraud."

A fraud?

Yu Xiaogang was struck as if by lightning. He knew only too well where his theories had come from. If he were publicly tried before the entire academy's teachers and students, or even the entire continent, it would be far more devastating than simply being killed with one slash.

Tang San, forced to kneel on one knee, abruptly raised his head and tried to erupt into action, only to remain firmly nailed in place. Amid that extreme powerlessness, he gritted his teeth, and the fury in his eyes completely transformed into icy killing intent.

You dared to insult my benefactor and teacher. You have earned your death!

"By your command, Your Highness Holy Son!"

Having received the order, Ma Xiunuo bowed deeply, then turned and waved at the Law Enforcement Squad.

Two burly men, fierce as wolves and tigers, strode forward and seized Yu Xiaogang's arms from either side. Ignoring his desperate sobs, they dragged him to his feet like a torn sack and hauled him straight out the door.

Ten minutes later.

Notting Academy's training grounds.

The piercing clang of iron armor and cold shouts intertwined as the fully armed Spirit Hall Enforcement Team sealed off the training grounds so tightly that not even water could pass through.

"Shut up! Stay where you are!"

Blades were drawn. Whether students or academy teachers, all were violently driven together onto the training grounds. Several hundred people stood packed together beneath the gleaming blade-light, not daring to make a sound.

A rough dragging sound came from the entrance to the training grounds, and those in the front row instinctively turned toward it.

Two burly men were dragging someone over, one on each side.

That was... the master?

Yu Xiaogang, who usually walked around with his hands behind his back and put on an unfathomable air before everyone he met, was now covered in dust, with dark-red blood still staining the corners of his mouth. His distinctive long robe had already become tattered, while the toes of his shoes plowed two long grooves through the sandy ground.

Bang!

Upon reaching the platform, the two burly men swung their arms and tossed Yu Xiaogang onto it as though throwing away trash.

Yu Xiaogang rolled across the stone platform twice in utter disgrace, the agony in his internal organs forcing a muffled groan from him.

He struggled to prop himself up on his elbows and raised his head tremblingly.

His gaze passed over the edge of the flag platform, where Yu Xiaogang met the hundreds of shocked, blank eyes below.

The colleagues who usually greeted him politely as Master, as well as the students he often encountered around the academy, were all staring rigidly at his miserable state.

Yu Xiaogang felt the blood throughout his body freeze solid.

A trembling voice suddenly came from below the platform.

"Your Highness Holy Son, Yu Xiaogang may have offended you, but he is still a guest advisor of the academy. Shouldn't this matter... be considered more carefully?"

It was the principal of Notting Academy who spoke.

Qian Renyuan turned his head and gave him an indifferent glance.

"Are you pleading for him, or do you want to accompany him?"

The old principal's face instantly turned pale. His lips moved, but in the end, he could only lower his head.

"Since you do not dare, stand properly." Qian Renyuan withdrew his gaze. "Anyone who dares interfere in today's matter will bear the consequences themselves."