Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 373 Ma Xiaotao: Can you please stop being so narrow-minded?

On the stage, after kicking Wei Hong into a coma with a single blow, Ma Xiaotao shielded He Caitou behind her and then stared coldly at Zheng Zhan.

Zheng Zhan couldn't help but shudder, but he suppressed his fear and shielded Xu Tianzhen behind him, silently praying that Ma Xiaotao would stop. He was genuinely terrified. His strength was similar to Wei Hong's; if Ma Xiaotao could severely injure Wei Hong with a single kick, it meant she could do the same to him!

Although Wei Hong was attacked by Ma Xiaotao without warning, Wei Hong was a standard Soul Master, while he was just a weak Soul Master. Moreover, the Soul Rings shining behind this woman were too frightening. Six black and three red Soul Rings, he had only seen such a Soul Ring configuration in books!

Below the arena, the Tang Clan members in the waiting area all breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Ma Xiaotao save He Caitou. No matter what secrets He Caitou was hiding from them, he was a member of Shrek Academy, the third disciple of the Tang Clan, and a family member like brothers to them. How could they stand idly by and watch He Caitou be killed? If they weren't so weak, they probably would have rushed onto the arena long ago to fight alongside He Caitou.

In the rest area, besides Shrek Academy, there were also the Snow Demon Sect and the Holy Spirit Sect. They were mostly just watching the show until Ma Xiaotao appeared, which made their expressions serious.

"That's... Shrek Academy's captain from the last tournament, right?" Inside the Snow Demon Sect, their team leader was also the previous leader of the Imperial Ao Academy, so he recognized Ma Xiaotao. He was even more shocked, his face filled with astonishment, "She...she's not even twenty-five years old yet, and she's already a Title Douluo? Shrek Academy is truly not to be underestimated!"

Hearing the team leader's words, Vina couldn't help but purse her lips. She really wanted to say that a twenty-five-year-old Title Douluo was nothing, that Zhu Ziyang reaching Title Douluo at twenty was truly frightening. However, she ultimately didn't say anything, afraid of discouraging her teammates.

On the platform, Ma Xiaotao's appearance shocked Xu Tianran and the others, especially the black-robed national teacher. He stood up and stared at Ma Xiaotao with a gloomy expression, gathering black energy in his hand, ready to make a move at any moment. However, as if he had thought of something, the black energy in his hand dissipated, and he sat down again, but his face was terribly gloomy.

"Shrek Academy, what do you want?" Compared to the black-robed national teacher's apprehension, Xu Tianran was furious. He felt as if his face was being rubbed hard against the ground. He shouted at Ma Xiaotao.

"What do I want to do? It should be what you want to do, right?" Ma Xiaotao sneered. "You should know that it was your people who broke the rules first and attacked the Tang Clan's contestants!"

"That's because he has shown utter disrespect to my Sun Moon Royal Family!" Xu Tianran said angrily. "Anyone who disrespects my royal family should be executed!"

This was just a high-sounding excuse. Everyone present, except for the most oblivious, understood that Xu Tianran wanted to kill He Caitou simply to eliminate any potential threats.

"I don't know how he disrespected your royal family?" Ma Xiaotao continued, feigning ignorance. "Was it because he defeated your princess in the arena? Or did he mention some secrets of your royal family?"

"Hmph!" Xu Tianran struggled to remain rational, letting out a cold snort, and said, "He impersonated a member of my royal family and insulted me, the Regent of the Empire. These two points alone are enough to warrant a death sentence!"

"First of all, He Caitou is a disciple of Shrek Academy. Even if he is guilty, it should be Shrek Academy that decides his case. Secondly, you say he impersonated a member of the royal family. Do you have any evidence? Just based on a few words from him? If that's the case, your country's late emperor died in the chaos caused by evil soul masters. This is a fact announced by your royal family. Is that false?" Ma Xiaotao said with a sneer. "Finally, he only insulted you a few times. As a grown man, and a monarch at that, magnanimity is an essential virtue. So can you please stop being so narrow-minded?"

"You..." Xu Tianran was practically spitting blood, his face turning bright red and seeming to swell up a size. Orange, sitting next to him, could only try her best to help him catch his breath. "...Hmph! Very well, I'll remember your words!"

