Douluo: I am a biologist, awakening the weapon spirit?

Chapter 224 A Rift Has Begun
"It's not appropriate to call it a high-ranking official position."

"I'm only here to ask about today's farce."

Ci Xue put down his teacup and looked at Salas.

"What are Bishop Salas's thoughts?"

"May I ask if Your Majesty has come on behalf of the main hall, or..." Salas asked tentatively.

He wasn't sure if Ci Xue had been sent by the main hall to question him, so he needed to find out the situation first.

"You don't need to worry about that, just answer my question," Ci Xue said calmly.

The Spirit Hall's plans in the Heaven Dou Empire were a secret, known even to a select few among the consecrated members. Although Salas was a Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, he was not qualified to know about this matter, so Ci Xue did not reveal a word about it.

Salas frowned slightly, then said casually:

"It's just that a few academies have acted recklessly. Your Majesty, please rest assured that this matter will be resolved soon."

“It will be taken care of soon.” A strange smile appeared on Bloodthorn’s face.

He looked Salas up and down and said:
"You mean just dealing with those so-called audacious individual colleges is enough? If you can't handle the problem, then punish the people who caused it?"

Salas replied with a smile:

"What's wrong with that?"

"So, did you get permission from the main hall for your actions? I don't know if you're aware that a teacher at the academy you're targeting has a background with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and Ning Fengzhi's daughter is among the students. Your methods have already been detected by them. If you continue to act recklessly, do you think the Pope will drag you out to quell public anger once things get out of hand?" Ci Xue leaned back in his sofa chair and asked seriously.

“Impossible! It was Her Holiness the Pope who ordered me to probe Hydra Academy. I was just following her orders,” Salas argued.

“A test.” Thornblood chuckled. “What you’re doing now goes far beyond a test. It’s one thing to manipulate the draw in the competition, but you also sent people to assassinate the students of that academy. Is this also the Pope’s intention? Taking orders from above without authorization is hardly a loyal act, especially since that master is an old friend of the Pope.”

“Your Majesty, I did not carry out the assassination attempt,” Salas argued.

Ci Xue sneered, "Let's talk internally, no need for all that nonsense. You know perfectly well whether the assassination was related to you or not, don't you?"

Salas's face flushed red and then turned pale. He thought he had done things discreetly, but now his secret had been exposed.

As I said before, some things don't need evidence at all.

Having no other choice, he had to make amends for his actions, not only to deal with the current offerings but also to prepare for potential future inquiries from the main hall.

Ultimately, Salas did indeed over-execute the orders from the main hall.

“Your Majesty, I know the master you mentioned. I have inquired about him. It is said that he has a very bad relationship with His Holiness the Pope, which is why I targeted the Hydra Academy. As for Ning Fengzhi’s daughter, it doesn’t matter. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will be our enemy sooner or later.”

Bloodthirst looked him up and down and asked:
"How long has Bishop Salas been in Heavenly Dou City?"

"It's been decades."

"No wonder."

"Your Majesty, I don't quite understand."

Ci Xue smiled and said, "There are some things you may not be aware of, and I can't tell you them. You just need to understand one thing: the relationship between that master and the Pope is not as simple as you think."

Salas's expression changed.

“So,” Bloodthorn stood up and walked outside, “don’t take any more actions against Hydra Academy without authorization.”

He couldn't reveal the scholar's affair to Salas, so he had to use the master as a pretext. But he wasn't actually lying. Although he didn't know the specifics of what happened back then, there was definitely something between Pope Bibidon and the master, and it wasn't something that could be easily severed.

After Ci Xue left, Salas remained alone in the reception room, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

This is partly due to Ci Xue's attitude towards him. Although Ci Xue is a worshipper of the Spirit Hall and holds a relatively high position, he is still a Platinum Bishop, second only to the Pope.

As a result, when Bloodthirst arrived, he was treated like a superior reprimanding a subordinate, which naturally angered Salas.

"You, a mere member of the Temple of the Sangha, dare to interfere in the affairs of my Papal Palace?" This thought arose spontaneously in Salas's mind.

Of course, he certainly wouldn't dare say those words out loud. After all, Ci Xue was a Title Douluo, not someone he could just talk to casually.

But this matter was like a thorn stuck in Salas's heart.

