At this moment, Dugu yan's spirit power was nearly exhausted, and Tang San's reckless actions enraged her.
"Why won't you just listen to me?" she shouted.
"Are you going to save her or not?"
But Tang San, blinded by anger, wasn't in the mood to hear any explanations from his opponent. All he knew was that Dugu yan had hurt Xiao Wu. If anything happened to her, then Dugu yan had to die.
The very next second, a surge of overwhelming spirit power sent Tang San flying. Meng Shenji, in a flash, appeared beside Dugu yan. After confirming she wasn't seriously injured, he turned furiously on the fallen Tang San.
"What are you? How dare you threaten the princess of Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
"Tang San, is it? This was just a sparring match. Injuries are normal. That girl of yours isn't dead—she only fainted. If not for Lingling healing her when Yan used her fifth spirit skill, she really would have died."
Yu Xiaogang immediately rushed to Tang San's side and helped him up. Flander then stepped forward, bowing deeply to Meng Shenji.
"My apologies, elder. This was Little San's recklessness. On behalf of Shrek, I offer our apologies to your academy and to Miss Dugu yan."
Flander quietly felt relieved. Thank heavens Tang San hadn't gone as far as to drive his Eight Spider Lances into Dugu yan's body. If that had happened, once certain people heard about it, Shrek's entire group might not have walked out alive.
Still, this duel had proven something important: the students trained at Shrek were far stronger than the so-called geniuses from these academies. If all of Shrek's students reached Spirit Ancestor level, then even if Heaven Dou Royal Academy fielded three Spirit Kings, they'd still have a real fight on their hands.
Meng Shenji flicked his sleeve, his face still dark with anger. "Good. If it weren't for the respect I have for you, Flander, and the Grandmaster, I'd never let Tang San off so easily. Talent or not, he's far too impulsive. Just because a little girl got hurt, he wanted to kill? If this child stayed in Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he'd be nothing but a disaster waiting to happen. I'll have to discuss it with Elder Lin and the others again—Shrek's students may be worth recruiting, but Tang San is not."
Yu Xiaogang straightened, his voice calm but firm. "Commissioner Meng, this incident was my student's failure to control himself. Since that's the case, we no longer have the face to remain at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Thank you for your kindness, but we'll be taking our leave."
All around, Heaven Dou students were sneering at them, and Shrek found itself in an unbearably awkward position. For the sake of Shrek's honor, Yu Xiaogang made the decision himself: it was better to leave. After all, aside from better facilities, Heaven Dou Royal Academy had little to offer. Its students and overall atmosphere were rotten. If they stayed here too long, his disciples might end up spoiled, arrogant, and useless. That was unacceptable.
Meng Shenji was momentarily stunned—he hadn't expected Yu Xiaogang to leave of his own accord. After a moment of thought, he replied coolly, "Very well. Today's fiasco has indeed made it difficult for you to continue here. Still, this won't stop our academies from exchanging ideas in the future. You're welcome back any time."
Meng Shenji held a deep respect for the Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang. His words weren't completely final—he still hoped for future contact with Shrek.
"Of course. We'll definitely come again."
Yu Xiaogang smiled politely, but in truth, he had no intention of ever returning.
And so, under the whispers and mockery of the gathered students, the Shrek group left Heaven Dou Royal Academy—looking, as people said, like beaten dogs.
"Grandmaster, honestly, it's a blessing we're not studying here," Ning Rongrong said boldly as they walked through the city streets. "I've seen the place before. Other than fifty or so top students, the other three hundred are just pampered noble kids wasting time and buying a diploma."
She remembered how her father, after hearing about Ignaz, had repeatedly pushed her to enroll at Heaven Dou. If not for Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa standing up to her father, she never would have escaped the clan to join Shrek, let alone meet such talented friends.
Seeing this, Oscar quickly added, "Rongrong's right. Students who can't even take one punch from Boss Dai? That says everything about their so-called education."
The teachers, meanwhile, were relieved that Tang San's team hadn't been discouraged by the incident. Flander, brimming with confidence, said meaningfully, "Since Heaven Dou Royal Academy doesn't welcome us, we'll just go elsewhere. Heaven Dou City's got more than one advanced Spirit Master Academy."
"The Headmaster's right. Any academy would be better than this place," one teacher agreed.
Unnoticed, a cloaked man in black lingered in the shadows, listening to every word. His mouth curled into a mocking smile, but his eyes burned with suppressed rage.
"Heaven Dou Empire really has declined. Don't think you're too good for my son—because I, Tang Hao, think even less of you."
"Just wait. A year from now, under the Grandmaster's personal training, you'll regret everything you did today."
…
Meanwhile, outside the administration building, the three commissioners looked at Qin Ming with deep regret.
"Teacher Qin, you're the one we value most. You led the last team to third place in the tournament. Do you really have to leave too?"
"Thank you for your kindness," Qin Ming replied with a bow. "But I owe everything to Shrek. Now that Shrek is in trouble, I'll share in their fate. As for leading the next team in the tournament, I'm sure the academy will find someone better suited."
"Take care, commissioners."
With that, Qin Ming turned and left without looking back, running in the same direction as Shrek's departing group.
That evening, back in their dorm, Dugu yan and Ye Lingling sat in silence, weighed down by guilt over the day's battle.
"Ling, it was all my fault. If our teamwork had been tighter, Tang San's group wouldn't have gained the upper hand, and you wouldn't have been put in danger."
"Yan, don't blame yourself. The only ones on our team who could suppress the enemy were Shi Mo, Shi Mo's brother, and you. If we'd had even one more strong attack-type or agility-type Spirit Master, fighting five against six—or even seven—wouldn't have been a problem."
Ye Lingling was deeply shaken by the flawless cooperation within Shrek's team. If their own group had that kind of unity, they'd be unstoppable. But in the end, their biggest weakness was numbers, especially a lack of powerful attackers and agile fighters.
Still, as the two exchanged glances, an unspoken understanding passed between them, and they said in unison,
"That lying scoundrel should be back any day now."