Tang Chen turned to look at Xue Xing.
"You damaged the academy buildings?"
"The one who fought Dugu Bo just now was you."
"If you hadn't agreed to the test, the academy wouldn't have been affected."
"So, you bear responsibility for this as well."
Xue Xing narrowed his eyes.
"Are you accusing me?"
"I'm merely stating the facts."
Tang Chen's gaze fell on Xue Beng once more.
"As for the test you proposed earlier, since you refuse to admit it, then I have no need for your admission."
Xue Beng heard the chill in his words.
He moved a step closer to Dugu Bo.
"Dugu Bo."
Dugu Bo raised his eyes.
Xue Beng said, "This man refuses to leave the academy and has even insulted the royal family."
"Please drive him out."
As soon as those words fell.
The atmosphere in the hall froze once again.
Sun Lin immediately raised his head.
"Your Highness, Tang Chen has already passed the test."
"Dugu Bo is an academy guest elder, not an academy enforcer."
"He has no right to expel a student."
Xue Beng glared at Sun Lin.
"This prince told you to shut up!"
Sun Lin's expression turned ugly, but he did not speak again.
Dugu Bo looked at Tang Chen.
The old man had originally had no desire to interfere in the dispute between the royal family and the academy.
But Xue Beng had already pushed him to the forefront.
After the five-minute test ended, Dugu Bo had developed an interest in Tang Chen.
He wanted to know just how far Tang Chen's Life Martial Soul could go.
But Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng were both waiting for his response.
After thinking for a moment, Dugu Bo stepped forward.
"Tang Chen."
"You have already passed the test."
"But whether Heaven Dou Royal Academy accepts you is not something this old man can decide."
"Leave now, and you can at least avoid further conflict."
Tang Chen did not move.
"What if I refuse to leave?"
Dugu Bo's gaze darkened.
"Then this old man can only ask you to leave."
"How do you plan to ask?"
Dugu Bo did not answer.
Jade-green Soul Power slowly spread from his body.
Although his nine Soul Rings had not risen, the pressure of a Titled Douluo descended once again.
Broken stones around the hall were swept up by the Soul Power and shattered one after another in midair.
Zhu Zhuqing immediately stepped in front of Tang Chen.
The phantom of a Hell Spirit Cat emerged behind her.
Three Soul Rings rose at once.
"Dugu Bo."
She clenched her fists.
"The test is already over."
"If you continue attacking, then this is no longer a test."
Dugu Bo glanced at her.
"Step aside."
"This is not a matter you can interfere in."
Zhu Zhuqing did not retreat.
Her eyes remained fixed on Dugu Bo.
Tang Chen raised a hand and blocked her.
"Zhu Qing, stand behind me."
Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together.
"I can fight alongside you."
"I know."
Tang Chen looked ahead.
"But it's not time for you to act yet."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at him for a moment before withdrawing the Hell Spirit Cat.
She stood beside Tang Chen, but her hand still gripped his sleeve.
Dugu Bo slowly raised his right hand.
Jade-green Soul Power gathered in his palm.
"Tang Chen, this old man does not wish to kill you."
"If you are willing to leave, what happened earlier can be forgotten."
Tang Chen gripped the Destruction Scepter.
Just as purple-black light appeared in his palm, a heavy aura suddenly descended from outside the academy.
The entire mountain forest fell silent at that moment.
The leaves in the distance stopped swaying.
Dust on the stone steps parted to either side.
An aged figure walked over from the end of the mountain path.
The old man wore a gray robe and leaned on a wooden staff.
His steps were not fast.
Yet every step he took sent a dull tremor through the ground.
Tang Chen turned his head.
"Grandfather."
Tang Yuan did not respond.
The old man walked straight up to Tang Chen.
His wooden staff struck the ground.
Boom!
The ruins of the entire hall sank at once.
The jade-green Soul Power Dugu Bo had gathered was instantly dispersed.
Dugu Bo's hand stopped in midair.
He looked up at Tang Yuan, and for the first time, his expression changed.
"Who are you?"
Tang Yuan stood in front of Tang Chen.
"This old man is Tang Chen's grandfather."
"Just now, were you preparing to attack my grandson?"
Dugu Bo did not answer.
As he looked at the old man before him, he gradually sensed an immensely deep reserve of Soul Power.
That Soul Power had not been released, yet it made his Martial Soul tremble violently.
Prince Xue Xing also sensed that something was wrong.
"Sir..."
Tang Yuan raised a hand and interrupted him.
"This old man was not asking you."
Xue Xing's expression changed.
As a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, he had not been treated this way in many years.
But looking at the old man standing before him, he did not continue speaking.
Tang Yuan raised his right hand.
Nine Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
When the final red Soul Ring appeared, Level 95 Soul Power swept across the entire plaza.
The watching students retreated one after another.
Many lost their footing and fell straight to the ground.
Sun Lin looked up at the nine Soul Rings, his face completely frozen.
"Level 95..."
"A Super Douluo."
