"Don't forget, Xuan Ming has more than just himself backing him," Shui Bing'er said thoughtfully. " The Great Soul Arena, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family are all intricately connected to him. If the Spirit Hall really takes action against Xuan Ming, it will inevitably offend these forces."
"Hmph, even so, the Spirit Hall shouldn't be so perfunctory." Lei Tian from the Thunder Academy snorted coldly, still indignant. "This Soul Master Tournament is related to the honor of the entire Soul Master World. If the matter of the Canghui Academy is just left unresolved like this, who will respect the rules of the competition in the future?"
Lei Dong looked at Yu Tianxin, "Captain, what do you think?"
Yu Tianxin looked at Xuan Ming in the center of the hall and sneered, " Xuan Ming, the Spirit Hall... birds of a feather."
After saying this, Yu Tianxin turned and left. The students from the Thunder Academy looked at each other and quickly followed.
"Like a raccoon dog? What do you mean? Could it be that Xuan Ming has taken refuge in Wuhun Palace?" Feng Xiaotian asked doubtfully.
"Do you think that's possible?" Huo Wushuang said speechlessly.
"He's from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, how could he possibly be allied with the Spirit Hall again?"
Those below them are unaware and cannot see clearly the current situation in the Soul Master World, so how could these people not understand?
The relationship between the Spirit Hall and the two great empires and the Upper Three Sects has become increasingly tense ever since the sudden war with the Clear Sky Sect, after which the Clear Sky Sect retreated into seclusion.
Although on the surface everyone is still at peace, in reality, tensions are probably already running high!
Xuan Ming is aligned with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School. If the Spirit Hall finds an opportunity, they will surely try to kill him.
Conversely, if Xuan Ming were to secretly infiltrate the Spirit Hall, would the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect let him off the hook?
The crowd discussed amongst themselves, but their doubts and dissatisfaction remained.
They had hoped that the Spirit Hall would handle the matter fairly, give Canghui Academy justice, and provide an explanation to the other participating teams.
To their surprise, the Spirit Hall's investigation was so perfunctory, leaving them greatly disappointed.
In the hotel lobby, Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe were also talking in hushed tones.
"Teacher, what exactly do you think the Spirit Hall means?" Xue Qinghe asked softly, her brows slightly furrowed.
Even if Salas doesn't dare to truly investigate Xuan Ming, shouldn't he at least maintain appearances and avoid giving others grounds for criticism?
Isn't this perfunctory attitude deliberately giving others ammunition against us?
"The situation here is very complicated." Ning Fengzhi shook his head slightly. "There seem to be some conflicts and disagreements within the Spirit Hall. Salas's ambiguous attitude is likely influenced by certain forces."
"But who can control Salas?" Xue Qinghe said.
" Pope?"
Ning Fengzhi silent.
The Pope is currently residing in the Martial Soul Holy Temple in Heaven Dou City. Xuan Ming has previously acknowledged that his relationship with the Pope is somewhat special. However, it seems that there is considerable conflict between the current high-ranking officials of the Spirit Hall and the Pope. No news has been heard from Spirit City for the past six months.
It's possible that Xuan Ming has become a bargaining chip in the power struggle among the higher-ups of the Spirit Hall.
Things are getting more and more complicated...
"Since I'm temporarily suspended, the rest of the matches are yours to play."
Xuan Ming looked at the members of the Imperial Fighting Team with a calm expression, as if he himself was not the one who was suspended.
Although Dugu Yan's abilities are limited by the competition rules and cannot be fully utilized, even so, the team's strength is enough to easily win the preliminaries. The only potential threat to them is the Five Elements Academy.
" Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, does such Soul Beast really exist?" Ning Rongrong asked in a low voice.
"You didn't just make that up, did you?"
"Am I the kind of person who just spouts off without thinking?" Xuan Ming countered.
" The Spirit Hall should be able to find the information, and others should be able to as well, but I don't know when they will find it."
At this moment, Xue Qinghe stepped forward and said with a smile, " Xuan Ming, just wait patiently. I believe that with the strength of the Imperial Fighting Team, we will definitely achieve excellent results in the upcoming competition. Moreover, since the Spirit Hall has said they will investigate, it shouldn't take too long, and you will be able to return to the arena soon."
