Chapter 230: Ning Rongrong Faces Hostility
After Tang San arrived in the Heaven Dou Empire, he naturally received a warm welcome from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. At this point, Ning Fengzhi treated him almost as if he were his own son, even going so far as to host Tang San's original teammates.
Due to the marriage alliance with Tang San, the Blue Tyrant Academy also allowed Tang San and others to rejoin the academy. Originally, because of Yu Xiaogang, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had expelled Oscar and the others, but now they had invited them back and even sent Tang San's other fiancée, Yu Qingrou, to form a new team with them.
While Tang San and his group were busy with the continental elite competition for high-level soul master academies, Su Yun, accompanied by Zhu Zhuqing and Hu Liena, also arrived in the Heaven Dou Imperial City.
This time, the competition in the Heaven Dou Empire was overseen by the empire's crown prince, Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue), while the overseer from the Star Luo Empire was Dai Weisi.
"Two princes, long time no see," Su Yun greeted them with a smile.
Although officially the trio was in charge of the competition, most of the tasks were actually delegated to their servants, which allowed Su Yun some leisure time to socialize.
Xue Qinghe was quite respectful towards Su Yun, as her current role represented the royal family of the Heaven Dou Empire, and her manners were impeccably diplomatic: "It has indeed been a long time, Holy Son Su."
However, she always felt something off whenever she saw Su Yun. Recently, her grandfather kept writing to her to pay attention to her interactions with Su Yun but never explicitly stated why.
This made Xue Qinghe suspect that Su Yun might be involved in something significant without her knowledge.
Nevertheless, her spies in Spirit City hadn't uncovered any significant news, which surprised her.
Dai Weisi's expression was complex as he looked at Su Yun and then at Zhu Zhuqing, who was laughing with Hu Liena of the Martial Soul Hall. He slightly bowed: "It has indeed been a long time, Holy Son Su."
Dai Weisi remembered the first time he met Su Yun and the embarrassments he faced thereafter.
"Tsk, tsk."
Dai Weisi displayed a self-deprecating smile: "It seems that leaving Zhuqing with Holy Son Su was the right decision."
Su Yun waved his hand: "Let bygones be bygones, I just hope that when Your Highness ascends to the throne, you manage your people well."
Dai Weisi shook his head: "You flatter me, Holy Son Su. I am merely the eldest prince for now, and I don't possess the qualifications my brother does to become the crown prince."
Dai Weisi had received news from within his family that the Clear Sky Clan was showing signs of emerging once more. And due to his incompetent brother's relationship with Tang San, it was possible that the Clear Sky Clan would support his brother for the emperorship! Backed by a powerful sect and a Titled Douluo, even his superior capabilities would be insufficient to secure the throne without top-level martial support.
His presence here with Xue Qinghe and Su Yun was purely due to family necessities.
In families like theirs in the Star Luo Empire, the selection of the crown prince was ruthless and solely interest-driven.
In the end, Dai Weisi and his fiancée, Zhu Zhiyun, were somewhat envious of Zhu Zhuqing. At a young age, she had caught the eye of the Martial Soul Hall's Holy Son and remained within the Martial Soul Hall.
Subsequently, this Martial Soul Hall's Holy Son had demonstrated thunderous methods and exceptional talent.
Dai Weisi was not far from Su Yun, just a seat away, and he could feel the subtle soul power emanating from Su Yun, which seemed incredibly profound.
Could this guy already be a Soul Emperor?
Dai Weisi looked at the man who appeared to be about his age, and considering that Su Yun was only about fourteen years old, he felt like he had wasted his own life.
At that moment, a servant presented the list of participants for the competition.
"The teams registered for this competition are still from these major academies... huh?" Xue Qinghe browsed through the documents in her hand, her jade fingers suddenly paused, and then she showed a light smile, handing the documents to Su Yun.
Su Yun took the documents and was startled to see the information: "Didn't Blue Tyrant Academy say that they had expelled the original Shrek Academy members? Why have they allowed them to rejoin?"
Xue Qinghe and Dai Weisi shook their heads.
