...
Tian Dou Royal Academy, Grand Plaza.
On the platform, Xuan Hao stood on a temporarily raised wooden box, his hands behind his back, his young face full of heartache and remorse.
His eyes were like those of an old father who was disappointed in his sons.
Behind him, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng stood in a straight line.
Dugu Yan looked utterly hopeless, Ye Lingling was counting ants with her head down, and Yu Tianheng had a bruised and swollen face with empty eyes, as if his soul had left his body.
They were "forcibly conscripted" by Xuan Hao.
In Xuan Hao's words, "With such a grand event like this, wouldn't it make me look like I have no prestige if I didn't have a few decent underlings to support me?
The three of you have strong enough backgrounds; just standing there, you're living billboards!"
The three of them represent the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Dugu Bo, and the Nine Heart Begonia Clan.
This lineup is certainly impressive.
"Cough cough."
Xuan Hao cleared his throat, and his voice, carrying a faint hint of imperial might, echoed across the square:
"Classmates, I am very disappointed."
"Very disappointed!"
The nearly 500 trainees below the stage all had their heads down, some with bruises and swelling, some with bandages, and some with crutches, but they didn't dare to even breathe loudly.
They were beaten so badly over the past three days that they were terrified.
"To be honest, before coming here, I longed to visit the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Xuan Hao sighed, his tone filled with heartache, "I thought that the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy was the most prestigious academy in the entire empire, a place that gathered the most outstanding young generation of the empire, the pillars of the empire's future."
"This place should be full of talented people and strong individuals, and it should be brimming with passion and fighting spirit."
"I thought I would meet a real opponent here and see the hope for the future of the empire."
"But what was the result?"
Xuan Hao's gaze swept across the entire room like lightning, and his voice suddenly rose:
"What I see is a bunch of ugly ducklings!
A bunch of hothouse flowers!
A bunch of good-for-nothings who can't do anything but rely on their fathers' connections and backgrounds!"
"The oldest of you are already in your twenties, and some of you are about to become fathers.
Most of the younger ones are twelve or thirteen years old. And me? I'm not even nine years old yet!"
"I alone can take down your entire school!"
"What is this?
This is a disgrace!
A complete and utter disgrace!"
"Ask yourselves honestly, do you deserve the prestigious name of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy?
Do you deserve the nurturing your families and the empire have given you?!"
Many trainees blushed, and quite a few clenched their fists, their eyes flashing with shame and resentment.
"You're not convinced?"
Xuan Hao sneered and pointed at the audience below:
"If you're not satisfied, come up here! I'm standing right here! Whoever can beat me down, I won't just waive the protection fee, I'll even give you 10,000 gold soul coins!"
The entire room fell silent.
No one dared to make a move.
Those dozens of "martyrs" who were still lying in the treatment room have already demonstrated the price of impulsiveness through their bloody lessons.
"Look at you! Look at the cowards you all are!"
Xuan Hao pointed at them with a look of exasperation:
"They don't even have the courage to resist!
Is this the future of the Heavenly Dou Empire?
Is this the backbone of the empire?!"
"How shameful! I'm ashamed for you!"
"I know some of you might say, 'Oh, you're so talented, you're a monster, it's normal that we can't beat you.'"
"Is this a reason?
It's an excuse! It's a coward's fig leaf!"
"Have you ever considered that the Heaven Dou Empire today is just like you are now?"
Xuan Hao opened his arms, his voice becoming impassioned and tragic:
"Thinking back to a thousand years ago, when my Heavenly Dou Empire was first established, how glorious it was!
How domineering it was!
At that time, the Star Luo Empire was probably still playing in the mud in some remote mountain valley!"
"But what about now?"
Xuan Hao's tone shifted, becoming sorrowful and grief-stricken:
"The Star Luo Empire is constantly preparing for war, with each generation stronger than the last.
Their royal competition is brutal, but it has also cultivated countless true powerhouses.
Their army is iron-blooded, and their soul masters are fierce and brave!"
"And what about us?
The Heavenly Dou Empire is getting weaker and weaker, each generation is worse than the last!
What can you so-called elites do all day long besides eating, drinking, having fun, and comparing your family background?!"
"Students, be prepared for danger even in times of peace!!"
Xuan Hao roared in anguish:
"Have you ever thought about what will happen if things continue like this?
Ten or twenty years from now, when the Star Luo Empire's army is pressing in, when their Soul Master legions are trampling down our borders..."
"What will you use to defend yourselves then?!"
"With your bloated bodies?
With your hands that only know how to harass decent women?
