On the arena, after Ma Xiaotao sent Wei Hong flying with a single kick, leaving him severely injured and unconscious, she stood protectively in front of He Caitou, her icy gaze fixed on Zheng Zhan.
Zheng Zhan couldn't help but shudder, but he forced himself to suppress his fear, shielding Xu Tianzhen behind him while silently praying that Ma Xiaotao would stop there.
He was genuinely terrified. His strength was comparable to Wei Hong's, and if Ma Xiaotao could knock Wei Hong out with one kick, she could do the same to him! Although Wei Hong had been caught off guard by Ma Xiaotao's attack, he was a standard soul master, while Zheng Zhan was just a frail soul mentor.
Moreover, the soul rings glowing behind this woman were utterly terrifying—six black and three red. Such a soul ring configuration was something he had only read about in books!
Below the arena, in the waiting area, the members of the Tang Sect breathed a collective sigh of relief upon seeing Ma Xiaotao save He Caitou.
Regardless of whatever secrets He Caitou was hiding from them, he was a member of Shrek Academy and the third disciple of the Tang Sect—a brother as close as family.
How could they stand by and watch him be killed? If their strength hadn't been lacking, they would have already rushed onto the arena to fight alongside him.
In the rest area, apart from Shrek Academy, only the Snow Demon Sect and the Holy Spirit Sect remained. They had been treating the commotion as a spectacle until Ma Xiaotao's appearance, which caused their expressions to turn grave.
"That's… the captain of Shrek Academy from the last tournament, right?" The leader of the Snow Demon Sect, who had also led the Di Ao Academy team in the previous tournament, recognized Ma Xiaotao. Shocked, he said, "She's not even twenty-five yet, and she's already a Titled Douluo? Shrek Academy is truly not to be underestimated!"
Hearing the leader's words, Wei Na couldn't help but curl her lips. She wanted to say that a twenty-five-year-old Titled Douluo was nothing—Zhu Ziyang reaching Titled Douluo at twenty was the real shocker. However, she held her tongue, not wanting to demoralize her team.
On the viewing platform, Ma Xiaotao's appearance stunned Xu Tianran and the others, with the black-robed Imperial Preceptor being the most affected.
He stood up, his face dark as he stared at Ma Xiaotao, a wisp of black energy swirling in his hand, ready to act at any moment. But for some reason, the black energy dissipated, and he sat back down, though his expression remained grim.
"Shrek Academy, what are you trying to do?" Unlike the cautious Imperial Preceptor, Xu Tianran was furious, feeling as though his dignity was being trampled into the ground. He shouted at Ma Xiaotao.
"What am I trying to do? Shouldn't I be asking what you are trying to do?" Ma Xiaotao sneered disdainfully. "Need I remind you that it was your people who broke the rules first and attacked a Tang Sect contestant!"
"That's because he showed great disrespect to our Sun Moon Imperial Family!" Xu Tianran said angrily. "Those who disrespect the imperial family deserve death!"
This was merely a grandiose excuse. Everyone present, except the most oblivious, understood that Xu Tianran wanted to kill He Caitou simply to eliminate any loose ends.
"I don't know how he disrespected your imperial family," Ma Xiaotao continued, feigning ignorance. "Was it because he defeated your princess on the arena? Or because he mentioned some of your imperial family's secrets?"
"Hmph!" Xu Tianran struggled to maintain his composure, letting out a cold snort. "He impersonated a member of the imperial family and insulted me, the regent of the empire. Those two crimes alone are enough to warrant death!"
"First, He Caitou is a disciple of our Shrek Academy. Even if he committed a crime, it's for Shrek Academy to judge, not you. Second, you claim he impersonated a member of the imperial family—do you have any proof? Just because of a few words he said? If that's the case, your imperial family announced that the late emperor died in a rebellion caused by evil soul masters. Are you saying that was a lie?" Ma Xiaotao said with a cold smile. "Finally, he only insulted you a little. As a man, and a ruler no less, magnanimity is a necessary virtue. So, can you not be so narrow-minded?"
