"Hmph! You're quite proud of yourself, aren't you!"
Seeing Huo Yuhao's calm and composed manner, the middle-aged man became even more infuriated and rebuked him angrily, "Do you have any idea what your actions just now imply?"
"This is a blatant intrusion into the broadcasting room, unauthorized use of Alliance equipment, and interference with the tournament's normal proceedings!"
"This is a violation of the order and rules of the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition!"
Huo Yuhao's voice remained calm. "We were merely using the available channels to issue a challenge request to Shrek Academy."
"To say we're 'disrupting the competition' is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"
"Sophistry!"
Seeing that he showed no remorse, the middle-aged man grew even more furious, his tone filled with disdain and mockery. "Just based on you few brats, you want to challenge Shrek Academy?!"
"You don't even know your own weight! This is absolute nonsense! You truly don't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth!"
Huo Yuhao didn't argue further. He knew very well that before demonstrating his true strength, any words would seem like hollow excuses and arrogance to the other party.
After all, he was challenging Shrek Academy!
However, just as the middle-aged man's angry scolding had yet to fully subside, a cold voice drifted in from the entrance of the broadcasting room.
"Shrek Academy... isn't necessarily invincible."
The middle-aged man snapped his head around, only to see a white figure standing silently at the doorway at some unknown point.
The newcomer had a tall, straight build and a cold, stern face. His ice-blue eyes were like a ten-thousand-year-old freezing pool. It was Wu Changkong, who had rushed over after hearing the news.
"Teacher!"
Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue called out simultaneously upon seeing him.
Seeing the person in charge appear, the middle-aged man's anger flared even more. His spirit power pressure, at the Spirit King level, erupted without reservation, crushing down toward Wu Changkong at the door!
His voice was stern as he tried to intimidate with his aura. "You're their teacher?! Fine, I'd like to see how you discipline—"
He stopped mid-sentence, as if his throat had been seized.
The anger on the middle-aged man's face was instantly replaced by shock!
To his horror, he discovered that his Spirit King pressure, upon reaching within three feet of Wu Changkong, vanished without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea!
Then, beneath Wu Changkong's feet, six deep spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—emerged silently one after another.
A six-ring Spirit Emperor!
A bone-chillingly terrifying aura, like a corner of a dormant iceberg suddenly revealed, instantly filled the entire broadcasting room!
The middle-aged official felt his heart suddenly contract, his breathing hitching, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
All the subsequent questions and rebukes were forced back down his throat by this absolute disparity in strength; he couldn't utter a single word.
"What's going on?!"
"Donghai Academy? What Class Zero?"
"To think they'd dare cause such a mess during the Grand Competition!"
Just then, a voice carrying clear anger drifted in from the corridor outside.
Soon, a man who looked to be in his fifties, with an exceptionally tall and burly build, strode into the broadcasting room entrance.
He had striking, fiery red short hair, a resolute face, and an imposing presence even without being angry. He was Long Huantian, the principal of Tianhai Intermediate Academy within the Tianhai Alliance, a Spirit Emperor level powerhouse.
Seeing Long Huantian, the official from before acted as if he'd found a savior. He hurriedly pointed at Huo Yuhao and Wu Changkong, speaking urgently, "Principal Long! It's them! People from Donghai Academy, breaking into the broadcasting room without permission and even publicly provoking Shrek Academy, disrupting the order of the Grand Competition!"
Long Huantian first shot a cold glance at the panicked middle-aged official, seemingly blaming him for not being able to handle such a small matter.
But when his gaze turned toward Wu Changkong, who was standing quietly at the door, the anger in his eyes was instantly replaced by a flash of ill-concealed surprise.
So young!
Based on his appearance, he was only around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, yet... he had already reached the Spirit Emperor Realm?!
What made Long Huantian even more wary was that, despite both being Spirit Emperors, he could faintly sense an aura from Wu Changkong that was even more condensed and sharp!
Instinct told him that this person's strength was likely superior to his own!
After all, Long Huantian was a principal in charge of an academy; he was well-traveled and possessed deep shrewdness.
Upon sensing Wu Changkong's extraordinariness, his original stance of demanding accountability immediately softened.
With a solemn expression, he scrutinized Wu Changkong and asked in a deep voice, "Who might Your Excellency be?"
Wu Changkong slowly turned around. His ice-blue eyes met Long Huantian's gaze without a ripple as he announced his identity in a cold voice, "Donghai Academy, Class Zero Head Teacher, Wu Changkong."
Wu Changkong?
Long Huantian quickly searched his mind for this somewhat unfamiliar name, while the surprise in his eyes deepened.
Such a young Spirit Emperor... When did Donghai Academy get a teacher of this level and potential?
Facing such a young Spirit Emperor like Wu Changkong, Long Huantian had to suppress his anger and try to make his tone sound less aggressive.
"Teacher Wu, your Class Zero students broke into the broadcasting room without permission and disrupted the normal order and proceedings of the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition. This... is hardly appropriate, wouldn't you say?"
Wu Changkong hailed from Shrek Academy, and in his bones, he upheld one of the academy's 'ancestral' traits—being extremely protective of his own.
At this moment, even though he knew Huo Yuhao had acted recklessly and was in the wrong, he had no intention of scolding his student in front of an outsider.
His ice-blue eyes looked directly at Long Huantian, his voice still cold. "This is Class Zero's own business."
The implication was: our people, our business; we will handle it ourselves, and it's not for an outsider to meddle.
Hearing this, Long Huantian felt his vision go dark, and he almost choked on his own breath. He hadn't expected this person to be so self-righteous.
Beside them, Huo Yuhao was also secretly shaking his head.
Although Teacher Wu wasn't as arrogant and unreasonable as other Shrek teachers and students he'd encountered, this undisguised coldness and stubbornness would likely only escalate the conflict and make things worse in a situation that required communication and mediation.
Thus, he stepped forward at the right moment and said clearly, "Senior, Teacher Wu is an alumnus of Shrek Academy and is a fellow disciple of Shen Yi, the teacher leading the Shrek team to Tianhai City this time."
As soon as these words were spoken, the words at the tip of Long Huantian's tongue were immediately swallowed back down.
He whipped his head around, his gaze shifting uncertainly between Huo Yuhao and the expressionless Wu Changkong.
From Shrek?! And Shen Yi's Senior Brother?
This information instantly raised his assessment of the weight of this teacher-student pair by another level.
Seeing that the other party was listening, Huo Yuhao struck while the iron was hot. "Precisely because of this connection, Teacher Wu should have the ability to persuade Shrek Academy to accept Class Zero's challenge."
Observing Long Huantian's expression, he proposed a more enticing idea.
"I venture to suggest that if this challenge could be scheduled for the closing ceremony of the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition as an extra Grand Finale Exhibition Match..."
"It would not only perfectly resolve today's minor disturbance but also add more fuel to this year's Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition, attracting more attention and boosting the event's popularity and influence."
"For the Tianhai Alliance and all the participating cities, this might... not be a bad thing, right?"
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You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion