Chapter 64 Zhu Zhuqing is gone
"That's right."
Flander sighed.
"We want to take these kids to that stage and let them win a championship, which would fulfill our dream from when we were young."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke frankly:
"Dean, since you've brought up the competition, there's a practical issue I have to remind you of."
"What?"
"Eligibility to participate."
Qin Ming smiled wryly:
"The All-Continent Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies is jointly organized by the royal families of the two great empires and Spirit Hall. Participating academies must be officially registered advanced soul master academies within the empire."
"And Shrek Academy... because you've always been unwilling to accept those official rules and regulations, so..."
Flander was stunned.
He slapped his forehead, only then remembering this.
Shrek Academy has always been a "diploma mill" without even proper educational qualifications, so how could it have the right to participate in competitions?
"What... what should we do?"
Zhao Wuji was also dumbfounded.
"Are we going to let these little monsters get eliminated before they even get a chance to play?"
Seeing the two teachers' worried expressions, Qin Ming took a deep breath and revealed another purpose of his trip:
"Dean, Professor Zhao, I actually have a suggestion."
"Although the Heaven Dou Royal Academy has abundant resources, the aristocratic children have been corrupt in recent years, and there are very few with outstanding talent. Although I have trained the Royal Fighting Team, it is still far from enough to win the championship in the competition."
"If... I mean if."
Qin Ming looked at Flander with sincere eyes:
"Would you be willing to bring your juniors and a few teachers with you to join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
"What? To live under someone else's roof?" Flander frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse.
"It's not about living under someone else's roof, it's about using someone else's resources to make money."
Qin Ming hurriedly explained.
"The Heaven Dou Royal Academy has readily available competition slots and the best simulated training environment. As long as you come, I can guarantee with my reputation that the academy's higher-ups will treat you with the highest level of courtesy."
"When the time comes, the younger students can participate in the competition under the name of Heaven Dou, but the honor and benefits will still belong to everyone."
Flander fell silent.
He was an extremely proud person, and also an extremely greedy person.
But at this moment, for the sake of the children's future and for that championship dream, the scales in his heart began to tip.
"I need to go back and discuss this with Xiaogang."
Although Flander did not agree immediately, his tone had softened.
After finishing their business, Qin Ming seemed to remember something, and his expression became extremely serious.
He glanced at the door and lowered his voice to ask:
"Dean, there's one more person I need to ask about."
"Who?"
"It's that last one... who turned the tide and wiped out my Royal Fighting Team all by himself—'Azure Emperor'."
Mentioning this name instantly created a strange atmosphere in the room.
Zhao Wuji stroked his chin and said with a wry smile:
"That kid... well, he's an oddball."
Qin Ming recalled the scene on the Soul Battle Stage and said with lingering fear:
"That's too strong."
"I'm not just referring to his soul power level. I'm referring to his combat intuition and his unusual fighting style."
"I still don't know how a control-type Soul Master could punch through the defense of a defense-type Soul Master."
"My teammate told me that his Blue Silver Grass can devour soul power. Moreover, his composure when facing the siege at the end was not like that of a Soul Master at all, and he even seemed to have plenty of energy left."
Qin Ming paused, a hint of awe in his eyes:
"Dean, who exactly is that person? Is his martial soul really Blue Silver Grass? I've never heard of a plant martial soul of that strength before."
Flander picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and concealed a hint of complexity in his eyes.
Even he couldn't see through Ye Liuyun.
That child was usually quiet, didn't care about anything, and wasn't very sociable at school.
But he has amazing talent and is more mature than the children around him.
He even doubted whether this was really a child.
It's not some kind of ancient monster that has rejuvenated, is it?
"Him..."
Flander put down his teacup, looked out the window at the dark night sky, and said softly:
"He does indeed possess the Blue Silver Grass martial soul."
"Xiaoming, you just suggested that we go to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"I can guarantee that all the other kids will go. But this Ye Liuyun…"
Flander shook his head:
"He might not go; he always gives me the feeling that he doesn't fit into the team."
"It's as if he's distancing himself from the situation so he can easily extricate himself at any time."
Qin Ming earnestly advised him.
"Dean, please try your best to persuade him. As long as he is willing to come, we can discuss any conditions."
Flander nodded with a wry smile.
...
Meanwhile, in the dimly lit contestant-only passageway of the Grand Arena.
The cheers from outside could not be heard; a heavy, oppressive atmosphere filled the air.
The Shrek team, who had just pulled off a stunning comeback and should have been basking in flowers and applause, were now bowing their heads like children who had done something wrong.
The reason was simply because the man standing in their way—Yu Xiaogang—had a face so dark it could drip water.
He felt no joy at the victory; instead, he nitpicked at the person who had created the miracle.
"Ye Liuyun."
Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, his voice cold and hard:
"Do you think it's glorious to have won?"
"It's absolutely a mess!"
"As a control-type Soul Master, your responsibility is to control the entire field, protect your teammates, and coordinate the attack! But look at the match just now, your teammates were sent off the stage one by one, and the formation was in complete disarray, and you were just watching from the back?"
"The All-Continent Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies is a team battle! It's not a stage for individual heroism! Do you think you can defeat the Spirit Hall team by yourself?"
Ye Liuyun leaned against the wall, showing no strong desire to refute such blatant accusations, and picked at his ear.
He'll be leaving soon, so why waste time arguing like this? He replied dismissively.
"Oh yes, yes, you're right, whatever makes you happy."