"You…" Xu Tianran was so furious he nearly spat blood, his face flushed red and seemingly swollen. Ju Zi, sitting beside him, could only try to calm him down. "…Hmph! Fine, I'll remember your words!"
With that, Xu Tianran grabbed Ju Zi's hand and placed it on the armrest of his wheelchair. Ju Zi immediately understood, pushing Xu Tianran as they left the viewing platform.
The commotion ended abruptly with Xu Tianran's humiliated departure, but its impact was far from over. In fact, this was only the beginning. Its repercussions were destined to spread through the tens of thousands of spectators to all of Mingdu and even the entire Sun Moon Empire.
The truth of the Sun Moon Imperial Family's internal strife was laid bare before the public for the first time. The facts that the imperial family and officials had desperately tried to conceal were slowly surfacing. This was the most superficial outcome of the commotion.
On a deeper level, it struck at the social balance of the Sun Moon Empire and the ruling class, effectively challenging the prestige of the current imperial family. After all, an illegitimate claim to the throne was an indelible stain and nightmare for any ruler in any nation.
Without overwhelming martial strength, no one dared to underestimate the power of public sentiment, nor challenge it. If the people lost faith in the Sun Moon Imperial Family, it would be a fatal blow to the imperial lineage. Unfortunately, the imperial lineage lacked the overwhelming strength to dominate the era.
Thus, Xu Tianran chose to leave immediately, retreating from this place of trouble to plan his next move. Fortunately, the imperial lineage had previously enjoyed considerable public support, so a single commotion wasn't enough to shake their rule. Xu Tianran's next steps would likely involve controlling public opinion and finding an opportunity to eliminate Xu Tianhe.
In a corner of the audience stands:
"I must say, Old Xuan, your Shrek Academy is truly impressive. You managed to find the former crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire and even got him to willingly betray his own family. That's incredible!" Du Busi gave Old Xuan a thumbs-up, speaking with genuine admiration.
"Heh, it's not the academy's skill—it's the will of the people," Old Xuan replied without turning around, munching on a chicken leg and sipping wine. Then, in a pretentious tone, he added, "Those who follow the path of righteousness gain many allies, while those who stray from it find few."
"Pfft!" Du Busi, caught off guard by the pretension, spat in irritation. The spit landed squarely on Old Xuan's chicken leg.
Both men froze. Then, the two old men vanished from the stands. A fierce battle erupted in the mountains dozens of miles outside Mingdu.
On the arena, Zheng Zhan stood dazed, unsure how to classify the match's outcome.
Xu Tianzhen, still shielded behind Zheng Zhan, wasn't dazed. The innocence in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a complex expression. She looked at He Caitou and said, "Brother He, I'll find out the truth of what happened!"
"Mingdu Soul Mentor Academy concedes!" the girl declared before stepping off the arena, supported by her teammates, and heading out of the venue.
"Hey, can you stop spacing out?" Ma Xiaotao shouted at Zheng Zhan. "Can you announce the match result already?"
"Oh, oh!" Zheng Zhan snapped out of it, glancing fearfully at Ma Xiaotao before quickly announcing, "Tang Sect wins!"
Hearing the result, He Caitou didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. He only felt confused. After his fruitless outburst, he realized the consequences of his actions. Would his companions still accept him?
"Let's go, get down from there," Ma Xiaotao said to He Caitou. "You'll have to explain this to Tang Ya and the others yourself."
With that, Ma Xiaotao flickered and returned to Zhu Ziyang's side. She immediately giggled, seeking praise. "So, how did I do? Pretty good, right?"
"Of course!" Zhu Ziyang smiled, taking Ma Xiaotao's hand and praising her. "That line about telling Xu Tianran not to be so narrow-minded was absolutely brilliant. If Xu Tianran's mental fortitude was any weaker, he'd probably have spat blood."
"Hahaha!" Ma Xiaotao burst into laughter. "I just said it off the cuff. I didn't expect it to have such an effect."
"In short, well done," Zhu Ziyang concluded about the commotion. Though the incident had been sudden and unexpected, the outcome was surprisingly good. At the very least, it was a genuine spontaneous event, not a premeditated attack, which spared them a lot of preliminary trouble.
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