Salas was somewhat skeptical of Bloodthirst's warning. He planned to probe the master's situation further to see if the master had any connection with the Pope.

Ci Xue was unaware of Salas's thoughts. He had come here on the orders of the young master, Qian Renxue, to warn Salas to stop causing trouble.

Because he was speaking on behalf of Qian Renxue, his tone was naturally somewhat condescending, like a superior reprimanding a subordinate. In Ci Xue's view, this was no big deal at all.

However, Salas was unaware of Qian Renxue's situation. In his eyes, this incident was an utter humiliation for him, as a Platinum Bishop second only to the Pope in the Papal Palace, to be disregarded by the Temple of Worship.

The rift between the two thus appeared quietly.

……

Upon returning to the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace, Ci Xue went to report back to Qian Renxue.

"Your Highness, Salas has been warned and should not do anything more."

"Hmm, not bad." Qian Renxue smiled with satisfaction.

She was very unhappy about Chen Feng's attack, but since Salas didn't know Chen Feng's identity, she couldn't do much about it.

Ignorance is no excuse, so it's enough to just tell Salas to stop. Given her current status, it's not appropriate for her to do anything more.

"By the way, Your Highness, when I came here just now, I saw Sect Leader Ning also enter the palace. He must be going to see the Emperor," Ci Xue said.

"Has the teacher entered the palace?" Qian Renxue pondered for a moment, then stood up.

"Then I should go and show my face. Although it's not good to expose what I asked you to do, I still need to let the teacher know about my goodwill towards Chen Feng."

Qian Renxue really wanted to subdue Chen Feng and make him her own, so bestowing favors upon him was naturally essential.

But here's the awkward part: Qian Renxue did indeed help Chen Feng a lot, but this help couldn't be known to outsiders, because it would expose her true identity.

So now she has no choice but to go over and make her presence known, hoping that she can show some goodwill to Chen Feng as the Crown Prince of Tiandou.

Before long, Qian Renxue arrived near the main hall of the palace, where Ning Fengzhi and Xue Ye were strolling and talking. "Greetings, Father Emperor, and greetings, Teacher," Qian Renxue said, bowing to both of them.

"Qinghe, you're here. What's up?" Xueye said in a calm tone.

“Father, it’s nothing serious. I just wanted to ask about the investigation team,” Qian Renxue said.

"Oh? You're interested in this?" Xueye asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty, since the preliminary rounds of the Advanced Soul Master Competition are being held in our Heavenly Dou, we must ensure that there are no problems. Now that such a major event has occurred, we certainly need to quell the situation as soon as possible. Therefore, Your Majesty is quite concerned about this matter," Qian Renxue nodded.

"You're very thoughtful." Xue Ye nodded slightly. "I was just discussing this matter with Sect Leader Ning, and we've already decided that Sect Leader Ning will handle it."

"Father, I would like to go with my teacher to take a look. Perhaps we can be of some help," Qian Renxue requested.

After a moment's thought, Xueye shook his head and said:
"Let Sect Leader Ning handle this matter. You are still young, and I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it well."

Qian Renxue lowered her head and looked down, no longer insisting.

"Yes, Father."

After leaving Xueye, Ning Fengzhi smiled gently at Qian Renxue.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will handle this matter well."

"I'm not worried about that, but I'm feeling a bit down," Qian Renxue sighed softly.

"Depression?"

Qian Renxue looked around; there was no one nearby. She approached and whispered:
"We all know about Xiao Feng's attack, but we can't use that to implicate Cang Hui. Just thinking about it makes me feel terrible."

Seeing Qian Renxue's worried expression, Ning Fengzhi comforted her, "I understand Your Highness's concern for Xiaofeng, but it's best not to make a big fuss about this. It would be best to resolve this matter as it is."

In fact, after Chen Feng was attacked, Chen Xin wanted to settle accounts with Canghui Academy, but Ning Fengzhi stopped him.

This would not only escalate the situation, but Chen Xin's furious revenge would also make those with ulterior motives realize that Shi Nian's attack was very likely successful, and that Chen Xin had probably failed to protect his disciple, otherwise he wouldn't be in such a hurry.

