Chapter 256: The Brat and the Old Fox
On the screen, Han Li quickly bowed slightly, and before the two men could react, he had already straightened up again, still carrying a hint of apology in his expression.
Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen had both extended their hands, only to have them awkwardly left hanging in midair, their smiles frozen.
Meanwhile, Han Li had already turned away again, shifting the camera focus back to himself as his voice once more resonated across the venue.
"As a junior, speaking second does make me feel a bit embarrassed. However, with the great kindness of His Majesty Xue Ye and His Highness Qinghe, I found it difficult to refuse. So, I can only thicken my skin and take this opportunity to greet everyone in advance."
As soon as Han Li finished speaking, the audience's reaction was completely different from that of Emperor Xue Ye.
Alongside the thunderous applause, there were also bursts of cheerful laughter that could not be suppressed.
Both nobles and commoners alike were pleased with Han Li's attitude. His demeanor was undoubtedly a sign of respect toward Heaven Dou Empire.
Moreover, unlike the typically rigid and solemn external image of Spirit Hall, he exuded the same affable and polite aura as Qinghe. Naturally, this won him considerable favor.
No wonder the Holy Son and the Crown Prince are such close friends. They are truly the same kind of people.
This was the thought shared by many of the commoners of Heaven Dou present.
The applause in the stadium became even more enthusiastic.
From his seat, Emperor Xue Ye was also quite pleased.
Han Li's words and actions just now were an obvious signal.
It's best if his relationship with the two sects remains lukewarm or even tense. That would be ideal. If they were too close, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
As for Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen, they could only hold their noses and accept it.
At the very least, Han Li had shown them some degree of respect on the surface, at least.
Who could blame him? Among all present, they were the two who had the worst relations with Spirit Hall.
Back when the Haotian Sect incident occurred, they had clearly chosen a side.
Once the applause subsided, Han Li maintained his composed posture from before.
"Alright, since I have already introduced myself, I won't say much more. After all, everyone here paid money to watch an exciting competition and witness the future of Heaven Dou Empire not to hear me ramble on."
"Everyone participating in this tournament is an elite of Heaven Dou Empire. Let's cheer them on and look forward to their performances."
As Han Li finished speaking, another round of applause erupted.
This time, it was even more genuine than before one could tell just from the sheer intensity of the claps.
However, Han Li also heard something unexpected.
"Your Highness, Holy Son, why not say a few more words? We love hearing from you."
For a brief moment, the stadium fell silent.
Then, a mix of laughter and applause rang out again, making the atmosphere even more lively.
Han Li glanced toward the direction where the voice had come from and immediately recognized the speaker it was one of Salas' trusted subordinates.
Hmm, not bad. He's good at hyping the crowd.
Nonetheless, Han Li simply smiled, nodded in acknowledgment, and stepped away from the voice amplification area.
A little public maneuvering was fine but overdoing it was unnecessary.
Watching Han Li's ever composed demeanor as he gracefully walked back to his seat, Ning Fengzhi still wore a warm smile, but internally, he was cursing.
This brat!
He had prepared a long speech, but now, thanks to Han Li's brief yet effective remarks, he was essentially forced to revise his own.
Worse still, Han Li hadn't even mentioned talent recruitment!
That left him, the representative of Heaven Dou Empire's allied sect, in a very awkward position.
If he brought up the topic, wouldn't that be disrespecting Emperor Xue Ye?
But if he didn't, he would need to spend a great deal more effort later on to personally approach these talented individuals.
Damn this crafty little fox from Spirit Hall!
For the first time, Ning Fengzhi felt his mindset shift ever so slightly.
Over the years, he had clashed indirectly with Bibi Dong countless times, yet he had never felt so stifled before.
But this Han Li… he wasn't even making any big moves, just playing small tricks petty, insignificant ones that somehow made him unbearably uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, sensing the mental turmoil radiating from Ning Fengzhi, Han Li felt at ease.
He hadn't forgotten how this old fox had previously tried to poison Qian Renxue's mind against him, even though they had never met at the time.
And once again, let it be known Han Li never holds grudges.
As Han Li returned to his seat, the host's voice rang out once more.
"And now, let us welcome the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi, to deliver a speech for this tournament."
Amidst applause, Ning Fengzhi stood up with a polite smile and walked forward with elegance.
However, he had already made up his mind.
Since Han Li had spoken so briefly, he would now have to shorten his own speech as well.
At the sound amplification device, Ning Fengzhi carefully condensed his originally lengthy speech.
Meanwhile, back at the VIP seats, Han Li had barely sat down before he heard a cold snort behind him.
Turning his head, he found Sword Douluo staring at him with an unfriendly expression.
"Your Highness, Holy Son, it would be better if you put these little tricks of yours to use in your cultivation instead."
Han Li chuckled. Ah, so he's venting for Ning Fengzhi, huh?
"Mm, Sword Douluo is absolutely right. Speaking of which, when do you think Sect Master Ning will finally break through to Titled Douluo?"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Han Li's face took on an apologetic expression.
"Oh, my apologies. I forgot the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda has a martial soul limitation."
Sword Douluo's face darkened instantly.
This little brat! How dare he insult me while rubbing salt into our sect's biggest wound?!
Although their conversation was held in hushed tones, the surrounding soul masters had keen ears and sharp senses there was no way they wouldn't hear it.
