The students quickly made way upon seeing the commotion.
Li Xun was standing right at the entrance.
Although the noise outside was chaotic, the repeated mentions of Prince Xue Xing and the Fourth Prince still reached his ears.
"So it's Xue Beng and Xue Xing. Are they trying to drive Rongrong and me out of the academy?"
In an instant, Li Xun recalled what Qian Renxue had said at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Xue Xing had been frequently meddling in the affairs of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy and had even invited the younger generation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant School to join the academy.
Li Xun also thought about how, a few years later, Xue Beng and Xue Xing would expel the Shrek Academy members from the Heavenly Dou Academy.
He realized that these two seemed to have truly become the helmsmen of this academy.
"Has my arrival disrupted the original course of events, creating a butterfly effect?" Li Xun suddenly wondered.
If it weren't for his presence at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Qian Renxue might not have thought of sending people to the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy.
It was said that Qian Renxue had neglected her cultivation due to the trivialities of being a spy, otherwise she would have ascended to godhood long ago.
But Li Xun felt that this woman had simply been spying in vain.
She hadn't seized military power, hadn't disrupted the economy or the livelihood of the people, and had completely let go of a prestigious elite academy for the nobility, allowing others to take root and flourish there.
Most importantly, with two Titled Douluo by her side, she still hadn't killed Emperor Xue Ye to ascend the throne early.
Her only notable achievement might have been killing two princes.
As a spy, she was quite a failure.
Just as Li Xun was lost in his thoughts, Prince Xue Xing and his entourage filed in.
"Who beat up the two boys from the Ge and Luo families?"
Seeing Ge Rong and Luo Rongdou groaning in pain on the ground, Prince Xue Xing frowned deeply.
"Who injured my two brothers? I'll make sure they can't survive in the Heavenly Dou Empire," shouted Xue Beng, a boy barely in his teens, with an arrogance that didn't belong to his age.
"His acting still needs work," Li Xun thought, standing to the side, his skin crawling at Xue Beng's stiff performance. He rolled his eyes.
"Brother Li Xun, what should we do?" Ning Rongrong asked nervously, tugging at Li Xun's sleeve and whispering in his ear.
"Don't worry, they're just bluffing," Li Xun reassured her.
Hearing Xue Xing and Xue Beng's questions, the surrounding students all turned their eyes to Li Xun.
"Greetings to the Fourth Prince and Prince Xue Xing," the Crew-Cut Teacher bowed to them and then pointed to Li Xun, who was standing beside Xue Xing. "The culprit is this student."
Seeing the teacher point him out, Xue Xing turned to look at Li Xun and was momentarily stunned.
He was aware of the information about Li Xun and Ning Rongrong.
His original plan had been to use Ge Rong and the other children to ostracize Li Xun and Ning Rongrong, forcing them to withdraw from the academy voluntarily to avoid a conflict with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
However, he had just received news that Ge Rong and the others had been beaten up by Li Xun.
He had initially thought the information he received was false and that Li Xun was actually older.
Who would have thought that an eight-year-old child could pin down a sixteen or seventeen-year-old teenager and beat him up?
"You assaulted your classmates? Do you know the consequences?" Prince Xue Xing asked sternly, frowning.
He had already devised a plan on his way here and had even brought Yu Tianheng and others along.
He wanted to create friction between the geniuses of the two sects to reap the benefits.
But looking at Li Xun and Ning Rongrong's small and frail figures, he realized that this plan might also fall through.
Given the pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, it would be quite difficult to make Yu Tianheng attack a child much younger than himself.
"If an eight-year-old beating an eighteen-year-old counts as assault, then so be it. But shouldn't you ask why I did it?"
Li Xun's eyes were clear, and he wore an innocent expression.
Who couldn't play the victim? Although the two lying on the ground were indeed pitiful, he was just a child!
"Assault is assault, regardless of the reason. It shouldn't have happened."
"If they were in the wrong, you should have informed the teacher instead of resorting to violence. Who are your elders?"
Xue Xing's expression was grave, as if he were a wise elder offering guidance.
The plan had deviated too far, and even he now found the situation somewhat tricky.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was a powerful supporter of the royal family.
If he were to forcibly expel Li Xun and Ning Rongrong, and word reached Emperor Xue Ye, even he would be held accountable.
"That's right, whose family are you from? Daring to strike my two elder brothers, it seems you don't want to stay in this academy anymore!"
Seeing his uncle's subtle hint, Xue Beng's expression turned fierce as he spoke to Li Xun with a sinister tone.
"First, I didn't assault them. They fought back; they just couldn't beat me. At most, it was a brawl."
"Second, I recall this teacher just mentioned that the academy's third rule strictly prohibits assault and bullying, correct?"
"They mocked my junior sister repeatedly, disrupting her ability to focus in class. I consider that bullying."
Li Xun didn't follow Xue Xing's line of questioning. Instead, he raised two fingers and laid out his reasoning.
When it came to matters of right and wrong, sometimes it was about who spoke more and who spoke faster.
This was how the wicked often got the first word.
To handle such situations, one needed to get their side of the story out first, so that others could form their own opinions.
After all, a classroom had several cliques, and letting these groups discuss it among themselves was the way to go.
"What a sharp-tongued brat! In my presence, you still dare to twist the truth."
"I wonder who taught you such things."
Seeing that Li Xun didn't directly answer his question, Xue Xing's expression hardened.
Li Xun was far more clever than he had anticipated.
He had been trying to lead Li Xun into mentioning Ning Fengzhi's name.
Then he could embellish the story, cementing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's reputation for arrogance and Li Xun's reckless behavior.
This would make the academy's students fear and resent both him and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, isolating Li Xun and Ning Rongrong.
But when Li Xun chose to clarify the sequence of events, continuing to harp on the issue became pointless.
After all, people's thoughts were complex and ever-changing. If he pushed too hard, it might backfire.
"Your Highness, this is reasoning, not sharp-tonguedness," Li Xun shook his head, still avoiding a direct answer.
"As the Fourth Prince, I ask you, which family do you belong to?"
Seeing that Li Xun refused to answer both him and his uncle, Xue Beng spoke angrily.
"My teacher is Ning Fengzhi, Sovereign of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
Li Xun glanced at Xue Beng. Although he knew the other was putting on an act, he found it genuinely irritating.
He wondered if Xue Beng, having played the spoiled brat for so long, could ever return to normal. Hopefully, he wouldn't end up a tyrant.
"Hmph! So you're the esteemed disciple of Ning Fengzhi, Sovereign of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. No wonder you act without restraint."
"It seems the regulations of the Royal Academy hold no sway over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
"Let's go!"
Prince Xue Xing snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and strode out of the classroom.
Li Xun's age and background left him feeling somewhat helpless.
However, this trip couldn't be considered a failure.
Prince Xue Xing glanced at the surrounding students out of the corner of his eye.
Given their entanglement with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the nobles and commoners of the academy likely wouldn't dare to approach Li Xun and his companion.
After all, the empire was still firmly in the hands of these great nobles.
As long as he could prevent Xue Qinghe's faction from integrating into the academy, even if it cost him something, it would be worth it.
Watching Prince Xue Xing leave,
Xue Beng opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed his words.
His usual arrogant demeanor also seemed to subside.
It was as if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School were some kind of ferocious beast, making him wary.
Yu Tianheng gave Li Xun a deep look before following them out.
(End of Chapter)