Chapter 185: Lin Qingmo, you wouldn't be having an affair with that girl, would you?
Just as the room was filled with praise, Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke.
"As a Soul Ancestor, defeating a few Soul Elders is nothing to be proud of."
The moment those words came out, the surroundings fell silent.
Everyone froze, then turned their heads toward Yu Xiaogang in unison, their expressions as strange as could be.
But Yu Xiaogang acted as if nothing had happened, his face stiff as though someone owed him money, and continued lecturing:
"Winning one match and getting this carried away, with no sense of restraint at all. If you stay this arrogant, sooner or later you'll stumble and suffer."
Xiao Wu had been holding onto Lin Qingmo's arm while talking, but the moment she heard that, her face darkened instantly.
She spun around, staring at Yu Xiaogang, her eyes practically spitting fire.
Even Flender frowned.
Looking at his old brother, he felt a wave of discomfort.
Lin Qingmo had just won such a great honor for Shrek, and the entire arena was cheering for him. Fine if you didn't praise him, but to come out and throw cold water like this… wasn't that a bit petty?
"Yu Xiaogang, what do you mean by that?"
Xiao Wu was the first to step forward, directly blocking in front of Lin Qingmo and glaring at Yu Xiaogang, her tone full of hostility.
"Ah Qing defeated all seven Soul Elders of the Royal Fighting Team by himself and won the Soul Fight for Shrek. Fine if you don't praise him, but now you're making sarcastic remarks?"
"Exactly."
Ning Rongrong immediately followed, crossing her arms and raising a brow at Yu Xiaogang.
As the little witch, she didn't hold back at all when confronting someone.
"So what if he's a Soul Ancestor? Look across the entire continent; how many Soul Ancestors can fight seven Soul Elders alone?"
She paused, her tone growing sharper. "Besides, aren't you known as 'Invincible in Theory'? Then I'd like to ask, do you have the confidence to defeat a team of seven Rank 19 Soul Masters with the strength of a Rank 29 Soul Grandmaster?"
Zhu Zhuqing also stepped forward, standing beside Xiao Wu.
She looked coldly at Yu Xiaogang and added the most hurtful remark: "I'm also very curious about Grandmaster's strength."
The three of them spoke one after another, leaving Yu Xiaogang unable to get a word in.
"!!!"
His face flushed red instantly, from his ears down to his neck, his whole body trembling with anger.
"I…"
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.
He truly couldn't do it.
Stuck at rank twenty-nine for so many years, with Luo Sanpao's fart-type soul skill, forget seven rank nineteen Soul Masters—he might not even beat one.
Being publicly shut down by three young girls, he just stood there, hands trembling.
Oscar and Ma Hongjun exchanged a glance, both suppressing laughter as they watched the show.
Ma Hongjun nudged Oscar with his elbow and whispered, "Damn, with those three ladies firing together, the Grandmaster is completely speechless now, right?"
Oscar nodded while holding back a laugh. "Serves him right. He came in throwing cold water. What did he expect?"
"If it were me, I'd want to punch him twice."
"Heh."
Zhao Wuji crossed his arms and let out a cold laugh.
Looking at Yu Xiaogang's awkward state, his eyes were filled with undisguised disdain.
He had never thought highly of this so-called "Grandmaster."
Always waving his theories around, yet lacking any real ability, and still loved to point fingers at others.
Today's incident made one thing even clearer—this man was unbelievably petty.
"Sigh…"
Even Flender, Yu Xiaogang's close friend, sighed inwardly.
Anyone with eyes could see Yu Xiaogang was in the wrong.
But as his close friend, it wasn't appropriate for him to say anything directly.
Yu Xiaogang was already losing face.
Tang San, however, stepped forward and directly shielded Yu Xiaogang behind him.
His gaze was so dark it seemed to drip water, eyes locked firmly on the three girls ahead.
His voice was cold as ice as he shouted, "Enough! You are not allowed to insult my teacher!"
"He was the one talking nonsense first!" Xiao Wu shot back immediately.