"Just tell me whether you won or not?"
Yu Xiaogang was speechless. He had indeed won, and by defeating seven opponents at once. The shock he brought was simply too great.
He couldn't understand how Ye Liuyun had won.
I'm afraid even Tang San couldn't do that.
Some people couldn't stand it anymore.
"Master, isn't that a bit off?"
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but step forward. She was, after all, a little devil from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and wasn't that afraid of Yu Xiaogang.
"It was Dai Mubai who went crazy and rushed out against orders, causing the formation to be disrupted. Ye Liuyun almost flung his Blue Silver Grass into sparks trying to save the day, how can you blame him for this?"
Upon hearing this, Dai Mubai's face stiffened, and he was about to retort.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang seized the opportunity and preemptively rebuked in an unquestionable tone:
"Ning Rongrong, what do you know?"
"Dai Mubai is an offensive type, the team's sharpest weapon! What's wrong with stepping up and showing our fighting spirit when faced with enemy provocation?"
"He charged forward, the control system should have immediately provided cover, and the agility system should have provided support! It's Ye Liuyun's command that was too slow, and your reactions that were too poor, which is why Dai Mubai was isolated and helpless!"
"If Ye Liuyun had ordered a full-scale attack immediately, would Dai Mubai have sacrificed himself in vain?"
"This…" Ning Rongrong was completely dumbfounded.
Is this the so-called "master" logic?
Is it true that an offensive class recklessly throws themselves to their deaths and calls it "building momentum," while a control class fails to save someone and calls it "poor command"?
This bias is so obvious!
Just as Ning Rongrong was so angry that she couldn't speak.
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been silent all along, slowly raised her head.
"Master."
Her voice was cold, colder than the draft in the corridor:
"The fact is, we won."
"Moreover, this victory proves one thing: we don't need that ridiculous Martial Soul Fusion Technique. As long as we have a strong expert in charge, we can still win."
"As long as Ye Liuyun is here, we are strong enough."
This sentence directly hit Yu Xiaogang's Achilles' heel.
The reason he targeted Ye Liuyun so much, and the reason he was so eager to merge Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai, was to prove his theory and to make Tang San's team tactics seem irreplaceable.
But Ye Liuyun's one-against-seven victory directly slapped him in the face.
The tactics we devised earlier were completely unnecessary; all we needed to do was send Ye Liuyun.
He roared in exasperation.
"Shut up!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened in anger, as if his authority had been greatly offended:
"What do you know? This is just an ordinary Soul Battle! In the grand tournament, facing truly top-tier teams, with your strength, how do you expect to win?"
"We must seize every opportunity to become stronger, do you understand?"
"Am I making you stronger, or harming you?"
He took a deep breath, seemingly losing patience:
"Zhu Zhuqing, I don't care whether you like it or not, and I don't care what personal grudges you have."
"For the championship, for the Shrek Academy team, you must practice the Martial Soul Fusion Technique with Dai Mubai!"
"That's an order!"
Yu Xiaogang stared into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes and said, word by word:
"In this team, the minority obeys the majority. If you insist on disrupting the team's harmony and becoming the black sheep for the sake of your pitiful pride..."
"Then you can leave now! Shrek Academy doesn't need disobedient students!"
He said this with complete confidence.
Because he was certain that Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't dare to leave.
She is a member of the Star Luo Zhu family, burdened with the destiny of life-or-death competition. Apart from relying on Dai Mubai and staying at Shrek Academy to become stronger, she has nowhere else to go.
Tang San sighed as well and offered his advice:
"Zhuqing, your teacher is doing this for your own good, for the sake of the bigger picture..."
The next second.
What happened made everyone wonder if there was something wrong with their ears.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at the blustering but cowardly master and the hypocritical fiancé, and Ye Liuyun's words echoed in her mind once again.
What is the purpose of human life?
She suddenly laughed.
"Good."
Zhu Zhuqing parted her red lips slightly and uttered a single word.
Then, she reached out and took off the badge that symbolized the Shrek monster from her chest, and casually threw it on the ground in front of Yu Xiaogang and Dai Mubai.
Ding-dong.
The badge made a crisp, jarring sound as it hit the ground.
"Then I will withdraw from Shrek Academy."
Dead silence.
The passageway fell into absolute silence instantly.
Yu Xiaogang stood frozen in place, his mouth slightly open, his lecturing expression still on his face, making him look incredibly comical.
Dai Mubai stared wide-eyed, as if he had seen a ghost, unable to believe that his fiancée, who had been chasing after him, actually dared to leave.
Tang San's words of persuasion stuck in his throat, and he looked stunned.
Ye Liuyun was watching the play from the wall.
He also glared at her.
The mask almost slipped from his hands.
He stared wide-eyed at the tall, resolute girl in black, his heart filled with turmoil.
Holy crap?
Are you serious?
Is this still the Zhu Zhuqing from the original novel, who was practically invisible and just an appendage to men?
He just casually fed her a few sips of chicken soup... How did that cause her to drop out of school?
He didn't have that idea.
"What... what did you say?"
Yu Xiaogang asked in disbelief, his voice trembling.
"I said, I'm not going to serve you anymore."
Zhu Zhuqing turned around, not looking at anyone again, leaving everyone with only a proud and free back view:
"This young lady is not going to keep you company."
"The world is vast; there's nowhere I can't go!"
After saying that, she strode towards the exit.
She left behind only a group of completely petrified "monsters" and a master bewildered in the wind.
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[end of the chapter]