On the stage, after Ma Xiaotao delivered a single kick that gravely injured and knocked Wei Hong unconscious, she stood protectively in front of He Caitou and turned her cold gaze toward Zheng Zhan.
Zheng Zhan couldn't help but shudder, but he forced himself to suppress his fear and stepped in front of Xu Tianzhen to shield her, all while praying silently in his heart that Ma Xiaotao wouldn't escalate things further. He was truly terrified—his strength was about the same as Wei Hong's, and since Ma Xiaotao had taken Wei Hong out with one kick, she could certainly do the same to him!
Even though Wei Hong had been caught off guard, he was still a proper Soul Master. Zheng Zhan, on the other hand, was a physically frail Soul Engineer. Besides, the soul rings glowing behind this woman were far too terrifying—six black, three red. He'd only ever seen such a configuration in books!
Below the stage, the Tang Sect team members watching from the waiting area collectively sighed in relief once Ma Xiaotao had rescued He Caitou. Regardless of what secrets He Caitou might be hiding from them, he was still part of Shrek Academy, Tang Sect's third disciple, and their brother-in-arms. How could they just stand by and watch him be killed? If they'd had the strength, they would've rushed onto the platform to fight at his side already.
In the rest area, aside from Shrek Academy, only the Snow Demon Sect and the Holy Spirit Sect remained. They had mostly been treating this entire scene as entertainment. That changed with Ma Xiaotao's appearance, and both sects wore visibly serious expressions.
"Is that… the captain of Shrek Academy's last tournament team?" someone in the Snow Demon Sect muttered. Their current team leader had also led the Empyrean Academy team in the last tournament, so he recognized Ma Xiaotao and was visibly shaken. "She's not even twenty-five yet, is she? And she's already a Title Douluo? Shrek Academy… truly cannot be underestimated!"
Hearing this, Wei Na couldn't help but curl her lips. She wanted to say, "What's so amazing about a twenty-five-year-old Title Douluo? That Zhu Ziyang reached Title Douluo at twenty—that's what's terrifying." But in the end, she said nothing, not wanting to demoralize her teammates.
On the VIP platform, Ma Xiaotao's sudden appearance left Xu Tianran and the others shocked. Most notably, the black-robed Imperial Preceptor stood up abruptly, his expression dark as he stared at Ma Xiaotao. Black mist gathered in his palm, ready to strike at any moment. But then, for some reason, he stopped, let the mist dissipate, and sat back down—his expression still thunderous.
"Shrek Academy, what is the meaning of this?!" Xu Tianran roared, far more furious than cautious. He felt as though his dignity had just been slammed into the dirt and dragged around. He shouted at Ma Xiaotao.
"What do I mean?" Ma Xiaotao sneered. "Shouldn't I be asking what you mean? Your people broke the rules first—striking a Tang Sect contestant!"
"He was disrespectful to my Sun Moon Royal Family!" Xu Tianran shouted back. "Those who show contempt for the royal family—must die!"
It was just a high-sounding excuse. Everyone present, except perhaps the slow-witted, understood clearly that Xu Tianran wanted to kill He Caitou to eliminate future trouble.
"I don't understand how he disrespected your royal family?" Ma Xiaotao asked, feigning ignorance. "Was it because he defeated your princess on stage? Or because he mentioned your royal family's dirty secrets?"
"Hmph!" Xu Tianran tried to remain calm and coldly snorted. "He impersonated a royal family member and insulted me, the Regent Prince. Just those two crimes alone are punishable by death!"
"First of all," Ma Xiaotao said with a smirk, "He Caitou is a disciple of Shrek Academy. Even if he committed a crime, it should be judged by us. Second, you said he impersonated a royal—do you have proof? Are a few words of his enough? If that's the case, then the previous emperor's death during the Evil Soul Master uprising—also publicly announced by your royal family—must be fake too, right?"
