The White Tiger Duke's Manor's Sky Had Fallen

The entire Soul Arena fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop. The watching students stood frozen like statues.

No one dared to speak. No one dared to make a sound.

Dai Yueheng was dead.

The Soul Arena teacher was dead too.

They had all been reaped by the deep-blue halberd that had flashed past in an instant. Not even their bodies remained; they had ascended on the spot.

And Gu Chen had caused all of it.

Han Ruoruo immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Quick, summon the elders! Something has happened!"

The moment her words fell, the Inner Court students who had been watching the show rushed out of the Soul Arena one after another to gather the elders from the Inner Court.

The students who remained behind had gone pale with fright.

It was too terrifying!

Their instincts told them that if they had been struck by that halberd, they absolutely would not have survived. That thing was simply too horrifying.

The halberd in Gu Chen's hand was definitely not a soul tool, but an incredibly terrifying weapon.

As for just how terrifying it was, perhaps only the elders knew.

Meanwhile, Ning Tian, Xie Huanyue, and Wu Feng had all gone deathly pale as they stared at the scene before them in disbelief.

Dai Yueheng was dead.

The second-ranked genius of this generation's Inner Court had died at Gu Chen's hands, without even leaving behind a body. It was simply unimaginable.

"Ning Tian, do you think my big brother can still live?"

Xie Huanyue blankly looked at Ning Tian, fear filling his eyes.

Killing an Inner Court student, even by accident, meant paying with one's life. After all, the White Tiger Duke's Manor was not to be trifled with.

The White Tiger Duke had only revealed to the public that he had two sons.

Now, Dai Huabin had been beaten into an idiot by Gu Chen, while Dai Yueheng had been slain on the spot while settling old scores with Gu Chen. Would that duke stationed at the border not go mad and demand Gu Chen's life in return?

Beside them, Ning Tian said gravely, "This matter will be difficult to resolve, but I think the academy will suppress it. Think about it carefully—Gu Chen possesses such a terrifying weapon and such a frightening bloodline. Could his parents possibly be ordinary people?"

"Think bigger. Gu Chen's parents might be two Ultimate Douluos, with a whole group of Super Douluos in their family. No matter what faction it is, they would have to weigh the consequences carefully."

Xie Huanyue let out a breath of relief.

As Ning Tian had said, his big brother should not be dead.

But that instant just now had truly been too terrifying. When that halberd swept out, he had smelled the breath of death as well.

Just what was his big brother's background?

Not long after.

The accident in the Soul Arena reached the ears of the elders of Sea God's Pavilion. The entire Inner Court was shaken, and the elders set aside their affairs and hurried to inspect the Soul Arena. Even Mu En had come.

Someone had died!

And it was another duke's son.

Very soon, Mu En arrived at the Soul Arena with the elders. They drove away the unrelated Outer Court students and kept the key individuals behind.

Elder Zhuang immediately examined Gu Chen's injuries and released his Martial Soul Avatar to channel soul power into him.

"How is he?"

Leaning on his cane, Mu En spoke in an extremely grave tone.

Elder Zhuang said solemnly, "The situation is far from optimistic. Many of this child's meridians have been severed, though there are signs that they are reconnecting on their own. His bloodline power is also rejecting my soul power. He should wake up by himself shortly."

Mu En breathed a sigh of relief, then turned toward Han Ruoruo and asked sternly, "Ruoruo, tell me everything from beginning to end. What exactly happened? How did Dai Yueheng die at Gu Chen's hands? I need an explanation from you."

With a thud, Han Ruoruo dropped to her knees. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke, red-eyed, "Elder Mu, this is what happened. I saw that Gu Chen performed well in the Soul Arena and wanted to have a soul battle with him. Gu Chen later agreed."

"However, Dai Yueheng stepped forward and asked to spar with Gu Chen, promising to suppress his strength. But I never expected Dai Yueheng to use that opportunity to settle old scores with Gu Chen. The battle became irreconcilable from the very beginning, and both sides fought in earnest. Dai Yueheng clearly wanted to kill Gu Chen."

