A conversation with Jiang Nannan

After hearing that voice, Yan Shaozhe turned slightly toward the speaker. His tone remained level, but carried a trace of authority. "Oh? Who wishes to raise a concern? If the question is reasonable, the academy will provide an answer."

At that moment, Tian Chen suddenly stepped forward, his expression calm and resolute. He looked straight at Yan Shaozhe, then swept his gaze toward Huo Yuhao in the stands before slowly speaking. "Dean Yan, I have a question. At the beginning, Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei were clearly being suppressed by my speed. Why were they suddenly able to keep up later? Also, at the very last moment, when we clashed, someone seemed to launch a spiritual attack against me, briefly interrupting my skill and giving them an opening."

"Dean, don't you think all of this was far too suspicious?"

At those words, Bei Bei's and Xu Sanshi's hearts lurched.

They immediately exchanged a glance, then stepped forward almost simultaneously.

Bei Bei's expression remained composed, but his voice carried a hint of coldness. "Tian Chen, are you saying we cheated? Sorry, but we know nothing about this spiritual attack you mentioned. When we fought you in the Soul Fighting Arena, we relied entirely on our own strength."

Xu Sanshi immediately shot back, "Exactly! Since when have we, the Outer Court Twin Stars, needed to cheat to win a fight? You were certainly fast, but we managed to keep up with you in the end entirely because we adjusted our tactics. As for a spiritual attack, that's utter nonsense! If anything like that really happened, it was a mistake caused by your own inadequate spiritual power!"

Now Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei were getting anxious. Could this brat actually know something?

Cheating was forbidden. If they were caught, they would each receive a disciplinary punishment at the very least.

But Yuhao's soul skill was extremely discreet, so it probably would not be discovered. They just had to deny it to their dying breath.

"Upperclassmen, I haven't even said much yet, and you're already rushing to defend yourselves. Isn't that confessing before anyone has accused you?" Tian Chen said, spreading his hands.

Tian Chen's words left Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi speechless for a moment, and the atmosphere grew even tenser.

"Dean, I suspect he used some kind of support soul skill to help Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi," Tian Chen said, pointing at Huo Yuhao in the stands.

At that instant, every pair of eyes in the arena turned toward Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao immediately panicked.

Amid the tension, Bei Bei suddenly stepped forward. Although he knew perfectly well that Huo Yuhao had helped him cheat, there was absolutely no way he could admit it under everyone's scrutiny. Otherwise, the three of them would lose their reputations in the Soul Fighting Arena.

"Tian Chen, you can't make accusations like that out of thin air. You need evidence."

Hearing that, Xu Sanshi immediately regained his vigor. "Exactly! You say we cheated, but do you have any evidence?"

By then, the referee had also noticed the change in the arena. He stepped forward and reported the details to Yan Shaozhe.

"Tian Chen, what evidence do you have that Huo Yuhao used a support soul skill?" Yan Shaozhe asked.

Tian Chen gave a cold laugh. "Evidence is easy to get. Just check his soul power and spiritual power. If there's nothing wrong with him, I'm willing to apologize to his face and accept this soul fighting match as my loss. I'll also pay twice more what I promised before. But if there really is a problem, I hope you'll handle it impartially, Dean."

After hearing that, Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly and tilted his head toward the referee.

The referee immediately understood and walked slowly toward Huo Yuhao.

Upon hearing Tian Chen's proposal, Huo Yuhao's anxiety instantly reached its limit.

He had already exhausted himself by repeatedly using his soul skill and spiritual power to assist his teammates. He had only managed to hold on until now through sheer willpower.

Now, faced with the risk of exposure and intense mental pressure, his body could no longer endure it. His vision went black, and he fainted.

Looking at the unconscious Huo Yuhao, the referee was rather puzzled. Was my presence really that oppressive? He fainted before I even examined him.

Even so, the examination still had to be carried out.

After examining him, the referee finally confirmed that he had fainted from excessive depletion of his Soul Power and spiritual power.

Although this could not be considered direct evidence, it certainly established strong grounds for suspecting Huo Yuhao.

After confirming that Huo Yuhao had fainted from excessive depletion of his Soul Power and spiritual power, the referee reported the result to Yan Shaozhe.

Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, then looked toward Tian Chen, his tone thoughtful. "Tian Chen, while Huo Yuhao's condition is indeed suspicious, this alone is not enough to serve as conclusive evidence that he engaged in misconduct. We therefore need to investigate this matter further."

Yan Shaozhe continued, "However, your suggestion certainly deserves serious consideration. If Huo Yuhao really used methods outside the limits permitted by the rules during the match, the academy will handle the matter impartially and show no leniency."

Yan Shaozhe ultimately announced that no disciplinary measures would be taken against Huo Yuhao for the time being, but the matter would be thoroughly investigated. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, as his "accomplices," would also require further investigation.

