Chapter 511: Elder Xuan's Evidence
Considering that Elder Xuan had always been a staunch supporter of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, Cai Mei'er suppressed her displeasure and tried to ease the situation. "Elder Xuan, I trust Shaozhe. He has always been loyal to Shrek Academy and could never be a traitor. Could this all be a misunderstanding?"
Elder Xuan shot her a glance and sneered. "A misunderstanding? How could that be? Yan Shaozhe knows exactly what he's done. I'm ninety percent certain that he is Shrek Academy's traitor! If I'm wrong, I will resign from the Sea God's Pavilion immediately!"
Cai Mei'er was left speechless, and the atmosphere in the Sea God's Pavilion grew heavier.
Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened further. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out why Elder Xuan was so adamant about accusing him.
Could it be that Elder Mu's plan to groom him as the next Pavilion Master had reached Elder Xuan's ears?
Previously, Elder Mu had been deeply disappointed in Elder Xuan due to a series of poor decisions that had harmed the academy. As a result, he had decided to replace Elder Xuan with Yan Shaozhe as the next Pavilion Master.
If Elder Xuan had found out and was feeling resentful, it was possible he was falsely accusing him in an attempt to drag him down.
After all, Elder Xuan had spent decades as the designated successor, only to have his position suddenly taken away. It made sense that he would be bitter.
But the problem was that only he and Elder Mu knew about this. Elder Mu would never spread the news, and he himself had kept quiet because, in terms of raw strength, Elder Xuan was still more suited for the role.
Across the table, Xian Lin'er also furrowed her brows.
Although she had always thought Yan Shaozhe was a shameless womanizer and deeply resented how he had flirted with others while dating her, she didn't believe he would betray Shrek Academy.
He was Elder Mu's disciple and a powerful elder of the Sea God's Pavilion what would he gain by turning against Shrek?
Could Elder Xuan be holding a grudge over the fact that Yan Shaozhe had accidentally injured him during his Martial Soul Avatar training? Was this all just revenge?
But according to Elder Xuan, he had been momentarily distracted by Kong Deming's mental attack and had failed to fully defend himself, which resulted in his injury.
Yan Shaozhe had made a mistake, but it wasn't intentional. Besides, Elder Xuan had never been one to hold petty grudges why would he suddenly turn into someone so vindictive?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
Elder Mu scanned the faces of the gathered elders, feeling somewhat helpless. In the end, he sighed and said, "Enough, Elder Xuan. If you have concrete evidence proving Shaozhe is a traitor, I will deal with him accordingly. But if you cannot provide proof, I will consider this a baseless accusation."
Truthfully, he still leaned toward trusting Yan Shaozhe over Elder Xuan.
Elder Xuan had made too many mistakes in the past, making it difficult to place full confidence in his judgment.
For all he knew, Elder Xuan was simply mistaken.
Elder Xuan, brimming with confidence, declared, "Elder Mu, don't worry I have proof. You will soon see that I am not falsely accusing Yan Shaozhe! Let me present my case to the Pavilion."
"Our rescue mission was precisely ambushed by Kong Deming, who should have been stationed in Mingdu. This led to the deaths of Elder Lin and Elder Zhuang.
This means that someone from our academy's upper ranks leaked our plans to the Sun Moon Empire.
Yes, some people from the Three Douluo Empires knew about our operation, but only the highest ranking members of Shrek Academy were aware of the exact timing and execution details.
If there wasn't a traitor among us, how did Kong Deming know exactly when to appear at the border?
Are we supposed to believe he can predict the future?"
Hearing this, Elder Mu fell into deep thought.
Elder Xuan had a point.
Given Kong Deming's status and power, he should have been stationed in Mingdu, maintaining order. There was no reason for him to have been at the border at that precise moment, waiting for Shrek's elders to arrive.
So… was there really a traitor within Shrek Academy?
Qian Duoduo muttered, "Elder Xuan's words do make sense. If there wasn't a traitor, how could Kong Deming have been waiting for us? If he hadn't been there, our mission would have gone smoothly, and Elder Lin and Elder Zhuang wouldn't have died."
His eyes turned red as he spoke.
The deaths of those two elders had hit him hard they had both guided and helped him immensely.
And yet, he had been powerless to stop their deaths. That helplessness weighed heavily on him.
The other elders also began to see the logic in Elder Xuan's argument.
Elder Mu, however, remained cautious. "That alone isn't enough to conclude that Shaozhe is the traitor."
Still, he had made up his mind after this meeting, he would conduct a full investigation into the academy.
The traitor had to be found.
Elder Xuan continued, "Elder Mu, I'm not done.
When everyone else was igniting their Life's Flame to make a final stand, Yan Shaozhe held back. He did not ignite his Life's Flame.
Instead, he was personally rescued by Feng Ling, who took him out of the soul tool barrier.
Feng Ling is the Vice Cult Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, a powerful Super Douluo level evil soul master. Given our academy's hostile relationship with the cult, she is unquestionably our enemy!
And yet, she went out of her way to save Yan Shaozhe.
Not only that, but the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool cannons also ceased their attacks after he was rescued!"
His gaze swept across the elders like a blade. "Think carefully. Am I wrong about any of this?"
The room fell silent as the elders pondered his words.
Elder Xuan's reasoning was airtight.
Some elders even began recalling how, after Yan Shaozhe had been taken away, the soul tool cannons had indeed stopped targeting him.
Even Cai Mei'er and Xian Lin'er, who had been defending Yan Shaozhe, were beginning to waver.
There were things that, when left unsaid, could be overlooked.
But once pointed out, they became glaringly obvious.
Elder Mu took note of everyone's expressions, then turned his sharp gaze to Yan Shaozhe.
"Shaozhe, is what Elder Xuan said true?
Back then, when you let Feng Ling go, it was a grave mistake. I sentenced you to three years of confinement to reflect on your actions and cut ties with her completely.
Are you telling me you're still in contact with her?"
Yan Shaozhe's face stiffened.
The way everyone was looking at him felt like daggers piercing his skin.
He quickly replied, "Teacher, how could I possibly still be in contact with Feng Ling? I haven't seen her in years."
"As for Elder Xuan's accusations, I can explain everything."
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1