Everyone admitted to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy came from noble families.
The members of Heaven Dou Academy's Third Team were known as spoiled young nobles, so their family backgrounds were naturally far from ordinary.
After leaving the tournament venue, Prince Xue Xing was, as expected, severely reprimanded by Emperor Xue Ye.
It was only after Xue Xing stated that he had a way to deal with Shrek Academy that Emperor Xue Ye let the matter rest. Even then, he issued a strict order.
"You may proceed, but you must succeed. Even if you fail, the imperial family must never be connected to it."
Xue Xing's confidence naturally came from the loophole in the tournament rules that the Seven Treasure Team had submitted before the competition.
Before that rule was officially implemented, there was nothing stopping him from taking advantage of it.
Besides, the seven injured students all came from influential noble families. Once a group of nobles gathered to frame someone, it would hardly be a difficult task.
After the opening ceremony ended, the Seven Treasure Team happened to run into Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo as they were leaving the venue.
"Greetings, Sect Master Ning (Uncle Ning), Senior Bone Douluo."
Everyone bowed respectfully.
Ning Rongrong asked curiously.
"Dad, the people from Shrek Academy were absolutely despicable. Why did you still speak on their behalf?"
Ning Fengzhi merely laughed without offering an explanation.
After all, he wasn't directly involved. He had only stepped in because someone had asked him to, and there was no reason to make unnecessary enemies over it.
Turning to the members of the Seven Treasure Team, he nodded with satisfaction.
"I'm very pleased with your spirit and attitude. Maintain this state of mind, and you'll achieve excellent results."
"Your only objective in the preliminary rounds is to qualify. Whether you finish with a perfect record or not, I'll still have additional rewards prepared for you. So don't put too much pressure on yourselves."
With that, Ning Fengzhi did not stay any longer.
As one of the tournament's honored guests, and having openly acknowledged his relationship with the Seven Treasure Team, lingering any longer would only invite gossip.
Before leaving, he called out, "Little Wu, His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to speak with you. Come with me."
Wu Qi readily agreed.
Xue Qinghe had also attended the opening ceremony, so he was most likely seeking him out regarding matters related to the tournament.
Before long, under Ning Fengzhi's guidance, Wu Qi arrived at a teahouse near the arena.
After exchanging a few polite words with Xue Qinghe, Ning Fengzhi excused himself, leaving the two alone.
Over the past six months, Wu Qi had devoted nearly all of his time to training, leaving little contact between himself and Xue Qinghe.
"Brother Wu, it's been quite some time."
Xue Qinghe greeted him warmly, gesturing for him to sit beside him.
Wu Qi smiled faintly.
"It certainly has. May I ask what brings Your Highness to see me today?"
Sensing Wu Qi's current Spirit Power Level, Xue Qinghe was slightly surprised.
In just over half a year, Wu Qi had advanced from the middle stages of Spirit Ancestor to Spirit King.
Such talent was truly astonishing.
After a brief pause, Xue Qinghe smiled.
"It seems my concerns were unnecessary. With your current strength, there are very few teams in this tournament capable of standing against yours."
Not dwelling on the subject, he continued.
"I'm sure you witnessed Shrek Academy's performance today. Do you have any ideas on how we should deal with them?"
Tang San had openly embarrassed Emperor Xue Ye before everyone present, while Grandmaster had publicly stripped away the imperial family's dignity.
The incident had become a humiliation for the royal family.
Although Xue Qinghe usually appeared gentle and courteous, he was by no means soft-hearted. He had no intention of letting such a provocation pass.
Tang San was also the son of his enemy.
Now that the Heaven Dou royal family intended to retaliate against him, Xue Qinghe wanted to use the authority at the royal family's disposal to eliminate Tang San.
Wu Qi understood exactly what he was thinking, but he shook his head.
"It's not that simple. Now that the Spirit Master Tournament has begun, Tang Hao is almost certainly protecting Tang San from the shadows."
"If Tang San is killed, Tang Hao will go berserk. No one will be able to stop him, and in the end, both sides will suffer."
Xue Qinghe had not lost his composure.
"Then what do you suggest?"
Wu Qi knew that Prince Xue Xing was the type to never forgive a slight.
Shrek Academy had publicly humiliated him.
There was no way he would simply let the matter go.
So why not let Xue Xing handle it?
If Xue Xing succeeded, Xue Qinghe would also benefit.
If he failed, Xue Qinghe could use it as leverage to weaken his influence.
Smiling, Wu Qi replied with a question.
"Why should we step into the spotlight when we're already in the shadows?"
"If we quietly guide events from behind the scenes, then even if someone investigates afterward, they won't necessarily be able to trace anything back to us."
"Your Highness, you're too personally involved. Sometimes, the more impatient you are, the greater the price you'll end up paying."
Xue Qinghe fell into thoughtful silence.
That same evening, a group of people arrived outside Shrek Academy to cause trouble.
Some had been hired to stir up trouble, while others were relatives of the injured members of Heaven Dou Academy's Third Team.
Prince Xue Xing had not yet reached an agreement with all of the noble families, so some of them had come hoping to settle the matter privately with Shrek Academy.
To put it bluntly, when noble families sent their children to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, they were effectively offering them as political hostages to the imperial family.
This was especially common before leading troops into battle or during crucial promotions, as it demonstrated the family's loyalty to the crown.
Anyone chosen as such a hostage usually held little importance within the family.
Many of these nobles felt that as long as Shrek Academy paid compensation privately, the matter could be settled while allowing everyone to save face.
After all, there was no point wasting excessive effort over someone who had virtually no chance of inheriting the family title.
Grandmaster was in the middle of reviewing the day's battle with the Shrek Seven Devils when he heard the commotion outside.
His expression darkened as he rushed out of the room, grabbed a passing student, and demanded.
"Who is causing such a disturbance outside?"
The Shrek Seven Devils also stepped out of the room, curious to see what was happening.
The student explained.
"T-Teacher, there are people outside demanding an explanation from the academy. They claim to be family members of the students from Heaven Dou Academy's Third Team."
Hearing this, Grandmaster let out a cold laugh.
"A bunch of losers who weren't strong enough to win, and they still dare come here looking for trouble!"
With that, he headed toward the academy gate.
The Shrek Seven Devils sneered as well and followed behind, prepared to act depending on the situation.
Outside the academy, Flender was doing his best to calm the families.
"Please, everyone, calm down first. Tell us which students from Heaven Dou Academy's Third Team you're related to, and then we can discuss compensation."
Flender was being completely straightforward and had fully accepted Ning Fengzhi's suggestion.
After all, the influence of noble families could not be underestimated. If Shrek Academy offended them, they could easily create endless trouble behind the scenes.
Besides, in Flender's view, Shrek Academy was indeed at fault in this matter.
As they listened to his sincere words, many of the family members gradually calmed down.
Just as both sides were preparing to continue their discussion, Grandmaster walked out.
"Flender, these people are obviously trying to extort Shrek Academy, yet you're still treating them so politely. Have you grown senile?"
The moment those words were spoken, the anger that had only just subsided flared up again.
One mother angrily accused them.
"You dare say we're trying to extort you? My son had neither grievances nor grudges with any of you, yet your Shrek Academy openly tried to kill him during the match!"
Tang San stepped forward, his expression cold and unyielding.
"If you're so worried about your son getting hurt, then you shouldn't have let him compete in the tournament in the first place!"
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