"Bullshit! Utter nonsense!"
Hearing Jing Hongchen repeatedly use words like "assassin" and "assault," Xuan Zi was so angry his lungs felt like they were about to explode.
He glared fiercely at the Adjudicator, who was looking at him with a face full of suspicion, and defended himself with a flushed face:
"I am the dignified Taotie Douluo. How could I possibly engage in such sneaky, underhanded behavior?"
"I said it just now! I drank too much! I was wasted! My head wasn't clear, so I took the wrong path and stumbled in here by mistake!"
"What? Does the tournament have a rule saying it's a crime to take a wrong path when you're drunk?"
Although Xuan Zi spoke these words with an air of righteousness, combined with his dust-covered clothes and that punch that had almost demolished the building, he sounded incredibly guilty no matter how one listened.
"Heh, drank too much?"
Jing Hongchen spoke with a sarcastic, mocking tone as if he had heard the world's biggest joke:
"Elder Xuan, are you insulting our intelligence, or are you insulting your own cultivation?"
"A Level 98 Super Douluo's body has long been immune to all toxins. Can mere mortal wine make you so drunk you can't tell north from south? And you just happened to accurately stumble to the door of our Sun Moon Team's captain?"
"Furthermore..." Jing Hongchen pointed at the spirit power fluctuations that hadn't fully dissipated yet and sneered, "That punch you just threw had condensed spirit power and precise force. It didn't look like something a drunkard could pull off at all!"
"This..." Xuan Zi was suddenly at a loss for words, his old face turning the color of pig liver.
Jing Hongchen didn't give him any room to breathe. He turned directly to the Adjudicator, who looked troubled, and his tone suddenly became cold, carrying a bit of overbearing pressure:
"Your Excellency Adjudicator, the facts are before us, with both witnesses and physical evidence."
"A dignified Shrek Elder sneaked into our residence late at night with unknown intentions and was caught on the spot."
"The fairness and justice of this tournament are being watched by the entire continent."
"If this matter isn't handled impartially and word gets out that the Star Luo Empire and Shrek Academy are in cahoots, covering up and condoning such actions..."
"Then the prestige of this All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament will probably take a hit."
"Wouldn't you agree?"
This wave of pressure was far too intense.
Cold sweat began to roll down the Adjudicator's forehead.
As a person of the Star Luo Empire, his heart naturally leaned toward Shrek. After all, Shrek was the pride shared by the three original nations of the Douluo Continent.
If possible, he really wanted to downplay the issue and find any excuse to let Xuan Zi go.
But now, that old fox Jing Hongchen was refusing to let go, and there were so many Sun Moon Academy students watching, not to mention many teachers and students from other academies who had been woken up and were watching from a distance.
Under the watchful eyes of the public, if he dared to show even a hint of favoritism, the Star Luo Empire's credibility would be dragged through the mud tomorrow!
"Cough, cough..."
The Adjudicator coughed helplessly twice, steeled himself, and walked up to Xuan Zi, speaking in a businesslike manner:
"Elder Xuan, regardless of the reason, as the leading teacher, your late-night intrusion into another academy's residential area indeed violates the tournament regulations."
"Furthermore, the spirit power fluctuations just now have caused an extremely negative impact."
"Given the severity of the situation..." The Adjudicator took a deep breath, pulled out a yellow card from his robe, and held it high:
"I hereby issue a yellow card warning to the Shrek Academy representative team!"
"If there is another violation, according to the tournament charter, Shrek Academy's qualification to compete will be directly revoked!"
"Please leave this place immediately, Elder Xuan, and do not interfere with the rest of the other contestants!"
"A... a yellow card?!"
Looking at that glaring yellow card, Xuan Zi felt his vision go dark, almost fainting.
He was the dignified Taotie Douluo; when had he ever suffered such a grievance in his life?
Not only was he caught in the act like a common thief, but he also received a yellow card!
What made him feel even more despair was that out of the corner of his eye, he could see people from many other academies at the end of the corridor, pointing and whispering.
