Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Announcement, Return to Dragon Flame
And Dongfang Ren smiled too. In fact, he could finally laugh out loud.
Because the Martial Carved Profound Stones of more than fifteen Small Institutes were actually brighter than those of the twenty University Institutes.
They had won. A complete and utter victory.
At this very moment...
Across the entire training grounds, it was as if lamps were illuminating every student, simultaneously signaling the successful conclusion of the slot battle.
However, Zeng Quan and the other higher-ups from the Beast Flame Institute were trembling violently.
The members of the twenty University Institutes were also trembling. They had all considered the revival match a sure win, but they had lost.
"Cheating! You definitely cheated!" Li Wumian’s voice roared.
He was about to try again...
But suddenly, Marquis Longyin stepped onto a Demon Bird and fixed his gaze on Zeng Quan.
"A decree from the Dragon Flame King!"
"In light of the endless suppression of the Small Institutes and the baseless targeting by Zeng Quan of the Beast Flame Institute and all its deans, once the results for the Beast Flame Outer Courtyard are finalized, Senior Dongfang Ren shall be appointed Dean of the Outer Courtyard."
As his voice fell, Zeng Quan and the others stared at Marquis Longyin, their eyes filled with disbelief...
The Small Institutes, on the other hand, looked up in astonishment.
But of course, Marquis Longyin wasn’t finished. He continued to announce in a loud voice...
"Now that the results for the Outer Courtyard are out, out of respect for the Six Great Flame Countries, the outcome of this slot battle will not be overturned."
"The Outer Courtyard will be formed entirely by the twenty academies that passed."
"However, the Outer Courtyard will no longer be restricted by the Inner Courtyard. The Outer Courtyard does not need to obey any of the Inner Courtyard’s commands and will be its own independent faction."
At this point, Marquis Longyin deliberately paused.
Instantly... WHOOSH!
An uproar erupted among the Small Institutes. The faces of those from the academies with the brightest Martial Carved Profound Stones gradually lit up with excitement.
They had also been worried that after passing, they would face insane retaliation from the Inner Courtyard.
At the same time, the Dean of the Tiger Institute stepped forward with a loud stomp. "Bullshit! On what grounds does the Dragon Flame Kingdom get to unilaterally decide the affairs of the entire Beast Flame Institute?"
One by one, the deans of the Inner Courtyard also stepped forward.
Although the Dragon Flame Kingdom was the strongest of the Seven Great Flame Countries, it couldn’t be so arbitrary.
Meanwhile, a cold glint flashed incessantly in Zeng Quan’s eyes. He was from the Dragon Flame Kingdom; he couldn’t possibly stand up and openly object.
Marquis Longyin smiled coldly. "On the grounds that all of you reek of corruption."
After speaking, Marquis Longyin continued, "Now that the Outer Courtyard’s slot battle is over, all twenty qualifying academies, if you are willing, may depart with us for the Dragon Flame Kingdom immediately. We will establish the rules for the Beast Flame Outer Courtyard together."
As his voice fell, a cold light flashed once more in the eyes of the Dean of the Tiger Institute and the others...
Marquis Longyin’s intention was actually to take all twenty qualifying Small Institutes to the Dragon Flame Kingdom.
At this thought, the Dean of the Tiger Institute roared, "Marquis Longyin, don’t take it too far!"
To this, Marquis Longyin just smiled...
"If you have a problem, have your kings come talk to our Dragon Flame King."
"Oh, and when your kings arrive, be absolutely sure they explain to us why they’re always suppressing our Dragon Flame Academy."
"What did we ever do to offend you?"
"The Dragon Flame Academy represents the very face of our Dragon Flame Kingdom. For you to suppress it to death’s door and constantly resort to dirty tricks—what is the meaning of this? Have your kings come up with a good reason to explain why you’re always trying to slap our face."
Having said his piece, Marquis Longyin immediately returned to the viewing platform.
Meanwhile, Dongfang Ren flashed forward. He began to announce which Small Institutes had passed and would be entering the Outer Courtyard. There was no longer a need for Zeng Quan to make the announcement; Dongfang Ren was now the Dean of the Outer Courtyard.