Or with your knees that only know how to kneel and beg for mercy when faced with a strong opponent?!"
Many people in the audience began to change their expressions.
Humiliation, if it's just simple insults, will only provoke resentment.
But if humiliation is mixed with a sense of national duty and a suffocating sense of crisis, the effect is completely different.
"Let me tell you! When that day comes..."
Xuan Hao's eyes were icy as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly:
"Your land will be occupied by the Star Luo people!"
"Your wealth will be plundered by the Star Luo people!"
"Your women will become playthings for the Star Luo people!"
"And your men..."
Xuan Hao's gaze swept over the group of male students below the stage:
"They will become slaves of the Star Luo Empire! Even... eunuchs in the Star Luo court!!"
"Serving them tea and water!
Taking care of their sleep! And you can't even leave a child!!"
"boom--"
These words were like a bombshell, striking the hearts of these pampered aristocratic youths.
Especially the last word "eunuch," which made all the male trainees present feel a chill in their crotches, a cold air rushing from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.
The nation was destroyed and the race was wiped out! We were enslaved!
This is an humiliation that no man with any sense of decency can tolerate!
"No...it's impossible..."
Someone retorted, trembling, "We...we still have the royal family, and the army..."
"army?"
Xuan Hao scoffed, "You are the future army commanders!
You are the future pillars of the empire!
With all of you acting like this, who do you expect to protect you?
Do you expect the Star Luo people to have mercy on you!?"
Stop dreaming!
"Only by becoming strong yourself can you truly be strong!"
"Only with strong fists can you protect your wealth and status!
Only with strong fists can you protect your dignity!"
Xuan Hao waved his hand, pointing to Yu Tianheng and the other two behind him:
"Look at them!"
"Yu Tianheng, a young genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! Dugu Yan, granddaughter of a Title Douluo!
Ye Lingling, successor of the Nine Heart Begonia!"
"Which of them isn't of higher status than you?
Which of them isn't more talented than you?"
"But in these past few days, have they uttered a single complaint?
Have they uttered a single word of weariness?
After I beat them up, did they get up and keep fighting me, or did they lie on the ground like you guys and pretend to be dead?!"
Yu Tianheng: "..."
Please stop talking, please stop talking.
I was beaten so badly I couldn't stand up!
But in the eyes of the audience, Yu Tianheng and his two companions, who were standing straight with bruises on their faces, suddenly appeared much more impressive.
yes!
Even the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was beaten like this and still persisted.
What right do they have to complain?
What right do they have to cower like cowards?
A mix of emotions—"passion" and "shame"—began to spread in the hearts of these spoiled rich kids who usually just laze around doing nothing.
"tell me!"
Xuan Hao, seeing that the crowd's emotions had been stirred up, asked loudly:
"Do you want things to become like that?!
Do you want to watch your families perish and your country fall?!"
"In no mood!!"
No one knows who started it, but a roar suddenly erupted from the crowd.
Then, more and more voices joined in, converging into a wave of sound:
"No! No!!"
These pampered aristocratic children experienced a sense of crisis for the first time, and the pain of being slapped hard by reality made their blood boil.
"Speak louder! Haven't you eaten?!"
Xuan Hao roared, "Do you want to become a eunuch for the Xingluo people in the future?!"
"In no mood!!!"
This time, the voices were much more unified, and even carried a hint of anger.
"very good!"
Xuan Hao nodded in satisfaction.
"If you don't want to, then straighten your back!"
"I'm not collecting protection money from you for my own benefit."
"I'm making you remember this humiliation! Remember this feeling of powerlessness when you're dominated by the strong!"
"Shame inspires courage!"
"These 100 gold soul coins are the price you pay for your weakness!
They are the tuition you pay to avoid becoming eunuchs in the future!"
"From today onwards, I will use this money to establish the Heavenly Struggle Self-Improvement Association!"
"I will hire the best teachers, provide the best resources, and even... I will personally spar with you!"
"As long as you are willing to train and work hard, I can turn you from trash into elites! From hothouse flowers into steel warriors!"
"certainly..."
Xuan Hao changed the subject, "There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"If you want to become stronger, if you want to wash away your shame, then you have to pay the price."
"The protection fee of one hundred gold soul coins is just the beginning."
"But I guarantee you'll feel that this money is absolutely... well worth it!"
"Now, tell me!"
"Are you willing to join my Heavenly Struggle Self-Improvement Society?
Are you willing to fight to avoid becoming slaves of a conquered nation?!"
"willing!!!"
The roar of nearly five hundred people resounded through the sky, causing the leaves of trees around the square to fall in a rustling sound.
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