There were even a few meddlesome individuals recording the scene with recording spirit tools!
It's over... it's all over...
Now, never mind persuading Liu Yuan to return; his, Xuan Zi's, old face was completely lost!
If this matter reached Shrek, reached Mu En's ears...
Xuan Zi shuddered, and Mu En's aged yet incredibly majestic face appeared in his mind, making him feel a chill down his spine.
"Good... good! Very good!"
Xuan Zi squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely at Jing Hongchen with a look that seemed like he wanted to swallow him alive.
"Jing Hongchen! I will remember this debt!"
In his heart, he cursed Jing Hongchen's ancestors for eighteen generations, then flicked his sleeve and turned to leave dejectedly, his back looking incredibly pathetic.
Watching Xuan Zi's departing figure, the Adjudicator also breathed a secret sigh of relief. He cupped his hands toward Jing Hongchen and then quickly led his men away from this troublesome place.
With the outsiders gone, peace finally returned to the corridor.
Liu Yuan turned around and looked at Jing Hongchen, who was still standing in front of him, a flash of gratitude in his eyes.
"Hall Master, thank you," Liu Yuan said sincerely.
If Jing Hongchen hadn't been paying attention in secret, Xuan Zi might have already sneaked into his room. While Xuan Zi might not have dared to kill him here, being pestered by such a disgusting person was a form of torture in itself.
"Haha, silly child, why are you being so polite with me?"
Jing Hongchen turned around, the coldness on his face instantly vanishing, replaced by a kind smile as he patted Liu Yuan's shoulder:
"You are the captain of our Sun Moon Team and the junior I value the most. Protecting you is part of my duty."
"Besides, as long as I can make that old thing from Shrek suffer, I'm happy!"
At this point, a hint of smugness flashed in Jing Hongchen's eyes, and then he reassured him:
"Alright, everyone go back and rest. Don't worry too much."
"Around this room, I've already set up over a dozen Grade 9 defensive and early-warning spirit tools. I'd know if even a fly flew in."
"After tonight's commotion, even if that Xuan Zi had the heart of a lion and the gall of a bear, he wouldn't dare to try anything else."
"There are matches tomorrow; resting and building up your strength is what matters. Go on."
"Yes, Dean."
Liu Yuan, Xiao Hongchen, and the others nodded and returned to their rooms.
...
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study of the Star Luo Palace.
Although it was late at night, the Emperor of Star Luo, Xu Jiawei, had still not rested and was sitting behind a large desk reviewing official documents.
"Your Majesty."
The Adjudicator walked quickly into the Imperial Study, knelt on one knee, and reported everything that had happened at the hotel in detail.
After hearing the report, Xu Jiawei put down his brush, rubbed his aching brow, and looked caught between laughter and tears.
"This Xuan Zi... what on earth is he doing?"
"A dignified Super Douluo actually went to peek at a student's dormitory? And was caught in the act?"
"The people of Shrek—why are their actions becoming harder and harder to understand?"
Although he was speechless at Xuan Zi's behavior, Xu Jiawei still nodded in approval:
"You did well in this matter."
"At this critical juncture, we must maintain absolute impartiality. If we show favoritism toward Shrek, it would instead give people something to talk about and let the Sun Moon Empire seize an advantage."
"That yellow card was given correctly; at least it will shut Jing Hongchen's mouth."
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty." The Adjudicator bowed respectfully and then withdrew.
After the Adjudicator left, silence returned to the Imperial Study.
Xu Jiawei stood up, walked to the window, and looked toward the Star Emperor Grand Hotel with a deep gaze.
"However..."
"What exactly was Xuan Zi going to do by looking for Liu Yuan in the middle of the night?"
"He couldn't have actually developed killing intent, could he? Shrek's people shouldn't be so disgraceful in their actions..."
Just then, a guard dressed in black entered silently and respectfully presented a sealed dossier.
"Your Majesty."
"All the information regarding that youth named Liu Yuan that you ordered me to investigate..."
"Has been fully investigated and organized."
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