One by one, as Dongfang Ren called their names, the faces of the chosen showed expressions of both excitement and complexity.
At this moment, the higher-ups of the Beast Flame Institute were rendered speechless.
This was, of course, because of Marquis Longyin’s words—his question of why the Six Great Flame Countries always had to slap Dragon Flame’s face.
This was an issue that could be either major or minor.
He had practically laid it all out in the open, asking, ’Are you Six Great Flame Countries bullying our Dragon Flame Kingdom?’ This matter was no longer about the academies; it was the Dragon Flame King himself questioning them.
And all of their previous actions had been perfectly clear for all to see.
But just then, the Dean of the Wolf Institute suddenly shrieked, "You bastards! When did we ever slap your face? All the decisions were made by your Celestial King Academy! Zeng Quan is the General Dean of the Beast Flame Institute!"
The Dean of the Leopard Institute also added heavily, "And isn’t the Dragon Flame Celestial King Academy supposed to be your face?"
To this, Marquis Longyin offered no reply, completely ignoring them.
Seeing that Dongfang Ren had finished his announcements, he chuckled and spoke.
"Now, all qualifying academies, pack your things. We depart for the Dragon Flame Kingdom immediately."
"Everyone, rest assured..."
"If we happen to run into any mountain bandits or robbers on the road, we have Fan Jinhua, a master of the Soldier Dao, who can form up troops and kill them."
Hearing this, Fan Jinhua immediately puffed out his chest and stood tall. He could be a master of the Soldier Dao again.
Everyone understood...
These words from Marquis Longyin were a threat directed at Zeng Quan and his cohort. What the crowd didn’t know, however, was that after speaking, Marquis Longyin had looked toward Lu Chao.
By now, he could of course guess that the true leader of the Chaotic Hundred Countries was Lu Chao, not Fan Jinhua.
But suddenly, the Tiger Flame Prince, Chang Qi, took a step forward and shouted, "Fan Jinhua, do you no longer wish to see your grandfather?"
He was, of course, using Fan Changcun to threaten Fan Jinhua.
Before Fan Jinhua could speak, Lu Chao cut in, "We’ll be back soon. We will form the Beast Flame Outer Courtyard, and at that time, we can see Marshal Fan whenever we wish..."
There wouldn’t be any problems on Marshal Fan’s end. As long as they still wanted to unlock the Azure Flame Forbidden Land, no one would dare touch him.
Besides, there was still the Beast Flame Martial Arts Institute to consider. They still needed Marshal Fan to impart his knowledge of the Soldier Dao and unearth new Military Geniuses.
And so, after taking a deep breath, all the qualifying Small Institutes immediately left to pack their things. Those who hadn’t passed were left looking lost and bewildered.
But Dongfang Ren said, "Anyone who is interested is welcome to come with us."
Instantly, some of the other Small Institutes started to follow, but many others stayed behind, not daring to make a reckless move.
The main reason was fear—fear of the Six Great Flame Countries.
Just like that, the higher-ups of the Beast Flame Institute watched as all the Small Institutes, including Dragon Flame Academy, departed from the training grounds.
They were all trembling violently, and one by one, they turned to look at Zeng Quan...
"General Dean Zeng, say something! Aren’t you going to do anything?" the Dean of the Tiger Institute asked frantically.
Zeng Quan, his eyes bloodshot, shot back, "What can I say? The Dragon Flame King had Marquis Longyin announce that the Dragon Flame Academy is the face of the Dragon Flame Kingdom. This means he’s coming after our Celestial King Academy!"
At these words, all the higher-ups of the Beast Flame Institute froze, completely at a loss.
Then... WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Messenger pigeons flew out one after another. They had to report the Dragon Flame King’s decision to their own kings.
"It was all the Fake Lu Chao! This is all his doing..."
"It was him! He’s the one who put us in this passive position. Now the Dragon Flame Kingdom has us by the throat!"
After sending out their messages, one by one, the deans spoke with bitter hatred...
Just as Marquis Longyin had said, from the very start of the slot battle, they had ceaselessly targeted and suppressed the Dragon Flame Academy. With this, the Dragon Flame Kingdom could stand on the moral high ground and harshly question their kings.
