Chapter: 23

Heaven Dou Division

Jiangzhu rushed out hastily, speeding through the corridor. Even before she emerged, she anxiously shouted, "Tai Long, how is Chen Xuan?"

Her expression was filled with unease, and tears were already welling up in her eyes.

Tai Long said nothing, but his fists clenched tightly, a surge of anger rising within him.

As Jiangzhu approached and laid eyes on Chen Xuan, she couldn't help but cover her mouth in shock, her eyes instantly moistening.

Chen Xuan's hands were already a bloody mess, his skin split open, and blood was continuously oozing out. There were two gaping wounds in his chest, bleeding profusely, only a few centimeters away from hitting his heart.

Tai Long gritted his teeth, seething with rage. The tournament had rules, but the Elephant Armor Team had still gone too far, nearly taking Chen Xuan's life.

Not long after, the division's healing soul masters arrived. At first glance, they noticed the two bleeding holes in Chen Xuan's body.

"Hurry, take him back for treatment!" They didn't dare delay, quickly carrying Chen Xuan away. The longer they waited, the greater the risk to his life.

In the VIP section, Emperor Xue Ye relaxed his furrowed brow upon learning that no one had died, finally able to ease his mind.

The tournament rules were set by the participating royal families, and if someone were to die, it would be difficult for both the Spirit Hall and the royals to handle.

The match continued but had reached its final moments.

Chen Xuan's severe injuries while saving Xiao Wu had completely enraged the Shrek members.

Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, furious, unleashed the power of the Nether White Tiger, revealing their hidden strength. With tiger paws the size of water barrels, they knocked out each member of the Elephant Armor Team with a single blow.

Hu Yanli then targeted Xiao Wu, who was lost in thought, but Tang San, having eaten a few sausages, had mostly recovered by then.

This time, he unleashed all the Tang Sect techniques he could, no longer holding back his strength.

Hu Yanli was shocked. After exchanging over ten moves, he was stunned to find that Tang San had become much stronger than before, even overpowering him despite possessing a spirit bone.

Whoosh!

The Nether White Tiger arrived, having defeated all the other opponents. It swung its enormous paw at Hu Yanli.

Hu Yanli raised his diamond shield, but it shattered instantly, exploding into fragments of soul power.

Hu Yanli took the hit head-on. With a loud crash, he spat out blood and was sent flying off the stage.

With that, all seven members of the Elephant Armor Team were eliminated, and the match finally came to an end.

The host, Dou Dou, held the microphone and announced loudly, "The entire Elephant Armor Team has been eliminated. I declare the winner to be Shrek Academy!"

"Wow!"

The audience erupted in cheers, with applause like waves resounding throughout the arena.

The Shrek members let out a breath of relief. This match had far too many unexpected challenges, making it much tougher than they had anticipated.

The six members left the stage and returned to Shrek's exclusive resting room, where Flender had already arrived.

Jing Ling, Tai Long, and Jiangzhu were also there, sitting on the sofa, waiting for the others to return.

As soon as they entered the room, Xiao Wu anxiously asked, "Dean, how is Chen Xuan? Is he… alright?"

Flender shook his head with a sigh and said, "Little Chen is not in any life-threatening danger. He's currently being treated by the division's healing soul masters. Fortunately, the treatment was timely; otherwise, it would have been unimaginable."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu's eyes dimmed, and she fell into a deep sense of guilt. If it weren't for her, Chen Xuan wouldn't have been so severely injured.

She felt remorseful; it was all because of her carelessness and distraction. If she had been more careful, this tragedy wouldn't have happened.

"Sigh," Dai Mubai sighed lightly. He didn't say anything to comfort her.

Tang San, however, remained calm and unaffected by others. After returning to the resting room, he noticed that Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong were not there, which made him somewhat puzzled.

"Dean, where are the teachers?" Tang San asked.

He was naturally referring to Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong. The two had never missed a match before, yet today they not only didn't come to watch but were also absent from the resting room.

At the mention of this, Flender began to worry and explained, "We at Shrek reported false information, so Xiao Gang and Erlong were called away by the division's officials for negotiation."

