"Dean, aren't these terms a little too generous?"
Zhao Wuji leaned close to Flender and spoke in a low voice.
Then Li Yusong, Lu Qibin, and Shao Xin also looked pleased.
Flender, however, quietly glanced at Qin Xiao.
The latter sat with his eyes lowered toward his nose, his nose aligned with his heart, lost in unknown thoughts.
"Normally, granting us Heaven Dou Grade teaching qualifications would be reasonable. But the special subsidies they're applying for on everyone's behalf, and the Education Committee seat they promised me, are all out of respect for His Holiness."
Flender understood that perfectly well.
"Then what do we do now?"
Zhao Wuji paused.
"Since His Holiness hasn't said anything, he's leaving the decision to us."
"I choose to accept!"
The terms offered by the Heaven Dou Royal Academy were better than he had imagined. Flender truly had no reason to refuse.
However.
Just then, a voice came from outside the Education Committee.
"Chairman Meng, our Heaven Dou Royal Academy isn't a shelter. We can't let just any stray cat or dog in."
As the voice faded.
Three people walked in.
The man in the middle was elderly.
He wore lavish clothes and was somewhat stout, but his features were distinguished.
At that moment, however, his brows were tightly knitted, lending him an air of authority even without anger.
Even when facing the three committee members, Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin, he remained lofty and condescending.
Beside the richly dressed old man stood a young man.
"It's him!"
Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others instantly recognized the young man as one of those who had blocked their way at the academy gates.
But the last of the three drew everyone's attention the most.
He was a thin old man in green robes. His dark green eyes swept over them, sending chills through their bodies.
They could not help feeling as though a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on them.
What terrifying cultivation. He must be at least a Soul Douluo.
That was what Zhao Wuji thought.
In fact, Meng Shenji and the others also grew tense.
With cultivation this terrifying, could he be that legendary Douluo whose title is Poison?
Rumor had it that just such a resident expert served at the Prince's Mansion.
He was also the only Titled Douluo serving the Heaven Dou Empire.
It looks like things may not go smoothly today.
Glancing at Xue Beng, whose face was still bruised and swollen, Meng Shenji felt an ominous premonition.
"Your Highness, perhaps you received some information before coming here that led to a misunderstanding about Shrek Academy?"
As Meng Shenji spoke, he gestured toward the Shrek group. "These aren't teachers and students without ability. Teacher Qin Ming himself graduated from Shrek Academy. If they join our Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the strength of our academy, and even the empire, will soar."
Of course, what he did not explain was that the Shrek group would make the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's strength soar.
The one who would make the Heaven Dou Empire's strength soar was Qin Xiao.
Actually, that was only natural.
All three committee members-Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin-supported Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
When a new Titled Douluo appeared within the empire, the first person Meng Shenji informed would naturally be the crown prince, giving Xue Qinghe a chance to win him over.
If the crown prince also had a Titled Douluo supporting him, he would have the strength to confront Prince Xue Xing head-on.
"Oh?"
Xue Xing raised an eyebrow. He had not expected Meng Shenji to hold Shrek Academy in such high regard.
The more you value them, the less I can let them stay. Wouldn't that just strengthen the crown prince?
He made up his mind. "It seems I acted rashly. But Chairman Meng, what I wish to say is that joining our Heaven Dou Royal Academy requires more than strength. Character matters too.
"Xue Beng is an imperial prince. Even if he's a little unruly, that doesn't mean just anyone can teach him a lesson. Slapping Xue Beng in the face means humiliating the empire. They must answer for this."
Xue Xing spoke with a dark expression.
"Answer for it?"
Meng Shenji froze. He had never expected Xue Xing to be so unreasonable, refusing to let go of the matter involving Xue Beng.
He was deliberately looking for trouble.
"Everyone, I'm truly sorry. His Majesty appointed Prince Xue Xing to oversee certain affairs of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Let me speak with him first."
He intended to reassure Flender and the others first.
But while silence might have been better, his explanation provoked an even stronger reaction.
"What? This fellow is the one in charge of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
"Then aren't we finished? Even if we stay, won't he keep making life difficult for us?"
"How much humiliation would we have to swallow?"
Zhao Wuji immediately grew furious and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
That was simply how he was-he could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes. Otherwise, he would not have made so many enemies.
In fact, it was not just him. Flender, Li Yusong, and the others also looked grim.
Zhao Wuji's words were rough, but his reasoning was sound.
None of them were fools. They could all see that Prince Xue Xing was deliberately targeting them.
"How dare you! Is a prince someone you can provoke?"
Xue Beng's expression immediately changed, and he shrieked, "Royal Uncle, see? Wasn't I right? These people are nothing but a pack of uncivilized rabble!"
"I can hear what they're saying. I don't need you to remind me."
Xue Xing gave Xue Beng an irritated look.
Alas, his bearing falls short of Xue Qinghe's by far more than a little.
Though disappointed, he could not reprimand Xue Beng in front of so many people.
"Mister Dugu, please take action."
He turned slightly and addressed the green-robed old man beside him.
"A trivial matter."
Dugu Bo nodded slightly, then stepped in front of Prince Xue Xing.
A sweep of his gaze gave him a rough idea of the Shrek group's strength.
Those mature-looking teachers probably were not even Soul Douluos.
As for the students...
Did he need to concern himself with their strength?
The next moment, he channeled his soul power, and nine soul rings emerged beneath his feet.
"A Titled Douluo!"
"He really is Poison Douluo Dugu Bo!"
Now Meng Shenji was certain.
"A Titled Douluo!"
The gazes of Zhao Wuji, Flender, and the others sharpened as well.
They had suspected that this green-robed old man was extraordinary, but not to this extent.
Had they not seen enough Titled Douluos recently, their reactions would have been far more embarrassing.
"Enough!"
Suddenly, an abrupt voice rang out.
It shattered the tense atmosphere.
Qin Xiao rose and walked forward, one step at a time.
He had originally wanted to see whether events might develop differently, but now it seemed they were still heading down the same old path...
"Who are you? You think saying 'enough' makes it enough?"
Xue Beng shouted in displeasure. He had yet to see those who had bullied him kneel and beg for mercy. How could he be satisfied?
"Do you have any right to speak here?"
Qin Xiao gave Xue Beng a cold glance, lightning flickering in his eyes.
An invisible force slammed viciously into Xue Beng.
"Aah..."
With a wretched scream, Xue Beng was sent flying backward.
Xue Xing could even hear the repeated cracks of bones breaking in Xue Beng's body.
"What's going on?"
Xue Xing was dumbfounded. He looked blankly at Dugu Bo. "Mister Dugu, why... why didn't you stop that?"
Dugu Bo, meanwhile, looked equally bewildered and innocent. "Your Highness, you've misunderstood me. I tried, but I couldn't stop it."
Then he looked at Qin Xiao again. Who is this kid? How can he be so uncanny?
That's all for today. Extra updates will begin tomorrow.
Thank you all for your support.
Before you continue