"Xiao Lan, you've caused quite a stir in Xihang!"
In the dean's office at Mingzhu Academy, Dean Xiao poured tea for Su Lan with a smile.
At the same time, his words were full of teasing.
However, the way he looked at Su Lan was one of utter satisfaction.
Faced with Dean Xiao's teasing, Su Lan remained calm and showed little emotion.
He said, with a hint of helplessness:
"If we don't deal with these few bad apples immediately, the trouble they cause will be enormous. I have no choice but to do this."
Although Dean Xiao found Su Lan's explanation reasonable, he did not completely believe it.
He had known Su Lan for nearly two and a half years and knew that Su Lan was far from being as harmless as she seemed.
However, he didn't care whether Su Lan was harmless or not.
He would even be very pleased that Su Lan, at such a young age, already possessed such shrewdness.
You should know that Su Lan is not alone now.
He is now a high-ranking member of the [Alien] Hunter's Guild, controlling a force with the strength of a forbidden spell mage!
As the controller of a powerful force, how can one function without some shrewdness and cunning?
"Speaking of bad apples, Xihang really owes you a huge favor."
Although a week has passed since the Xihang incident ended.
But when he received the news about what happened in Xihang, he was still worried for the people there.
Multiple misfortunes piled up one after another, and the residents of Xihang were truly plagued by misfortune.
A group of councilors from Xihang conspired to switch out life-saving blood serum for huge profits, which led to an outbreak of plague and caused widespread panic.
The strategic threat posed by the Forbidden City led to a conflict between a councilor and the Tang family, who nearly unleashed a super-level magic attack in the city, causing widespread destruction.
The totem serpent inside is entering its molting period, greatly reducing its strength. It not only suffers oppression from human forces but is also coveted by surrounding demons, putting it in mortal danger.
The Great Sovereign Silver Dome Clan invaded the Western Fortress, using plague as their prey, nearly causing the fortress to fall and leading to the destruction of West Hangzhou.
Not to mention the various details and battles fought by minor characters, there are too many to list.
In short, after these events erupted, Grand Speaker Shao Zhenglian and the former chief Buddhist monk Pang Lai flew from the capital to Hangzhou overnight.
On the one hand, it was to appease the totem snake in the name of the government.
It should be noted that most of the pillars of the Great Xia Dynasty, led by Shao Zheng, advocated awakening totem power to fight against future invaders.
But now, someone is actually trying to kill the Totem Serpent while it is weakened during its molting period.
This is practically dancing on Shao Zheng's minefield.
When Shao Zheng learned that the person who had become the target of the attack was Zhu Meng, a member of parliament who posed a strategic threat, he was disappointed, even though he understood the situation.
Zhu Meng is quite powerful and has a strong sense of justice, but he often doesn't use his brain and is easily manipulated by others, causing him to do bad things with good intentions.
Shao Zheng and Pang Lai immediately dismissed Zhu Meng from his positions as a councilor and senior member of the court, retaining only his status as a registered master of the Palace Museum.
Furthermore, Zhu Meng was immediately sent to the ancient capital, and he could only leave the capital after accumulating enough military merits.
As for being reinstated, there is a chance, but it's very difficult.
This wasn't the first time Zhu Meng had been led astray by someone with ulterior motives.
As a result of his punishment, Zhu Meng slunk away from Xihang and headed to the ancient capital.
As for the former palace monks who followed Zhu Meng, they were all dismissed from their posts, returned to the former palace, and reassigned to other uses.
Those responsible for the incident, including Luo Mian, were punished on the spot, whether by Shao Zheng or by the high-ranking members of the headquarters trial committee who rushed over from the capital.
The result was that all the ringleaders were executed on the spot, with no room for offsetting their merits and demerits.
Because the incident caused by Luo Mian and his group this time was simply too egregious.
If it weren't for Su Lan secretly protecting them, and if the totem serpent hadn't been pointing its spear at humans...
Perhaps, by the time they arrive in Xihang, this city of over a thousand, nearly twenty million people, will have been conquered by the Silver Dome Lord and turned into a living hell.
Of course, every merit has its demerits.
Many people performed exceptionally well in this Xihang incident.
This includes Leng Qing, the deputy presiding judge of the Lingyin Temple Trial Committee, and Tang Yue, the team leader of the trial committee.
They all received the rewards they deserved.
Dean Xiao heard that Speaker Shao Zheng had also secretly given Su Lan a lot of compensation, but he didn't bother to find out the specifics.
His purpose in inviting Su Lan today to learn about the situation in Xihang was merely incidental; he had a more important objective.
However, before saying any of that, he glanced at the little silver bird on Su Lan's shoulder, its head tilted back and its eyes half-closed in sleep, and felt a slight toothache.
"Xiao Lan, is that little silver bird on your shoulder the Silver Sky Lord?"
After watching for a while, Dean Xiao couldn't suppress his curiosity and looked at the seemingly harmless silver bird on Su Lan's shoulder.
Following Dean Xiao's gaze, Su Lan glanced at the dozing Silver Sky Lord and nodded without denying it.
"That's right, this guy is the Silver Dome Lord who wanted to launch an attack outside the West Fortress. He has been contracted by Serafina and can change size."
Dean Xiao stroked his beard and let out a long sigh.
"It's truly unimaginable that a great monarch-level demon could be so obediently at your disposal."
However, considering Miss Serafina's strength, he felt relieved.
It is said that on the edge of the Tang family's territory, the source of what appears to be the power of spatial and mental laws is Miss Serafina's doing.
Dean Xiao was surprised, but not at all unexpected.
He already knew that Miss Serafina was very strong.
Especially when Serafina appeared before him a few months ago, even this "old silver coin" who was planning to break through the fourth system of forbidden spells felt an incomparable sense of insignificance.
That's all there is to it—a mere Grand Monarch-level demon.
After another round of casual conversation, Dean Xiao finally steered the conversation to the main topic.
"Actually, the reason I called you here is about the World University Competition."
At this point, Dean Xiao's expression turned very serious.
At the same time, his gaze toward Su Lan was full of expectation.
"Although I mentioned this to you last year, the files have already been issued, and the official selection competition is expected to begin at the end of this year or the beginning of next year."
"We all hope that Xiao Lan can lead the Great Xia National Government team to participate in the World University Competition."
"Given your current strength and background, participating in this competition would be like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—completely unnecessary."
"But the past National Teams of Great Xia have not achieved ideal results."
"We urgently hope that Su Lan, as the captain of this year's Great Xia National Team, can wash away our past failures and let the world hear our voice again."
Su Lan looked at Dean Xiao, who had suddenly become passionate, and found it hard to believe that someone of his age could still be so passionate.
He did not refuse to participate in the World University Competition.
After all, this was agreed upon last year.
"That's possible, but Grandpa Xiao, do I still want to participate in the selection?"