Ning Fengzhi nodded, " Qinghe is right. Xuan Ming, you should rest and recuperate for now. The rest of you in the Imperial Fighting Team, you must also give it your all and bring glory to the Heaven Dou Empire."
As news of the investigation into the Heaven Dou Royal Grand Hotel spread, more and more people suspected that Xuan Ming had problems, and many even suspected that he was involved with the Spirit Hall. Salas, who had sparked these discussions, breathed a sigh of relief.
Golden Crocodile Douluo was fairly satisfied with this outcome, and the Pope didn't say anything either. It was a case of both sides getting the result they wanted. His next task was to have someone investigate whether the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger truly existed.
Shrek Academy.
Although the first match against the Imperial Fighting Team almost made the Shrek Team lose face, Shrek Team easily won the second qualifying match.
Of course, considering the need to conserve strength, the Shrek Team did not let Yu Tianheng play. In everyone's eyes, the Shrek Team only had one Soul Ancestor, and the rest were Soul Elder. This configuration was actually considered above average among all teams.
Apart from the Five Elements Academy, most of the participating academies didn't have a single Soul Ancestor, let alone a Soul King.
" Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, I never expected him to have such luck." Yu Xiaogang's expression was somewhat grim.
"Do such Soul Beast really exist?" Flender asked doubtfully.
"Yes, I once saw it in a fragment of an ancient book. It's a super Soul Beast that's even above the Titan Giant Ape," Yu Xiaogang said.
"If it were all within the same timeframe, perhaps only the nearly extinct True Dragon race could defeat the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger."
" Xuan Ming was able to obtain Soul Ring from such a Soul Beast; his current strength is probably far greater than before."
"Doesn't that mean he's already reached the Soul King?" Oscar asked tentatively.
Yu Xiaogang frowned, his expression grave. "Back when he was in Suotuo City, he was level 43. In less than two years, he's already leveled up seven times. Given the flaws in his Martial Soul, there's no way he could have leveled up so quickly..."
"Ahem!" Seeing that Yu Xiaogang was becoming suspicious again, Flender coughed heavily twice to interrupt him.
" Xiaogang, our match against the Imperial Fighting Team is over. Now let's focus on our next opponent."
"Even if we were to face Imperial Fighting Team again, that would be a matter for the qualifying rounds and the finals."
The incident at the Canghui Academy was just a minor episode; the preliminary rounds of the Soul Master Tournament were in full swing.
Xuan Ming did not appear, and the Imperial Fighting Team had no substitutes, so the number of participants became six. However, even with one less person, they still easily won the match.
Dugu Yan controls the battlefield and defends, Gu Yuena is the main attacker, Xiao Wu is the secondary attacker, Zhu Zhuqing finishes off the attackers, and Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling provide support and healing from behind.
Without defeating Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, it's impossible to defeat the others. But to defeat these two, one must face Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison. The competition isn't a life-or-death struggle, and very few people have that kind of courage.
Soon, another week of the competition had passed.
The Imperial Fighting Team maintained a winning streak, and the investigation into Xuan Ming has reached a stalemate.
The competition organizing committee did indeed discover the existence of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, and according to relevant ancient records, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger does possess a special aura.
However, whether Xuan Ming deliberately turned the contestants from the Canghui Academy into mentally challenged individuals remains a highly questionable matter. No one can prove that Xuan Ming did it intentionally, nor can anyone prove that Xuan Ming did it unintentionally.
If it were anyone else, such an ambiguous situation would definitely be treated as a crime, but Xuan Ming's situation is extremely special. No one dares to convict him, but no one is willing to let him off easily either.
In the end, it still turned into a mess.
Chapter 238 Remnant Dream Nightmare
" Your His Holiness the Pope, the competition organizing committee is unable to make a ruling on this matter, so they intend to consult you to determine a conclusion."
After all that trouble, Salas finally managed to shift the blame onto Bibi Dong at the Martial Soul Holy Temple.
This matter is now so complicated that no one can convince anyone else logically. The only way to resolve it is to let someone with absolute authority make the decision.
In the Soul Master World, who possesses absolute authority?
Only the Pope!
The Spirit Hall established the rules for Soul Master, and the Pope, as the highest leader of the Spirit Hall, holds the power to define many things!