"Then, Gu Chen pulled out a weapon from somewhere, and things became like this..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the other students stepped forward to testify for Han Ruoruo, proving that she had not concealed any details.

If this matter was not handled properly, Sister Ruoruo could very well be expelled. That was something they did not want to see.

Mu En's expression changed after hearing everything.

This was bad!

Based on Han Ruoruo's and the Inner Court students' descriptions, Dai Yueheng had clearly brought this upon himself. That halberd that had suddenly appeared was very likely a protective weapon left behind by Gu Chen's parents.

After Dai Yueheng heavily injured Gu Chen, he had clearly triggered the weapon's automatic ability to protect its master, leading to this outcome.

Sigh!

What were they supposed to do now?

The wrath of the White Tiger Duke's Manor was not something easily borne. But the wrath of Gu Chen's parents would be no different.

"Elder Mu, what should we do?" Yan Shaozhe asked worriedly.

The other elders also looked over, unsure of how to handle the matter.

The White Tiger Duke's two sons—one had become an idiot, and the other had died at the academy. He would certainly not let this go.

Mu En took a deep breath and dismissed Han Ruoruo, Ning Tian, and the others, until only a few elders remained in the Soul Arena.

Only then did he speak. "Since this has already happened, there is no way to undo it. We are deeply pained by the loss of a talented young man. This was our academy's mistake, something we never expected."

"Gu Chen's strength exceeded our expectations. With so many people having witnessed this, it cannot possibly be concealed. The White Tiger Duke will certainly come to settle accounts with us. Therefore, I propose that the academy take responsibility for this accident, and that all consequences be borne by the academy."

Yan Shaozhe and the other elders' expressions changed instantly upon hearing this.

What folly!

Elder Mu had truly become muddleheaded with age. If the academy took responsibility for this, it would be no different from inviting disaster upon themselves.

Yan Shaozhe earnestly advised, "Elder Mu, please reconsider! This is no small matter. The wrath of the White Tiger Duke's Manor is not something we can bear. We should leave Gu Chen to deal with it himself."

Mu En snorted and said calmly, "You cannot have both the fish and the bear's paw. A choice must be made. What can we gain by handing Gu Chen over to the White Tiger Duke? Nothing. The other side would only hate us even more."

"But if we keep Gu Chen, he will be able to create far more in the future. I alone will bear every consequence that comes from this."

"For Shrek Academy, I must do this. At all costs, I will protect Gu Chen."

Elder Xuan immediately put down the chicken leg in his hand and said, "I agree as well. If anything happens, let me bear it with you."

The elders fell silent upon hearing this. They all understood Elder Mu's painstaking intentions.

Shrek Academy was now beset by storms on every side. Elder Mu clearly did not have many years left to live, yet he was still willing to risk everything for the academy.

Gu Chen had finally appeared. How could they simply hand him over?

He was the academy's future.

Afterward, the elders discussed it and decided to protect Gu Chen at all costs.

For the academy's future, they would stake everything!

Several hours later, news of Dai Yueheng's death reached the White Tiger Duke's Manor and the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, at the border.

Dai Hao collapsed into illness the moment he learned of it.

Dead!

His son was dead!

His younger son had become an idiot, while his eldest son had died at the academy. Even a man of steel would have fallen.

In response, Shrek Academy stated that it would provide compensation on humanitarian grounds, without mentioning Gu Chen at all.

Dai Hao was so enraged that he nearly led troops south to demand an explanation from Shrek Academy, but the Star Luo Imperial Family ultimately suppressed the matter.

After negotiations, Shrek Academy provided a one-time compensation of fifty million gold soul coins, along with a hundred-thousand-year soul bone and an invitation for enrollment.

If the White Tiger Duke's Manor wished to send anyone else to study at Shrek Academy, they could enroll directly.

The matter was finally settled.