Meanwhile, the original ruling on the match remained unchanged—Tian Chen had won.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had never expected that a little clever trickery would actually bring Dean Yan himself into the matter.

Now they were in trouble. With the dean of the Martial Soul Department personally investigating, they probably would not be able to keep this hidden.

After collecting the stakes agreed upon before the soul fighting match, Tian Chen left the Soul Fighting Arena with everything satisfactorily settled.

His composure and strength had once again earned everyone's respect, while also establishing his formidable standing within the academy.

When Tian Chen left the Soul Fighting Arena, several people were waiting outside.

The first to greet him was Jiang Nannan, who smiled and said, "Long time no see, Tian Chen. It looks like your strength has climbed to yet another level."

Tang Ya walked slowly toward Tian Chen, her tone calm but sincere. "Tian Chen, congratulations on your performance today. Your composure and strength really made me see you in a new light."

Tian Chen had not expected Tang Ya to come congratulate him in person, which left him a little surprised.

Tian Chen truly had not expected Tang Ya to come congratulate him in person, which left him a little surprised. He paused briefly before asking, "Tang Ya, how did you find the time to come here today? Aren't you worried about Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei?"

Tang Ya gently shook her head, her voice calm but carrying a note of certainty. "That's the path they chose themselves. Cheating always comes at a price."

Tian Chen was taken aback. He had not expected Tang Ya to say something like that.

Then Tang Ya paused, letting her gaze linger on Tian Chen for a moment, and was just about to say something.

At that moment, Jiang Nannan hurried forward. She looked slightly nervous, but her voice was firm as she interrupted Tang Ya. "Tian Chen, can I talk to you?"

Tian Chen paused briefly, then nodded, his tone calm but faintly puzzled. "Jiang Nannan, is something the matter?"

"I... I just want to talk to you about what happened back then!"

Tian Chen was momentarily startled, then said, "Sure! Let's go!"

Seeing Jiang Nannan suddenly interrupt her conversation with Tian Chen and ask to discuss "what happened back then," a barely perceptible flicker of something unusual crossed Tang Ya's eyes. She pressed her lips together slightly, but in the end, she could only watch the two of them leave.

The two made their way to the shore of Sea God Lake, where Jiang Nannan spoke first. "Young Master Tian Chen, it's been a long time."

Tian Chen smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, the world is full of surprises. I never expected us to meet again under circumstances like these. But Jiang Nannan, when you mentioned 'what happened back then,' did you mean that incident at the Xuanming Sect?"

At his words, Jiang Nannan's expression grew somewhat complicated. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "Yes, that incident. I've never had the chance to properly thank you... If it hadn't been for you, my mother and I might have already..."

Her voice caught slightly, but she quickly composed herself and continued, "So I want to know—why did you choose to help us?"

Looking at Jiang Nannan's profile, Tian Chen spoke calmly, with a hint of deeper meaning. "Jiang Nannan, given the situation back then, I simply did what I thought was right. Besides, I didn't want to see an innocent person get caught up in the Xuanming Sect's grudges."

At that, Jiang Nannan turned and looked directly into Tian Chen's eyes, pressing further. "But you knew perfectly well how terrifying the Xuanming Sect's retaliation could be. Why did you still take the risk? Who exactly are you?"

Tian Chen was briefly taken aback, then chuckled softly and avoided Jiang Nannan's gaze. "You could say I just didn't want this world to have one more unfortunate soul. I've never known who my father and mother were. My two older sisters adopted me and raised me. I don't want there to be another person in this world without a father or mother. That's my answer."

Surprise and emotion flickered in Jiang Nannan's eyes at Tian Chen's answer. She fell silent for a while, seemingly absorbing his words, then said softly, "I see. You really are a kind person. Let me repeat what I said two years ago. If you ever need help with anything, please be sure to tell me. After all, I can't simply let this debt of gratitude go unpaid."

Tian Chen nodded, a measure of seriousness showing in his expression. "I've already received your thanks. But I hope you'll devote more of your time and energy to improving yourself. Only by becoming stronger can you truly protect the people you want to protect."

Jiang Nannan smiled faintly, then took an exquisite little box from her soul tool and offered it to Tian Chen. "Young Master Tian Chen, these are flower pastries I made myself. I hope you like them."

Tian Chen accepted the box, feeling the lingering warmth on it as a trace of warmth flickered in his eyes.

"Thank you. Also, you don't need to call me young master. Here, I'm your junior. You can call me Little Chen or simply your junior."

At Tian Chen's words, Jiang Nannan paused briefly, then asked somewhat nervously, "Then should I call you L-Little Chen, my junior?"

Tian Chen smiled and nodded.

At that moment, the lingering moonlight spilled across Sea God Lake, adding a touch of warmth to the entire scene.