Chapter 98 – Negotiations of Power
"Enough! I never forced her to admit defeat! Believe it or not, would Shrek, a sect with ten thousand years of legacy, lie about something like this? It's a fact that the Shrek Seven Devils, led by Ancestor Tang San, were the first to defeat the Spirit Hall! Even the Pope never accused them of cheating!"
Xuan Lao abruptly unleashed the overwhelming pressure of his level ninety-eight soul power, silencing the entire audience in an instant.
He knew this wasn't the right way to resolve things—but he had been outmaneuvered by Xiao Qiang, and even Yan Shaozhe had fallen into his verbal traps. Forcing everyone into silence through soul power wasn't a wise long-term move, but letting the discussion continue might cause even greater damage.
Xuan Lao feared that if Xiao Qiang kept talking, Shrek might actually end up being branded as an evil soul master sect. That outcome would be irreversible. Thus, even if suppressing others only increased suspicion, it was better to cut off the debate now, while things were still contained. After a brief moment of rare strategic thinking, Xuan Lao made his choice.
Their claim of defeating the Spirit Hall had always been Shrek's proudest banner, a symbol of strength and heritage. But…
"Yes, it's true you defeated Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago. And it's true the Pope never called you out for cheating," Xiao Qiang replied slowly, his voice carrying weight.
"But did you really not cheat?"
"The All-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition had strict rules—participants had to be under twenty-five years old. Yet, if I recall correctly… wasn't a hundred-thousand-year soul beast among your team?"
"If we're being honest, the average age of your team—considering spiritual age—was well over ten thousand years. One of your teammates was literally a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Is that not cheating?"
Old Xuan glared at Xiao Qiang behind his protective barrier, his teeth grinding in frustration. Yet he couldn't refute the point.
"How can Senior Xiao Wu be compared to an ordinary soul beast? She is a kind soul beast! She reincarnated as a human—by all means, she is a human now!"
"Oh?" Xiao Qiang raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying kind soul beasts are equivalent to humans? Interesting logic. If that's the case, I suppose humans and soul beasts really are the same in your eyes."
"…Forget it, forget it. You're right." He sneered. "After all, you're the number one academy on the continent. Even if you lie through your teeth, who would dare call you out? What could they do? People like me just have to shut up and accept it. If I weren't under the protection of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, I'd have already been slapped to death."
Xuan Lao trembled with rage. He wanted to shout "I knew it!" but held back. Xiao Qiang had dragged them into verbal traps again and again—and every time, the situation spiraled further.
Xiao Qiang saw Xuan Lao open his mouth only to close it again. He knew this meant the psychological manipulation had failed this time, but he wasn't bothered. He had said more than enough. Though he hadn't succeeded in outright branding Shrek as evil soul masters, he'd left behind plenty of seeds of suspicion—enough to keep them troubled.
You can't expose everything at once. People need time to accept the truth. The rest… will come in the next competition. By then, there will be more powerful sects in play.
"Shrek didn't intend to cheat," Yan Shaozhe said solemnly. "What happened earlier was Huo Yuhao's personal behavior. We've said all we need to. Now, release Beibei."
"No," Xiao Qiang said firmly. "Even if you don't admit to cheating, you can't deny that someone from your side sneak-attacked me. I was almost slapped to death."
Yan Shaozhe clenched his fists. "What are your conditions?"
"Teacher," Jing Hongchen interrupted with a smile. Even the mask on his face seemed to grin. "Why so tense? Just provide the same compensation you did before. No bargaining. I'm being quite sincere. If you insist on haggling, I—your student—might act a little… impulsively."
It was a naked threat.
But Beibei's status was unique. Yan Shaozhe had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept the terms.
"Fine!"
Soon, someone from Shrek swiped a card. The compensation provided by the Xingluo Empire was handed over to Jing Hongchen once more—a familiar and humiliating process.
"You've received what you wanted. Now release Beibei!"
"No," Xiao Qiang replied calmly. "That compensation was for the injuries I suffered during the sneak attack. As for this person? I can't release him. What if your academy jumps out and slaps me to death next time?"
Hearing this, Xuan Lao and Yan Shaozhe couldn't remain still any longer. Beibei was Mu Lao's only great-great-grandson. If anyone else had been taken, they might have considered negotiating. But if anything happened to Beibei, they'd never be able to face Mu Lao again.
"What will it take to release him!?" Xuan Lao demanded.
"There are no conditions. He cannot be released," Xiao Qiang replied nonchalantly. "That old man over there has tried to attack me more than once. I don't feel safe unless I have some… insurance."
Xuan Lao was furious, but once again, he had no argument—everything Xiao Qiang said was technically true.
Knowing Xiao Qiang wouldn't relent, Yan Shaozhe turned to Jing Hongchen. "Tell us—what do you want in exchange?"
Jing Hongchen glanced at Beibei, then raised his hand and pointed at Zhang Lexuan.
"Seal her soul power. Use her in the exchange. With the senior sister of Shrek Academy in our hands, I'll feel secure enough to believe that you won't attack my disciples."
Xuan Lao and Yan Shaozhe locked eyes, both seeing the deep conflict reflected in each other's gaze.
Beibei carried Mu Lao's bloodline. He absolutely could not be harmed. But Zhang Lexuan's importance couldn't be ignored either.
Beibei represented lineage. Zhang Lexuan compensated for Beibei's lack of strength. His talent was limited—without Zhang Lexuan, he wouldn't be able to lead the Poseidon Pavilion convincingly in the future.
It was precisely because of Zhang Lexuan's value that Xuan Lao had personally led her to hunt for her eighth soul ring. Even though things hadn't gone as planned, the original intention from Mu Lao and Xuan Lao had been good.
Mu Lao had the heart, but Xuan Lao's execution had been flawed. Thankfully, the results had worked out—barely.
But now, they had to hand over the person they'd poured resources into cultivating?
"Use me to exchange for Beibei. I owe Elder Mu a favor—this is something I should do."
Zhang Lexuan stepped forward, her voice calm and composed. She knew the outcome was set, and at the very least, she could maintain her dignity.
"Good child," Xuan Lao said quietly. "Shrek has let you down this time."
He raised his hand and sealed Zhang Lexuan's soul power. Jing Hongchen then produced two special soul tools, attaching one to each of Zhang Lexuan's hands—double restraints as extra insurance.
After confirming through his scanners that her soul power had stopped flowing and the soul tools showed no risk of being broken, Jing Hongchen finally relaxed.
But Xiao Qiang didn't.
Following his philosophy—confront directly when needed, but always ensure thorough backup—Xiao Qiang took further steps. He quietly retrieved a special soul collar, one designed to explode.
"Don't resist, Miss Lexuan. You don't want anything to happen to Beibei… do you?"