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"Oh, here they come, here they come!"

The atmosphere was most tense among those waiting on the second layer. Unable to see the battle, they could only silently guess the outcome. Nearly two hours were about to pass, and even the students who were always full of confidence in their dean were starting to worry.

Even the composed Shen Yuan had a hint of concern in his eyes.

He had a very good impression of Dean Chen Ying.

This woman was cold to everyone but also fair to all.

If you had talent, she would recommend more resources; if your talent was lacking, she would give you more time.

This was unlike the Yin Yang Academy in the Capital City, which was rife with exchanges of interests among the major families.

He really liked this clean academy, but if Chen Ying had an accident and someone from the Shen Family or someone else took control of the academy, whether it would remain this clean was uncertain.

Now, as a white light lit up, all the youngsters from Jiangnan gathered around, including Shen Yuan. If it wasn’t Chen Ying who came out, they at least needed to know the status of their dean’s safety immediately.

"Dean?"

A familiar figure brought a gleam of joy to everyone’s eyes as they hurried over, but after the initial joy, Shen Yuan immediately showed a grave expression.

He noticed the dean’s complexion was very poor and her walk seemed quite weak.

Those on the outside looked on with detached curiosity.

Su Changqing nodded slightly. Zhou Yuntao, who had been newly added to the second layer, had not participated in the first trial.

According to the introductions from the Heavenly Master Mansion, he had been personally invited by them.

From what he had gathered, Zhou Yuntao had been one of the four original candidates selected.

Considering the performances of the four candidates from the Four Holy Gate, this Zhou Yuntao was definitely strong!

In winning this battle, Chen Ying lived up to her reputation as the dean of Jiangnan.

This reminded him once again of the girl younger than himself who, years before, had stood straight as a javelin behind his master in the face of oppression and humiliation from the prestigious families.

In just a few short years of not seeing her, she had become someone capable of holding her own.

He wondered if the Elders of his family regretted their decisions back then?

At this moment, just as Su Changqing had thought, the faces of the many Su Family Elders in Zhenghe Hall were incredibly complex.

Clearly, they all remembered the times when they had joined Su Changqing in bullying and humiliating Mu Hongqing and this girl.

"Prince Feng has an extraordinary eye indeed," Chen Baifeng remarked as he watched the scene in the crystal.

The space where Chen Ying had fought had not yet faded from view.

In the scene, Zhou Yuntao, who had had a strong advantage, was now bisected, his eyes lifeless and his blood dyeing the surroundings red.

The astonishing White Tiger Sorcerer had lost just like that?

Even now, many people had not yet snapped back to reality from the shock of the battle scene.

Chen Ying won the battle in an extremely thrilling and clever manner. As a spectator, it was incredibly satisfying to watch.

Nobody expected that Chen Ying would be able to turn the tide in that manner at the last moment.

Chen Baifeng, recalling the battle, thought that the young man named Zhou Yuntao not only possessed strong spiritual power but his techniques were also terrifying.

Even though he now had the True Dragon Bloodline and some secret weapons from the Southern Sea, he dared not claim he could certainly defeat that junior.

Even he had thought that Chen Ying was doomed, but at the crucial moment, such a reversal occurred.

Zhou Yuntao, who had suffered defeat, must have felt quite stifled, right?

To think he had been outmaneuvered from the very start.

Indeed, just as Chen Baifeng had thought, Zhou Yuntao was feeling extremely conflicted at this moment.

He felt that his techniques and control of the situation had been vastly superior. He had never expected that sometimes, certain stratagems really could change the course of battle.

At the time when he thought he was sure of victory, a blade from behind bifurcated him. The space was too close to him, resulting in him being unable to stop it with his own techniques in time.

Yes... he had been bifurcated by his own technique!

The reason was quite simple: Chen Ying had left a marker at the very spot where she had been standing, so that when someone pursued her, they would end up at that location—and that... was the trap set by the other party.

