Yan Shaozhe was speechless right now.
He wore a bitter smile: "Senior, you are bullying the younger generation here!"
If he hadn't come with a mission, Yan Shaozhe might have been a bit tougher.
But right now, on someone else's turf, inside Mingde Hall, which was filled with countless spirit tools, he really didn't dare to say much.
Regarding Yan Shaozhe's bitterness, Kong Deming smiled without speaking, only watching him with a calm gaze.
The next moment, Yan Shaozhe's expression changed drastically.
Because the space where he was located began to emit a faint silver light, as if an invisible giant hand was gripping his throat.
This kind of spatial technique? This Kong Deming was truly not to be underestimated!
"Senior, Jing Hongchen was the one who brought me into the Sea Gods Pavilion previously," Yan Shaozhe said with another bitter smile.
His meaning was clear: inviting him in and then asking for an entrance fee was too unkind and lacked the demeanor of an elder.
Kong Deming smiled slightly but did not speak.
There had been no rehearsal; Kong Deming hadn't even told Jing Hongchen about Xu Tianhao's plan.
The next moment, Jing Hongchen, standing to the side, seemed to understand immediately. He snorted coldly at Yan Shaozhe and said:
"I invited you into Mingde Hall, but I never invited you into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
"Although our Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy is not exactly a den of tigers and dragons, we must still consider the safety of our students."
Hearing Jing Hongchen's words, Xu Tianhao was stunned.
He didn't expect that the Hall Master Hongchen from the original story, who was bullied by Mu En, would be so capable now!
He didn't even need a reminder; he just followed Kong Deming's lead immediately. He was truly worthy of being the person who could control Mingde Hall.
As Jing Hongchen spoke, he looked at Kong Deming.
Kong Deming nodded and continued: "Jing is right. If you are unwilling to pay the entrance fee, I will not force you."
"You can sit and discuss the Dao with me here, and by the way, confirm the details discussed earlier. When our students exchange in two years, you can return then."
Stay here for two years? Yan Shaozhe's expression immediately stiffened.
If he stayed here for two years, wouldn't the Spirit Department of Shrek Academy fall into chaos?
Unexpectedly, although Kong Deming looked calm, the pressure he exerted was becoming greater and greater.
It wasn't that Yan Shaozhe hadn't thought about escaping, but the surrounding space was completely locked.
This level of spatial mastery was probably already not below that of Elder Mu!
Although he believed that if he burned his bridges, he would still have the strength to fight.
But there was no doubt that his life would remain here.
If he fell here today, Shrek would definitely seek justice for him.
But if he was gone, what was the point of this justice?
Finally, Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and nodded helplessly: "Since that is the case, then this junior will do as the senior commands."
"It was indeed my fault for entering the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy without permission previously. This junior will leave behind a Spirit Bone as an apology."
As he finished speaking, Yan Shaozhe flipped his wrist, and a glittering golden treasure box appeared in his hand.
Yan Shaozhe handed the treasure box to Jing Hongchen and said: "This is a 75,000-year-old Explosive Kite left arm Spirit Bone. Ninety percent of the Spirit Bone's skills are assault-type Spirit Abilities, suitable for fire-attribute Spirit Masters."
Listening to Yan Shaozhe's introduction, Kong Deming nodded with satisfaction: "Flexible and resilient; it's no wonder Shrek has been able to stand on the continent for ten thousand years without falling."
After giving an insincere compliment, Kong Deming continued: "You may go. If you plan to enter without notice next time, I hope you have absolute confidence."
Speaking of this, Kong Deming's tone hardened: "Otherwise, the entrance fee will not just be a 70,000-year Spirit Bone."
As he finished speaking, Yan Shaozhe felt the pressure around his body suddenly vanish, and he instantly returned to normal.
A smile appeared on Yan Shaozhe's face. Although it was a bitter smile, it contained a sense of persistence. After bowing slightly to Kong Deming, he turned and left.
After exiting Mingde Hall, Yan Shaozhe immediately soared into the air. A pair of golden phoenix wings unfolded from his back, and he shot straight up into the sky, disappearing in an instant.
He didn't want to stay in the Sun Moon Empire for even one more second now.
This Mingde Hall was just too damn unscrupulous!
He had directly lost a top-grade Spirit Bone!
That was a birthday gift he had prepared for Xiaotao!
It was just given to Kong Deming like that!
Fortunately, Yan Shaozhe wasn't completely without gains this time; at least he had confirmed Kong Deming's strength.
Although Kong Deming's spirit power level had not broken through to Super Douluo, with the assistance of spirit tools, he likely already possessed strength comparable to a level 99 limit Douluo.
More importantly, the number of spirit tool technologies within Mingde Hall was countless, and any one of them was something Shrek did not have.
Since this exchange student plan had been confirmed, in the future, all of these would belong to their Shrek!
...
Just as Yan Shaozhe's figure disappeared from Mingde Hall, a burst of irrepressible, followed by hearty and unrestrained laughter suddenly rang out inside Mingde Hall.
The person laughing was none other than our powerful Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen.
At this moment, where was even a shred of the solemn appearance he had when dealing with Yan Shaozhe just now?
His entire face was beaming with irrepressible joy.
The lines at the corners of his eyes were tinged with undisguised delight and gratification.
Clearly, he had really been holding it in for a long time, and only now did he completely shed all his disguises, pouring out all the joy from the bottom of his heart.
He really never expected that Elder Kong would still have such an unexpected move, and even more, such a brilliant technique that made people applaud in admiration.
The dignified Dean of the Spirit Department of Shrek Academy, a renowned powerhouse in the Spirit Master's world, representing the top power of the entire Douluo Continent's Spirit Master hall...
Such a person, stepping into the gates of their Mingde Hall, actually had to be charged a so-called entrance fee?
This move was truly indescribably wonderful, wonderful to the extreme!
Jing Hongchen had been in charge of Mingde Hall for many years, dealing and negotiating with various forces, and considered himself meticulous and strategic.
But this approach, which looked simple but hit the vital point, both dampened the opponent's Spirit and occupied the moral high ground,
was something he had never thought of, even if he had racked his brains.
Clearly holding the home-field advantage, clearly Mingde Hall was in an invincible position,
yet Kong Deming had chosen the lightest, most amicable, yet most helpless way for the opponent,
to make Yan Shaozhe suffer a not-so-big, not-so-small secret loss, and he even had to swallow it and accept it.
Thinking of Yan Shaozhe's expression of having bitterness that couldn't be spoken, but having to compromise, Jing Hongchen felt even more gratified, and his laughter became even heartier.
Watching Jing Hongchen laughing from ear to ear, looking radiant, a look of helplessness also appeared on Kong Deming's face.
He slowly raised his hand and gently pointed to Xu Tianhao, who was standing straight and looking calm at the side.
With a tone containing a bit of doting and a bit of being unable to laugh or cry, he slowly spoke:
"You must not praise the wrong person. This was not my idea, nor was it an idea I had on a whim."
"It was entirely the quirky idea that this child, Tianhao, came up with."
As his voice fell, Kong Deming's gaze also fell on the treasure box in Jing Hongchen's hand, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes.
He nodded gently, his tone filled with a bit of emotion, and continued:
"However, I really did not expect that this Yan Shaozhe would be so generous."
"He was actually willing to take out such a precious item as an entrance fee. It truly makes me look at him with new eyes."