He wasn't playing the pig to eat the tiger-he really was a pig

Although he couldn't appoint Xiao Wu as a holy maiden, Meng Shenji still announced, "Raise this girl's benefits to the highest tier, the same as Yu Tianheng and those boys-oh, no, even higher than theirs."

The short, plump old man who had made that strange cry hurried over to Xiao Wu. Amusingly, he wasn't even as tall as she was, which made him look very "kindly."

"Little girl, I'm Bai Baoshan, the second seat of the academy's Education Committee. My Martial Soul is the Heavenly Star Furnace, and I'm a level eighty-five, eight-ring defense-type battle Soul Douluo. Interested in becoming my personal disciple? Your teacher will give you a full sense of security."

The third elder, Zhi Lin, edged forward. "Don't listen to him. He's a terrible coward. If danger really comes, he'll run faster than you. Take me as your master. My Martial Soul is Azure Vine. Although rabbits don't eat vines, I can make carrots ripen."

Seeing his two younger brothers abandon all shame to compete for a disciple, Meng Shenji lost his temper for once. "Get lost. Can you have some shame? You represent the image of the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin lowered their heads in shame.

But just then, they saw their respected elder brother say ingratiatingly:

"Your name is Xiao Wu, right? How about taking me as your master? You've seen it yourself: they both listen to me. Anything they can give you, I can have them give you. Anything they can't give you, I can give you myself."

Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin were furious and raised their right feet. "Get lost."

They left two shoe prints on Meng Shenji's white robes.

Their antics made Xiao Wu laugh like tinkling bells.

Qin Ming and Feihong kept their eyes on their noses and their noses pointed toward their hearts. I'm blind and deaf. I can't see or hear anything.

Just then, Xiao Wu twisted her slender waist and long legs, nimbly slipping out of their grasp and behind Xiao Yao.

"I'll only stay with Brother Xiao Yao. Whoever he takes as his master, I'll take as mine."

Only then did Meng Shenji and the other two remember that, although this boy fell short of Xiao Wu, he was still an exceptional genius.

He was a twelve-year-old Soul Elder! Qin Ming had already set the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's record by becoming a Soul Elder at fourteen, let alone becoming one at twelve.

The Martial Soul Xiao Yao revealed was Fallen Heart Flame, invisible to their naked eyes.

But they were all powerful Soul Douluos with incomparably strong spiritual power, and they could sense the flame dancing in his palm.

"What a peculiar Martial Soul. Does it have a name?" Meng Shenji asked.

"Fallen Heart Flame. Its temperature is only a little higher than ordinary fire. But its child flame can appear directly inside an opponent's body, attacking them when they're unprepared."

Xiao Yao concealed Fallen Heart Flame's ability to aid cultivation. He had no desire to become the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's cultivation-assistance machine.

The three committee members sucked in a breath. "There's actually such a bizarre Martial Soul in this world?"

As expected of a veteran level eighty-eight Soul Douluo, Meng Shenji soon discovered its weakness.

"There's no flawless Martial Soul or ability in this world. Since Fallen Heart Flame can easily pass through flesh and enter the body, I imagine blocking it with Soul Power should be quite effective."

"That's right." Xiao Yao inwardly praised him. As expected of the Education Committee's chief, he had grasped Fallen Heart Flame's weakness from Xiao Yao's few words before even fighting him-a weakness that even the battle-hardened Xiao Wu hadn't figured out.

"Once blocked by Soul Power, its power is greatly reduced."

"But used occasionally to catch someone off guard, it's still a top-tier Martial Soul." Meng Shenji didn't stint on his praise.

Then he revealed his true aim: he hoped Xiao Yao would bring Xiao Wu and become his disciples.

Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin were deeply disgruntled, but there was nothing they could do.

They couldn't beat him in a fight, and they didn't have as much authority as he did. They could only accept it.

I'll remember this grudge.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Committee Member, but I have an agreement with His Highness the Crown Prince. He'll invite a powerful expert suited specifically to me to be my teacher. Perhaps he'll choose from among you three committee members." Xiao Yao dragged Qian Renxue out as a shield.

Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin all felt somewhat helpless.

Although they were also His Highness the Crown Prince's close supporters, His Highness was the personal disciple of Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

He might well invite the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two guardian Douluos to teach these two siblings.

Even if they were Titled Douluos, the pair's talent would surely tempt them.

Meng Shenji said helplessly, "In that case, cultivate well here at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. We won't interfere with your cultivation plans."

Little did they know that Xiao Yao was merely waving a banner to borrow its authority. He had only mentioned the "Crown Prince" to them; their imaginations had supplied everything else.

That way, even if they compared accounts with Qian Renxue, Xiao Yao would still stand undefeated.

Next, Meng Shenji arranged for Feihong and Qin Ming to take them to choose a detached villa, a privilege reserved for teachers.

Just as Xiao Wu chose a courtyard with a vegetable garden and was ready to move in with her bags,

several noisy voices came from outside.

"The little brats who insulted you are here?"

"That's right, Your Highness. The boys have been watching them in secret all along. They went into this courtyard."

Leading the way inside was a teenager with acne on his face. His voice was also an unpleasant duck's rasp; he seemed to be going through his voice change.

Behind him followed a dozen or so young men, the very group who had confronted Xiao Wu earlier.

Clearly, being frightened off by the "Crown Prince's" name earlier had cost them too much face.

After finding someone to back them, they had returned to settle the score.

It was just a question of who their backer was.

The "country bumpkin" student whom Xiao Wu had insulted earlier stepped forward, looking every inch a lackey bullying others with borrowed power.

"Your Highness, it's them. They called us country bumpkins and said our entire academy was full of country bumpkins."

(＊￣(エ)￣)

Xiao Yao was speechless. Are villains-villains really this stupid these days? Can't you come up with a better excuse to sow discord?

If I looked down on your academy, why would I come here to enroll?

Are you an idiot, or do you take the person backing you for one?

Just as Xiao Yao thought the "country bumpkin" student would get a tongue-lashing that left his head split and bleeding, the duck-voiced boy behind him spoke.

"You dare look down on the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

Xiao Yao: ...

Xiao Wu: ...

Qin Ming and Feihong: ...

Only the duck-voiced boy himself and the students behind him looked accustomed to it. Clearly, they had long since ceased to find it strange.

Qin Ming couldn't sit still anymore. "Your Highness the Fourth Prince, these two are talented students invited by His Highness the Crown Prince. Their talent is extraordinary..."

The Fourth Prince?

Xiao Yao remembered. This person hadn't appeared much in the original story, but in the end, he had taken Tang San as his master and inherited the Heaven Dou Empire's throne, making him one of the final victors.

His name was... Xue Beng?

Early on, he had always been "playing the pig to eat the tiger," disguising himself as a wastrel while evading the attention of the one disguised as Xue Qinghe and weakening the Heaven Dou Royal Academy under his command.

But in Xiao Yao's view, he wasn't playing the pig. He really was a pig.