She reached out her right hand and ruffled Huo Yuhao's hair as if trying to soothe him. "Is this... the kind of family you used to live in?"
Huo Yuhao leaned his head against Ma Xiaotao's long, black-stockinged legs and closed his eyes.
"Mhm... My memories from back then aren't very clear—it's mostly a blur. It was always my mother risking her life to protect me, but after I turned five, even that changed."
Ma Xiaotao lowered her eyes. "I see... It really is just as you said—quite the 'good show'..."
She had been sent to Shrek Academy at a young age due to her immense talent. Usually, she focused entirely on cultivation without stepping foot outside, receiving personal guidance from a "famous teacher" like Yan Shaozhe. It wasn't that she was ignorant of the world, but she never imagined that the usually mild-mannered Dai Yueheng would possess such a hideous and terrifying true face...
Even if he was a bastard, he was still his biological younger brother. Could he really be so decisive in delivering a lethal blow?
This world was truly not as beautiful as she had imagined...
Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, only to find two-thirds of his vision obscured by two large, rounded shapes.
They really are terrifyingly big... Murmuring this inwardly, Huo Yuhao spoke up. "Sister Xiaotao, this world isn't very kind. The darkness we see is just the tip of the iceberg, and the entanglements of interest within it are far more complex."
"Would you believe that right now—at this very moment—the academy's upper management is likely playing 'Tai Chi' with Teacher Lexuan?"
Ma Xiaotao's hand ruffling his hair froze. She instinctively leaned lower, leaving Huo Yuhao with even less to see.
"You mean... T-That's impossible, right? No matter what, the Dean wouldn't fail to distinguish right from wrong, would he?"
Huo Yuhao rolled over, changing from lying on his back to resting his chin on Ma Xiaotao's lap, tilting his head. "How should I put it... My elders once told me that in the face of interest, there is no distinction between good and bad."
"Dai Yueheng: White Tiger martial soul, Level 64 Battle Soul Emperor, descendant of the original Shrek Seven Devil Dai Mubai, and one of the pre-selected members for the next Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament."
"Given Shrek Academy's obsession with so-called 'Glory' and the White Tiger Duke's Estate's web of connections, they would likely want to keep this powerful Battle Soul Emperor to contribute to the academy's prestige."
"..."
Ma Xiaotao wanted to argue, but thinking of the countless times Yan Shaozhe had droned in her ear about things like "May Shrek's Glory Last Forever," she found she couldn't say a word.
...
"Lexuan, you aren't a child anymore. Why do you still not know how to act based on the big picture?"
Zhang Lexuan remained indifferent to Yan Shaozhe's earnest scolding. She merely took a sip of tea and spoke calmly.
"Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin took the opportunity to secretly harm my student. As his teacher, I naturally must seek justice for him. Having them expelled is already giving the White Tiger Duke's Estate plenty of face. Does Dean Yan mean I should just kill those two bastards instead? Because I wouldn't mind doing that at all."
Do you know what the "Middle Path" is?
For example, if a group of people is squeezed into a room and you feel hot and want to open a window, some people who don't feel hot will refuse. In that situation, you shouldn't say, "Let's open the window, it's stifling!" Instead, you should say, "Let's tear the roof off, it's stifling."
At that point, most people will agree to let you open the window. That is the Middle Path.
Zhang Lexuan's approach followed the same logic: either let me kill these two, or make them pack their bags and go home. Choose for yourself.
Yan Shaozhe's expression grew even more troubled, caught between hesitation and helplessness.
From the perspective of a teacher, there was nothing wrong with Zhang Lexuan's actions. If an assassination attempt wasn't handled properly, it would be impossible to lead students in the future.
However, next year was the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament. Dai Yueheng was one of the two main Soul Emperor pillars of the Shrek team. If he were expelled, Ma Xiaotao might be left to struggle alone.
Just then, Ma Xiaotao kicked the door open and stormed in. "Teacher, you don't need to say anything more. I don't want a teammate like Dai Yueheng either. They must get out today!"
Yan Shaozhe was speechless for a moment. "You girl... you... why are you being so unreasonable too?!"
Ma Xiaotao craned her neck defiantly. "Someone who can be so ruthless to his own brother might turn his back on his teammates one day. I don't want to lose on the field because I was stabbed in the back by one of my own. Either you expel him, or I won't compete in next year's tournament either."
Ma Xiaotao was putting everything on the line. Just as Yan Shaozhe was about to say more, Mu En's voice transmitted into his ear.
Yan Shaozhe's expression stiffened. He seemed to want to say more, but ultimately fell silent.
"...I understand, Teacher."
...
Lan Xuanyu walked along the path back to the Outer Courtyard dormitories, his face drooping.
Lately, he had rented a blacksmith shop in Shrek City to specifically study his forging techniques.
However, his progress was less than satisfactory. Fundamentally, it was because he no longer had the Golden Dragon King bloodline—the symbol of ultimate strength. His physical intensity couldn't keep up, and he could only manage Hundred-Forging; the success rate for Thousand-Forging was not high.
He wasn't like Tang Wulin, who had studied forging since childhood. At best, he was an amateur. Back on Celestial Dragon Planet, he had used the Divine Dragon Armor, and his final six-word battle armor had been forged with Tang Wulin's help.
Lan Xuanyu's current state of mind was chaotic. Whether it was the attitude toward his aunt Tang Wutong or the changes in his martial soul, Huo Yuhao's abnormalities made him extremely uneasy.
Dragon God bloodline. Without a doubt, that was pure Dragon God bloodline!
Where did he get it? Lan Xuanyu was willing to bet his life that the God of Emotion he knew didn't have a single trace of anything related to the Dragon God.
So what should he do? Though he had thought about absorbing the bloodline from Huo Yuhao, it was clear he couldn't beat him right now... going up would just be asking for a beating.
Contact his grandfather?
His aunt had been unconscious for days. Furthermore, the Sea God's Trident brand—the Tang family heirloom—had somehow vanished from her forehead, and the Sea God aura on her had dimmed significantly, as if she had been severely injured.
It was lucky for Lan Xuanyu that he hadn't touched Wang Dong's Sea of Consciousness, otherwise...
Before he knew it, he had reached the dorms, just in time to see a group of people carrying many belongings down from the building.
Standing at the entrance was a tall young man with short blonde hair and heterochromatic "evil" eyes. His expression was terrible, and he was muttering something under his breath as if waiting for someone.
Lan Xuanyu didn't care; in this era, nothing could spark his interest.
He simply bypassed Dai Yueheng standing at the door and walked straight into the dormitory building...
"Damn it! Are these freshmen so lacking in manners? Don't they know how to greet a senior when they see one?!"