"Teacher was just reminding him not to become arrogant after one victory. What's wrong with that?"
Tang San gritted his teeth, every word filled with defense.
"What right do you have to insult him like this?"
"What right?"
A cold voice rang out.
Lin Qingmo gently pulled the three girls behind him.
He swept a cold glance over Tang San and Yu Xiaogang behind him, then suddenly let out a laugh.
"Heh."
That laughter was filled with piercing coldness.
"Enough, stop putting on this deep master-disciple act."
"I've finally understood today—like a teacher, like a student. Both of you are exactly the same, equally shameless."
Staring at Yu Xiaogang, Lin Qingmo's tone was full of undisguised mockery.
The moment those words were spoken—
Tang San's face instantly darkened.
Yu Xiaogang trembled even more in anger.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Tang San shouted sharply.
"Nonsense?"
Lin Qingmo raised a brow and sneered. "Master Yu, you said my victory was only natural just now. Isn't it because the spotlight didn't fall on your precious disciple, so you're unhappy?"
"I fought seven Soul Elders alone and won the match—that's only natural?"
"Then let your precious disciple Tang San try fighting seven alone."
He turned his head toward Tang San, whose face had turned ashen.
"And you. Don't you have any sense of how ridiculous your teacher's words were?"
"Just because he teaches you, no matter whether he's right or wrong, even when he's slandering others in public, you jump out to defend him, unable to distinguish right from wrong?"
"So, only you two, master and disciple, are allowed to smear me publicly, but no one else can say a single bad word about him?"
Lin Qingmo's gaze was as sharp as a blade. "What does all reason in the world have to revolve around you two?"
That barrage of words left Yu Xiaogang and Tang San's faces alternating between pale and green.
The two stood there trembling with anger.
The crowd around them looked at them with even stranger expressions.
Flender's head was starting to ache.
On one side was his life-and-death brother; on the other was the academy's once-in-a-century genius.
Whether he intervened or not, it was awkward either way.
Just as he was struggling to smooth things over, a female voice suddenly came from the side.
"Excuse me, Azure Star, would it be convenient to have a private chat?"
A figure in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy uniform walked straight through the crowd toward Shrek's resting area.
Her long green hair was tied high, and there was a trace of habitual arrogance between her brows—it was Dugu Yan.
The carrot in Xiao Wu's mouth stopped mid-bite, and she immediately stood up with a snap, her rabbit ears perking up as she vigilantly stared at Dugu Yan approaching.
Not just her, but everyone from Shrek turned their attention over.
Dai Mubai frowned, tightening his crossed arms. "Dugu Yan? What is she doing here? Royal Fighting Team and we aren't exactly on friendly terms."
Oscar stroked his chin, looking curious. "That's strange. Instead of looking for her own team members, she's coming to us? Don't tell me she's here to provoke or take revenge?"
Ning Rongrong put down her juice cup, raising a brow with interest as her gaze moved back and forth between Dugu Yan and Lin Qingmo.
"This is probably not something simple~"
Zhu Zhuqing also lifted her eyes slightly.
Her cool gaze landed on Dugu Yan.
In the crowd, Ma Hongjun leaned toward Dai Mubai, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Damn, Boss Dai, don't tell me Lin Qingmo already has something going on with this girl?"
"Otherwise, why would she ignore her own team members and come straight to him? No wonder he refused to go on stage in the first Soul Fight—it turns out he had already colluded with the other side?"
His voice wasn't that low, just enough for Xiao Wu nearby to hear clearly.
The moment those words fell—
Xiao Wu suddenly turned her head.
Her eyes turned red as she glared fiercely at Ma Hongjun, teeth grinding audibly.
"Fat chicken! Say one more word of nonsense, and I'll tear your mouth apart right now and rip off that stupid chicken crest of yours!"
Ma Hongjun shrank his neck from the shout and quickly stepped back, still muttering unwillingly, "I was just saying… otherwise why would she specifically come looking for Lin Qingmo…?"
End of Chapter