Jiang Shengyu deliberately raised his voice, and with the unique acoustics of the dueling arena, his words carried clearly and unfiltered to the audience. Everyone—students from both the inner and outer courts who had come to watch—heard him loud and clear.
On the stage, both Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen froze mid-battle and turned toward Jiang Shengyu.
"What? That brat dares to covet Qingtong?" Xiao Hongchen exclaimed in disbelief.
Meng Hongchen swiftly disengaged from combat and hurried over to Xiao Hongchen and Jiang Qingtong's side. She looked at Qingtong and asked, "Qingtong, what's going on?"
Wasn't she supposed to be with Jiang Shengyu?
How did a Shrek Academy guy suddenly enter the picture?
Up on the podium, the elders' expressions grew complicated at Jiang Shengyu's outburst. They all knew about this matter, of course, but it had never been voiced aloud. Now that Jiang Shengyu had shouted it publicly, things had turned rather awkward.
Du Busi instantly grasped the situation. Shooting Xuanzi a sidelong glance, he sneered, "Xuanzi, your Shrek Academy really…"
"Old Poison, shut your mouth! This was Elder Mu's decision." Xuanzi frowned, cutting him off.
Du Busi let out a booming laugh and mocked, "That old fossil Mu En—giving his great-grandson such a task? That's rich! Didn't even bother asking whether the girl herself agreed."
Xuanzi closed his eyes, refusing to argue further.
Meanwhile, the students in the stands had already erupted into heated discussion over Jiang Shengyu's words.
Everyone in the outer court knew that Beibei liked Tang Ya—they were an acknowledged couple. Beibei was a well-known figure, after all.
But what was this now?
The once-loving pair split? One half now openly chasing after someone else—only to get beaten bloody by the girl's brother? What kind of twisted drama was this? No one had ever seen the like!
Jiang Qingtong herself looked utterly shocked. She gazed at Beibei—who was battered and feeble, receiving Elder Zhuang's healing—and asked softly, "Beibei, do you really… like me?"
With Elder Zhuang's treatment, Beibei regained a bit of strength. He looked at her, gritted his teeth, and nodded firmly. "That's right!"
"And what about Tang Ya?" Jiang Qingtong pressed.
Beibei froze, caught off guard, unable to answer. His hesitation drew no visible reaction from Qingtong outwardly—but in her heart, she was sneering coldly.
Eating from one bowl while eyeing another pot.
Sigh… my friend, this world has no shortage of people who try to have it all.
At the side, Jiang Shengyu added fuel to the fire: "He already has Tang Sect's master, yet he dares set his sights on my sister! Looking for death! I'll kill him—"
Elder Zhuang quickly stopped him.
But Jiang Shengyu still roared, "Senior, don't hold me back! I'll beat him to death today! Qingtong and I have relied on each other since childhood—she's my only family! And who the hell does this punk think he is, daring to covet her? On top of that, he already has Tang Sect's master as his girlfriend! Isn't that the behavior of a scumbag?"
His words spread across the entire arena, leaving nothing unsaid. No matter the eventual outcome, Beibei's once-solid reputation among Shrek's inner and outer court students was now in ruins.
On the podium, Elder Song watched Jiang Shengyu's furious outburst in silence. After a moment, she said, "It seems this boy values his sister above all else. Perhaps… this could even be an opportunity to keep him here at the academy."
"But he and Beibei will surely be at odds after this," another elder pointed out.
Xuanzi waved a hand with a smile. "That's no problem! If Beibei and Qingtong truly get together, isn't it normal for a brother-in-law and brother-in-law-to-be to butt heads? Ha… if it works out, then I'll have fulfilled Elder Mu's final wish."
Xuanzi sighed wistfully, while Du Busi looked distinctly sour. Why doesn't our Body Sect have a pretty girl we could bind Huo Yuhao with?
Jiang Qingtong fixed her gaze on Beibei and drew in a deep breath. "I advise you to think carefully—do you truly like Sister Tang Ya, or me? Or… are you just using me as her substitute?"
"No! Of course not!" Beibei shook his head vehemently.
But Jiang Qingtong no longer listened. She simply turned and walked off the stage.
Du Busi chuckled at the sight, teasing Xuanzi, "You've botched this one, Xuanzi."
"Not necessarily! From her reaction, I'd say Qingtong might harbor some… unusual feelings toward Beibei," Xuanzi countered with a shake of his head.
On stage, as soon as Meng Hongchen saw Jiang Qingtong leave, she rushed after her without hesitation. Wang Dong'er looked between the arena and Jiang Qingtong's retreating figure, but ultimately chose to remain on the stage. Her gaze lingered on Jiang Shengyu.
Ai Cao had already retracted her Space Demon Chains, moving to stand beside Jiang Shengyu and Xiao Hongchen.
Thus the first "friendly match" ended in absurdly dramatic fashion—the competitors had simply walked off!
So what now? Call it a draw? But anyone with eyes could see that Jiang Shengyu had utterly suppressed Beibei, while Meng and Xiao Hongchen clearly hadn't gone all out either. If the fight had continued, Shrek's side would almost certainly have lost.
Elder Zhuang was uncertain and returned to the podium to consult Xuanzi.
After a brief moment of thought, Xuanzi said, "Declare them the winners."
Elder Song frowned slightly. "Pavilion Master, if they win, won't it deal a heavy blow to our students?"
"The glory of being the continent's number one academy for ten thousand years is both an honor and a shackle. It has made Shrek's students too arrogant. A proper setback will temper them. Elder Zhuang, rule it so."
Hearing this, Elder Song said no more.
Elder Zhuang nodded, then announced the outer court's defeat in the friendly match. He turned to Jiang Shengyu and the others: "Go rest now. This afternoon will be the inner court's friendly match—there will be Soul Emperors competing."
"Thank you, Senior," Jiang Shengyu cupped his hands in respect. Among Shrek's elders, Elder Zhuang was one of the few who had shown him goodwill from the start, and Jiang Shengyu was willing to reciprocate with respect.
Beibei, head hanging, trudged dejectedly off the stage.
But Jiang Shengyu called after him, "Whatever your intentions toward Qingtong, you'll have to get through me first. I will never let you off!"
Beibei took a deep breath and answered, "Anytime."
Ning Tian, her face grave, turned and walked off the arena. Wu Feng rushed to her side with concern. "Young Miss, are you alright?"
Ning Tian glanced back toward Jiang Shengyu, then shook her head. "I'm fine."
After they stepped off the stage, Wang Dong'er made her way over to Jiang Shengyu's team's rest area. She smiled and greeted him:
"Brother Qingtong? Do you still remember me? I'm Wang Dong'er! I was the one who welcomed you at the gates with Qingtong earlier!"
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