Chapter 349 Bibi Dong publicly insulted Yu Xiaogang; she was nothing but a clown.
"This morning will be the individual elimination rounds, with each of your three teams fielding seven players. The team that remains will have an advantage. Tomorrow, the championship match will begin directly. The two losing teams will compete for the other final spot this afternoon. Now, you can send out your first player."
A row of gilded chairs was placed in front of the Papal Palace. At Pope Bibi Dong's signal, she sat in the center, with Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan to her left and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei to her right.
Just then, a voice reached everyone's ears, "Please wait a moment before the match begins."
All eyes were drawn to him. He saw an ordinary-looking middle-aged man in black, who was none other than Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, a teacher at the Shrek Academy. The referee was about to reprimand Grandmaster for interrupting the match, but the Pope raised his hand to stop him. Bibi Dong looked at Grandmaster calmly.
"Please state your reasons," Pope Bibi Dong said calmly.
The Grandmaster smiled coldly, "My reason is that Shrek Academy forfeited the first half of the finals and voluntarily entered the loser's bracket final this afternoon."
Bibi Dong remained calm and composed, asking indifferently, "Why?"
The Grandmaster stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the Douluo Hall Papal Palace. "For no reason other than that, I think admitting defeat is our right."
"How dare you! Is this how you speak to His Holiness the Pope?"
The referee below unleashed his pressure on Yu Xiaogang, his aura instantly reaching its peak, as if to crush Yu Xiaogang completely. The pressure from the Soul Douluo forced Yu Xiaogang to the ground, rendering him unable to move. He could only struggle with his limbs like a tortoise.
Sitting on either side of Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance. They were already silently praying for the referee. Yu Xiaogang was the His Holiness the Pope's Achilles' heel, and this referee was really something else. Treating Yu Xiaogang like this, they probably wouldn't see him again.
" Yu Xiaogang, don't think that just because you had some past acquaintance with me, you can challenge me here."
These words caused an uproar. No one expected that Yu Xiaogang, a seemingly useless person with a Soul Power Level of only twenty-nine, would have a connection with the Pope. The difference in their status was like heaven and earth; this was simply outrageous!
"A few days ago, you came to this Papal Palace without permission to see me. Out of consideration for our past relationship, I made time to personally receive you. This was more than enough. Who would have thought that you would actually ask me how to solve the problem of Twin Martial Souls? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?"
The entire venue erupted in excitement, with various discussions rising and falling like those in a bustling marketplace.
"This Yu Xiaogang is really overestimating himself."
"Yeah, even if he's a good-for-nothing, he's got some pretty good ideas."
"But speaking of which, how did Yu Xiaogang, a mere level 29 useless Soul Master, become a teacher at the Shrek Academy? It's simply unbelievable."
"He's nothing but a clown. If it weren't for His Holiness the Pope's mercy, he would have been executed on the spot."
Bibi Dong, standing before the Papal Palace, remained calm, her expression like a proud Iceburg. She coldly said, " Yu Xiaogang, while I agree that there is no inherent hierarchy among people, in my view, everyone needs to know proper etiquette, right?"
"This intimidation I'm in today is a small punishment for you. I hope you'll pay attention to your attitude, tone, and the occasion when you speak in the future. What do you say?"
The oppressive aura the referee below released towards Yu Xiaogang vanished instantly, and Yu Xiaogang collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, his chest heaving violently, his face flushed with agitation. Since adulthood, Yu Xiaogang had never suffered such a humiliation, not even when he had only Awakening half a level of Soul Power. Now, he was being crushed by oppressive aura in front of so many people, without even a chance to resist. This shame would be etched in his memory for a hundred years. " Bibi Dong, one day I will make you know what the end of arrogance is," Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth, cursing Pope Bibi Dong in his heart.
Tang San, standing in the Shrek Academy team, was filled with anger and hatred. He also kept in mind all the humiliation his teacher had suffered, and he would definitely wash away this shame for his teacher if he had the chance in the future.
"Since Shrek Academy has chosen to forfeit, the remaining two teams will continue their match," Pope Bibi Dong said slowly.
" Your His Holiness the Pope, we also have a request," a clear but somewhat soft voice said.
Pope Bibi Dong looked up and saw that it was Zhu Zhuqing who had raised her hand.
" Elder Zhu Zhuqing, please feel free to make any requests you may have."
Zhu Zhuqing glanced back at her teammates, gave them a look, and then said, "We've also chosen to forfeit the first half of the match this morning."
"Give me your reasons?" Chrysanthemum Douluo asked as if it were a routine matter. He didn't want his disciple to leave any room for gossip in front of outsiders, so as to prevent Zhu Zhuqing from being talked about behind her back.
"Nothing more than that. Shrek Academy's team is weak. We want to eliminate the weaker teams first, and then fight the stronger ones later."
Upon hearing Zhu Zhuqing's assessment that they were too weak, the Shrek Academy students were filled with anger, especially Tang San, whose eyes flashed with cold light as he stared at her, a hint of killing intent surfacing in his gaze. Meanwhile, at the rear of the Shrek Team, Dai Mubai's expression was clearly not good. Zhu Zhuqing was now far stronger than him. Although he had defeated Dai Weisi, the lack of a marriage alliance meant his position as crown prince was uncertain...
Zhu Zhuqing seemed to sense Tang San's cold gaze, but ignored it.
Chrysanthemum Douluo frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with Zhu Zhuqing's answer. But Zhu Zhuqing remained indifferent, as if making a mere statement, unconcerned about the stares of others. Pope Bibi Dong looked at Zhu Zhuqing, her eyes flashing with a profound light. She seemed to see through all illusions, only Zhu Zhuqing's indifferent gaze. She sighed softly and said, " Zhu Zhuqing, you are far too arrogant." Zhu Zhuqing slightly curled her lips into a cold smile, "I am merely respecting the competition; the strong will prevail." Pope Bibi Dong gave Zhu Zhuqing a deep look, then turned to the other participating teams, "Since both teams have chosen to forfeit, then this afternoon's match will be a second contest between the two teams. The winner will advance to the finals."
"And the Heaven Dou Royal Academy will directly advance to the finals." As Pope Bibi Dong finished speaking, the atmosphere in the arena heated up once again. All eyes were focused on the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and everyone marveled at their incredible luck. They hadn't even played a single match, yet they had already advanced directly to the finals—guaranteed at least a runner-up finish?
This is outrageous...
(End of this chapter)