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"Hmph, don't think that just because you have a token, you can act so arrogantly. Even if Xue Qinghe himself came, he would have to call me 'uncle' and salute." Xue Xing caught the token Ye Lan tossed him, completely unimpressed.
Did you think I hadn't already investigated your background? You were merely recommended for admission by Xue Qinghe, weren't you?
So what if it's Xue Qinghe? He's still my junior.
"Do me a favor and take a proper look at the token in your hand," Ye Lan said speechlessly.
"It's just something Xue Qinghe gave you… wait, what?!" Xue Xing glanced down at the token, and his expression instantly changed.
"How do you have Sect Master Ning's token?" Xue Xing demanded.
"Of course it was given to me by Uncle Fengzhi. Now that you've seen it, shouldn't you also salute me?"
"Uncle Fengzhi told me himself—seeing this token is the same as seeing him in person," Ye Lan reminded him.
Xue Xing's face darkened in discomfort.
Meng Shenji quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Your Highness, let it go. Since Ye Lan is a valued guest of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, that means we're all one family. There's no need for such formality among family."
Xue Xing took the opportunity to accept the step down Meng Shenji offered, tossing Sect Master Ning Fengzhi's token back to Ye Lan.
Ye Lan caught the token and weighed it in his palm. He hadn't expected Uncle Fengzhi's token to be this effective.
Although Xue Xing had lost the first round, this time, he had brought the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, with him.
If he were to slink away now, even setting aside everything else, Dugu Bo would surely look down on him.
Xue Xing said coldly, "The Heaven Dou Royal Academy is a place to nurture talent for the Empire—not a place to produce arrogant, rude troublemakers. Tell me, didn't Xue Beng get beaten up yesterday? Look at his face! As the Fourth Prince of the Empire, striking his face is no different from striking the face of the royal family."
At this point, the three elders of the Academic Committee had finally understood—Xue Xing had come today solely to cause trouble for Ye Lan.
Zhi Lin stepped forward. "Xue Beng still has the nerve to talk about face? When he bullies others in the academy and in Heaven Dou City, why doesn't he think about the royal family's face then? Letting this scoundrel continue standing here unpunished is what truly disgraces the royal family."
Bai Baoshan added, "Xue Beng, if you've got any courage, stop hiding behind His Highness and let me test just how thick your skin is! Yesterday, you gathered ten people and still couldn't beat Ye Lan alone. And you still have the gall to call for backup?!"
Meng Shenji said firmly, "Your Highness, whatever you decide to do today, know this—we three will stand on Ye Lan's side. We have a duty to protect the students of this academy."
Seeing the elders' unwavering stance, Xue Xing realized it would be unwise to push them too far.
"How about this," Xue Xing proposed. "Ye Lan only has to last five minutes under Mr. Dugu's hands. If he can endure for that long, I'll acknowledge his eligibility to remain in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Meng Shenji's expression turned furious. "Prince Xue Xing! Don't go too far. Tomorrow, the three of us will make sure to bring this matter before His Majesty!"
"Baoshan, Zhi Lin—together!"
The three elders' soul power flared, and they instantly summoned their martial souls.
Meng Shenji's body began to blur, turning into a dark silhouette as black mist swirled around him. Eight soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black—rose from beneath him.
Countless emerald-green vines of the Sky Blue Vine erupted from Zhi Lin's body. This time, he found the vines were tougher and more vibrant than ever. His soul ring configuration was the same—two yellow, three purple, three black.
In Bai Baoshan's palm appeared a dazzling golden Heavenly Star Furnace, set with seven silver stars. As the furnace emerged, Bai Baoshan's body seemed to become sturdier, his entire form surrounded by silver light. His soul ring configuration was identical to Meng Shenji's and Zhi Lin's.
Standing beside Xue Xing, Dugu Bo finally opened his eyes. Green light flickered within, and his pupils shone like emeralds.
From beneath him rose nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—and the surrounding temperature dropped a few degrees instantly.
From the soul ring configurations alone, the gap was obvious. Dugu Bo's first eight rings were all of the optimal type. The ninth soul ring, for all but the most exceptionally gifted, was typically of the ten-thousand-year variety. From this perspective, Dugu Bo's configuration was far above average, though not at the absolute peak.
Seeing Dugu Bo's rings, Meng Shenji's pupils widened like those of an enraged Vajra. He glared at Prince Xue Xing and roared, "Xue Xing! If you want to touch Ye Lan today, you'll have to step over my corpse!"
"And over mine as well!" Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin said in unison.
They valued Ye Lan's talent highly. In their eyes, the academy's future championship chances in a few years might rest entirely on him. The Heaven Dou Empire could not afford another loss. In the past three Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Competitions, they hadn't taken a single championship. It was one thing for Spirit Hall to win three in a row—but the humiliation came from the Star Luo Empire snatching a title with their Nether White Tiger.
With Ye Lan's arrival, the three elders saw hope for victory. Moreover, Ye Lan trusted them deeply—he had even revealed his external spirit bone to them. So no matter what, they would protect him today.
Ye Lan, however, didn't want the three elders risking their lives for him, and he also couldn't afford to completely offend Dugu Bo. He stepped forward, spreading his arms to block the elders.
Dugu Bo looked at Ye Lan—merely at the level of a Soul Grandmaster—stepping up to him without fear, and for the first time, he felt genuine curiosity. Is this boy truly unafraid of a Titled Douluo?
"Ye Lan, my young friend, get behind me," Meng Shenji urged anxiously.
"Elder Meng, leave this to me," Ye Lan reassured him.
"Xue Xing, whether or not you acknowledge me as a student of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy doesn't matter. I was invited here by the Crown Prince—not accepted by you. That is a fact. Do you acknowledge it or not?" Ye Lan's gaze locked onto Xue Xing. Since they had dropped all pretense, he didn't bother with formal titles anymore.
"So what if I acknowledge you? Even if you enroll, I can still have you expelled—on the grounds that you struck the Fourth Prince's face," Xue Xing said shamelessly.
"Fine, I'll play along with your little game," Ye Lan replied calmly.
Dugu Bo, intrigued by Ye Lan's unshakable confidence, wanted to see how he would turn this situation around.
Ye Lan turned to him. "Senior Dugu, with your strength as a Titled Douluo, surely you wouldn't bully a mere Soul Grandmaster, would you? How about this—restrict your soul power to the Soul Elder level, and you may only use your first three soul rings. If you agree, I'll take on your challenge and last five minutes under your attacks. What do you say?"
"Oh? You don't take me for one of those petty Soul Elders you've beaten, do you? If you try this, you might really die. However, if you agree to leave the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I can guarantee Xue Xing won't trouble you again," Dugu Bo said.
"Senior Dugu?!" Xue Xing interjected anxiously.
"Hmm?" Dugu Bo shot him a sidelong glance.
Xue Xing immediately fell silent. His princely authority existed almost entirely because of Dugu Bo's backing—he wouldn't dare go against his wishes.
(End of Chapter)