Fifty Lashes for Each Side

In the infirmary, Gu Mingyuan answered truthfully:

"When I returned to the South City courtyard, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong were already there, waiting without my permission."

"Senior Tang Ya saw that my companions were wearing wooden tags marked 'Tang' and that I'd taken in Lin Yan and Jiang Wenzhou after the academy expelled them. She demanded to know why I'd set up my own Tang Sect. The argument escalated. I released my martial soul first, and Senior Bei Bei was the first to attack. Huo Yuhao then activated Spiritual Detection Sharing to support them, and Senior Tang Ya and Wang Dong joined in."

"As for what happened afterward..." Gu Mingyuan paused.

"They weren't strong enough. I fought all four of them alone. Once they could no longer fight, I didn't pursue them. I'd already stopped by the time Senior Xu Sanshi arrived."

Xu Sanshi nodded and handed Du Weilun the city defense assistance log along with footage recorded by a Soul Tool at the scene.

The footage was clear. Gu Mingyuan's account was substantially accurate.

On her hospital bed, Tang Ya had been nervous when Gu Mingyuan accused them of trespassing and provoking him first. But when she heard him say bluntly, "I fought all four of them alone," her face turned green, then white.

Worse, she couldn't refute him.

The four of them had joined forces, only to be crushed by Gu Mingyuan single-handedly.

At the far end of the room, Huo Yuhao lay in bed staring at the white ceiling. His broken ribs had been set, but the throbbing pain in his meridians was nothing beside his humiliation and resentment.

He had held nothing back.

The Spiritual Detection of his Spirit Eyes, the Ice Emperor's Fury from his Ice Empress Torso Bone, the Soul Ring Skill Ice Emperor's Pincers, and all his other Soul Skills working together... How had Gu Mingyuan taken all that without so much as a decent wound?

In the Sea of Spirit, Yu Xiaogang hadn't figured out Gu Mingyuan's absurdly tough defenses either. But he would never show uncertainty in front of his disciple, so he gave a cold snort and offered reassurance.

"Don't be discouraged. Gu Mingyuan only had the advantage of being a three-ring Soul Elder with a martial soul that made him exceptionally tough. You haven't had the chance to realize the true potential of your Twin Martial Souls. Once you reach the third ring and truly master the power of Ultimate Ice, you'll never be forced onto the defensive like this again."

Huo Yuhao clenched his teeth. He blamed the crushing defeat entirely on his insufficient cultivation and silently swore that, even if it cost him his life, he would raise his Soul Power until he caught up.

"And you still call Bei Bei your senior?"

An angry feminine voice broke the oppressive silence in the ward.

Zhang Lexuan's brows drew tight as she stared at Gu Mingyuan. "That punch of yours could put him in bed for half a month!"

Gu Mingyuan turned to her and said calmly, "I held back. If I'd punched him with the same force I used at the Beast Arena that day... Senior Bei wouldn't be lying in the infirmary right now."

Zhang Lexuan froze. Clearly, she didn't know much about what Gu Mingyuan had done.

Du Weilun stepped forward at just the right moment and quickly briefed Yan Shaozhe on the earlier assessment in a low voice. Leaning close to Yan Shaozhe's ear, he reported the Twin Ultimates effect of Gu Mingyuan's third Soul Skill, Golden Jade Strength Transformation, and how Gu Mingyuan had killed a three-thousand-year-old Ironclad Bear with one punch.

Yan Shaozhe's pupils contracted slightly.

He finally realized that Gu Mingyuan was no longer the outer academy prodigy who had first drawn attention through his astonishing defenses alone.

Ultimate Strength and Ultimate Defense!

Twin Ultimates!

When had Shrek Academy last had a student with Twin Ultimates? He had a vague feeling it never had.

Yet Huo Yuhao, lying on the other side of the ward, had only just returned and had already shown the potential of Ultimate Ice and Twin Martial Souls. Bei Bei was Mu En's most beloved great-grandson, Tang Ya was the Tang Sect's leader in name, and Wang Dong had the Clear Sky Sect behind her...

If put to good use, Ultimate Ice could amount to another form of Twin Ultimates!

If he mishandled this and favored either side, the damage would go beyond the relationships between a few gifted students. It would sow trouble within the academy itself.

What a headache.

Yan Shaozhe sighed inwardly.

What had happened couldn't be undone. There was no point dwelling on who was right or wrong. As an elder of the Sea God Pavilion and dean of the Martial Soul Department, he had to decide what outcome would best serve the academy's future.

Yan Shaozhe walked to Bei Bei's bed. "Was anything Gu Mingyuan said untrue?"

Bei Bei shook his head with a bitter smile. "No. I attacked first, and I lost completely."

He didn't care about winning or losing. His gaze stayed on Tang Ya in the next bed, her face deathly pale, his eyes full of concern.

With Bei Bei's confirmation, Yan Shaozhe turned and swept his gaze across the room before delivering his ruling.

"Tang Ya and the others entered someone else's home without permission. Bei Bei, as their senior, attacked first. All of you were at fault. And although Gu Mingyuan acted in self-defense, he deliberately escalated the conflict in a residential part of the city, leaving several people seriously injured and buildings damaged. He, too, went too far."

"The academy will cover all medical expenses from this incident, as well as the cost of repairing the damaged buildings in the South City courtyard." Yan Shaozhe paused.

"Bei Bei, Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong will each receive an allowance of one million Gold Soul Coins for the Treasure Appreciation Auction at the Treasure Pavilion. You may use it to choose suitable healing herbs, medicines, or cultivation resources."

"Huo Yuhao's body is severely depleted," Yan Shaozhe added, looking toward the bed at the far end of the room. "The academy will also provide him with a portion of high-grade Whale Rubber."

With that, Yan Shaozhe turned to Gu Mingyuan.

"Gu Mingyuan, you will also receive a one-million-Gold-Soul-Coin allowance for the Treasure Appreciation Auction."

On the surface, he had punished both sides equally and offered them the same compensation. It seemed perfectly fair. But Yan Shaozhe's tone abruptly shifted.

"However, until this Tang Sect dispute is fully resolved or the two sides reach an agreement, Gu Mingyuan, you may not use the Tang Sect's name to publicly recruit, teach, or organize anyone expelled from the academy, whether within Shrek City or beyond it."

Yan Shaozhe fixed him with a stern look. "You may keep your existing South City courtyard, but you may not expand your organization any further. This is to prevent another serious conflict between your two so-called Tang Sects and to preserve order in Shrek City."

At that, Zhou Sichen could no longer hold back. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest.

They came looking for trouble and got beaten. Why was Gu Mingyuan the one being restricted?

Gu Mingyuan didn't turn around. He merely raised his left hand and pressed it gently downward, stopping Zhou Sichen.

Xu Sanshi, standing nearby, turned his face away. A flicker of apology crossed his eyes.

Tang Ya had started the whole thing, but to placate Bei Bei and Tang Ya, the academy had ultimately placed the restriction on Gu Mingyuan.

That was how the higher-ups kept the balance.