Hearing Oscar's words, Tang San couldn't help but fall into thought.
Thinking about it, Ao Tian's behavior did indeed have many suspicious points when they discussed soul tools that day.
"First, Ao Tian had already refused me then, but why did he still take out three books from under his pillow? It's possible he deliberately wanted me to see them."
"Second, why didn't he put such important books in his soul tool, but instead under his pillow? Was he afraid no one would steal them?"
"Third, why did Dean Flender and Teacher Zhao Wuji return with him so coincidentally that day? The scene that day was almost identical to what Dai Mubai encountered tonight. It's very likely Ao Tian knew I had entered his room, so he found a way to have the Dean return with him, catching me red-handed."
"Fourth..."
In a short moment, many thoughts arose in Tang San's mind, listing Ao Tian's various suspicious points.
Individually, these suspicious points could be explained, but put together, they were no longer something coincidence could explain.
Considering Dai Mubai's experience today, Tang San became increasingly certain that Ao Tian had deliberately set a trap for him.
"I didn't expect him to be such a malicious person. Knowing that Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were about to make a mistake, he didn't stop them beforehand. Instead, he used this opportunity to target Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. Fortunately, we arrived in time, or those two girls would have suffered."
"He even deliberately dug a hole, waiting for me to jump in. When did I ever offend him? Although my act of stealing was indeed wrong, his deliberate scheming against others is even more despicable. He's dark-hearted and extremely manipulative. I've been with him for six years, and I never thought he was this kind of person."
Thinking this way, the guilt Tang San had initially felt towards Ao Tian immediately vanished. It was Ao Tian who had schemed against him; why should he feel guilty?
"Tang San, why aren't you saying anything?" Oscar asked.
Tang San had been silent ever since he finished speaking, and Oscar couldn't figure out what Tang San was thinking.
Tang San said, "Ao Tian deliberately put such a valuable book under his pillow, and that day he even deliberately showed it to me. It's very possible that he was setting me up, just like you said."
Oscar said, "I knew it! How could there be so many coincidences? Look at Ma Hongjun, he was even kicked in the family jewels by Ao Tian's horse. The serious burns that disfigured him were also because of those girls, which led to Ma Hongjun's evil fire getting out of control. It's very likely that Gu Yue Na was the one who did it."
Ao Tian shook his head, "Given Ma Hongjun's lecherous nature, it's possible the four girls ignited his evil fire. But if Gu Yue Na did it, the possibility is very small. After all, you saw it too, that fire was difficult to extinguish even for the Dean, and they could only throw him in the pond."
"That's true. She's only a Soul Elder at rank thirty-one, how could she have such power," Oscar nodded.
"Since we know Ao Tian's malicious intentions, should we report him to the Dean?" Oscar asked.
Tang San shook his head, "No need. He's just cleverly using our mistakes to achieve his goals, and we don't have concrete evidence to prove his malicious intent. It's all just our speculation."
"So we just let him go? If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll probably keep messing with us," Oscar said.
Seeing Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Tang San get targeted by Ao Tian one after another, Oscar was also a little worried. He was very concerned that he would become Ao Tian's next target.
Tang San sighed, "We can't do anything about him, we can only be careful about our own actions. As long as we don't make mistakes, he can't do anything to us either."
Tang San was very disappointed. He had originally regarded Ao Tian as a respectable opponent, but he didn't expect Ao Tian to be such a vicious person.
"Should I remind Gu Yue Na and Xiao Wu to stay away from Ao Tian?" Tang San wondered.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. Gu Yue Na and Xiao Wu were Ao Tian's girlfriends; they would definitely choose to believe him rather than believe Tang San.
"Alright," Oscar said helplessly.
He decided in his heart that he must be extremely careful in the future and not let Ao Tian find any leverage against him.
Early the next morning, except for Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who were locked in the woodshed, the seven students were all eating breakfast in the cafeteria.
Ao Tian and the others sat together, while Tang San and Oscar sat together, deliberately keeping a distance from Ao Tian's group.
One after another, other teachers also came over to eat breakfast.
In the past, these teachers rarely ate breakfast together. When they didn't have classes, they were busy cultivating their soul power.
But today was clearly different. They were going to make a judgment on Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
Ao Tian and the others finished their breakfast and went to the training ground to wait.