Who would have thought that this woman would set up two markers at this isolated spot? It was impossible to guard against...

She must have begun plotting from the moment she knew about the sharpness of my Kang Gold, hadn’t she?

She had calculated that I would rely on speed to actively attack her, and she also foresaw that I would imbue her spatial passage with White Tiger Sorcery.

Back when Lumings lost to her schemes, I merely thought these warriors were too simple-minded, but now that it’s my turn, it’s the same case.

Really... I lost fair and square...

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"Your Highness, when you used Azure Dragon Sorcery to recruit Chen Ying under your command, many felt you gave her too much honor. Now it seems, Lord Wang, your vision was indeed remarkable."

Hearing this, Chen Qing couldn’t help but smile slightly. A joke, right? The Mirror Demon personally appraised her as a top talent—how could that possibly be wrong?

What’s key is that such a talented woman also happened to be the most diligent of all, a fact known by few.

This woman slept only two hours a day, and as the dean, she worked harder than any disciple at the academy.

When someone with talent buckles down, it leaves no room for ordinary people to succeed.

Why would I trust her enough to send her here?

Because five days ago, during a contest, Murong Yunji lost to Chen Ying!

Five years ago, Murong Yunji was Super First Rank, a renowned figure as the Prince Feng in the North, while Chen Ying was but a Fourth Rank Magician, a junior. In merely five years, under the same cultivation conditions, Chen Ying had caught up with the equally talented Murong Yunji.

This rate of improvement was truly frightening. Nowadays, among the magicians in our power structure, only Zi Yue and the top three of the Shen Family, those in charge of the Yinyang Academy, could confidently claim to suppress this girl.

"Visionary is an overstatement," Chen Qing said with a laugh. "It was merely picking up something missed by others; you flatter me too much, everyone."

His comment about ’picking up something missed’ made the elders from the Su Family look even more sullen. ’Picking up something missed?’ So he was implying they had been blind?

Even Chen Baifeng’s smile now carried a touch of embarrassment.

Back then, the Chen Family had not deliberately humiliated Mu Hongqing and his disciple.

They had rejected them politely, but thinking about it now, they had truly deserved their loss.

With the next generation of the Chen Family showing scarce talent, except for the fourth youngest Chen Ye, there was no one else notable.

If they had brought in Chen Ying at that time, they wouldn’t have left Chen Ye to fight alone now.

"Hmph..." One of the Su Family elders snorted coldly. "Don’t get too pleased with yourself, Prince. You saw it yourself just now—Chen Ying was severely injured. Whether she can come back alive is still up for debate."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing still responded with a mild smile. "I have quite a lot of faith in my children, but I wonder if you elders have the same confidence in yours. After all... your Su Family only has a single seedling left."

"You!!"

"Alright, alright..." Chen Baifeng intervened with a resigned face, attempting to mediate.

On the surface, the Southern Sea appeared to be under Royal influence, but in secret, it had frequent commerce with Jiangnan.

They had collaborated a lot over the past year and could be considered actual allies.

Moreover, both parties were now in the mysterious Yundu, with the situation uncertain; it might be necessary to join forces later on, so it did not bode well to fall out with each other.

Seeing Chen Baifeng stepping in to mediate, Chen Qing no longer bothered to argue with the few old heads of the Su Family. His attention returned to the screen where Zhou Yuntao, who was beginning to show signs of losing life, sparked a hint of doubt in his eyes.

The Heavenly Master Mansion did not seem to have the intention to save him.

Would one of the Four Saints’ sorcerers truly allow him to die just like that?

In his mind, Zhou Yuntao was supposed to be a key part of the Heavenly Master Mansion’s covert plans. Now that he died in such a manner, was there really no reaction at all?

Or had he been overthinking it, and there was actually no conspiracy? Perhaps the Four Saints’ sorcerers and the Four Holy Gate were merely a coincidence?