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Salas led the Spirit Hall members away in a hurry, their hasty retreat as if they were afraid of being pursued.
Inside the hotel lobby, the atmosphere became subtle for a moment. Everyone looked at each other, filled with doubt and confusion.
Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly pondering the complex situation behind this. The competition organizing committee had a strong reaction to this matter, yet Salas was so perfunctory, not even willing to fully complete the superficial work, almost openly displaying his concerns.
But what good would that do for Spirit Hall? Was Spirit Hall also planning to act against Xuan Ming?
The people from the Five Element Academy were in an uproar upstairs.
"What kind of investigation is this? They just left like that?"
"Xuan Ming just made up an excuse, and Spirit Hall believed it?"
"There must be something fishy going on!"
"..."
Various discussions rose and fell. They were clearly extremely dissatisfied with this result. The "good show" they had been expecting ended so hastily, and the disappointment in their hearts was imaginable.
Lei Dong of Thunder Academy widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief. "Spirit Hall usually acts so high and mighty, why did they chicken out when they met Xuan Ming?"
Feng Xiaotian of God Wind Academy crossed his arms, a mocking smile on his lips. "That Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, I've never even heard of it. Who knows if he just made it up. Even if such a Spirit Beast really exists, how could he encounter it and absorb its spirit ring so easily?"
Lei Dong's eyes flashed with anger. "Maybe there's some unspeakable deal between Spirit Hall and Xuan Ming, otherwise, why would they let him off so easily? Did those Canghui Academy students just become idiots for nothing?"
"I don't think so." Shui Bing'er gently shook her head, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and calmly analyzed, "Although Spirit Hall acts domineeringly, they wouldn't be so muddled. Salas, as the Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City, wouldn't end things so hastily without reason. Perhaps he truly has some concerns and dares not be too forceful with Xuan Ming."
"Concerns? What concerns could there be?" Shui Yue'er frowned, her face full of confusion. "No matter how strong Xuan Ming is, he's just a participating student. Is Spirit Hall afraid of him?"
"Don't forget, Xuan Ming isn't just standing alone behind him." Shui Bing'er said thoughtfully, "The Great Spirit Arena, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family all have intricate connections with him. If Spirit Hall truly acts against Xuan Ming, it will inevitably offend these forces."
"Hmph, even so, Spirit Hall shouldn't be so perfunctory." Lei Tian of Thunder Academy snorted coldly, still indignant in his heart. "This Soul Master Competition concerns the honor of the entire Spirit Master's world. If the Canghui Academy matter is left unresolved like this, who will take the competition rules seriously in the future?"
Lei Dong looked at Yu Tianxin. "Captain, what do you think?"
Yu Tianxin looked at Xuan Ming in the center of the hall and sneered, "Xuan Ming, Spirit Hall... birds of a feather."
With that, Yu Tianxin turned and left. The Thunder Academy members looked at each other and quickly followed him.
"Birds of a feather? What does that mean? Could it be that Xuan Ming has already defected to Spirit Hall?" Feng Xiaotian asked in confusion.
"Do you think that's possible?" Huo Wushuang said, speechless.
"He is a member of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, how could he possibly align with Spirit Hall?"
The people below didn't know and couldn't clearly see the current situation of the Spirit Master's world, but how could these people not understand?
The relationship between Spirit Hall, the Two Great Empires, and the Upper Three Sects had become increasingly tense ever since the Clear Sky Sect suddenly went to war and then retreated into seclusion.
Although on the surface, everyone still lived in peace, in reality, they were probably already at daggers drawn!
Xuan Ming stood with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. If Spirit Hall found an opportunity, they would definitely try to kill him.
Conversely, if Xuan Ming secretly sided with Spirit Hall, would the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School let him go?
Everyone discussed back and forth, but the doubts and dissatisfaction in their hearts could not be dispelled.
They had originally expected Spirit Hall to handle this matter fairly, give Canghui Academy justice, and provide an explanation to the other participating teams.
But unexpectedly, Spirit Hall's investigation was so perfunctory, leaving them greatly disappointed.
In the hotel lobby, Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe were also talking in low voices.
"Teacher, what do you think Spirit Hall means by this?" Xue Qinghe asked softly, his brows slightly furrowed.
Even if Salas didn't dare to truly investigate Xuan Ming, he should at least save face and avoid giving others an excuse, right?
Being so perfunctory, wasn't he deliberately giving others a handle?
"The situation here is very complex." Ning Fengzhi gently shook his head. "There seem to be some contradictions and disagreements within Spirit Hall. Salas's ambiguous attitude is likely influenced by certain forces."
"But who can influence Salas?" Xue Qinghe asked.
"The Supreme Pontiff?"
Ning Fengzhi remained silent.
The Supreme Pontiff was currently in the Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City. Xuan Ming had also admitted earlier that his relationship with the Supreme Pontiff was rather special, but there seemed to be considerable friction between the current high-ranking officials of Spirit Hall and the Supreme Pontiff. No news had come from Spirit City for half a year.