"What?" The Shrek members were utterly shocked. What was going on?

False information? How could that be? Shrek Academy would never do such a thing; there must be some misunderstanding.

"Dean, could it be that the royals made a mistake?" Dai Mubai asked, perplexed.

Tang San was skeptical. All the information about Shrek was handled by the Grandmaster, who was always meticulous in his work, so there was no way he could have made a mistake.

Flender sighed and told them the reason. Since Chen Xuan had displayed the power of a Battle Soul Master with no auxiliary abilities, it raised suspicions.

The tournament organizers believed that Shrek Academy had falsified information, possibly hiding something significant.

"What?"

Upon hearing Flender's explanation, the Shrek members were shocked.

The information was handled by the Grandmaster, so was this an oversight on his part or something intentional?

After all, everyone still remembered that Chen Xuan had repeatedly emphasized that he was not an auxiliary-type soul master but a Battle Soul Master.

With the Continental Elite Tournament underway, the Heaven Dou Empire was extremely sensitive to these matters and would naturally conduct thorough investigations to rule out the possibility of spies.

However, Tang San didn't believe it was the teacher's fault. Having lived two lifetimes, he understood human nature well and felt that this incident was connected to Chen Xuan, perhaps even orchestrated by him.

"So that's how it is. Chen Xuan, are you trying to use this to frame our teacher?" Tang San quickly pieced together the entire situation.

Back then, Yu Xiaogang and Chen Xuan had a conflict that created a rift between them. So, Chen Xuan took advantage of the tournament's rules to sabotage Shrek Academy, seeking revenge.

Tang San's eyes grew cold. It was his oversight; he hadn't expected the other party to be so bold, planning such a scheme.

With this incident, Chen Xuan intended to sow discord between the teacher and Shrek, so that the students would ostracize his teacher.

After understanding everything, Tang San's expression became extremely grim. It was merely a verbal spat, yet Chen Xuan used such despicable means to retaliate against his teacher. How could someone be so cruel? Is he even human?

"Chen Xuan, I will remember your crimes. One day, I, Tang San, will repay you a hundredfold on behalf of my teacher!" Tang San vowed, as a seed of hatred sprouted in his heart.

Although this matter didn't directly involve him and he shouldn't interfere, Yu Xiaogang treated him like a father and was an extremely important person in his life. How could he allow someone to scheme against his teacher?

"Children, you should go back first. Once the investigation is clear, the Grandmaster and Erlong will be fine," Flender said, instructing everyone to return and rest.

After a match and the unpleasant incident, the Shrek members were indeed exhausted and not in the mood to stay. They left the Heaven Dou competition area and returned to Shrek Academy.

Everyone gradually left, but Xiao Wu stayed behind, not following the others back to the academy.

"Dean, you don't have to say anything. Chen Xuan saved me, and I won't feel at ease until I see him," Xiao Wu said.

Flender was about to speak, but only half a word escaped his lips before he fell silent.

Tang San paused at the door and turned to look at his sister, asking, "Xiao Wu, is there something else? We should be going back."

Xiao Wu's eyes were empty as she stared at her pink high heels, lost in thought and looking very sad.

After the competition, everyone had changed back into their regular clothes. Xiao Wu was now wearing a pink dress with matching pink thigh-high socks, revealing her fair skin.

"Are you waiting for Chen Xuan?" Tang San frowned, clearly displeased, as he had already guessed what was going on.

He had grown very unfavorable towards anyone with the surname Chen, so he was even more irritated at the thought of his sister getting too close to him.

Xiao Wu, looking distressed, nodded but still said nothing.

"Xiao Wu, let's go back to the academy first. Chen Xuan won't be coming out anytime soon," Tang San said, his brows furrowed, his temper rising.

Xiao Wu stubbornly shook her head, refusing to leave. She insisted on waiting there until Chen Xuan came out.

She was no longer her usual lively self. Now she was gloomy, feeling guilty, and even ignoring her third brother.

In the end, with no other choice, Tang San had to leave first. Ning Rongrong and Ning Fengzhi needed to speak with him about something related to his father.

Tang San could never have imagined that this decision would lead him to lose the sister he loved most in his life.