"Lastly, so what if he insulted you? You're a grown man—more than that, a monarch! Generosity is a virtue every ruler should have. So can you please not be so petty?"
"You—!" Xu Tianran nearly coughed up blood. His face turned beet red and even seemed to swell slightly. Juzi, seated beside him, could only try her best to calm him down.
"…Hmph! Very well. I'll remember your words!"
With that, Xu Tianran grabbed Juzi's hand and placed it on his wheelchair's armrest. Juzi understood and wheeled him off the platform.
This chaotic farce came to an abrupt end with Xu Tianran's angry retreat, but its impact had only just begun. Or rather, this was only the beginning. The shockwaves from the confrontation would spread from the tens of thousands of spectators in the arena throughout all of Mingdu, and even across the entire Sun Moon Empire.
For the first time, the internal bloodshed of the royal family had been openly exposed to the public. Secrets that the royal court had tried desperately to cover up were now coming to light. That was only the surface consequence of this farce.
The deeper impact was on the social equilibrium of the Sun Moon Empire—on the legitimacy of its ruling class. After all, if a ruler's claim to the throne is illegitimate, that's a stain that no monarchy can ever wash away.
As the saying goes, "Without righteousness, there is no authority." Unless a ruler possesses overwhelming might, no one can ignore the will of the people. And unfortunately, the Sun Lineage did not have the power to dominate the world.
So, Xu Tianran chose to retreat and leave the battlefield of words. He would plan his next steps later. Fortunately, the Sun Lineage still enjoyed popular support. One scandal alone wouldn't shake their rule. What Xu Tianran needed to do now was control the narrative—and find a way to eliminate Xu Tianhe.
In one corner of the spectator stands:
"Xuanzi, your Shrek Academy is truly impressive," said Du Busi, giving a thumbs-up. "You actually found the former Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire and got him to betray his own family. Amazing!"
"Heh, it's not our Academy's doing. It's the will of the people," Xuanzi replied casually, not even turning his head. He chewed on a chicken leg, sipped his wine, and added pretentiously, "Those who follow the Dao gain much aid; those who betray it, little."
"Ptooey!" Du Busi couldn't stand the posturing and spat—right onto Xuanzi's chicken leg.
The two old men froze, and then… disappeared from the stands altogether.
Dozens of li outside of Mingdu, a violent battle broke out in the mountains.
Back on the stage, Zheng Zhan stood dumbfounded, unsure what to do with the match result.
Behind him, Xu Tianzhen was no longer dazed. Her gaze was full of complexity—gone was the innocence she had at the start. She looked at He Caitou and said, "Brother He, I'll find out the truth of everything."
"Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy concedes!" she declared before stepping off the platform with help from her teammates and heading out of the venue.
"Hey, are you done spacing out?" Ma Xiaotao snapped at Zheng Zhan. "Can you announce the match result now?"
"O-Oh!" Zheng Zhan jolted awake. After a fearful glance at Ma Xiaotao, he quickly announced, "Tang Sect wins!"
Hearing this result, He Caitou didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. He just felt utterly lost. After venting so fruitlessly, he now began to realize the consequences. Would his comrades still accept him?
"Let's go, get down from here," Ma Xiaotao said to He Caitou. "Go explain everything to Tang Ya and the others yourself."
Then she vanished in a flash, returning to Zhu Ziyang's side. She beamed and proudly asked, "Well? I did pretty great, didn't I?"
"Of course!" Zhu Ziyang smiled and held her hand, praising, "That line you delivered to Xu Tianran about not being petty—absolutely brutal. If he were a bit more sensitive, he probably would've coughed up blood."
"Hahaha!" Ma Xiaotao laughed. "I just blurted it out, didn't expect it would hit that hard."
"Anyway, good job," Zhu Ziyang concluded. Though the incident had come out of nowhere, the result was surprisingly good. At least it had been a spontaneous conflict—not a premeditated setup—which saved them a lot of trouble down the line.
(End of Chapter)
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