"..."
Aether followed Dugu Bo's pointing finger and looked over. Hm… he did recognize the person, but friend?
"Ehh? Grandpa, what are you talking about?"
Paimon floated in front of Dugu Bo and pointed directly at Tang San.
"He's not our friend—he's a bad guy!"
"Miss Paimon, are you saying…"
Dugu Bo froze. His brain short-circuited for a moment. Uh-oh. CPU overload.
Meanwhile, over on the Shrek side, Yu Xiaogang and Flender were both scrutinizing the young man who had just entered—someone even the three Education Elders of Heaven Dou Academy and Prince Xue Xing had rushed forward to greet with flattery.
"Xiaogang, who is this kid? Some big shot?" Flender whispered beside Yu Xiaogang.
"How would I know? But that one who followed him in is the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Whoever this youth is, his status must be incredibly high!" Yu Xiaogang racked his brain. The boy before him had a completely unfamiliar face.
Whether from other sects or the Spirit Hall, anyone worthy of Yu Xiaogang's attention, he remembered clearly.
So why did he have no memory of this person at all?
Even a prince or crown prince was merely an accessory—there's no way he wouldn't know someone like this if they held real weight…
"…"
Flender listened to his old friend's speculation and thought to himself, What was the point of saying that?
Since the moment this young man entered, all the important figures were practically lining up to curry favor. That alone said plenty about his status.
"So what do we do? Stay or leave?" Flender asked.
"Wait a moment."
Yu Xiaogang waved his hand, his eyes now flashing with a strange glint as he stared at Aether.
He had indeed been eager to leave earlier, but now that this mysterious and powerful youth had shown up… maybe it was worth trying to get close to him.
As the self-proclaimed top theorist in Spirit Research, and the originator of the "Ten Core Competencies of Spirits"—a theory well-known across the continent—Yu Xiaogang believed that anyone would give him face, maybe even admire him.
A person like this… if I could establish some ties—hm? What's wrong, San?
He felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning around, Yu Xiaogang saw Tang San's face looking like he'd just lost his mother.
And not just Tang San—Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, and the other students all wore expressions like they were mourning. There was even fear mixed in.
"T-Teacher, I'm heading out first… help me stall them a bit…"
Tang San's teeth chattered as he muttered something strange. Then, glancing nervously at the young man talking with Dugu Bo, he slowly inched behind the Shrek group, clearly trying to make a stealthy retreat.
"Wait, what's going on, San?" Yu Xiaogang grabbed him, completely baffled.
Hadn't his prized disciple just stunned the audience?
Even that Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo, had nearly been scared witless by him! So why was he suddenly acting like a terrified rabbit?
"Bastard!"
Suddenly, Dugu Bo let out a thunderous roar that drew everyone's attention.
Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng immediately plastered on smug, gloating expressions.
Xue Qinghe and the three Heaven Dou Education Elders looked over at the Shrek group with complex faces.
Dugu Bo was seething with rage, his eyes toward the Shrek members practically shooting flames.
I was wrong!
He had thought he'd accidentally offended one of that lord's friends. But from Paimon's words, he realized—
This so-called righteous youth was nothing but a treacherous little snake!
"Tang San! You little brat—daring to deceive me?! Hand over your life!"
Dugu Bo's fury reached its peak. With a furious bellow, he prepared to strike Tang San down—
But in that moment, the teapot-like treasure once again floated up, positioning itself between the two factions.
This time, however, the artifact seemed to respond to some unseen force, and the energy around it surged even more intensely than before.
"Hahaha! Dugu Bo, I call you 'Your Excellency out of courtesy, but you've crossed the line again and again! You think my disciple won't dare strike back just because you're a Titled Douluo?"
Yu Xiaogang laughed maniacally upon seeing his beloved disciple summon the treasure again.
With this divine artifact, what do we have to fear from some over-the-hill Titled Douluo?
He shot Dugu Bo a mocking glare and spat venomously:
"Looks like your title of Titled Douluo was just slapped on a mutt. In the end, you're not even worth a strand of my disciple's hair!"
He was going Insane.
From the moment his spirit mutated and locked him at Rank 29 for life, he had never felt such freedom and exhilaration.
Titled Douluo? Royal Academy? Heaven Dou nobility?
In front of my disciple, all of them lower their heads!
Let the world know! Yu Xiaogang is no waste—he is the Grandmaster, known across the continent!
While Yu Xiaogang ranted like a lunatic, behind him, Tang San was trembling uncontrollably as he tried to keep the artifact steady.
But he could feel it—something was off. This divine item… it was almost slipping from his control.
When the artifact emerged, both Paimon and Aether immediately recognized it.
"It's the Serenitea Pot!"
Yu Xiaogang was still shrieking insults, but Paimon cried out joyfully and zoomed over, hugging the artifact tightly.
"Hey~ Traveler, we found the Serenitea Pot!"
She brought it straight over to Aether, caressing it with awe and admiration.
"..."
Dugu Bo: So it really is the lord's divine artifact!
"..."
Xue Qinghe and Yu Keke: This is the 'Serenitea Pot' Paimon kept talking about?!
"..."
Bystanders: ???
Yu Xiaogang froze mid-insult, dumbstruck as the divine artifact his disciple had summoned was suddenly snatched by a flying creature.
Then he roared, "What the hell are you?! How dare you steal my disciple's divine treasure!"
He turned and shouted at Tang San, Flender, and the others behind him:
"Go! Get the artifact back!"
Flender didn't hesitate. He dashed forward to snatch it back.
"Hmph! Your disciple's artifact? This is our Serenitea Pot! Shameless!"
Paimon clutched the pot and hid behind Aether, loudly protesting.
Before Aether could even move, Dugu Bo snorted coldly. His ghost-like silhouette flashed in front of Aether—
With one grab, he hoisted Flender by the throat into the air.
"What garbage dares covet my lord's belongings?"
With a flick of his hand, he hurled the already unconscious Flender aside like trash. Then, in the next instant, his figure vanished and reappeared before the Shrek students.
Seeing a furious Titled Douluo bearing down on them, the Shrek group scattered like startled birds.
Only the dumbfounded Yu Xiaogang and the collapsed Tang San remained frozen in place.
_
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