Emperor Xue Ye looked at Prince Xue Xing not far away, wishing he could beat that fool senseless. How could he have such a brainless royal brother?He was extremely disappointed.
He almost wanted to kill him on the spot. If not for him, the empire wouldn't have lost face like this.
"Preliminaries, Round One, Match One, Shrek wins."
It was a total annihilation.
"Boom..."The audience below applauded in amazement. There were some skeptics, but very few.
After all, no one expected the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team to get wiped out by an unknown team of soul masters.
It was simply shocking.
Ning Fengzhi smiled as he followed Emperor Xue Ye out of the VIP section.
Platinum Bishop seemed deep in thought and also stood up to leave.
"Little monsters, you were amazing! Super cool! You really made Shrek Academy proud!"Flender gave them a big thumbs-up.
He originally wanted to use this as an advertisement for Shrek.
But the look Zhang Fan gave him immediately shut him up. He didn't dare mention advertising again. That said, he had just bet on Team Shrek to win and made ten times the gold soul coins.
Now he had made a lot of money.
He wasn't short on cash anymore.
"Alright, let's head back first,"Zhang Fan said to the others.
"Okay!"Xiao Wu and the others nodded and left.
After all, they had become the center of attention. Everyone's eyes were on them. Their outfits were so eye-catching that even some girls screamed.
Tomorrow, the real preliminaries would begin, with a full round-robin tournament lasting a month.
"Rongrong!"A familiar voice called out from the side.
They saw Ning Fengzhi standing in a corner not far from the entrance.
"Dad!"Ning Rongrong ran over excitedly and jumped into her father's arms.
"Hello, everyone!"Ning Fengzhi let go of Rongrong and smiled at the Shrek group.
Some bowed respectfully to Ning Fengzhi.
"No need to be so formal. I'm Rongrong's father, and you're her classmates—so think of me as your elder."
Ning Fengzhi smiled at Zhang Fan."Congratulations to Zhang Fan for leading Shrek to their first victory."
"You flatter me."Zhang Fan shrugged humbly.
"You're all impressive. I believe you'll reach the finals. Your real opponent may not be the Heaven Dou Empire's teams, but rather the Spirit Hall team."
Ning Fengzhi reminded them.
"Got it. No need to worry about Spirit Hall."Zhang Fan replied confidently.
Then Ning Rongrong whispered to her father, introducing the group."That's our captain, Zhang Fan. Fourteen years old. Rank 58."
"Yes, I've heard."Ning Fengzhi smiled warmly.
She finished introducing all the members.
Ning Fengzhi nodded."Your team is strong, but ultimately, you'll have to rely on Zhang Fan. He's the only one capable of beating the Spirit Hall team."
"Got it!"Ning Rongrong nodded.
"Brother Fan is definitely our backbone. With him around, we're full of confidence!"Xiao Wu said with a smile.
Everyone else nodded as well.
Off to the side, Tang San's face was extremely gloomy.
Zhang Fan shone brilliantly, while he had been reduced to a substitute. He was so frustrated he could die.
But he was helpless.
Damn Zhang Fan was just too powerful.
Worse, his fourth spirit ring had bizarrely turned into a ten-year ring.
He was totally stuck and didn't know what to do.
Right now, he didn't even have the strength to challenge Zhang Fan.
He was destined to sit on the cold bench.
All the spotlight had been stolen.
"Uncle Ning, do you have any more girls as pretty as Rongrong? I want to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
Ma Hongjun's personality was straightforward, and the moment he said that, Ning Fengzhi froze.
"Haha..."Everyone else laughed.
"With your looks? Who would want you? Your beard's longer than a grandpa's!"Xiao Wu snapped.
"Exactly!"Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes.
"..."Ma Hongjun immediately fell into a depression and couldn't say a word.
The rest burst into laughter again.
"Forget it, seriously!"
Even Ning Fengzhi, upon seeing the fatty's beard, couldn't believe it.This guy was way too narcissistic.
After his remark, the others laughed even harder.
Ma Hongjun turned visibly red.
"It's a pleasure to meet such talented youths!"
After speaking, Ning Fengzhi walked up to Zhang Fan."The Crown Prince wants to meet you."
"Oh? Then I'll go meet the Crown Prince. You ladies go ahead without me,"Zhang Fan said to the three girls.
"Okay!"They replied.
Zhang Fan followed Ning Fengzhi to a private box.
Inside, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe stood with his hands behind his back, facing the window and admiring the scenery.
"Your Highness, Zhang Fan is here."Ning Fengzhi said with a slight smile.
"Alright, teacher, please give us a moment. I'd like to speak with Zhang Fan alone."Xue Qinghe looked at Ning Fengzhi and said.
"Very well."Ning Fengzhi hadn't expected the Crown Prince to want a one-on-one conversation.
He turned and left, closing the door behind him.
"Long time no see, Zhang Fan."Xue Qinghe gave Zhang Fan a glance, eyes briefly filled with warmth before it quickly vanished.
"Yeah, long time no see. What brings Your Highness to me?"Zhang Fan feigned surprise.
"A genius among geniuses is a rare treasure. If one day the empire falls into chaos, would you stand with me or with the empire?"
Xue Qinghe looked at Zhang Fan seriously.
"If Prince Qinghe treats me well, I'll naturally stand with you. I might even persuade Sect Master Ning to support you."Zhang Fan said cryptically.
"Of course I'll treat you well. As long as you're on my side, you'll be rewarded handsomely!"Xue Qinghe was thrilled to hear this.
With such a monster-level genius on his side, it would be a massive advantage.
Rumor had it he had recently recruited the chieftain of the Strength Clan. That power would definitely come in handy.
"Here, I had someone deliver these pastries overnight from a faraway region. Try them!"Xue Qinghe motioned for Zhang Fan to sit beside him.
Zhang Fan sat to his left, picked up a piece, and ate it."Tastes pretty good."
"If you like them, take the rest."Xue Qinghe smiled, looking very approachable.
"Sure, thanks. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."Zhang Fan stood up and stored the pastries in his storage space.
"Here's one million gold soul coins for you."Xue Qinghe smiled.
"No need."Zhang Fan declined and walked to the door, opening it.
Xue Qinghe followed him out.
Ning Fengzhi was waiting nearby.
"I'll be going then, Your Highness. No need to see me off."Zhang Fan nodded to Xue Qinghe.
"Then I'll take my leave as well."Ning Fengzhi smiled politely.
"Take care, teacher."Xue Qinghe replied courteously.
Ning Fengzhi left with Zhang Fan.
"What did the Crown Prince want from you?"Ning Fengzhi asked curiously.
"He asked that if anything major happens in the empire, would I stand on his side."Zhang Fan replied calmly.
"That's serious business!"Ning Fengzhi hadn't expected Zhang Fan to be so direct.
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