Yu Tianheng could hear the sarcasm in her words and gave a bitter smile. "It was all a misunderstanding. Yanzi, you were too impulsive."
Dugu Yan replied unhappily, "Tianheng, that guy had bad intentions. If I hadn't stepped in to interrupt, you would've been seriously injured."
Although Wu Qi's attacks were sharp, Yu Tianheng was confident that with the defensive power of his third Spirit Skill, he would have suffered at most superficial injuries.
Wu Qi didn't bother responding. Without saying a word, he turned and left.
Watching the two walk away, Yu Tianheng sighed. "Sigh I was still too impulsive."
It was easy to imagine that from now on, people in the academy would start criticizing Royal Team One.
After all, their behavior had been far from honorable.
"Brother Wu, if Sword Douluo hadn't interrupted, it felt like you could've taken on their whole team alone," Changkong said with a grin.
The truth spoke for itself.
Most of the students had witnessed the match. Royal Team One ganging up on others had been seen by everyone.
With Wu Qin fanning the flames, their reputation was bound to suffer.
"Just a bunch of hypocritical rats," Wu Qi said indifferently.
Dugu Yan's actions were nothing more than blind emotion, no different from how Tang San reacted when Xiao Wu was injured.
Yu Tianheng had asked for the match himself, so he should've been prepared to get hurt.
Yet the moment he was injured, Dugu Yan couldn't accept it.
Acting on emotion really does harm both others and oneself.
The two returned to their dorm to rest briefly. After nightfall, they headed to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena to participate in matches.
Meanwhile…
Committee Member Zhi Lin completed Ning Rongrong's enrollment procedures and quickly returned to the committee hall.
Meng Shenji and Bai Baoshan, the second seat of the committee, both looked troubled.
The academy's public opinion was extremely unfavorable toward Royal Team One, and the news had even reached the royal family.
After all, Royal Team One was highly valued by the royal family. They were expected to bring honor to the empire in the Spirit Master Tournament.
Yet not only had most of them been defeated by Wu Qi alone, they had also caused such a scene. How were they supposed to explain this to those above?
More importantly, Wu Qi and Changkong had been arranged by Xue Qinghe. Yet on their second day at the academy, they were already being targeted. Didn't that make the committee look incompetent?
Bai Baoshan said weakly, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have agreed to let Xiao Ming arrange the match."
Now that the results were out and Wu Qi and Changkong had completely won, didn't that mean they had failed to recognize true talent and hadn't placed them properly?
Zhi Lin, who knew the full situation, said angrily, "That Xiao Ming really can't handle responsibility! He couldn't even deal with such a small matter, and now we have to clean up his mess."
"If Sword Douluo hadn't shown up earlier, the three of us might've lost our positions today."
Meng Shenji frowned. "Zhi Lin, what exactly happened?"
He and Bai Baoshan hadn't left the committee hall, so they didn't fully understand the situation at the training ground.
After hearing Zhi Lin's explanation, Meng Shenji slammed his dry hand heavily against the armrest.
"This is outrageous. Xiao Ming handled this terribly! For now, he shouldn't lead Royal Team One. Let Teacher Sun take over and handle training for both teams. As for Royal Team One's external training plans, put them on hold until things settle down."
Letting Qin Ming temporarily step away from Royal Team One was also a form of protection.
Among all the teachers, Qin Ming's talent was undoubtedly among the best. Out of appreciation for talent, the three committee members showed some leniency.
However, Royal Team One's actions still needed to be punished.
They represented the empire's image. Acting like street thugs would only disgrace it.
Zhi Lin suggested, "Wu Qi and Changkong defeated Yu Feng and Oslo. I propose we bring them into Team One."
"If the Crown Prince or His Majesty asks, we can say we hadn't spent enough time with them to fully understand their abilities, avoiding blame. By making adjustments immediately, we can also silence some of the criticism."
Meng Shenji had already considered this.
However, the structure of Royal Team One was already established. Adding Wu Qi and Changkong wasn't the issue, but would Wu Qi be willing to remain just an ordinary member?
Yu Tianheng was not his opponent, so logically, he should give up the captain's position. But would Yu Tianheng accept that?
Moreover, Yu Tianheng wasn't someone they could deal with casually. If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan behind him pursued the matter, it could bring trouble to the empire.
Compared to the worries of the three committee members, Xue Beng and Prince Xue Xing were in high spirits.
Xue Beng had watched the entire match.
Royal Team One had been formed by the three committee members. Now that they had clashed with Wu Qi and the others, it worked perfectly in their favor.
Prince Xue Xing laughed loudly. "Since Qinghe can't manage his people properly, then as his uncle, I can't just sit by and do nothing."
"Beng'er, I've looked into Wu Qi and Changkong's information. Not even thirteen years old, yet already at Spirit Elder Level, and their actual combat strength can overwhelm most of Royal Team One. In my opinion, they are unmatched among those of the same Level. These are rare talents!"
"If you can win them over, your father will definitely see you in a new light. He might even allow you to participate in state affairs. You wouldn't have to keep tarnishing your own image."
Tarnishing his image?
Xue Beng didn't see it that way. On the contrary, he felt that his current lifestyle suited him perfectly.
If not for the deaths of his two older brothers, he wouldn't have to live in constant fear.
In the future, if Xue Qinghe ascended the throne, he would likely be the first to die. To protect himself, he had to compete for that position.
"Uncle, just tell me what to do, and I'll do it."
Xue Xing fell into thought. After a while, he came up with what he believed to be a "perfect" plan.
"Geniuses have their pride. Forcing them to submit to others isn't realistic. Here's what you do—first, make friends with them and promise some benefits."
"I am the actual authority behind the academy. If they're willing, letting them join Team One directly is no problem. In addition, money, resources, and information about Spirit Bones, don't hold back on any of it."
Xue Xing knew very well that Spirit Bones were the greatest bargaining chip for recruiting talent.
However, in the royal court, he and his nephew were marginal figures. Even if they obtained Spirit Bones, they would likely have to present them to Emperor Xue Ye to gain favor.
As for information about Spirit Bones, Prince Xue Xing did know some.
But those Spirit Bones were already in the possession of other Spirit Masters. If Wu Qi and Changkong were willing to join their faction, arranging assassinations to obtain them wasn't out of the question.
As the saying goes, fame brings trouble.
After today's match, Wu Qi had revealed extraordinary strength. From now on, invitations from various factions would surely come in large numbers.
Some people believe that if they can't have something, they would rather destroy it.
To avoid attracting deadly trouble, Wu Qi deliberately revealed to Ning Rongrong that the Wu family was trying to recruit him, and that he was troubled by it.
He believed Ning Rongrong would take action.
Xue Qinghe was still only the Crown Prince, with limited authority. Some nobles might ignore him, but the influence of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was undeniable.
Aside from the Spirit Hall, who on the continent would dare not give Ning Fengzhi face?
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