As for the reasons behind this, they were naturally unclear.
Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, Oscar...
Tang San, looking at the Blue Tyrant Academy's roster, noticed something unexpected. Besides the usual members of the main team, his own name was listed, and alongside his, there was a girl named Yu Qingrou.
Yu? A member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Since when were they so favorable towards Tang San? Su Yun wondered.
A thought struck him like lightning—the Sea God's inheritance! Could it be that Tang San had already disclosed his inheritance of the Sea God to them? Su Yun couldn't think of any other reason.
After all, due to Yu Xiaogang, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had a complicated relationship with Shrek Academy. Their respect for Tang San stemmed from his identity as the son of the Clear Sky Douluo, the heir to the Clear Sky Clan.
"Holy Son Su, although your Martial Soul Hall and Clear Sky Douluo had enmities, Clear Sky Douluo is gone. I hope you won't vent your anger on the next generation," Xue Qinghe reminded 'kindly.'
Su Yun responded with a carefree smile: "Of course."
"However, I am merely a holy son; the real decisions are up to my teacher and the elders of the Martial Soul Hall."
"Your Highness, rest assured, I hold no personal grudges against Tang San."
Su Yun spoke with great righteousness, as if he were a paragon of fairness.
"Heh, let's hope so," Xue Qinghe smiled and did not pursue the conversation further.
Soon after, the three officials in charge of the competition departed.
Days later, with the arrival of the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, Bibi Dong, and the king of the Star Luo Empire at the venue, a grand opening ceremony marked the official start of the competition.
Teams from various academies began their contests.
Perhaps because of their previous defeat by Su Yun, the Godwind Academy's team was exceptionally aggressive. They took on every opposing team with increased speed, seizing the moment of distraction to overpower and swiftly conclude the matches, giving no chance for comebacks.
After the matches, there were interviews by various reporters, and the unanimous sentiment among the Godwind Academy was that their inspired performance was influenced by their battle with Holy Son Su Yun.
When Tang San and others representing the Blue Tyrant Academy made their appearance, it also caused a stir among the crowd.
Seemingly through some deliberate promotion, many people were already aware of Tang San's identity as the heir of the Clear Sky Clan.
His performance against the Blazing Academy, utilizing the Stormy Hammer Technique and the Clear Sky Hammer, solidly confirmed his identity.
The moment he defeated the Blazing Academy and his identity was completely revealed, the reputation of the Blue Tyrant Academy skyrocketed.
Everyone saw the two black ten-thousand-year spirit rings on Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer.
Tang San was a dual-spirit master!
Many spectators were betting on Blue Tyrant Academy, this dark horse, to win the championship of the competition.
However, just when everyone thought Tang San would dominate the championship with his overwhelming might, Blue Tyrant Academy was unexpectedly defeated by the Tianshui Academy and the Blazing Academy, missing out on the finals.
Even more shocking, the championship was ultimately won by the Blazing Academy!
Inside the Blue Tyrant Academy.
"It's all my fault."
"If I hadn't tried to conserve strength, we wouldn't have tied, and we might have made it to the advancement matches."
"I'm sorry."
Tang San apologized to his teachers and teammates present.
He hadn't anticipated that, despite his powerful strength, he would still face setbacks in the team battles.
The strength of the Tianshui Academy and Blazing Academy should not be underestimated.
Tang San glanced at his Clear Sky Hammer in his hand, feeling regretful.
Although his Clear Sky Hammer was powerful, it only had two spirit rings, hence only two spirit abilities.
Combined with his recent team coordination, there were frequent missteps in the matches. If not for the formidable power of the Clear Sky Hammer, he might not have even had a chance to advance to the final stages.
"It's okay, Xiao San, you did your best," Flender said.
"Xiao San, the competition is not everything. Losing is not the end; there will always be another chance."
"Right, we're still young, and we will definitely become stronger."
At that moment, a charming and graceful girl approached Tang San and spoke softly, "Brother Tang San, it's also thanks to your help during this time that we were able to win so many matches. You shouldn't blame yourself."
As she spoke, the girl then looked towards the corner of the room where Ning Rongrong was sitting, adding, "Right, Sister Rongrong, don't you agree?"
