Xiao Chen held Ye Xinglan up by the throat, leaving her able to do nothing but make incoherent, muffled cries.
Her formerly proud little face was now white as paper, her eyes filled with terror and humiliation.
Xu Lizhi stood beside them, dumbstruck, still clutching his unfinished dried fish, rooted to the spot and at a complete loss.
Watching Xiao Chen restrain Ye Xinglan so effortlessly, he felt both anxious and afraid. He wanted to help, but he could not even muster the courage to approach Xiao Chen.
After much hesitation, he could only turn to Tang Wulin beside him, his eyes reddening slightly as he pleaded in a tearful voice:
"Brother Wulin, please, help Sister Xinglan. She definitely didn't mean to provoke you. Please help her."
Tang Wulin froze at his words, looking utterly bewildered as he pointed at himself. "You mean me?"
He had never had a particularly good impression of Ye Xinglan, and she had just come up and insulted them, belittling everyone.
For Xu Lizhi to ask him to help her under these circumstances truly rubbed him the wrong way.
Besides, he did not know Xiao Chen that well either. Rather than putting pressure on himself, Xu Lizhi was putting it on him, huh?
Yet seeing Xu Lizhi's pitiful face and desperate pleas, he could not bring himself to refuse, leaving him caught in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Xie Xie snapped at Xu Lizhi in displeasure, "If you want to help your Sister Glory, do it yourself. Don't drag Wulin into it."
"That woman was so arrogant just now, and now she wants to make peace?"
Xu Lizhi opened his mouth, about to explain that he did not dare, but silently swallowed the words before they came out.
Saying that aloud would have been far too humiliating. He could only lower his head and silently pray that his Sister Xinglan would be all right.
Just then, Xiao Chen's gaze turned cold. Without giving Ye Xinglan another look, he flicked his wrist and hurled her hard onto the ground.
"Take your Shrek glory and get lost."
Those words were bone-chillingly cold and utterly merciless, shattering Ye Xinglan's pride.
Ye Xinglan landed in a miserable heap, her hair disheveled and her Shrek uniform covered in dust. She struggled for quite a while before barely managing to sit up.
She looked up at Xiao Chen with eyes full of fear and fury, clenching her hands so tightly that her nails nearly dug into her palms.
"What skill is there in a sneak attack?!"
"If you've got what it takes, settle this in the arena!"
Ye Xinglan forced the words out, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly, yet she stubbornly maintained her proud bearing, trying to salvage her dignity.
"I don't have time for your nonsense."
"Deal with it."
"You-you just wait!" Ye Xinglan gritted her teeth and snorted. Not daring to linger, she struggled to her feet and hurried out through the crowd.
Seeing this, Xu Lizhi quickly put away his dried fish and scurried after her.
Watching the two leave, Na'er moved beside Xiao Chen and said indignantly:
"Brother, those Shrek people are infuriating, especially that Sister Glory. She's far too arrogant!"
Xiao Chen patted Na'er on the shoulder, his eyes calm but his voice carrying a chill. "Let's go. Don't waste your temper on those freaks."
"But they're just too infuriating. Let's enter the competition too. I want to beat her up."
"Enter by yourself. I've already finished beating her up."
"No, Brother, you have to enter with me. Na'er doesn't know how to enter."
Xiao Chen: "..."
Damn, now I can't shake off my connection to those Shrek freaks.
After I beat the young ones, an old one won't come along, will they?
"...One match, then we leave."
Hearing that, Na'er's eyes lit up. Her earlier anger vanished, and she looked at Xiao Chen expectantly. She had long wanted to teach Ye Xinglan a proper lesson, and now she finally had the chance.
The members of Class Zero beside them all froze. Tang Wulin instinctively asked, "You're entering too?"
If Xiao Chen entered, what was left for them to compete for?
"No, just one match. Na'er and me."
Xiao Chen spoke calmly. His purpose in entering was very clear.
He had barely finished when Gu Yue said, "Count me in."
Xu Xiaoyan froze, then tugged at Gu Yue's sleeve and asked in confusion, "Sister Gu Yue, aren't you on our team? If you leave, what are we going to do about the team competition?"
Gu Yue glanced back at Xu Xiaoyan and waved a hand. "I'll just take a leave of absence. Leave the rest to Brother Chen."
For once, Na'er did not object to Gu Yue joining them. Ye Xinglan had drawn all her ire; as long as they could beat up Shrek, she would turn no one away.
"All right. Gu Yue, Na'er, let's go." Xiao Chen nodded slightly.
"Okay!" Gu Yue and Na'er answered in unison, quickly following Xiao Chen. The three soon disappeared into the crowd.
Watching them leave, the members of Class Zero exchanged looks, the atmosphere growing somewhat heavy.
Xu Xiaoyan looked at Tang Wulin and asked quietly, "Class monitor, with Gu Yue leaving just like that, what are we going to do about the team competition?"
Tang Wulin fell silent for a moment, then sighed and slowly said:
"...Let's tell our teacher. Gu Yue wants to leave the team temporarily and form a team with someone else. Since Xiao Chen said that, he should be able to handle what comes afterward."