Xue Beng stood frozen in place.
Looking at the red Soul Ring on Tang Yuan's body, all the momentum he had built up earlier vanished.
Prince Xue Xing had also never expected a Super Douluo to stand behind Tang Chen.
Dugu Bo summoned the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor.
Its enormous body coiled above the plaza.
Nine Soul Rings rose.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.
The aura of a Titled Douluo spread once more.
Yet before the Soul Power Tang Yuan released, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's body remained suppressed.
Tang Yuan looked at Dugu Bo.
"Level 91."
"And you dare attack in front of this old man?"
Dugu Bo's expression turned grim.
"Who exactly are you?"
"This old man is Tang Yuan."
Tang Yuan raised his palm.
"Remember that name."
Golden light erupted from his body.
A massive Golden-Clawed Bear appeared behind the old man.
Its golden fur rippled in the wind, while the claws on its two bear paws extended one by one.
Five streaks of golden light cut through the air.
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted.
The seventh Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor rapidly merged with his body.
Its enormous serpentine form turned into a jade-green phantom and entered Dugu Bo's body.
A Titled Douluo's Martial Soul Avatar unfolded instantly.
Dugu Bo raised both arms.
His fifth and sixth Soul Rings lit up at the same time.
Jade Phosphorous Body Shield!
Jade Phosphorous Heavenly Dipper!
Two layers of jade-green barriers blocked the space before him.
Dugu Bo crossed his hands, unleashing all the Soul Power within him.
Tang Yuan did not use a soul skill.
He merely raised his right palm and struck forward.
The Golden-Clawed Bear also swung its massive paw.
The palm strike stretched over ten meters, five golden claws tearing through the air as they crashed directly into the two barriers.
The first barrier shattered instantly.
The second barrier held on for only a moment.
Dugu Bo's face rapidly turned pale.
He urged his Soul Power, intending to use teleportation to leave.
But the surrounding space had already been sealed by Tang Yuan.
The golden palm print passed through the barrier and slammed heavily into his chest.
Boom!
Dugu Bo's body flew backward.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul shook violently.
He crashed through the stone wall outside the hall, then rolled across the ground several times before finally slamming into a thicket.
Large swathes of trees snapped in the middle.
Dugu Bo pushed himself up from the rubble.
His green robe had already torn apart.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
His chest had caved in, and the Soul Power within his body was briefly thrown into disarray.
Just one palm strike.
Tang Yuan had sent him flying head-on.
The entire plaza fell deathly silent.
The watching students stared at Dugu Bo lying in the distance, their faces filled with shock.
A Titled Douluo.
The Poison Douluo, who held an extremely lofty status within the Heaven Dou Empire.
Could not even block a single palm strike from Tang Yuan.
Tang Yuan withdrew the Golden-Clawed Bear.
Nine Soul Rings still circled at his side.
The old man looked toward Dugu Bo.
"If it were not for the fact that you had not truly intended to kill, that palm strike just now would not merely have made you cough up blood."
Dugu Bo raised a hand and wiped away the blood at his lips.
He did not attack again.
A level ninety-five Super Douluo was already enough to suppress him as he was now.
Prince Xue Xing stood where he was.
After Dugu Bo's defeat, there was no one left by his side capable of confronting Tang Yuan head-on.
Xue Beng looked at Tang Yuan, the expression on his face constantly shifting.
Tang Chen stepped out from behind the old man.
Although his white robes were damaged, his steps remained steady.
He walked step by step until he stood before Xue Beng.
Xue Beng instinctively took a step back.
"What do you want?"
Tang Chen did not answer.
He raised his right hand.
Smack!
The slap landed on Xue Beng's face.
Xue Beng's body spun to one side from the blow.
His golden hair fell loose, and his cheek quickly swelled.
Every student in the plaza widened their eyes.
In less than half a day.
Prince Xue Beng had been publicly slapped by Tang Chen for the second time.
Prince Xue Xing's expression changed drastically.
"Tang Chen, stop!"
Tang Yuan turned to look at Xue Xing.
Level ninety-five Soul Power pressed forward.
"You want a palm strike too?"
Xue Xing halted.
He glanced at Dugu Bo in the distance, then at the nine Soul Rings beside Tang Yuan.
In the end, he did not step forward again.
Xue Beng clutched his cheek and turned to glare at Tang Chen.
"You still dare hit me?"
Tang Chen raised his hand.
Smack!
The other side of his face was slapped as well.
Xue Beng staggered back two steps, and the jade crown on his head fell straight to the ground.
"I am hitting you."
Tang Chen pressed forward.
"You insulted me first."
"Then you took the initiative to use a soul skill."
"I passed the test you proposed, yet you immediately went back on your word."
"Is this how the Heaven Dou Imperial Family treats academy students?"
Xue Beng raised a hand, trying to summon his Swan Martial Soul.
The instant three Soul Rings emerged, Tang Chen struck his chest with a palm.
Bang!
