Chapter 123: Elephant Armor Academy Eliminated

"Ah-Li!"

As the crowd erupted in cheers for Huo Wu's victory, a thunderous crash echoed from the VIP podium. Hu Yanzhen, the Sect Master of the Elephant Armor Sect—a man bold enough to defy even Ning Fengzhi—had snapped. He shattered the armrest of his chair in a fit of rage, unleashing a torrential wave of killing intent that surged toward Huo Wu.

In the original timeline, Hu Yanzhen had not attended the qualifying tournament because the Elephant Armor Academy had failed to advance from the preliminaries; naturally, he had no reason to humiliate himself by showing up. However, due to the butterfly effect caused by Xiao Yu, who had poached Huo Wu and left the Blazing Academy significantly weakened, the Elephant Armor Academy had managed to slip through. It was only natural, then, for Hu Yanzhen to attend and observe the performance of his disciples, especially his grandson, Hu Yanli, whom he viewed as his rightful successor.

As the leader of one of the seven great sects, Hu Yanzhen had become little more than a lapdog for the Spirit Hall. Despite this, Emperor Xue Ye had arranged a seat for him on the podium, right next to Platinum Bishop Salas.

Huo Wu, already exhausted to the point of collapse after using her fourth spirit ability through ring fusion, was struck by the soul-crushing pressure of a Spirit Douluo. It felt like Mount Tai pressing down upon her; her internal energy churned uncontrollably, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Insolent!"

Xuan Wu sensed the murderous pressure instantly. With a flash of movement, he appeared before Huo Wu. Releasing his full power as a Spirit Douluo, he not only neutralized Hu Yanzhen’s killing intent but forced it back upon him.

Hu Yanzhen would not reach level 89 until the Great Battle of Jialing Pass a decade later, at which point the Elephant Armor Sect would be established as the head of the new seven great sects by the Spirit Hall, which poured resources into him to make his strength as the leader of the world's premier sect more credible. Currently, his power was only between levels 85 and 86, and he naturally fell at a disadvantage against the level 88 Xuan Wu.

"Another Spirit Douluo!" Ning Fengzhi’s pupils constricted upon seeing the unfamiliar Xuan Wu. The clash of auras ended with Xuan Wu overwhelming Hu Yanzhen, indicating that his spiritual power surpassed that of the Sect Master. This man’s strength was likely infinitely close to that of a Titled Douluo. Just how many experts did the Nine Star Palace possess?

Xiao Yu, a step behind Xuan Wu, leaped onto the stage and caught the swaying Huo Wu in his arms. He glared at Hu Yanzhen and barked, "Sect Master Hu, as the leader of a sect, you attack a junior who has exhausted all her spirit energy in front of everyone? Do you have no shame?"

He then turned his gaze to Emperor Xue Ye. "Your Majesty, Hu Yanzhen has openly attacked a participating student. Will you simply stand by and watch?"

Emperor Xue Ye’s face turned livid. Hu Yanzhen’s behavior was a blatant slap in the face to the Heaven Dou Imperial family. If he did not provide a reasonable explanation to the Nine Star Academy, the prestige of the throne would be nonexistent!

He turned a dark, icy look toward Hu Yanzhen. "Sect Master Hu, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

Hu Yanzhen was secretly shocked by Xuan Wu’s counterattack; he hadn't expected someone on the other side to outmatch him. However, relying on his backing from the Spirit Hall and the presence of Platinum Bishop Salas, who was even stronger, he merely snorted. "That girl’s strike was too ruthless. Ah-Li is my successor; seeing him wounded like this, I lost my composure in a moment of panic. Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Xiao Yu’s eyes flashed with cold light as he retorted, "Spirit skills have no eyes on the battlefield. Hu Yanli’s previous attack was just as devastating; Huo Wu was merely using her full strength to retaliate. Or did you expect her to stand still and wait to be struck by his spirit skill to satisfy you, Sect Master Hu?"

"And what would you have me do?" Hu Yanzhen stepped forward to the edge of the podium and bellowed.

Xiao Yu pointed to Huo Wu in his arms. "Offer an apology and compensation! As for your violation of the rules, that is for the organizing committee to handle."

"You want me to apologize to a little girl?" Hu Yanzhen laughed in extreme fury. "Do you know who I am? I refuse. What can you possibly do about it?"

"Then try me." A killing intent began to permeate Xiao Yu’s voice.

"Enough!"

At that moment, Platinum Bishop Salas slammed his hand on his armrest and stood up, stepping beside Hu Yanzhen. "Sect Master Hu was acting out of concern for his grandson and lost his sense of propriety. Let this be a warning—do not let it happen again!"

Salas had been promoted by Bibi Dong after she became the Pope and belonged to her inner circle. However, it was Qian Renxue who understood the true strength of the Nine Star Palace. Given the bizarre relationship between the mother and daughter, unless the Nine Star Palace showed clear hostility toward the Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue couldn't be bothered to report every detail to Bibi Dong. Lacking a full understanding of the Nine Star Palace’s power, Salas chose to side with the Elephant Armor Sect, which had already pledged its loyalty to the Spirit Hall.

"A warning, indeed!" Xiao Yu sneered. "That was a truly 'fair' and painless statement from the Platinum Bishop!"

*Fool!* Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, cursed inwardly. Salas was being far too obvious in his bias. Not only did this offend the Nine Star Palace, but with so many students and teachers from various academies watching, wouldn't this unnecessarily tarnish the reputation of the Spirit Hall?