"Bullshit! Absolute nonsense!"
Hearing Jing Hongchen repeatedly label him with words like "assassin" and "attack," Xuan Zi was so furious his lungs felt ready to burst.
He glared viciously at the adjudicator, whose face was filled with suspicion, and defended himself with a flushed expression:
"I am the dignified Gluttonous Douluo! How could I possibly do something so despicable and underhanded?!"
"I already said it—I drank too much! I was drunk! My head wasn't clear, so I took the wrong path and wandered in here by mistake!"
"What? Does the tournament have a rule that says getting lost while drunk is a crime?!"
Although Xuan Zi spoke with righteous indignation, when paired with his dust-covered clothes and the punch that had nearly blown apart the corridor, his words sounded guilty no matter how one listened.
"Heh, drank too much?"
Jing Hongchen's tone was dripping with mockery, as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Elder Xuan, are you insulting our intelligence—or your own cultivation?"
"A Level 98 Super Douluo's body is long immune to toxins. Do you really expect us to believe that ordinary alcohol could get you so drunk you can't tell directions?"
"And yet you just happened to wander precisely to the door of our Sun Moon Team captain?"
"Furthermore—" Jing Hongchen pointed at the lingering spirit power fluctuations in the corridor and sneered, "That punch you just threw had condensed power and precise control. Does that look like something a drunk man could manage?"
"Th-this…"
Xuan Zi was left speechless, his old face turning the color of pig liver.
Jing Hongchen gave him no chance to recover. He turned directly toward the adjudicator, whose expression had grown increasingly strained, and his tone turned cold and forceful:
"Your Excellency, the facts are clear. There are witnesses, and there is evidence."
"A dignified elder of Shrek Academy sneaked into another academy's residence late at night with unknown intent and was caught on the spot."
"The fairness of this tournament is being watched by the entire continent."
"If this matter isn't handled impartially—and word spreads that the Star Luo Empire is shielding Shrek Academy—"
"Then the credibility of the All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament will suffer a devastating blow."
"Wouldn't you agree?"
The pressure was overwhelming.
Cold sweat immediately beaded on the adjudicator's forehead.
As a representative of the Star Luo Empire, he was naturally inclined toward Shrek. After all, Shrek Academy was the shared pride of the three original nations of the Douluo Continent.
If possible, he truly wanted to smooth things over and find an excuse to let Xuan Zi off lightly.
But Jing Hongchen was pressing relentlessly, and there were so many Sun Moon Academy students watching—not to mention teachers and students from other academies who had been woken up and were observing from afar.
Under such public scrutiny, showing even a hint of favoritism would drag the Star Luo Empire's reputation through the mud by tomorrow!
"Ahem… ahem…"
The adjudicator coughed twice, steeled his resolve, and stepped forward, speaking in a formal, impartial tone:
"Elder Xuan, regardless of your reason, as the leading elder, your late-night intrusion into another academy's residential area does constitute a violation of tournament regulations."
"Furthermore, the violent spirit power fluctuations just now caused a severe disturbance."
"Given the seriousness of the incident…"
He took a deep breath, pulled out a yellow card from his robes, and raised it high.
"I hereby issue a yellow card warning to the Shrek Academy representative team!"
"If there is another violation, Shrek Academy's qualification to continue participating in the tournament will be revoked immediately, in accordance with the tournament charter!"
"Elder Xuan, you are ordered to leave immediately and must not interfere with any other contestants!"
"A… a yellow card?!"
Seeing the glaring yellow card, Xuan Zi's vision went black, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
He was the dignified Gluttonous Douluo—when had he ever suffered such humiliation in his life?
Not only had he been caught like a common thief, but he had even earned a yellow card!
What crushed him even more was the sight, out of the corner of his eye, of people from other academies gathered at the end of the corridor, pointing and whispering.
Some were even recording the scene with recording soul tools!
It's over… it's all over…
Forget persuading Liu Yuan to return—his own dignity had been utterly trampled.
If this reached Shrek Academy… if it reached Mu En's ears…
Xuan Zi shuddered violently. In his mind appeared Mu En's aged yet incomparably imposing face, sending a chill straight down his spine.
"Good… very good!"
Xuan Zi ground out the words through clenched teeth, glaring at Jing Hongchen with eyes full of venom, as if he wanted to devour him alive.
"Jing Hongchen—this debt, I will remember it!"
Cursing Jing Hongchen's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart, Xuan Zi flung his sleeves and turned away, leaving in utter disgrace. His retreating figure looked indescribably pitiful.
Watching him leave, the adjudicator also let out a quiet sigh of relief. He clasped his hands toward Jing Hongchen and quickly led his men away from this troublesome scene.
With the outsiders gone, the corridor finally returned to peace.
Liu Yuan turned to look at Jing Hongchen, gratitude flashing in his eyes.
"Hall Master, thank you," Liu Yuan said sincerely.
If Jing Hongchen hadn't been watching in secret, Xuan Zi might already have broken into his room. Even if Xuan Zi didn't dare kill him, being harassed by someone so revolting would have been torture in itself.
"Haha, silly child—why be so polite with me?"
Jing Hongchen turned around, the chill on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a warm smile as he patted Liu Yuan's shoulder.
"You are the captain of our Sun Moon Team and the junior I value most. Protecting you is simply my responsibility."
"Besides, making that old Shrek fellow suffer a bit puts me in a great mood!"
A trace of smug satisfaction flashed through his eyes before he reassured everyone:
"Alright, all of you go back and rest. Don't worry."
"I've already set up over a dozen Grade 9 defensive and early-warning soul tools around this room. Even a fly couldn't get in without me knowing."
"After tonight, even if Xuan Zi had the courage of a lion, he wouldn't dare try anything again."
"There are matches tomorrow. Rest well and conserve your strength."
"Yes, Dean."
Liu Yuan, Xiao Hongchen, and the others nodded and returned to their rooms.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Study of the Star Luo Palace.
Though it was late into the night, Emperor Xu Jiawei was still seated behind his desk, reviewing official documents by lamplight.
"Your Majesty."
The adjudicator entered swiftly, knelt on one knee, and reported everything that had happened at the hotel in full detail.
After hearing the report, Xu Jiawei set down his brush, rubbed his aching brow, and looked both amused and exasperated.
"This Xuan Zi… what on earth is he thinking?"
"A dignified Super Douluo sneaking around a student's dormitory—and getting caught?"
"The people of Shrek… their actions are becoming harder and harder to comprehend."
Though speechless at Xuan Zi's conduct, Xu Jiawei still nodded in approval.
"You handled this well."
"At such a critical moment, absolute impartiality is essential. Favoring Shrek would only give others leverage and allow the Sun Moon Empire to seize the moral high ground."
"The yellow card was appropriate—it should at least shut Jing Hongchen up for now."
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty," the adjudicator replied respectfully before withdrawing.
Silence returned to the Imperial Study.
Xu Jiawei rose, walked to the window, and gazed toward the distant Star Emperor Grand Hotel.
"Still…"
"What exactly was Xuan Zi planning by seeking out Liu Yuan in the middle of the night?"
"He couldn't truly have harbored killing intent… could he? The people of Shrek shouldn't be that disgraceful."
Just then, a black-clad guard entered silently and respectfully presented a sealed dossier.
"Your Majesty."
"All information regarding the youth named Liu Yuan, as you ordered…"
"Has been fully investigated and compiled."
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