Ma Hongjun had not expected Ning Chuan to bear him so much ill will, too. He knew Ning Chuan must have investigated him, so he immediately retorted, "I only go to those places because my martial soul leaves me no choice. Do you think I want to go?"
"Oh? Do you even believe that yourself?" Ning Chuan turned toward Xiao Wu as he spoke. "Miss Xiao Wu, do you believe him?"
"Huh?" Xiao Wu's attention had been elsewhere. Only when she suddenly heard Ning Chuan call her name did she snap back to the present.
She really did not know how to answer that question. She had always believed this was simply Ma Hongjun's nature, but he was a member of Shrek, and she did not want to help an outsider put Shrek down. All she could do was lower her head and remain silent.
Seeing this, Flender immediately stepped in to smooth things over. "Ning Chuan, I can vouch for him on this matter. Hongjun's martial soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix. If he doesn't regularly release the evil fire inside him, it will cause tremendous harm to his body. He could even explode and die!"
"Oh?" Ning Chuan immediately turned toward Flender. "You're the dean of Shrek Academy, correct?"
Flender nodded. "That's right!"
Ning Chuan inclined his head slightly. "Then may I ask, since his evil fire can harm even a Soul Master, what consequences would it have if he released it into an ordinary person's body?"
"Uh..." Flender was instantly at a loss for words. As a Soul Saint, he naturally knew that although Ma Hongjun's release of evil fire would not kill those women, it would certainly damage their bodies.
Soul Masters could suppress it with soul power, but ordinary people had no way to deal with the evil fire. Over time, their bodies would inevitably grow weaker and weaker, and it might even shorten their lives.
Yet Flender had always kept one eye open and the other shut toward this matter. He had even taken Ma Hongjun to those places himself.
To him, Ma Hongjun was a genius. By comparison, whether those ordinary people lived or died seemed insignificant.
This was an unspoken rule tacitly accepted throughout the Soul Master World. Under normal circumstances, no one would speak up against injustice on behalf of ordinary people.
But today, Ning Chuan had dragged the matter into the open, leaving Flender with no way to refute him.
Ning Chuan continued, "Since Dean Flender is unwilling to say it, I will. When evil fire enters an ordinary person's body, it will inevitably cause permanent damage."
After a brief pause, he turned toward Ma Hongjun. "Ma Hongjun, even saying you and Dai Mubai are cut from the same cloth gives you too much credit. Trash like you is nothing but a scourge on the Soul Master World."
"Well said!" Meng Yiran clapped and cheered on the spot.
She, too, accepted the unwritten rule that the strong enjoyed more privileges, but she would never look down from on high and disregard ordinary people's lives.
As children of established families, whose household did not have a few ordinary people in it?
The Dragon Duke and Snake Granny watched quietly from the sidelines, inwardly delighted that they could witness this fine show firsthand.
They knew very well that, without Ning Chuan, they would have thought quite highly of Shrek's young geniuses. They truly had not expected people with such outstanding talent to have such rotten character at their core.
Ning Chuan's forceful bearing impressed the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny just as much.
When they first encountered Ning Chuan in the Star Dou Great Forest, they had merely felt that he was not as worthless as the rumors claimed.
Now, faced with a group of Soul Masters whose soul power exceeded his own, Ning Chuan's expression remained unchanged, without the slightest hint of fear.
Such a steady, powerful disposition only deepened the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny's admiration.
Seeing that Ma Hongjun had fallen silent, Ning Chuan turned the spearhead back toward Dai Mubai.
"Dai Mubai, kneel and apologize, and we'll let this matter rest. Otherwise, I don't mind using force to make you submit!" Ning Chuan said.
Dai Mubai thought Ning Chuan intended to attack him and immediately sneered. "You think you can take me on?"
"Brainless fool!" Ning Chuan could not be bothered to waste any more words on him. He immediately turned toward the Dragon Duke. "Senior Dragon Duke, if Dai Mubai hasn't knelt and apologized within ten breaths, sorry for the trouble, but please cripple him. Sword Grandpa will owe you a favor!"