Gradually, the other teachers gathered as well, and finally, Flender and Zhao Wuji arrived.
Flender glanced at everyone and raised his voice, saying, "This morning, I have already explained the atrocities committed by Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun to all of you teachers. In a moment, I will bring them over to be judged for their actions."
"They're coming," Oscar whispered to Tang San.
Tang San's expression also became somewhat heavy.
What Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had done yesterday was much more serious than his theft that day. He didn't know what kind of punishment they would receive.
He saw two wooden crosses already erected behind Flender, and his mood grew increasingly heavy.
Flender said to Zhao Wuji beside him, "Go and bring those two over."
Zhao Wuji nodded and quickly walked towards the woodshed.
Before long, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun followed Zhao Wuji, one on each side.
Dai Mubai's expression was normal; he had prepared for the worst, so what was there to worry about?
Ma Hongjun, however, didn't have Dai Mubai's good mindset. He was rather timid, and he was afraid of many of the teachers present.
He had never seen such a grand display before.
When he saw the two erected racks behind Flender, Ma Hongjun's body trembled, and his heart grew even more fearful.
Seeing Zhao Wuji bring them over, Flender waved his hand and said, "Tie them up."
Immediately, two teachers stepped forward to help Zhao Wuji bind Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun to the crosses.
At this moment, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun looked like serious criminals about to be executed.
Ma Hongjun was almost scared to tears by the scene, but he held back in front of so many people.
If he embarrassed his teacher again, the consequences might be even more severe.
Dai Mubai's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
As a prince of the Star Luo Empire, although his status was not as high as the eldest prince, he was still very noble.
Being tied to the rack was a heavy psychological blow to him and also damaged the Star Luo Empire's reputation.
However, after thinking about it, he accepted it.
He had been at Shrek Academy for so long and respected these teachers. He was willing to accept the punishment.
Besides, this kind of thing was unlikely to be reported back to the Star Luo Empire, so he wouldn't become a laughingstock.
"Come on, the more I suffer, the more I'll make you pay back later," Dai Mubai said, bound to the rack, his gaze fixed on Ao Tian in the crowd.
After he was tied up, several teachers stood together, waiting for Flender to speak.
Flender said, "Shrek Academy students Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun violated the academy rules, attempting to violate two girls through despicable means. They were exposed by student Ao Tian. Although their evil deeds were not successful, such a heinous act must be severely punished and is unforgivable."
"Shrek Academy has always had strict rules. If they are not given severe punishment, they will inevitably go astray in the future and become a scourge to the Soul Master world. It will also cause other students to have a sense of luck, thus violating the academy rules."
"Now, regarding how to deal with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, any teachers and students can voice their opinions."
A middle-aged male teacher with a rather bad temper said, "Let's start the punishment first. These two little bastards have been in our academy for several years, and I didn't expect them to do such a beastly thing, which makes me feel heartbroken. They must feel the pain, and they will never forget this lesson."
Flender pondered for a moment, then nodded and asked, "So, should we start with the punishment? Does anyone object?"
No one spoke; everyone agreed.
Ma Hongjun panicked instantly. In all his years at Shrek Academy, he'd never heard of any punishments.
Dai Mubai remained relatively calm. In his view, a man getting hurt wasn't a big deal. As long as it didn't kill him, that was fine. However, he knew every bit of his suffering would be laid at Ao Tian's feet.
Flender said, "Go find a sturdy whip."
A teacher nodded, intending to go to the academy's storage to see if they had such a thing.
"Teacher, no need to go. I have a whip," Ao Tian suddenly said.
With a wave of his hand, a whip, over two meters long and shimmering with a dark golden metallic luster, appeared in his hand.
The whip appeared to be made of metal, forged into a segmented design, much like a spine.
Ao Tian gave it a light flick. Crack! Cracks spiderwebbed across the hardened earth.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's eyelids both twitched at the sight, startled by the whip's power.
If that whip had landed on them, they'd likely be flayed.
What a vicious mind! Dai Mubai narrowed his eyes, staring at Ao Tian.
Ma Hongjun couldn't take it anymore, struggling against his restraints. He failed to break free.
Ao Tian sealed the whip's power, then handed it to Zhao Wuji, smiling. "Teacher Zhao, this whip is sturdy. It won't break, no matter how hard you hit. Feel free to use it."
Zhao Wuji reached out and took the whip, his mind racing. He asked, "Ao Tian, is this whip also a soul tool?"
Ao Tian said, "No, it's just that the material is extremely strong."
"How strong?" Zhao Wuji asked.
"Even a Title Douluo would find it difficult to damage it."
Zhao Wuji was shocked and couldn't help but tug at the Whip.
At first, he didn't dare to use too much force, but gradually, his expression became increasingly astonished. Finally, his face twitched, and his veins bulged, yet he still couldn't break the Whip.
Seeing this scene, the others were all stunned. Zhao Wuji was a Soul Sage at Rank 76, and his martial soul was the Great Strength Golden Bear, which was extremely adept at strength. Although he hadn't released his martial soul, he was using his soul power, and his strength was still astonishing.
Yet, he couldn't even break a Whip that was only as thick as a thumb.
Zhao Wuji swung it forcefully, and the Whip flashed past, so fast that its shadow was almost impossible to catch. It emitted a startling shriek, as if even the air was being torn apart.
Ma Hongjun was terrified when he saw this, his scalp prickling with fear. He immediately begged, "Teacher Zhao, if you hit me with that thing, I'll die."
Zhao Wuji grinned, "Don't worry, I'll try to control my strength."
As soon as he finished speaking, he unhesitatingly cracked the Whip towards Ma Hongjun's body.
Ma Hongjun was so frightened that he immediately closed his eyes, his fat body trembling. Who wouldn't be scared of being whipped by such a terrifying Whip? At that moment, he already hated Ao Tian to the core.
With a hiss, the clothes on Ma Hongjun's chest split open, and the Whip drew a bloody line across his skin, tearing it open.
Zhao Wuji had already tried his best to control his strength; otherwise, this whip could have split Ma Hongjun in two.
After one lash, Ma Hongjun immediately wailed in heart-wrenching agony. The feeling of his flesh being torn apart was simply too painful, no less than the pain of being burned by fire the last time.
Zhao Wuji was startled by Ma Hongjun's heart-wrenching screams, thinking he had seriously injured him.
After a careful look, it was clear that Ma Hongjun's skin was only cracked, which put their minds at ease.
Flender had turned away, unable to bear watching Ma Hongjun's miserable state.
That whip truly struck Ma Hongjun, but it pained Flender's heart.
Although Flender felt for him, he knew he had to be tough. He had to give Ma Hongjun a harsh lesson, or who knew what this kid would become later on.
"A real man can't handle a little bit of suffering?" Zhao Wuji wasn't about to coddle Ma Hongjun, and struck again with another whip.
This whip landed on Ma Hongjun's thigh, tearing open the flesh once more. This time, he was nearly scared to death, thinking Zhao Wuji wanted to destroy his manhood.
Ignoring Ma Hongjun's cries, Zhao Wuji swung another whip, aiming for Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai tensed his muscles, trying his best to increase his defense, attempting to withstand Zhao Wuji's blow.
The whip sliced through the air, leaving a shallow scratch across Dai Mubai's chest.
Zhao Wuji was taken aback for a moment, then grinned, "Not bad, kid, you dare to resist?"
He immediately swung the whip again, putting more force behind it. Dai Mubai's flesh split open instantly, suffering even more than Ma Hongjun.
Dai Mubai clenched his teeth tightly, not uttering a sound. His gaze was fixed on Ao Tian, each lash of the whip fueling his hatred.
Zhao Wuji didn't pause, continuing to whip Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. Before long, both of them had over a dozen gruesome wounds.
Blood flowed from the injuries, soaking their clothes.
Only then did Zhao Wuji stop, tossing the whip back to Ao Tian.
Ao Tian gave a flick of his wrist, effortlessly shaking off the bloodstains from the Whip, and then put the whip away.
Ma Hongjun's screams never stopped, his voice becoming hoarse. Blood had already flowed onto the ground.
However, these were all superficial wounds, painful but not life-threatening.
Dai Mubai was surprisingly tough, not letting out a single whimper from beginning to end, enduring it with all his might.
Flender didn't have anyone treat Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. He continued to ask, "Do you all think the punishment is enough, or should we take further action?"
Ning Rongrong raised her hand and said loudly, "I propose expelling the two of them from Shrek Academy, especially Ma Hongjun."
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