Chapter 288: Elemental Academies vs. Shrek

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan also had intentions of annexing the Elemental Academies to bolster its own strength, but their desire was far less urgent than Yu Xiaogang's.

After all, while the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had suffered heavy losses, its legacy remained intact, and its enviable wealth was still secure. Compared to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, which was now little more than a name, they were in a much better position.

In his burning impatience, Yu Xiaogang—somehow finding the courage—pulled out the contract signed by Huo Yang, Shui Qingwu, and Feng Lin, the three deans, and stepped forward to confront Xiao Yu. "Your Excellency may be a Titled Douluo, but we must still speak of reason. Here are the personal signatures of the three deans—can Your Excellency simply ignore them?"

Slap!

Without hesitation, Xiao Yu delivered a resounding slap to Yu Xiaogang's face. "You dare talk about reason? I think you know better than I do under what circumstances those three deans signed this contract. If you've truly discarded your shame, I don't mind helping you out!"

Slap!

Still reeling from the first blow, Yu Xiaogang received another hefty slap. "Also, I'm a Titled Douluo, and you, a mere Great Soul Master—who gave you the guts to question me?"

Slap!

A third slap followed in quick succession. "And take a look at your Shrek's teaching standards. Blazing Fire, Divine Wind, and Tianshui are top-tier academies with over a thousand years of history. What's your third-rate, backwater academy trying to do by clinging to them—drag down their level?"

"What do you mean by that?"

At this, Flander—who had been clinging to Liu Erlong—and Zhao Wuji—who had been standing with arms crossed, watching the drama unfold—could no longer hold back. To them, Shrek was the fruit of half a lifetime's effort, more precious than their own lives.

Together with Liu Erlong, who had long been unable to restrain herself, they charged forward.

"Your Excellency, your words are simply too much!"

Flander's face was flushed with anger. "Shrek may have been founded more recently, but we have our own teaching philosophy and a strong faculty. We're not the third-rate academy you claim!"

Liu Erlong first pulled Yu Xiaogang—whose face was now swollen from the slaps—behind her before speaking. "In the last Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition, our Shrek achieved a top-three finish. Emperor Xue Ye even awarded Shrek a medal for outstanding schools!"

"Liu Erlong, are you genuinely clueless or just pretending?"

Xiao Yu sneered. "Shrek got that top-three finish because of your students' strength? No, it was thanks to that 'good brother' you're protecting behind you—his old flame pulled strings and let you coast straight to the finals!"

"You're full of crap!"

Liu Erlong's face turned red with fury.

Flander's expression darkened as well, his voice cold as he spoke. "Your Excellency, Shrek will not tolerate such insults. Please retract your earlier words, or I, Flander, will defend Shrek's honor even if it costs me my life!"

Huo Wu let out a cold laugh. "Retract what? Plenty of people here attended the last Soul Master Competition. Everyone knows what kind of opponents Shrek faced before the finals. What, can't handle a little truth now?"

Flander, trembling with rage, looked like a balloon about to burst. The veins on his neck bulged, his face flushed red, and he pointed at Huo Wu, momentarily speechless.

Huo Wu snorted disdainfully. "What, not convinced? Fine, let's settle it with a match. Let's see who's stronger—the students of Blazing Fire, Divine Wind, and Tianshui, or the ones from your Shrek!"

"Fine!"

At that moment, Gu Rong—who had been silent until now—suddenly raised his head and fixed his gaze on Xiao Yu. "Xiao Yu, since it's come to this, why not settle it with the soul master world's rules and a wager? If the Elemental Academies win, the agreement between Divine Wind, Tianshui, Blazing Fire, and Shrek becomes void. But if they lose, not only will you retract your insults about Shrek, but Divine Wind, Tianshui, and Blazing Fire will merge into Shrek as per the original contract."

Gambling matches seemed to be a hallmark of the Douluo Continent. Though Xiao Yu found the concept absurd—why give the enemy a chance to fight back when you could just crush them outright while holding the advantage?

However, in the Douluo Continent, gambling matches held an extremely high status. If someone refused a wager, their reputation would undoubtedly plummet.

Given Xiao Yu's current status and position, he naturally wouldn't do anything to tarnish his own name. But that didn't mean he'd carelessly step into the trap Gu Rong had set for him. "Do you take me for a fool? The Elemental Academies don't belong to Shrek to begin with—how can they be used as your bargaining chip? Even if you lose, you wouldn't suffer the slightest loss!"

"Then what do you propose?"

Gu Rong let out a cold snort. This Xiao Yu, young as he was, was sharp as a tack. Unfortunately, his wings had fully grown, and there was no longer any way to deal with him.

"First of all, the Elemental Academies aren't my property—I have no authority to decide for them!"

Xiao Yu turned to Huo Ao and the others. "Seniors, are you willing to participate in the wager Gu Rong proposed and face off against this Shrek Academy?"

This gesture caused Huo Ao and the others' goodwill toward him to skyrocket. Given the current situation, even if Xiao Yu had overstepped and made the decision for them, they wouldn't have had much to say. Perhaps there was an element of theatrics in Xiao Yu's actions, but this show of respect still gave them immense satisfaction.

"Everything is up to Your Excellency!"

The group handed the decision-making power to Xiao Yu without hesitation. Xiao Yu didn't bother with further pleasantries and immediately issued a new wager on behalf of the Elemental Academies against Shrek:

"If Divine Wind, Blazing Fire, and Tianshui Academies lose, those three academies will merge into Shrek. But if Shrek loses, there's no need for Shrek to join the Elemental Academies and drag down their level—all we ask is that Shrek hands over its current campus to the Elemental Academies!"

"Fine, we'll take the bet!"

Feeling that Shrek had been gravely insulted, Flander accepted the wager without a second thought. Ning Rongrong, the outstanding graduate and young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, took a bold step forward and declared loudly, "However you want to compete, bring it on!"

"Three versus three."

Xiao Yu said calmly, "From our side, Blazing Fire, Divine Wind, and Tianshui will each send one representative. Shrek will send three as well. One match decides the winner!"

"Wait a moment!"

Gu Rong fixed his gaze on Xiao Yu and said, "Since this is a contest between the Elemental Academies and Shrek Academy, I assume you won't be participating?"

Xiao Yu shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not a student of the Elemental Academies, so of course I won't take part!"

Without the opportunity of the immortal herbs, Shrek was nothing special. Their strongest, Tang San, and their second-best, Dai Mubai, weren't even present. With Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er—who had absorbed the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Essence—and Feng Xiaotian, who was born with innate full soul power, dealing with them would be more than enough.

(End of Chapter)

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