Chapter 321: Xu Tianzhen – We Will Win
Hearing these words, Xuan Zi's pupils shrank slightly in disbelief. He said, "What do you mean by this? Are you saying that Shao Zhe is connected to the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult? How is that possible? Shao Zhe is Mu Lao's disciple he has always acted in the best interests of the academy. There's no way he would betray it."
"I never said Yan Shao Zhe betrayed Shrek Academy," Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Some things, you'll have to investigate yourself. Whatever you find will be the truth."
"How do I know if the secret you're talking about is real?" Xuan Zi felt a headache coming on. He didn't like dealing with people like Huo Yuhao, who spoke in such vague terms.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "Whether you believe it or not depends entirely on your own heart. If you think it's true, then it is. If you think it's false, then find evidence to prove it."
Xuan Zi's expression grew increasingly grim. He didn't want to believe that Yan Shao Zhe the righteous and passionate man he had known could be a traitor.
He was older than Yan Shao Zhe; in a way, he had watched him grow up. He had seen Yan Shao Zhe rise step by step to become the head of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. They had spent so much time together, and their bond was anything but ordinary.
But after hearing Huo Yuhao's words, suspicion began to grow wildly in his heart like weeds. After all, with the Sun Moon Empire's intelligence capabilities, how could they have known about Mu Lao's current physical condition unless they had an informant inside Shrek Academy?
Xuan Zi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Then he looked at Huo Yuhao and asked, "Can you tell me who the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult is? That would help me investigate."
Huo Yuhao glanced at Xuan Zi and said indifferently, "Ye Xishui."
The moment he heard that name, Xuan Zi's mind roared, and his face filled with shock. He muttered, "How could it be her? The woman who broke Mu Lao's heart... has now become the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult?"
Even now, he could still remember how Mu Lao had been devastated in his youth because of Ye Xishui. Back then, Long Xiaoyao and Mu Lao could perform a Martial Soul Fusion Technique together, making them incredibly powerful. More importantly, they were the best of friends.
However, because of Ye Xishui, a sharp conflict erupted between them, and they ultimately parted ways.
Of course, Xuan Zi didn't know exactly what that conflict entailed. But he decided that once he returned to Shrek Academy, he would ask Mu Lao about it, gather as much information as possible, and then investigate the matter of the traitor within the academy.
If Yan Shao Zhe really had a blood relationship with Ye Xishui and had betrayed the academy, then no matter how close they were, Xuan Zi wouldn't let him go. Mu Lao had once shown mercy and spared the Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Zhang Peng, yet Zhang Peng had later attacked Shrek Academy's team.
Letting a tiger return to the mountain was never a wise decision. When dealing with enemies, one must root them out completely.
To Xuan Zi, the academy's interests always came first. Even though his current actions had harmed those interests, his ultimate goal was survival. It wasn't that he feared death he just didn't want to die in vain.
Mu Lao's health was deteriorating, and he wouldn't live much longer. Xuan Zi had to stay alive to take over his position and ensure the continued stability of Shrek Academy. After all, he was the second strongest individual in the academy.
If he died, then Shrek Academy would have no more cover left!
Soon, Kong Deming lifted the restrictions of the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield on Xuan Zi and released him.
However, Xuan Zi didn't go looking for Elder Song or the others. He knew that admitting his crimes voluntarily would cause great trouble for the academy. So, he planned to return to the academy first and confess to Mu Lao.
Given his importance, Mu Lao wouldn't kill him. At most, he would face some insignificant punishment.
Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy – Pre Match Waiting Area
Xu Tianzhen wore the academy's team uniform, looking at her teammates and their leading instructor. She raised her chin slightly and asked, "In this tournament, which team is the strongest?"
The instructor's face showed a respectful expression. Although Xu Tianzhen was a student, she also held the title of a Sun Moon princess, so he had to treat her with great reverence.
If she were just an ordinary princess, he wouldn't be so humble. But Xu Tianzhen was the most favored princess of the Sun Moon Imperial Family. Whether it was the emperor himself, the crown prince, or even the third prince who was also vying for the throne they all doted on her.
The instructor bowed and said, "Your Highness, traditionally, the strongest team has always been Shrek Academy."
"However, considering the current circumstances, in my opinion, the strongest team now is the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team. They were the champions of the last tournament, after all. We're about to face them in battle, and honestly, I don't think we have much chance of winning."
"Besides, we're all from the Sun Moon Empire. We could just put on a show we don't need to fight them for real. Should I go inform the referee now that we forfeit?"
Xu Tianzhen frowned. She had worked so hard to get her royal brother to arrange a match between Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. How could they just give up now?
Wouldn't that make everything she had done so far a complete waste?
"No! I will fight with everything I have. I must defeat the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to prove to my royal brother and father that they were wrong to think I should have studied there.
Once I claim victory, I will take on the responsibility of crushing Shrek Academy and keeping the championship in the Sun Moon Empire."
The instructor looked at Xu Tianzhen's determined expression and thought, Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy is strong, but compared to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, there's still a gap. Winning against them is almost impossible.
However, he didn't contradict Xu Tianzhen. After all, she was a princess one who was incredibly favored. In terms of status, she was far above him.
If he discouraged her in this situation and she became displeased, his future days would be difficult.
A reckless young team member couldn't help but speak up, "Captain, but… Huo Yuhao and Elder Kong worked together to capture the Rank 98 Super Douluo, Xuan Zi. Can we really win against someone like that?"
Since Jing Hongchen had publicly addressed Kong Deming as "Elder Kong," many people had begun referring to the Sun Moon powerhouse with that honorific. In truth, Kong Deming was well known among the Sun Moon Empire's upper echelons. But before capturing Xuan Zi, his fame within the empire had actually been lower than Jing Hongchen's, as he was constantly in the lab developing Class 10 soul tools and rarely went out.
Otherwise, Shrek Academy's intelligence reports on the Sun Moon Empire's Class 9 Soul Engineers would have definitely included Kong Deming.
Xu Tianzhen shot a glare at the reckless team member and confidently declared, "We will win!"
She knew Elder Kong was incredibly powerful, so he must have played a major role in capturing Xuan Zi. As for Huo Yuhao, he probably contributed too, but not much. After all, a battle at that level wasn't something a mere Soul Emperor could participate in.
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