Because of yesterday's legendary battle that overturned Shrek, two people from Class Zero made it onto the Young Genius List this time: Tang Wulin and Huo Yuhao.
The reason for Tang Wulin's inclusion on the list was no mystery; he had defeated the four-ring Spirit Ancestor Yu Tianlong head-on with a single, pure, and violent strike on the stage, and the shocking footage had already spread across the internet.
Funnily enough, it was precisely because of this video that many people suspected Shrek's Yu Tianlong of throwing the match.
After all, how could a normal four-ring Spirit Ancestor be defeated so easily by a one-ring Spirit Master?
Although Huo Yuhao remained at the back of the team throughout the match and didn't seem to do much, his three Ten Thousand Years Ago spirit rings were enough to say everything!
Seeing the sudden surge in the aura of Huo Yuhao's four teammates, many people guessed that he must be a support system Spirit Master.
It could only be said that while the guess wasn't entirely correct, it wasn't exactly wrong either.
In comparison, although the others in Class Zero performed excellently as well, they inevitably appeared somewhat "mediocre" under the dazzling brilliance of these two.
Xie Xie practically pressed his head against the light screen, muttering, "Wulin's title 'Dragon Fist' is quite fitting, since he earned it with a single punch... Eh?"
Looking next to Huo Yuhao's name at the top of the list, he asked in surprise, "Why is Yuhao's entry blank? He doesn't even have a title?"
That's right; after just this one battle, the ten-year-old boy Huo Yuhao had shot directly to the top of the Young Genius List!
"That's because the information Yuhao revealed was too limited."
Xu Xiaoyan smiled; she had clearly noticed this detail long ago and explained, "The judges of the list probably aren't sure how to summarize him, so they couldn't decide on a suitable title for the time being."
As she spoke, she lightly swiped the edge of the light screen, pulling up the real-time comment section below the list.
She quickly browsed through a few comments and suddenly let out a giggle, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Look at this top comment... it says Yuhao's title should just be 'Thirty thousand'!"
"The reason... the most intuitive and indisputable hallmark is those three Ten Thousand Years Spirit Rings!"
"Thirty Thousand?"
This somewhat playful and exceptionally blunt nickname immediately tickled everyone's funny bone.
Xie Xie was the first to slap his thigh and laugh out loud, and even Gu Yue's cold expression softened with a faint smile.
Tang Wulin tried to hold it in, but his face turned beet red, and in the end, he couldn't help but laugh as well.
Only the protagonist, Huo Yuhao, had his face darken for an imperceptible moment, a look of deep helplessness flashing in his eyes.
Watching his companions doubling over with laughter, he silently turned his gaze out the window, as if wordlessly protesting this "simple and crude" naming aesthetic... On the top floor of the Tianhai Hotel, inside the most luxurious suite, the air seemed to have solidified into heavy blocks of lead, pressing down on everyone's chest.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky was bright and brilliant—a rare beautiful day.
But the soft sunlight couldn't dispel the haze of deathly silence inside the room, only illuminating several pale and tense faces.
After a long time, a figure slowly stood up from deep within the sofa.
Ye Xinglan kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. Her throat bobbed a few times before she squeezed out a dry voice: "I'm sorry... this matter started because of me."
Her voice was hoarse, as if it had been ground by coarse sandpaper, each word carrying a thousand pounds of weight.
"I will take responsibility."
"You'll take responsibility?!"
Yu Tianlong suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot as he glared intensely at Ye Xinglan.
What swirled in his gaze was no longer just anger, but a near-manic sense of hatred and humiliation.
The scenes from yesterday burned repeatedly in his mind—being sent flying by a single punch from a one-ring Spirit Master and fainting in public, becoming the most glaring failure of the entire battle.
All the mocking, shocked, and disbelieving stares seemed to turn into poisonous needles, stabbing at his sanity until it teetered.
He practically roared, his sharp voice piercing the oppressive silence: "How can you possibly take responsibility?!"
His spit nearly splattered onto Ye Xinglan's face.
His chest heaved violently, like a wounded beast trapped in a cage, desperate to pounce and tear something apart.
The other Shrek team members in the room, though not as out of control as Yu Tianlong, no longer looked at Ye Xinglan with any of their former camaraderie; only cold resentment remained.
Their eyes seemed to say: if it weren't for you, Ye Xinglan, sticking your nose where it didn't belong and insisting on provoking that Class Zero before the match, how could they have been forced to fight?
And how could they have fallen from the high clouds overnight to become the "sinners" of the entire Shrek Academy and the laughingstock of the whole continent?!
Invisible pressure pierced Ye Xinglan like icicles, making her thin shoulders tremble slightly.
"This matter... can't be entirely blamed on Sister Xinglan."
A slightly timid voice spoke up, struggling to muster courage.Xu Lizhi stood up, his round face filled with anxiety as he tried to ease the suffocating atmosphere.
"Class Zero... they really are very strong, we..."
"Shut up!!"
Yu Tianlong's roar crudely cut off Xu Lizhi's words.
He whipped his head around, his sinister gaze gouging like a knife at the Little Fatty who was trying to defend Ye Xinglan, his face full of disdain and impatience:
"Who do you think you are to speak here?!"
He took a step forward, spit flying:
"With just the two of you, you're worthy of entering the Inner Court?"
"I think those teachers at the academy are fucking blind!!"
Xu Lizhi's face turned pale from this sudden malice; he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, only able to clench his fists and stand helplessly half a step in front of Ye Xinglan.
*Bang!*
The heavy solid wood door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, hitting the wall with a dull thud.
Shen Yi walked in, her face devoid of expression, except for a layer of thick frost condensed deep within her eyes.
The indoor lights hit her face, casting a cold and hard silhouette.
Her gaze was like a blade, stabbing first at the nearly out-of-control Yu Tianlong.
"Those words," she said, her voice not loud but every word clear, "you can go to the Inner Court and say them again in front of the Elders."
Yu Tianlong's body suddenly stiffened, the surging fury and humiliation instantly freezing on his face.
His cheek muscles twitched, and the knuckles of his clenched fists turned white, veins bulging.
But ultimately, under that cold gaze, all his resentment and retorts were forced back deep into his throat.
He slumped back onto the sofa and turned away, his chest heaving violently, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing particularly jarring in the silence.
Shen Yi stopped looking at him, her gaze slowly sweeping across every young and dismal face in the room.
"The speed and intensity of the public outcry have exceeded expectations."
She spoke, her voice low: "The academy has already been alerted."
The air seemed to solidify even more.
All the students held their breath, and even the most indignant Yu Tianlong perked up his ears.
"The Dean personally sent word," Shen Yi continued. "We are ordered to remain in Tianhai City and await the academy's decision on how to handle this."
Ye Xinglan looked up blankly, her once lively eyes now dark and dull. Her dry lips moved as she asked, "Shen Yi... what will the outcome be?"
Shen Yi's gaze fell on her pale face and lingered for a moment.
She shook her head almost imperceptibly: "I don't know the final decision."
Shen Yi's tone remained steady, but her next words made Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
"However..."
Her gaze swept between Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi.
"The two of you... will likely no longer be able to stay in the Inner Court."
As the words fell, a deathly silence filled the room.
Xu Lizhi's chubby face instantly lost all color, his pupils dilating.
Ye Xinglan seemed to have been drained of her last bit of strength; her body swayed almost imperceptibly, and she slumped down.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.