"I don't accept this!" Yu Xiaogang's eyes blazed with fury as he immediately shot back.
Xue Ye's expression darkened.
But as the emperor of the empire, he couldn't afford to lose his composure in public.
The Seven Treasures Team belonged to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and Ning Fengzhi, as the party involved, also found it difficult to speak up.
Beside them, Salas rested his cheek on his hand and asked casually, "I wonder, Mr. Yu Xiaogang, what is your request? The Spirit Hall that I represent is also one of the co-hosts of the tournament—we might be able to assist you."
Yu Xiaogang's expression softened slightly, but he continued to lash out, "Aside from Xiao San, both Mubai and Tianheng sustained serious injuries. Ning Tianchen clearly intended to retaliate and wanted to destroy the Shrek Team completely.
"Such a madman continuing in the tournament will only bring harm to other teams. My request is simple—strict and severe punishment must be imposed on the Seven Treasures Team."
"Yu Xiaogang, stop being shameless. Don't forget how the Shrek Team injured the second team of the Imperial Tiandou Academy during the opening match—we remember it clearly!" Ning Rongrong came to stand beside Ning Tianchen, her voice filled with anger.
She had never seen someone so brazen and shameless!
However, the thickness of Yu Xiaogang's skin seemed to exceed her imagination.
He raised his head, his face mocking, and said, "Hmph, disrespecting elders—is this the kind of daughter Sect Master Ning has raised? Regarding the judgment of that opening match, everyone here is well aware. Even Sect Master Ning himself admitted that our Shrek Team didn't violate any rules. Yet now you cling to this accusation—what are your intentions?!"
On the high platform, Gu Rong's face darkened, and he prepared to step forward to teach Yu Xiaogang a lesson.
Ning Fengzhi stopped him and shook his head slightly.
Gu Rong was not a man of patience. How could he tolerate Yu Xiaogang's provocation? He immediately transmitted his voice, saying, "Fengzhi, this wretch Yu Xiaogang is trampling all over us—how can I possibly endure this?"
Ning Fengzhi quietly explained, "Tianchen still appears calm and collected—he must have a plan. Let's hear what he has to say first. If it doesn't work out, we can step in later."
"No matter what, no one is allowed to trample on the dignity of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect!"
---
Ning Tianchen gave a faint smile and countered, "What you call 'elders' refers to those who are either higher in status or stronger in power than oneself. May I ask, Mr. Yu Xiaogang, which of these two categories do you fall into?"
"Forget about status—that's all empty talk. Let's talk about strength. You're merely a 29th-level Great Soul Master, while Rongrong is a Soul Ancestor. In that case, Rongrong would be considered your elder."
"So, may I ask Mr. Yu Xiaogang, by speaking to Rongrong like this, aren't you showing disrespect to your elders?"
As soon as he finished, laughter erupted from the audience.
This round, Ning Rongrong gained an entire generation in seniority.
Among the audience, there were no shortage of scholars who immediately voiced their agreement, stating that Ning Tianchen's explanation was correct.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned beet red, and he pointed at Ning Tianchen, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
Ning Tianchen gestured for the crowd to quiet down. Once silence fell, he continued, "Of course, there's another meaning to the term 'elder'—it refers to someone older than oneself. On this continent, there are indeed many respectable elders, but these elders are either heads of families or individuals who have worked hard their entire lives and made significant contributions to the empire."
"May I ask, Mr. Yu Xiaogang, which of these categories do you belong to?"
"You have neither accomplishments nor virtues, yet you rely solely on your age to take advantage of others—this is called bullying others with seniority."
On the high platform, Ning Fengzhi was speechless.
Although he knew Ning Tianchen was twisting the concept, he had to admit that it was perfectly timed for this moment.
Yu Xiaogang, still fuming, couldn't catch on.
Unable to compete with Ning Tianchen in verbal debate, Yu Xiaogang resorted to throwing a tantrum and playing the victim. "Does the Tiandou Empire still have laws? My team members were beaten like this, and you think it can just end like this?"
"I'm telling you—it's impossible! The organizing committee must give us a satisfactory response, and the Seven Treasures Team must be punished to set an example!"
Chen Huayu gritted his teeth and cursed, "This guy is truly shameless!"
Ning Tianchen raised his hand to calm him down.
Yu Xiaogang was like a rabid dog now, biting anyone he could reach.
Salas, who had originally planned to add fuel to the fire, decided to stay silent after seeing this, avoiding getting himself into trouble.
Ning Tianchen turned toward the audience and changed the subject. "Let me tell you all a story."
"A long time ago, there was a person born into a prestigious family. His father was the head of the family, and from a young age, he displayed extraordinary intelligence. He was doted on by both the family and his father, quickly becoming the most promising descendant of the family."
"At the age of six, it was time for his spirit awakening. His father, wanting to create hype, decided to publicly awaken his spirit in front of the entire family. However, an unexpected twist occurred—this child, who had always been intelligent, did not awaken the powerful inherited martial soul of the family. Instead, he awakened a mutated spirit with only half a level of innate soul power—a useless martial soul."
"Years later, he went to a large city, where he met the eldest daughter of the most powerful family in the city."
"This young woman didn't look down on him because of his weak strength; instead, she took great care of him. Because of this, they quickly fell in love."
The story Ning Tianchen told was none other than Yu Xiaogang's own life experience.
On the high platform, Salas suddenly straightened his back.
He had been part of the Spirit Hall for sixty years and was very familiar with these old stories.
The young woman Ning Tianchen referred to—wasn't she none other than Pope Bibi Dong when she was younger?
Was this something that could be casually brought up?
---
"After being dumped by that young woman, the man turned around and stole the goddess his best friend was pursuing. He justified it by saying that because the three of them had formed a martial soul fusion technique, he and his friend's goddess had to be emotionally connected for the fusion technique to reach its maximum power."
Upon hearing this, Flender in the Shrek Academy rest area thoughtfully stroked his chin.
He wasn't fully aware of all of Yu Xiaogang's past experiences.
But it was true that he had pursued Liu Erlong, and it was also true that Yu Xiaogang later took her away from him.
"Nonsense, this is all lies!" Liu Erlong smashed the coffee table in the rest area with her fist.
She stormed out of the door and ran toward the stage.
On the stage, Yu Xiaogang felt guilty upon having his past exposed and tried to cover it up with rage. "You scoundrel, stop spouting nonsense—I clearly…"
A faint smile appeared on Ning Tianchen's face. "Mr. Yu Xiaogang, if I'm not talking about you, why are you so agitated?"
"Besides, instead of wasting time arguing with me, shouldn't you find a healing-type soul master for your disciple? If this continues, he really won't last much longer."
"Of course, don't go blaming me for killing him—everyone saw that it's you who's deliberately delaying treatment."
"You!" Yu Xiaogang's anger overwhelmed him.
Just moments ago, his involuntary admission had confirmed that he was the protagonist of the story.
Ning Tianchen's words not only humiliated him in public, but once they returned, Flender might even throw a fit.
For a moment, he couldn't accept the truth. A mouthful of blood spurted from his lips, and he fell backward, unconscious.
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