The girl in the blue dress with a gentle voice was Yu Qingrou, the one arranged to marry Tang San as part of an alliance with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. When she first appeared before the group, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, almost rushing towards her eagerly. However, once they learned she was Tang San's fiancée, they wisely kept their distance.
Tang San had already established a sort of leadership within their small group, and they wouldn't dare encroach on their leader's woman. Moreover, everyone genuinely appreciated Yu Qingrou joining them due to her friendly and gentle demeanor.
Conversely, Ning Rongrong, the little princess from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was less favored by Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar. They felt that apart from her good looks, high talent, and prestigious background, there was nothing impressive about her.
When they learned that Ning Rongrong was also Tang San's fiancée, supposedly even his main wife, they privately felt injustice on behalf of Yu Qingrou.
Ning Rongrong had already shown an unfavorable attitude towards Tang San, and during the recent days of competition, her distant behavior was quite apparent. Naturally, she wasn't in a good mood towards Tang San.
Moreover, when conversing with Yu Qingrou, Ning Rongrong always felt an underlying tone in her words that she couldn't quite pinpoint, which irked her.
"Exactly, you're absolutely right," Ning Rongrong waved dismissively, unwilling to engage further with Yu Qingrou.
At Ning Rongrong's response, Yu Qingrou seemed to change color and quietly moved behind Tang San without saying anything further.
The atmosphere suddenly felt colder.
"Ning Rongrong, what kind of attitude is that?" Tang San suddenly spoke up, staring at Ning Rongrong. "Qingrou was just asking you a question. Why are you treating her with disdain?"
Tang San himself was not very fond of Ning Rongrong, especially as she often struggled to keep up with the team during their recent competition training.
He saw this as an opportunity to reprimand her.
"If it wasn't for your untimely support during the matches, we could have easily won some of them without showing all our cards," Tang San said, his tone unmistakably reproachful.
"Ha?" Ning Rongrong was taken aback, not expecting Tang San to turn the tables on her. She retorted angrily, "Don't think just because you're my fiancé you can lecture me! Besides, during the matches, it was clearly you who wanted to show off, always rushing to the front. Don't you know that I haven't perfected my multitasking support skills yet?"
"If you hadn't been so reckless, how could we possibly lose!"
Ning Rongrong stood her ground, directly countering Tang San's criticism.
"Alright, alright, Brother Tang San, Sister Rongrong, let's not fight anymore," Yu Qingrou tried to interject, attempting to "smooth" over the tension.
Ning Rongrong, having tolerated Tang San for a while, unleashed her fury. She glared at Yu Qingrou and snapped, "What does this have to do with you? Stay out of it!"
"Ning Rongrong! What are you doing?! When did Qingrou ever offend you?!" Tang San slammed the table and stood up, looking down at her.
"Exactly, Ning Rongrong, this is an academy, not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Stop acting like a princess," Ma Hongjun scoffed.
"Really, you're not acting very ladylike. Look at how gentle Qingrou is," Oscar chimed in.
"Ning Rongrong, you are indeed in the wrong here. You should apologize to Qingrou," Dai Mubai said firmly.
The other teammates also echoed this sentiment, believing Ning Rongrong was in the wrong.
Flender stepped in: "Ning Rongrong, lashing out at your teammates is a sign of incompetence. You need to apologize to everyone present."
Seeing everyone siding with Yu Qingrou, Ning Rongrong's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
These guys!
It was clearly Tang San's fault, why should she apologize?!
At that moment, Yu Qingrou "timely" approached Ning Rongrong, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Sister Rongrong, just lower your head to Brother Tang San for now. After all, we're going to be family, there's no need to be so tense."
Utterly frustrated, Ning Rongrong felt a surge of discomfort at Yu Qingrou's words.
She didn't want to stay here any longer.
Ning Rongrong brushed off Yu Qingrou's hand, pulled back her arm, and turned to leave.
However, just as she turned around, she suddenly heard Yu Qingrou's cry of alarm.
"Ah!"
(End of chapter)
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