Gu Yue was drifting farther and farther away from them, but there was little he could say. After all, it was her own business. Besides, he was displeased with Ye Xinglan too.
Everyone nodded. They could only accept this outcome for now and head toward the meeting point, preparing to report Gu Yue's departure from the team to Wu Zhangkong.
Meanwhile, Xiao Chen brought Na'er and Gu Yue to see Zhen Hua.
The three pushed open the door and entered. Seeing them, Zhen Hua set aside his work and asked with a smile, "Little Chen, weren't you going to the opening ceremony of the Skysea Grand Competition? What brings you here?"
Xiao Chen stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Zhen Hua, getting straight to the point. "Teacher, please help me contact the Skysea Grand Competition officials."
Zhen Hua raised his eyebrows slightly at this and asked in confusion, "Hmm? Haven't you already registered for the forging competition? What else do you need to contact the officials for?"
"No, Teacher, here's what happened."
Xiao Chen began speaking slowly, recounting every detail of the conflict outside the stadium with Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, and the Shrek Team to Zhen Hua.
After hearing him out, Zhen Hua's expression instantly darkened. Anger flashed in his eyes, and he immediately snorted coldly:
"Hmph, Shrek's people are becoming more and more arrogant. Provoking my disciple for no reason-they've gone too far!"
As the continent's only Divine Craftsman, he was instantly angered to learn that his personal disciple had been subjected to such unprovoked harassment.
If he swallowed this insult, he would not be Zhen Hua.
"Rest assured, I'll back you on this. Just focus on fighting well. I'll handle everything else."
"Also, call Heavenly Phoenix and ask her to come as soon as possible. We need her to step forward with us on this."
Xiao Chen had just nodded when the door opened again and Leng Yaoyu walked in. She had clearly heard their conversation, and her face bore a trace of anger:
"No need. I'm here."
Leng Yaoyu walked over to Xiao Chen:
"You three just focus on preparing for the match. Fight freely in the arena. Your big sister and your teacher will handle everything else. We absolutely won't let you suffer the slightest injustice."
"Yes, Teacher (Aunt Leng)," Xiao Chen, Na'er, and Gu Yue answered together, using different forms of address.
Soon, the pressure reached the Skysea Grand Competition's organizing committee.
Under the combined pressure of the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo and the Divine Craftsman, the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition officials instantly felt a mountain weighing on them, leaving them unable to sit or stand at ease.
The Spirit Transferring Pagoda and the Blacksmith Association were both top powers within the Sun Moon Federation, entities they absolutely could not afford to provoke.
But on the other side, Shrek Academy was the continent's foremost academy, with deep foundations, and was equally beyond their ability to offend lightly.
Now caught between these two sides, the organizing committee felt trapped whichever way they turned, filled with helplessness. Scraping out a living in the cracks was no fun.
Had they known, they would never have held this competition.
Just as the officials were agonizing over their predicament, Leng Yaoyu directly offered an exceedingly tempting set of terms:
As long as the officials agreed to let Xiao Chen, Na'er, and Gu Yue represent the Skysea Team against the Shrek Team in the seven-person team match.
The Spirit Transferring Pagoda would provide each of Tianhai Academy's seven team members with a high-quality Soul Spirit that was an excellent match for them.
Furthermore, Soul Spirits would be half-price for Tianhai Academy's students from then on.
Upon learning of these two conditions, Tianhai Academy's principal, Wang Yanshan, agreed immediately without the slightest hesitation.
They had to pick a side anyway, so they had better choose well.
For Tianhai Academy, support from the Spirit Transferring Pagoda and the Blacksmith Association was far more worthwhile than currying favor with Shrek Academy.
After all, everyone who knew Shrek's temper knew.
The organizing committee soon approved the request for Xiao Chen's trio to replace the Skysea Team, adjusting the competition's roster overnight.
They replaced the original Skysea Team members with Xiao Chen, Na'er, and Gu Yue to face the Shrek Team.
After making the arrangements, the competition officials vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Would the Spirit Transferring Pagoda really go this far for a few youngsters?
That did not seem right. Back when Qiangu Dieting, the Spirit Transferring Pagoda's leader, had taken a slap from the Light and Dark Douluo, even that had not started a fight.
For them to step into the fray now over a few youngsters, perhaps the Spirit Transferring Pagoda intended to challenge Shrek Academy. And why did Tianhai Academy seem so much like a proxy pushed to the forefront?
These waters ran rather deep!
They dared not think about it, dared not think about it...
Meanwhile, Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi returned to the Shrek Team with ashen faces.
Seeing Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi's bedraggled state, the other Shrek Team members looked puzzled and hurried over to ask what had happened.
Ye Xinglan suppressed her fear and humiliation, feigned composure, and briefly recounted the conflict at the stadium.
Upon hearing this, the Shrek Team's captain, Yu Yuanlong, instantly darkened, a flash of anger crossing his eyes.
"Insolence!"
"They dare slander Shrek!"
"Shrek's glory will not be dishonored!"
Before you continue