Despite this, Emperor Xue Ye and Yu Yuanzhen sat upright with rigid expressions, showing no reaction at all. However, the slight tightening of their grips on their armrests betrayed their true thoughts.
Only Salas, seated in the second row alongside Sword Douluo, had deep wrinkles folding over his face as he laughed heartily.
His Holiness the Holy Son certainly has a way with words.
In previous tournaments, even when he sat in the front row, he was always overshadowed. He had never enjoyed such a pleasant moment.
Sword Douluo, on the other hand, had lost the desire to speak.
He had realized that even if Ning Fengzhi himself engaged in conversation with this young man, he might not come out on top. It was better to just stick to being a bodyguard.
Just as he decided to remain silent, Han Li continued speaking.
"However, martial soul limitations and the inability to break through aren't insurmountable obstacles. Perhaps, if Sect Master Ning were to speak with me at some point, this issue could be resolved."
As he finished, he flashed a smile at Sword Douluo before turning back around.
Hearing Han Li's words, neither Xue Ye nor Yu Yuanzhen took them seriously they simply assumed he was being sarcastic.
But Sword Douluo, staring at Han Li, felt his heart tremble violently.
That expression… he's serious.
No, wait or is he just bluffing?
Sword Douluo felt his head ache.
He couldn't tell. He really couldn't tell.
Forget it. I'll report this to Fengzhi later and let him decide. This kid was born in 31 AD there's no way I can outplay him.
At the front, Ning Fengzhi's speech concluded.
Considering the circumstances, he had forgone any open recruitment attempts, instead focusing on praising Heaven Dou Empire.
Emperor Xue Ye's smile barely left his face.
With things going this way, how could Heaven Dou not flourish?
However, Ning Fengzhi did not leave immediately. Instead, he turned toward Han Li.
"Your Holiness the Holy Son, this must be your first time attending the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. Since you are around the same age as the contestants, do you have a favorite team? You can only pick one."
You played your move, now it's my turn.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect promotes harmony and prosperity but do you really think I don't have a temper?
A mere Holy Son? Laughable!
For years, even Bibi Dong had never gotten the upper hand on him.
Let's see how Han Li handles this.
Everyone knew that Tianshui Academy had ties to Han Li.
However, this was Heaven Dou Empire's territory.
It was a trap pick Tianshui Academy and he'd offend Heaven Dou; pick a Heaven Dou team and he'd risk offending his own faction.
Two choices. Let's see how you play this, Han Li. Someone will be upset no matter what.
When it comes to maneuvering, I, Ning Fengzhi, am second to none.
As Ning Fengzhi finished speaking, the camera shifted to Han Li.
A servant had already prepared a microphone and respectfully handed it over.
Han Li calmly accepted it, nodded in thanks, and looked at Ning Fengzhi.
"To be honest, Sect Master Ning, I arrived in quite a hurry and haven't had the chance to thoroughly familiarize myself with the teams. However, I trust His Majesty Xue Ye's judgment, so I will choose Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I also heard that Sect Master Ning's beloved daughter is part of that team. You must have great confidence in them as well, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have let your daughter join.
That should mean you have the same choice as I do, correct?"
"I'm certainly looking forward to their performance."
Han Li smiled at Ning Fengzhi.
He had been expecting Ning Fengzhi to set a trap.
But if the old fox wanted to play this game, then Han Li would drag the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into it as well.
Come on, keep pressing me. See if I don't end up making you publicly endorse Heaven Dou Academy over your own sect's interests.
Ning Fengzhi choked for a second, giving Han Li a deep look before abandoning further questioning.
Conversing with Han Li was exhausting.
More importantly, he couldn't afford to seem too aggressive Han Li was younger than him, after all. He couldn't lose his poise.
"His Holiness the Holy Son makes a good point. Naturally, I also support them. Now, let's welcome Sect Master Yu to speak next."
Regaining his composure, Ning Fengzhi smiled again and took the initiative to cut off the host, passing the topic to Yu Yuanzhen before heading back to his seat.
Yu Yuanzhen glanced at the two of them, immediately deciding to mind his own business.
Without hesitation, he rose and walked forward he had no interest in dealing with either of them.
As Yu Yuanzhen delivered his speech, the general audience responded well.
However, in the competitors' rest area, the expressions of various participating teams turned odd.
Just before the opening ceremony, Tianshui Academy had clashed with Heaven Dou's Second Team.
Everyone there had seen it firsthand.
Now, after what Han Li and Ning Fengzhi had just said, things were getting interesting.
On stage, Yu Yuanzhen concluded his speech with a direct recruitment call to the students.
You two can dance around with your wordplay I'm just here to poach talent.
Each of us does our own job.
Besides, Emperor Xue Ye had done the same earlier, and no one had objected.
With Yu Yuanzhen wrapping up, the tournament officially began.
The opening match had already been predetermined, so no lottery was necessary.
However, the rest of the matches had to be drawn on site this was one reason why all participating academies were required to be present today.
As excited murmurs filled the arena, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe stepped forward.
He took center stage and began the final step before the opening battle.
"For the first round of the preliminary stage: Canghui Academy vs. Purple Star Academy."
"For the first round of the preliminary stage: Auckland Academy vs. Blazing Radiance Academy."
…
As Xue Qinghe's announcements continued, murmurs spread throughout the stadium.
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