After saying that, Xu Tianran grabbed Ju Zi's hand and placed it on the armrest of his wheelchair. Ju Zi immediately understood his meaning and pushed Xu Tianran away from the podium.

This farce ended abruptly with Xu Tianran's embarrassing situation, but his influence was far from over, or rather, it was only the beginning. Its aftershocks were destined to spread throughout the entire Ming capital and even the entire Sun Moon Empire, thanks to the tens of thousands of spectators present.

The truth behind the infighting within the Sun and Moon royal families was laid bare to the public for the first time. The facts that the Sun and Moon royal families and the authorities had tried so hard to cover up were gradually revealed. This was just the most superficial result of this farce.

The deeper consequence is the impact on the social balance of the Sun Moon Empire and the ruling class, which in turn is an impact on the prestige of the current royal family. After all, an illegitimate accession to the throne is an indelible stain and nightmare for any monarch.

The saying goes, "If the name is not correct, the words will not be proper." Unless one possesses overwhelming military power, no one dares to underestimate the power of the people's hearts, much less challenge it. Once the people lose trust in the Sun and Moon Imperial Family, it will be a fatal blow to the Sun Pulse. Unfortunately, the Sun Pulse does not possess the overwhelming power to dominate the world.

Therefore, Xu Tianran chose to leave directly, withdrawing from this place of trouble, and then make further plans. Fortunately, Rimai had previously enjoyed considerable popularity, so one farce was not enough to shake their rule. What Xu Tianran needed to do next was simply to control public opinion and then find an opportunity to eliminate Xu Tianhe.

A corner of the audience seats.

"I have to say, Xuanzi, your Shrek Academy is really amazing! You actually managed to find the former crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire and even get him to willingly betray his own family. You're incredible!" Du Busi gave Xuanzi a thumbs up and said with great admiration.

"Heh, this isn't due to our academy's skill, but rather to people's hearts." Xuanzi didn't turn around, continuing to eat his chicken leg and drink his wine, before uttering a rather pretentious remark, "Those who follow the righteous path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little!"

"Pah!" Poisonous Undying was caught off guard and couldn't help but spit at Xuanzi, and the spit landed right on Xuanzi's chicken leg.

The two froze instantly, and then the two old men disappeared from the audience at the same time, and a fierce battle broke out in the mountains dozens of miles away from Mingdu.

On the stage, Zheng Zhan was momentarily bewildered, unsure of what the match entailed, and thus remained frozen in place.

Xu Tianzhen, protected behind Zheng Zhan, didn't freeze. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions; the initial innocence was gone. She looked at He Caitou and said, "Brother He, I will find out the truth!"

"Mingdu Soul Master Academy concedes defeat!" After saying this, the girl stepped off the stage and, with the help of her teammates, walked towards the exit of the venue.

"Hey, can you stop spacing out?" Ma Xiaotao yelled at Zheng Zhan, "Can we announce the results of the match now?"

"Oh, oh!" Zheng Zhan finally came to his senses, glanced fearfully at Ma Xiaotao, and immediately announced, "Tang Sect wins!"

Upon hearing the result, He Caitou couldn't tell whether he was happy or sad. He just felt very lost. After venting his frustrations, he realized the consequences of his actions: would his companions still accept him?

"Let's go, let's go downstairs," Ma Xiaotao said to He Caitou. "You can explain to Tang Ya and the others yourself."

After saying that, Ma Xiaotao flashed back to Zhu Ziyang's side. She immediately giggled and asked for praise, "How was it? Did I do a good job?"

"Of course!" Zhu Ziyang smiled and held Ma Xiaotao's small hand, praising her, "Your words to Xu Tianran about not being narrow-minded were really powerful. If Xu Tianran had a weaker mental fortitude, he probably would have vomited blood."

"Hahaha!" Ma Xiaotao couldn't help but laugh and said, "I was just saying it casually, I didn't expect it to lead to this result."

"In short, well done." Zhu Ziyang summarized the farce. Although it happened suddenly and was beyond his expectations, the result was unexpectedly good. At least it was a genuine unexpected event, rather than a premeditated attack, which saved a lot of trouble beforehand.

(End of this chapter)