It was possible that Xuan Ming had become a bargaining chip in the power struggle among Spirit Hall's high-ranking officials.
Things were getting more and more complicated... "Since I've been temporarily suspended, the upcoming matches are up to you all."
Xuan Ming looked at the Royal Fighting Team members, his expression calm, as if he wasn't the one who had been suspended.
Although Dugu Yan's abilities were restricted by the competition rules and difficult to truly display, even so, with the strength of this team, they could easily win the preliminary rounds. The only ones who might pose a threat to them were the Five Element Academy.
"Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, does such a Spirit Beast really exist?" Ning Rongrong asked in a low voice.
"You didn't just make it up, did you?"
"Am I the kind of person who just makes things up?" Xuan Ming retorted.
"Spirit Hall should be able to find information about it, and others should be able to as well. However, I don't know when they'll find it."
At this moment, Xue Qinghe stepped forward and said with a smile, "Xuan Ming, please wait patiently. I believe that with the strength of the Royal Fighting Team, you will definitely achieve excellent results in the upcoming matches. Moreover, since Spirit Hall said they would investigate, I don't think it will drag on for too long, and you will soon be able to return to the arena."
Ning Fengzhi also nodded. "Qinghe is right. Xuan Ming, you should rest and adjust well for now. As for the other children of the Royal Fighting Team, you must also go all out to bring glory to the Heaven Dou Empire."
...As the investigation results from the Heaven Dou Royal Hotel spread, more and more people suspected that Xuan Ming had issues, and many even suspected he was connected to Spirit Hall. Salas, who had caused these discussions, breathed a sigh of relief.
Gold Crocodile Douluo was quite satisfied with this handling method, and the Supreme Pontiff also said nothing. It seemed both sides had gotten the results they wanted. So, his next step was to send people to investigate whether the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger truly existed.
Shrek Academy.
Although the first match against the Royal Fighting Team had caused the Shrek Team to lose almost all face, in the second preliminary match, the Shrek Team easily secured victory.
Of course, considering the need to conserve strength, the Shrek Team did not let Yu Tianheng participate. In everyone's eyes, the Shrek Team only had one Spirit Ancestor and the rest were Spirit Elders. This configuration was actually considered above average among all teams.
Apart from the Five Element Academy, most participating academies actually didn't even have a single Spirit Ancestor, let alone a Spirit King.
"Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, I didn't expect him to have such luck." Yu Xiaogang's expression was a little ugly.
"Does such a Spirit Beast really exist?" Flender asked in confusion.
"Yes, I once saw it in a damaged ancient book. This is a super Spirit Beast even above the Titan Giant Ape." Yu Xiaogang said.
"If they were of the same age, perhaps only the nearly extinct True Dragon clan could defeat the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger."
"If Xuan Ming can obtain a spirit ring from such a Spirit Beast, his current strength has probably far surpassed what it was before."
"Doesn't that mean he has already reached the Spirit King realm?" Oscar asked weakly.
Yu Xiaogang frowned, his expression serious: "When he was in Soto City, he was level forty-three. It's been less than two years since then, and he's actually improved by seven levels. With the flaws in his Spirit, it's impossible for him to improve so quickly..."
"Cough cough!" Flender, seeing Yu Xiaogang starting to be suspicious again, quickly coughed twice heavily, interrupting him.
"Xiaogang, our match with the Royal Fighting Team is over. Now, let's focus on our future opponents."
"Even if we do face the Royal Fighting Team again, that will be in the promotion rounds and the finals."
...The Canghui Academy incident was a small interlude, and the preliminary rounds of the Soul Master Competition were in full swing.
Xuan Ming did not participate, and the Royal Fighting Team had no substitutes, so the number of participants became six. But even with one less person, they still easily won the match.
Dugu Yan controlled the field and defended, Gu Yuena acted as the main attacker, Xiao Wu as the secondary attacker, Zhu Zhuqing delivered the finishing blows, while Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling provided support and healing from the rear.
Without defeating Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, it would be impossible to defeat the others. But to defeat those two, one had to face Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison. A competition wasn't a fight to the death, and indeed, few people had such courage.
Soon, another week passed in the competition.
The Royal Fighting Team maintained their winning streak, and the investigation into Xuan Ming also reached a stalemate.
Because the competition organizing committee had indeed found evidence of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's existence, and according to records in relevant ancient texts, the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger did possess a special aura.
However, whether the participating members of Canghui Academy becoming idiots was intentionally caused by Xuan Ming still had many unresolved questions. No one could prove that Xuan Ming was deliberate, nor could they prove that Xuan Ming was not deliberate.
If it were anyone else, in such an ambiguous situation, they would certainly have been treated as guilty. But Xuan Ming's situation was extremely special. No one dared to convict him, but no one was willing to let it go easily either.
In the end, it just turned into a mess.