Especially for the envoy from the Heavenly Soul Empire!
Back when the Tang Sect's ancestral grounds were taken over by the Ironblood Sect, and Tang Ya was driven out of Heaven Dou City, the upper echelons of the Heavenly Soul Empire were well aware of the situation.
At the time, they believed the Tang Sect had lost all value. From the emperor down to the nobles, no one thought it worth interfering. But now, in hindsight, it seemed they had made a terrible mistake!
No wonder—no wonder Shrek Academy had recently driven the Ironblood Sect out of the Tang Sect's former territory. So this was the reason!
Who could have imagined that the once-mighty, thousand-year-old Tang Sect would return—and that its sect master would represent the Sun Moon Empire in battle?
"Beloved subject… this young woman, she's the Tang Sect's sect master?" Emperor Xu Jiawei asked, stunned. He turned to Duke Dai Hao, his expression puzzled. "Your ancestors had ties to the Tang Sect, yes? Were you aware of this?"
Dai Hao was silent for a moment before finally shaking his head. "I was not, Your Majesty. The Dai family and the Tang Sect… have not had contact in a very long time."
—
Among Shrek Academy's representatives, Beibei was left completely at a loss after hearing Tang Ya's bold declaration. He whispered something to Xuanzi and then quietly exited the arena.
"I've heard of the Tang Sect before," Xiao Xiao said as she watched Tang Ya on the platform, speaking to Jiang Nannan. "It used to be pretty famous, right?"
Wang Dong furrowed his brow, staring hard at Tang Ya. "She's the sect master of the Tang Sect, and yet she's representing the Sun Moon Empire? That woman… she's a traitor to the original three nations of the Douluo Continent!"
Jiang Qingtong gently patted Wang Dong's shoulder and tried to calm him down. "Easy now. Maybe Miss Tang Ya had no other choice. After all, she's shouldering the responsibility of restoring the Tang Sect."
Hearing this, Xuanzi couldn't help but feel something was off—but he couldn't quite put his finger on what, exactly, was wrong with Jiang Qingtong's words.
Only Jiang Nannan remained silent, lips pressed together.
After Beibei left, she was the oldest among the reserve team. Unlike Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong, she wasn't easily stirred by emotion. That was why, even when Xuanzi had explained the Sun Moon Empire's atrocities earlier, she had remained composed.
She had heard about the close historical ties between Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, but now that she had seen Tang Ya as part of the Sun Moon team, Jiang Nannan couldn't help but start to wonder.
Shrek. The Tang Sect. The Sun Moon Empire.
If she ever had the chance, Jiang Nannan wanted to visit the Sun Moon Empire herself and understand what had happened. Why would even the Tang Sect's sect master turn her back on Shrek and choose the Sun Moon Empire instead?
If it was just a matter of benefits—then why not choose Shrek Academy, their ally of over ten thousand years? Did the Sun Moon Empire offer more?
Had ten thousand years of friendship between Shrek and the Tang Sect really meant less than material gains?
With just one appearance, Tang Ya—sect master of the Tang Sect—had delivered a shocking wake-up call to every nation on the Douluo Continent.
—
After the match, Jiang Shengyu and Xiao Hongchen clapped hands together. Laughing heartily, Xiao Hongchen said, "That was perfect—exactly the impact we wanted!"
Their team teacher also came up to commend their performance in the first match.
While she gave genuine praise, she also took the opportunity to offer some stern reminders: not to get complacent or overconfident.
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy did not come to this tournament for second place. Their goal had always been to defeat Shrek Academy and claim the championship.
After a full day of eliminations, no other academy had dared to field Soul Emperors like Shrek and the Sun Moon Academy had.
In fact, most academies couldn't even guarantee sending Soul Kings. Soul Ancestors and Soul Elders were often the core of their teams.
With the competition's quality so low, the remaining matches were hardly worth watching.
—
Jiang Shengyu and his team returned to the Star Luo Grand Hotel. Not long after, the members of Shrek Academy also left the arena and made their way back.
In the hotel lobby, the Duchess of the White Tiger was waiting with several maids. When she saw Shrek's team—and specifically, Dai Huabin—she immediately rushed forward.
At that moment, Jiang Shengyu's group had not yet gone upstairs and was also present in the lobby.
"My son! Did you get hurt in today's match? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Come—Mother brought you some tonics. I already visited your elder brother earlier…" the Duchess said, handing over the tonics she had taken from one of her maids, her voice full of maternal affection.
Huo Yuhao stood nearby, watching the loving interaction between Dai Huabin and his mother. His fists clenched tightly.
If the Duchess hadn't tormented his own mother so cruelly, he too might have had a mother to care for him like this.
The White Tiger Duke!!
Huo Yuhao's eyes were filled with seething anger. His clenched fists trembled, and his breathing grew ragged.
The tender, harmonious scene between Dai Huabin and his mother was like a dagger to his heart. But just then, within his spiritual sea, a brilliant wave of radiant golden energy suddenly erupted.
In an instant, that light washed away all the negative emotions within him. Huo Yuhao's body relaxed, and his mind returned to calm.
Inside his spiritual sea, Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress were both stunned as they stared at the platinum-colored orb hovering above the vast, ocean-like expanse.
Even with their immense spiritual power, they felt a deep sense of awe toward this mysterious, radiant light.
"Skydream… what is that thing?" the Ice Empress asked quietly.
Skydream Iceworm shook his head. "I don't know either! When I first entered Yuhao's spiritual sea, it just fell from the sky and started claiming territory. It's been dormant ever since—until just now."
"But… it just calmed Yuhao down. That means it's probably on our side, right?" Ice Empress said, frowning with hesitation.
Skydream shook his head again. "Hard to say."
They both tried to communicate with the platinum orb, but it didn't respond to anything they projected.
—
Outside, Huo Yuhao let out a long breath and turned to Jiang Shengyu. "Let's go upstairs."
Hearing his tone—and seeing the way he exhaled—Jiang Shengyu tilted his head slightly in thought.
Did Yuhao just… achieve some kind of emotional breakthrough? A moment of enlightenment?
But since Huo Yuhao had already spoken, Jiang Shengyu and the others didn't linger in the lobby. None of the people walking past them were ever going to treat the Sun Moon team kindly.
What was the point of staying? Wait around for someone to pick a fight, just to beat them down with a smug Dragon King smirk?
Not worth it.
—
Meanwhile, Dai Huabin was stunned to see his mother at the hotel.
"Mother? What are you doing here?" he asked.
The Duchess sighed, then informed him that someone had set fire to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, burning most of it to the ground. When Dai Huabin heard this, he immediately flew into a rage.
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