Deep down, the Dragon Duke did not really believe Ning Chuan could make such a promise on Sword Douluo's behalf. Yet for some reason, he felt that Ning Chuan was not merely boasting.
After a moment's consideration, he nodded. "No problem!"
The Dragon Duke would not lightly provoke the Star Luo Imperial Family, but Dai Mubai was merely a discarded pawn. Never mind crippling him-even if he killed him, Dai Weisi might well thank him for it.
Besides, there was a chance to gain a favor from Sword Douluo. No matter how he looked at it, this was a worthwhile bargain.
Seeing this, Flender and Zhao Wuji immediately moved to shield Dai Mubai behind them.
But neither had any confidence. They knew very well that the Peerless Dragon Snake could rival a Titled Douluo when they joined forces. Moreover, Sword Douluo was somewhere near Suotuo City.
Although they knew Tang San was Tang Hao's son, they also understood that, as long as Sword Douluo did not attack Tang San, Tang Hao would have no reason to stop him.
Dai Mubai could also see the situation clearly. He knew that if he did not do as Ning Chuan demanded today, he might drag the entire Shrek Academy into this.
As the ten breaths drew to an end, the Dragon Duke had already released his martial soul. Dai Mubai could only swallow his pride and obediently kneel before Ning Rongrong.
He had fled the Star Luo Empire to save his own life in the first place. Now that his life was threatened again, he naturally knew which choice to make.
"Rongrong, I'm sorry!" Dai Mubai knelt with his head lowered, not daring to look at anyone around him.
After apologizing, Dai Mubai rose before Ning Rongrong could speak and turned toward Ning Chuan. "Ning Chuan, are you satisfied now?" He stared fixedly at Ning Chuan. If looks could kill, Ning Chuan would already have been cut into a thousand pieces.
Ning Chuan no longer looked at him. Instead, he turned toward Zhu Zhuqing. "Miss Zhu Zhuqing, on behalf of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I would like to invite you to join us. What do you think?"
Zhu Zhuqing froze at his words. She had not expected Ning Chuan to invite her so suddenly.
An invitation from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect truly tempted her.
But she still felt a sense of belonging to the Star Luo Empire. She had come to Shrek to see whether Dai Mubai still had the resolve to fight Dai Weisi and her elder sister, Zhu Zhuyun. Deep in her heart, she longed to fight her way back to the Star Luo Empire through her own strength.
She knew the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could shelter her, but it could not lay to rest the inner demon driving her to fight her way back to the Star Luo Empire.
While Zhu Zhuqing pondered, Dai Mubai had already grown frantic.
He stared straight at Ning Chuan. "Ning Chuan, what are you trying to do?"
"None of your damn business!" Ning Chuan said coolly.
"Are you inviting Zhu Zhuqing just to humiliate me?" Dai Mubai demanded.
"Heh!" Ning Chuan chuckled. "Who do you think you are? I invited Miss Zhu Zhuqing because I value her talent and her unyielding spirit. What does that have to do with you?"
"She's my fiancée!" Dai Mubai said.
Ning Chuan gave him a contemptuous look. "I understand that you can't beat Dai Weisi. He's older than you, after all. But when you fled for your life, you didn't care whether Miss Zhu Zhuqing lived or died. How do you have the nerve to call her your fiancée now?"
Dai Mubai was once again struck speechless. Seeing this, Tang San immediately spoke up. "Ning Chuan, isn't it a little inappropriate to poach someone from our Shrek Academy so openly?"
Ning Chuan smiled faintly. "What, can Shrek Academy dictate Miss Zhu Zhuqing's life forever? Besides, I never said she had to leave for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect right now!"
As he spoke, Ning Chuan turned toward Zhu Zhuqing. "Miss Zhu Zhuqing, take your time to consider it. The doors of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect are always open to you!"
"Thank you for the invitation, Young Master Ning. I'll consider it!" Zhu Zhuqing thanked him sincerely. She would not refuse, because this truly offered her a way out.
Dai Mubai's eyes bulged with fury, but there was nothing he could do.
At that moment, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar were all flushed red to the tips of their ears. To them, today had been utterly humiliating.
Before you continue