Douluo: Ma Hongjun The Ancestor Phoenix!

"Aunt Yuehua, I met some good friends today, so I brought them to the teahouse for a small gathering."

Xue Qinghe stepped forward, a warm and sincere smile on his face.

At that moment, Tang Yuehua also approached the group.

"And who are these guests?" she asked, a hint of curiosity flickering in her elegant eyes.

"Let me introduce them," Xue Qinghe said. "This is Ning Rongrong, daughter of the leader of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The others are all students from her academy."

On the way, he had already inquired about everyone's basic information. When he learned that their average strength had surpassed level 30, he was visibly surprised.

If he had known that this group could break through level 40 just by obtaining spirit rings, his shock would have been even greater.

When Tang Yuehua heard Ning Rongrong's identity, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes. She hadn't expected the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to allow their precious daughter to attend another academy.

Everyone knew that members of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect rarely joined external academies. Even the prestigious Tiandou Royal Academy was no exception.

"It seems you're all quite exceptional young talents," she said, covering her mouth as she laughed softly.

After a few polite exchanges, they moved into a private room.

"This brother Hongjun is certainly outstanding. Yu Tianheng may be the pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family, but he's not on your level," Xue Qinghe said with a laugh, completely devoid of any royal arrogance.

In fact, his attitude was so respectful and humble, it would impress anyone who witnessed it.

"Your Highness is too kind," Ma Hongjun replied, sipping his tea, a relaxed smile on his face.

As Xue Qinghe observed him, Ma Hongjun was also carefully watching Xue Qinghe.

They were seated close enough that Xue Qinghe could clearly sense the calm and composure Ma Hongjun exuded.

He recalled how Yu Tianheng had previously mocked Ma Hongjun as a "country bumpkin"—an idea that now seemed utterly laughable.

Although Ma Hongjun's exact background was unknown, his quiet strength and self-assured demeanor were more than enough to show he was someone worth befriending.

The two continued their conversation with mutual respect.

The more Ma Hongjun interacted with Xue Qinghe, the more he felt the prince was gentle, refined, and easy to get along with—someone it was difficult to dislike.

But every time he remembered Qian Renxue's cold, emotionless demeanor, he couldn't quite reconcile the two.

Xue Qinghe, after revealing his true identity, had become distant and intimidating—someone whose icy presence could silence a room.

He was clearly someone with incredible willpower.

To endure the hardships of this life required more than strength—it took an unwavering heart.

Ma Hongjun had personally seen how terrifying Qian Renxue could be. That only deepened his admiration for the man sitting across from him.

"You're all extremely talented. Have you considered joining Tiandou Royal Academy?" Xue Qinghe asked, hoping to recruit them.

Oscar, who had been sipping tea idly, suddenly choked on his drink.

Cough, cough, cough...

Xiao Wu quickly handed him a napkin.

"Why are you getting so worked up?" she asked, patting his back, looking helpless.

"Royal Academy?" Oscar scoffed. "You think we didn't try to go?"

After catching his breath, he cleared his throat and continued, visibly displeased.

"The very first day we arrived in Tiandou Imperial City, we went to the academy—and your people personally kicked us out."

The humiliation from that day still burned vividly in his memory.

He had been training hard ever since to redeem that moment—to prove Shrek's strength and make Tiandou Royal Academy regret ever turning them away.

"Exactly," Ning Rongrong chimed in, clearly frustrated. "The three elders had already agreed to let us enroll. Then two people suddenly showed up, opposed it outright, and even attacked us!"

Just recalling it made her furious.

"They even sent a Titled Douluo to deal with us. If it weren't for him, Brother Hongjun would've been captured," she added.

The rest of the group began speaking all at once, recounting the events of that day in vivid detail.

Xue Qinghe's expression changed. He hadn't expected something like that to happen. His brows furrowed tightly.

Tiandou Royal Academy had been founded by the empire to recruit and nurture talented individuals from across the land. Regardless of background or status, anyone with enough ability should be welcomed.

The strongest students even received full support and training.

Xue Qinghe hadn't expected such a major misstep to occur right under his nose.

He already had a general idea of the group's strength—they were clearly among the best talents of their generation.

In fact...

He could sense the powerful aura of Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Martial Soul. That alone proved that his spirit was anything but ordinary.

How could someone with such a formidable martial soul be turned away?

How could he possibly let this go?

"Do you know who it was that drove you out?" he asked.

The Shrek team hadn't initially revealed the names of those involved.

"One of them was the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng. The other was probably Prince Xue Xing," Ma Hongjun said directly.

He knew his friends were hesitant, but he also understood the truth about Xue Qinghe and Xue Beng.

Xue Qinghe, being Qian Renxue in disguise, had no attachment to so-called brotherhood.

At this stage, Xue Beng was still playing the fool and certainly wouldn't risk exposing himself in front of Xue Qinghe.

Ma Hongjun's original intention in going to the Royal Academy may not have been sincere, but that didn't mean he could tolerate the humiliation that Xue Beng and Xue Xing had brought to them.

Even Flander had been insulted that day.

"Xue Beng?" Xue Qinghe repeated, surprised.

As his fourth younger brother, Xue Beng had always kept a low profile.

He'd always thought Xue Beng was harmless, lacking ambition or presence.

But now, it seemed he had been secretly stirring up trouble.

The elegant prince felt his heart sink.

If this was just one of the smaller things happening without his knowledge, what else had been going on in the shadows?

He had thought the Tiandou Empire was already within his grasp. But clearly, there were still schemers lurking in the dark, ready to make their move.

"I'll take care of this personally—and I promise you'll be satisfied with the result," Xue Qinghe said, the smile on his face fading into a rare expression of seriousness.

From the way these people spoke, it was obvious they now held deep resentment toward Tiandou Royal Academy.

Convincing them to join would be nearly impossible.

The only thing he could do now was to repair their impression of him—quickly.

Even if they wouldn't become allies, he would make sure they would never become enemies.