"Their two accounts line up perfectly. In an instant, we went from victims to perpetrators."
"Heh, truly 'the student surpasses the master.' They've learned the art of counter-slander very well," Gu Yuena sneered coldly.
It was already obvious—the person whose cultivation went wrong had been instigated by Shrek Academy. The two sides worked together to smear the Dragon-Phoenix Hall.
Di Tian's expression was dark. Although Lin Yi and the others didn't know much about Shrek Academy, their faces didn't look any better either.
They weren't stupid. They could tell that Dragon-Phoenix Hall's situation was dire. How could their expressions be anything but grim?
"We also tried to clear our name, but they did it far too perfectly, and their public-relations capability is extremely strong. All the posts on the StarNet are unfavorable to us."
"After their deliberate promotion and misguidance, right and wrong have been completely reversed. The public now believes what they're saying is the truth," Bi Ji said helplessly.
"Relying on its various resources and connections, Shrek Academy has expanded the impact of this incident to the maximum."
"Because of this, Dragon-Phoenix Hall's reputation has plummeted. We've been branded as selling poisonous pills and acting tyrannically."
"The label of 'poison pills' caused our pill sales to nosedive. No one is buying Breakthrough Pills or Foundation-Building Pills anymore."
"There are also far fewer people seeking Longevity Pills. Those who are willing to buy all want the price reduced before they'll consider it."
"After I refused, we didn't sell a single Longevity Pill yesterday. Our income was zero."
"Income being affected is secondary. Under Shrek's maneuvering, the Federal Government has already pressured us multiple times."
"First, they froze over a trillion Federal Coins we had stored in the Federal Bank, claiming the funds were illegal and temporarily unusable."
"Then they demanded that we hand over the pill formulas for inspection by the Federal Medical Administration. If the formulas are fine, they'll clear our name and unfreeze the funds."
"If there's a problem, then we must close the shop, the funds will be confiscated, and we'll face corresponding punishment."
Di Tian frowned. "Isn't this obviously aimed at our pill formulas?"
"It is aimed at the formulas, but the justification is proper. We really can't find any excuse to refuse," Bi Ji sighed.
"Did you hand over the formulas?" Gu Yuena asked. If the formulas were leaked, the problem would be huge.
Bi Ji quickly shook her head. "No. Up until yesterday, they demanded them three times, and I refused each time."
"Yesterday their attitude was extremely forceful. They even brought strong experts from the Federal Police, clearly ready to seize them if we didn't comply."
"If we hadn't been firm enough, and if we hadn't had more powerful experts to deter them, it probably would have turned into a fight."
She knew how important the formulas were—there was no way she would ever let them leak.
"However, although we protected the formulas, they used it as leverage, claiming we were guilty and afraid to undergo inspection."
"To uninformed civilians, this undoubtedly 'confirmed' that there was something wrong with our pills."
"What a brilliant move. Using this incident, they not only ruined Dragon-Phoenix Hall's reputation, but also aimed to obtain the formulas and push Dragon-Phoenix Hall to stand against the Federation."
"A single move with multiple gains—even I have to admire it. Shrek Academy is truly impressive," Di Tian said coldly, killing intent surging.
Ten thousand years ago, he already disliked this academy. Now, he even wanted to personally destroy it.
"Indeed ruthless. Shrek Academy is no simple force," Lin Yi also commented.
Hearing this, Xiong Jun was furious. "If Bi Ji hadn't stopped me, I'd have gone and torn down Shrek City!"
"It's a good thing Bi Ji stopped you. Otherwise, if you really went, you'd just be throwing your life away."
"Shrek Academy has many experts, and there's also Yun Ming—someone who can rival Di Tian. What waves do you think you could stir up if you went?"
Gu Yuena said irritably. Xiong Jun was powerful, but he never liked using his brain.
"That's not necessarily true. I'm only a little weaker than Di Tian. If I went, I might not lose to him," Xiong Jun muttered quietly, somewhat unconvinced.
Yun Ze remained calm and asked evenly, "What's the attitude on the Sun-Moon Royal Academy's side?"
"After these things happened, I asked Headmaster Xu Lin for help. They did their best."
"But Shrek Academy came aggressively this time, mobilizing many connections. They even activated their ties with the Tang Sect."
"With the two major forces joining hands, they directly control nearly half the Federal Government's decision-making power. The Spirit Transmission Tower has taken a neutral stance in this matter, choosing to sit back and watch the fight."
"At the government level, the power held by the Sun-Moon Royal Academy alone simply can't change federal decisions."
"If it weren't for Gu Ming from the Federal Research Institute also helping us, they'd probably be even more excessive," Bi Ji said.
On the surface, Shrek Academy didn't have many people holding positions in the Federal Government and had always emphasized that it wouldn't easily interfere with government decisions.
But in reality, the power it could mobilize was astonishing.
Those federal officials who had studied at Shrek Academy could all be considered Shrek's people.
Once a decision came down from the Sea God Pavilion Master, these people immediately responded, turning Shrek Academy's decisions into Federal Government decisions.
Shrek Academy's claim of "peaches and plums all over the world" was absolutely no joke—it was the truth.
They might not be able to cover the sky with one hand, but covering half the sky was certainly not a problem.
"As long as the Sun-Moon Royal Academy and the Federal Research Institute are still on our side, that's fine," Yun Ze said. The situation wasn't hopeless.
"It's a good thing you young masters came back. With you here, we'll definitely get through this crisis," Bi Ji said with relief.
Recently, she had been under immense pressure, to the point of becoming haggard. Now she could finally relax a bit.
With Yun Ze and the others back, Dragon-Phoenix Hall had its backbone again, giving her confidence to overcome the difficulty.
"By the way, Young Master, Miss—how did you return so quickly? I thought it would take several months," Bi Ji asked.
After the incident occurred, she had asked Xu Lin to help send a message to Yun Ze and the others.
According to Xu Lin, to prevent technological leaks, the Federation forbade aircraft from traveling to the Star Luo Continent. Messages could only be sent by ship, which would take at least two to three months.
"We didn't come back because we received the message. We felt there was no point staying there any longer, so we returned early."
"Fortunately, we came back early. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable," Di Tian said.
"So that's how it is. I thought you rushed back after receiving the message," Bi Ji said.
Gu Yuena looked at Yun Ze beside her. "What should we do now?"
The current situation was extremely unfavorable. For a moment, she couldn't think of any good solution.
Whenever she couldn't come up with a plan, she would think of Yun Ze. In her impression, Yun Ze was omnipotent.
The others also looked toward Yun Ze. In Di Tian's and Bi Ji's hearts, Yun Ze was the true pillar of support.
(End of Chapter)