However, the truth is that Shi Nian is dead, while Chen Feng is still alive. This would make some people with ulterior motives suspicious that Chen Feng might have a way to deal with high-level soul masters, which would expose Chen Feng's trump card.

Conversely, if he remains silent and everything continues as usual, then others will not know the details of Chen Feng's attack.

Even if Shi Nian's death is confirmed later, Chen Xin's calm attitude will lead outsiders to believe that he was responsible for Shi Nian's death. He believes that he protected his disciple and at most caused the disciple to suffer a minor injury, which is why he was neither anxious nor angry.

No one would doubt Chen Feng because of this, nor would they know that Shi Nian was killed by Chen Feng.

Therefore, Ning Fengzhi believed that it was better to remain still than to take any action, and that the aftermath of the matter should be quelled as soon as possible so that people would no longer focus their attention on Chen Feng.

"That's all we can do." Qian Renxue nodded. "I wonder when Xiaofeng will wake up."

"It shouldn't be too long, I believe in the children," Ning Fengzhi said.

Inside the Hydra Academy.

Flander was explaining to the children how to deal with the joint investigation team.

"Although what you did was very satisfying, there will definitely be a lot of trouble. The investigation team should be here soon, so we need to be prepared. Those contestants from Canghui Academy have all become idiots. If this is not handled well, it will be very disadvantageous for us, especially since the Spirit Hall itself wants to target us."

"Cang Hui made Feng Ge like this, and we turn Cang Hui's players into idiots, isn't that fair?" Ma Hongjun muttered under his breath.

"Actually, if those contestants were unaware of what Shi Nian did, and didn't intend to kill us during the competition, then I wouldn't have done anything to them," Tang San said at this moment.

Chen Feng had once taught him that every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. It was right to avenge one's relatives and friends, but one should not implicate the innocent. Tang San always remembered these words.

But who made those contestants from Canghui so malicious? They not only wanted to take back Shi Nian's soul bone from Ning Rongrong, but also wanted Tang San and the others dead.

It can only be said that they brought this upon themselves.

"Then how should we deal with the investigation team?" Dai Mubai brought the topic back.

A sly glint flashed in Flander's eyes as he said:

“Since you were ‘seriously injured’ on the competition stage, you naturally need to take good care of your injuries. So you will go to a period of quiet rest, but one of you will have to stay behind to be investigated.”

"I appear to be the least injured, so I'll stay," Tang San said.

Flander nodded. "Okay, then the six of you can go with Erlong. Find a secluded place and have Zhao Wuji and Lu Qibin guard it so no one sees them. Oh, by the way, Shao Xin's Candy Bean Martial Soul has healing effects, so you can go and make an appearance with it."

At this moment, he displayed the majesty of the dean. Liu Erlong stood up and gave Tang San an approving smile. She admired the boy's decisive and ruthless methods.

After Liu Erlong and her group left, only Flander, Master, Tang San, and a few nominal substitutes remained in the room.

“Dean, if this matter is difficult to resolve, I can ask my father and Grandpa Jian to intervene. Xiao San is trying to avenge Xiao Feng, so my father and Grandpa Jian should do their part,” Ning Rongrong said.

"If the Heavenly Dou faction is going to send an investigation team, it should be Sect Master Ning and his group; the others can't handle the situation," the master said.

"So, the matter is resolved?" Xiao Wu's face lit up with joy.

Flanders hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Sword Douluo is an honorary elder of the Spirit Hall. If he were here, things would indeed be much easier for us, but there would definitely still be some wrangling."

"Honorary Elder?" Tang San asked, somewhat puzzled.

Flander nodded. "Yes, in order to win over the three upper sects, the Spirit Hall issued a Papal Decree to each of them. It is the highest token that the Spirit Hall gives to non-Spirit Hall personnel. It has six symbols on it. Anyone who holds this token has the prestige of a Spirit Hall elder. In front of the people of the Spirit Hall, it is as if the Pope is personally present. Sword Douluo holds one of them."

"Is this it?" Tang San suddenly pulled out a plaque and asked.

Flander's eyes widened. "This...was given by His Majesty Haotian?"

“Yes, Dad told me to give it to the teachers.” Tang San handed the papal decree to Flander.

Flanders was about to reach out to take it when he suddenly looked at the master beside him.

“I have a better idea.”

(End of this chapter)