Xue Beng flew backward and slammed into a broken stone pillar.
Cracks spread across the pillar's surface.
He climbed up from the ground, his luxurious robe once again covered in dust.
"You..."
Xue Beng had barely spoken when Tang Chen appeared in front of him.
Smack!
The slap came down.
Xue Beng's cheek snapped to the side.
"This slap is for breaking your promise."
Smack!
"This slap is for using a Titled Douluo to bully a Soul Ancestor."
Smack!
"This slap is for treating the Royal Academy as a place for your nonsense."
Every time Tang Chen spoke, he delivered another slap.
Both of Xue Beng's cheeks rapidly swelled.
Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
He wanted to fight back.
But the moment his Swan Martial Soul gathered, it was forced back into his body by destructive Soul Power.
His three Soul Rings dimmed one after another.
Xue Beng raised both hands in front of himself.
Tang Chen knocked his arms aside with one palm, then grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground.
"Release this prince!"
Xue Beng struggled as he raised a leg to kick Tang Chen.
Tang Chen shifted aside and evaded it.
Gripping Xue Beng by the collar, he slammed him hard into the ground.
Boom!
Broken stones scattered in every direction.
Xue Beng's back smashed a dent into the ground.
Tang Chen stepped on his robe.
"You told me to get out of the academy just now."
"Now I am still standing here."
"What else do you have to say?"
Xue Beng opened his mouth, gasping for breath.
Looking at Tang Chen so close before him, nothing remained in his eyes but fear.
No one around them spoke up for him.
Prince Xue Xing stood several steps away.
Tang Yuan's gaze remained fixed on him.
So long as Xue Xing dared take another step forward, the Golden-Clawed Bear's palm print would descend once more.
Dugu Bo returned from the distance.
The injury to his chest had yet to settle.
The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor coiled behind him, yet he had no intention of attacking again.
This conflict was no longer an academy test.
It was a confrontation between Tang Chen and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
Tang Chen raised his hand.
Xue Beng immediately lifted his arms to shield his face.
"You still want to hit me?"
"Of course."
Tang Chen looked at him.
"Even after the test ended, you still refused to let me enroll."
"This slap is to tell you that promises are not meant to be changed at will."
Smack!
Xue Beng's arms were knocked away.
The slap landed solidly on his face.
His body flew sideways, knocking down the last remaining broken wall beside him.
Rubble fell from above, burying half his body.
Tang Chen stood where he was and withdrew his hand.
Tang Chen stood where he was and withdrew his hand.
Rubble was still slowly rolling down.
Xue Beng was buried beneath the broken wall, with only one arm exposed.
He struggled out of the ruins, his luxurious robe already covered in dust and his golden hair scattered across one side of his face.
Two royal knights immediately stepped forward and helped him out of the rubble.
Xue Beng clutched his chest, his gaze falling upon Tang Chen.
He wanted to threaten him, but stopped when he saw Tang Yuan.
Nine Soul Rings circled the old man.
The final red Soul Ring slowly revolved, its pressure making it difficult for Xue Beng even to stand steadily.
"Get lost."
Tang Chen looked at Xue Beng.
"Do not let me see you again."
Xue Beng's cheeks were swollen high.
He raised a hand to wipe away the blood at his lips, his gaze moving back and forth between Tang Chen and Tang Yuan.
All of his earlier arrogance had vanished.
He knew full well that if he remained here, he would only suffer further humiliation.
"Let's go."
Xue Beng turned and left.
Several dozen royal knights immediately made way.
They did not dare look at Tang Chen again as they escorted Xue Beng swiftly down the stone steps.
Prince Xue Xing remained where he was and did not immediately follow.
He looked at Tang Yuan, the expression on his face constantly changing.
He had originally brought Dugu Bo to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to recover Xue Beng's dignity.
But now, Dugu Bo had been repelled by a single palm strike.
Xue Beng had also been publicly taught a lesson by Tang Chen.
If they remained, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would only become even more embarrassed.
"Senior Tang Yuan."
Prince Xue Xing cupped his hands in salute.
"What happened today was Xue Beng's recklessness."
Tang Chen raised his eyes to look at him.
"When he insulted me just now, you did not stop him."
"When he used His Excellency Dugu to pressure me, you did not stop him either."
"Now that things can no longer be resolved, you say he was merely reckless?"
Prince Xue Xing's expression turned ugly.
As a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, it had been a long time since he had spoken to someone in such a humble manner.
But the Tang Yuan before him was a rank ninety-five Super Douluo.
If the two sides truly came to blows, Heaven Dou Royal Academy would inevitably suffer tremendous losses.
Prince Xue Xing suppressed the discomfort in his heart and looked at Tang Chen again.
"Little friend Tang, there truly was a misunderstanding in what happened just now."
"Xue Beng is still young and lacks proper consideration when handling matters."
"As long as you are willing to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I can guarantee that the academy will provide you with the best cultivation resources."
"The royal family is also willing to compensate you for today's conflict."
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