Federal headquarters, meeting room.
On both sides of the long table, the lines were drawn sharply. Yun Ming sat at the head of one side, with the dignified Ya Li standing beside him, while behind them stood Zhen Hua, Zhuo Shi, Leng Yaozhu, and Mu Ye in order.
The six of them held themselves differently, but without exception, they all radiated powerful auras.
Zhen Hua crossed his legs, arms folded across his chest, a trace of impatience on his rugged face; Zhuo Shi closed his eyes to rest, though the crimson Soul Power winding around his body surged faintly.
Leng Yaozhu wore a placid expression, yet her gaze swept across those on the opposite side like a sharp sword. Mu Ye still wore that chef's uniform, a faint, ambiguous smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.
Opposite them, Chen Xinjie sat in the main seat, the Federal Chairman seated at his side, with the remaining parliament members lined up in order.
Although Chen Xinjie was merely the master of the War God Temple, his status within the Federation was transcendent. Even the Chairman had to lower himself a head in his presence.
As the meeting began, the Chairman took the initiative to strike. Clearing his throat, he said in a deep voice:
"Pavilion Master Yun Ming, Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda have simultaneously targeted the Federation overnight, expelling federal members, tripling the price of Soul Spirits, and Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua has refused to forge Battle Armors... What do you all mean by this? Could it be that you wish to go to war with the Federation? Do you have any idea how much impact these actions will cause? How many commoners will lose their jobs because of this? How many Soul Masters will be unable to break through?"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, his tone carrying a sense of moral kidnapping:
"Our Federation has always respected Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda, yet you treat us like this. Is this really your attitude?"
Yun Ming smiled faintly, his tone flat: "Lord Chairman, you are wrong to say that. We are not targeting the Federation; we are merely protecting ourselves."
"Self-protection?" The Chairman frowned. "You call this self-protection?"
"Of course." Yun Ming said unhurriedly, "The Federation arrested a student of our Shrek Academy for no reason and even slandered him as an Evil Soul Master. As his teachers, shouldn't we come demand justice?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping across those on the opposite side, and his voice suddenly dropped:
"Furthermore, this child is no ordinary student. He possesses the Star Emblem and is a hero who has rendered great service to the Federation. For such a child to actually be slandered as an Evil Soul Master by the Federation, what kind of intentions does the Federation harbor?"
"The Star Emblem?" The Chairman was startled. "What Star Emblem?"
He knew nothing about this matter at all.
"It is one of the Federation's highest honorary medals." Yun Ming said flatly, "Although Tang Wulin is young, he has already made significant contributions to the Federation. Is this how your Federation treats heroes?"
Leng Yaozhu took over the conversation, her voice cold and clear: "That's right. Tang Wulin is a sapling jointly cultivated by my Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy, possessing peerless talent and limitless future prospects. The Federation arrested him without distinguishing right from wrong and even slandered him as an Evil Soul Master. Are you trying to snap the roots of both our houses?"
"It's hard not to let us suspect that your Federation is intentionally targeting us."
Leng Yaozhu had truly made up her mind coming here today, and for this, she had even sought out Pagoda Master Qiangu Dongfeng in advance.
She had directly informed the other party to his face.
"Qiangu Dongfeng, as the Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, you actually sit back and watch the Federation bully people from my Spirit Pagoda. What do you mean by this?"
Qiangu Dongfeng's expression had shifted at the time: "Leng Yaozhu, what do you mean by that? When have I ever sat back and done nothing?"
"Then why didn't you make a statement?" Leng Yaozhu said coldly,
"Tang Wulin is the disciple I value the most. He was framed and arrested, yet you, the Pagoda Master, didn't even make a peep. If you find this difficult, I'll quit the Spirit Pagoda right now!"
Qiangu Dongfeng's face turned ashen, his lips trembling, yet he could not say a single word. He knew Leng Yaozhu's temper; this woman always meant what she said.
If she truly quit the Spirit Pagoda, given her strength and connections, it would undoubtedly deal a massive blow to the organization.
Thus, he had agreed to let the Spirit Pagoda cooperate with Shrek Academy to pressure the Federation together! ...
Zhen Hua also spoke up, his voice rugged: "I don't give a damn how your Federation thinks, but my apprentice was arrested by you lot. If you don't give me an explanation for this, I'm not letting this go!"
Chen Xinjie's expression grew increasingly unsightly. He had originally thought this was merely friction between the Federation and Shrek Academy, never expecting so many complications to be involved.
He abruptly turned his head to look at the Chairman, his voice carrying suppressed fury: "Chairman, what on earth is going on? Is this how the Federation treats heroes?"
As the master of the War God Temple, what Chen Xinjie despised most was the bullying of heroes.
Right now, he grew dissatisfied with the Chairman.
Damn it, he had originally thought their Federation stood on the side of moral righteousness and that Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda were making unreasonable demands, but it turned out the Federation was the one in the wrong.
Cold sweat broke out instantly across the Chairman's forehead. After all, the War God Temple was of monumental significance to the Federation; without it, the Federation completely lacked the ability to suppress other factions.
He opened his mouth, just about to defend himself, when the door of the meeting room was suddenly pushed open.
A middle-aged man wearing a federal uniform walked in quickly, holding a file, his expression rather unsightly. He was the person in charge of investigating this incident and had just cleared up the ins and outs of the matter.
"Lord Chairman, Lord Chen..." He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly, "The matter... the matter has been investigated."
The Chairman wore an unsightly expression, hesitating to speak.
"Speak!" Chen Xinjie said in a deep voice.
The person in charge took a deep breath and opened the file: "The origin of the matter is that the grandson of a War God from the War God Temple-War God Wang Shi's grandson, Wang Yu-had a conflict with Tang Wulin's parents at a soul guidance station... At this point, Tang Wulin stepped forward to defend them, and the two sides clashed once more. Afterward, Wang Yu put on a Battle Armor and attempted to kill Tang Wulin, forcing Tang Wulin to counterattack and beat Wang Yu into serious injuries."
"Then a major, who is Wang Yu's father, took action and dispatched the Soul Guidance Corps to arrest Tang Wulin, defining him as an Evil Soul Master out of anger... Afterward, Tang Wulin routed the Mecha Corps."
"Following that, Lieutenant General Li Tian rushed to the scene, and that major continued to slander Tang Wulin as an Evil Soul Master, pinning the label of an Evil Soul Master on Tang Wulin to forcefully arrest him. Lieutenant General Li Tian deliberately detained Tang Wulin, while War God Wang Shi applied pressure behind the scenes, demanding severe punishment for Tang Wulin."
"That's basically how it went... It was merely due to the selfishness of a major. In truth, it was all a misunderstanding."
The person in charge closed the file, keeping his head lowered, not daring to look at anyone. He possessed some cleverness and directly shifted the blame onto that major.
Inside the meeting room, a dead silence prevailed.
The Chairman's face turned ashen as paper. He had never expected the truth of the matter to turn out like this.
A hero of the Federation had been slandered as an Evil Soul Master by the Federation itself, and even beaten and arrested as one. And the origin of all this turned out to be nothing more than the grandson of a War God throwing his weight around.
Chen Xinjie's complexion had already turned as black as dripping ink. He slammed his palm violently against the table, stood up, and his voice exploded within the meeting room like thunder:
"Good! Very good! People from my War God Temple actually went and pulled something like this!"
Before you continue