Pope says Xuan Ming is guilty, then he is guilty, and vice versa.
"Bishop Salas certainly knows how to have fun," Bibi Dong remarked casually, flipping through the investigation materials on the table.
"After all that, they finally dumped the trouble on me."
Salas's expression stiffened, and he quickly lowered his head. " Your His Holiness the Pope calm down! I had no such intention!"
"Absolutely not?" Bibi Dong snorted lightly.
"Alright, since you want to be this non-stick pan, I won't force you."
"They want an answer, and I will give them an answer."
" Xuan Ming is innocent. This is my will, and the will of the Pope of the Spirit Hall."
Is that enough?
Salas's heart His Holiness the Pope wise. I will immediately convey your decree to the competition organizing committee."
"..."
"Any more questions?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Your subordinate takes his leave!" Salas bowed his head and quickly left the hall.
After Salas left, Bibi Dong leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. " Golden Crocodile, is he trying to convict me this way?"
The matter concerning Xuan Ming is bound to escalate, and if she's linked to Xuan Ming, she won't be able to escape responsibility once Xuan Ming become public. At that point, Golden Crocodile will have a legitimate reason to depose the Pope...
"You're really thinking too highly of yourself."
Meanwhile, the competition organizing committee was in an uproar after receiving the Pope's decree from Salas. Although they still had doubts, the Pope's authority was unquestionable, and they had no choice but to declare Xuan Ming innocent and reinstate his eligibility to participate.
The news caused another uproar in Heaven Dou City. Some cheered, believing the Pope was wise and had cleared Xuan Ming. Others were indignant, feeling the Pope was biased towards Xuan Ming and unfair.
The members of the Imperial Fighting Team were overjoyed upon hearing the news.
Even if Xuan Ming goes on stage, he might not actually fight, but being able to stand on the field and Soul Fighting with him is a very enjoyable thing in itself.
"Where's Xuan Ming? He can come with us for tomorrow's match," Dugu Yan said excitedly.
During the period when Xuan Ming was temporarily suspended, he didn't even go to the Soul Fighting Arena. He stayed in the hotel the whole time, supposedly to stabilize his Soul Power and Soul Ring.
But when they returned from their match today, there wasn't a soul in sight.
"I don't know, he didn't say. It's almost lunchtime, maybe he went to get something to eat?" Zhu Zhuqing guessed.
"Eating? Probably not. I think he went to keep the pretty lady company," Ning Rongrong said strangely.
"Pretty sister?" Dugu Yan was taken aback.
"What pretty lady?"
"Uh..." Ning Rongrong was a little embarrassed.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling seem unaware of Bi Ji and Zi JI's existence. Should she tell them?
If I tell you, and those two get angry, won't Xuan Ming think I'm trying to sow discord?
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Xue Qinghe's voice rang out from outside, " Xuan Ming, do you have time?"
Ning Rongrong stepped forward and opened the door. "Your Highness, Xuan Ming is not here."
"Not here?" Xue Qinghe frowned slightly, glanced around the room, and when he saw that Gu Yuena was also there, his frown relaxed.
Where did he go?
"I don't know, Rongrong guesses she went to keep the pretty lady company," Xiao Wu said.
"Pretty sister?" Xue Qinghe frowned slightly.
" Rongrong, has he met some pretty ladies this time?"
"..." Ning Rongrong.
Why did I have to say anything?
Heaven Dou City, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the winding path, draping the earth in a golden veil.
Xuan Ming, who had just returned from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, was walking alone on his way back to Heaven Dou City.
During this time, Bi Ji and the others were watching Gu Yuena's match at the Soul Fighting Arena. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was no exception; he also asked Ning Fengzhi to help arrange a special box for Bi Ji and the others.
As for him, he continued to stabilize the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Soul Ring and the Evil aura emanating from his body. Although this energy wouldn't harm him, it wasn't so friendly to those around him. During previous team battle training, he tried to add Evil attribute energy to his domain to enhance its suppressive power, which almost accidentally injured Dugu Yan and the others.
Thankfully, I didn't try it during a competition, or it would have been really embarrassing.
As he walked, Xuan Ming gradually slowed down. Although the setting sun shone on him, he no longer felt warm; instead, a chilling aura surged from all directions.