The Clear Sky Hammer in Tang San's hand appeared fiercely. The dark red patterns on the hammer body seemed to come alive, flickering with a cold, eerie light.
At the same time, Tang San, filled with cold killing intent, did not hesitate. The three spirit rings around him exploded!
In an instant, violent Energy surged into his body. Cracks immediately appeared on his body, and he seemed like he could explode at any moment.
But at the same time, this also caused his aura to instantly soar to a terrifying level!
Ning Tian, Xiao Xiao, and Wu Feng, who had always had a low sense of presence, simultaneously became vigilant.
However, before Tang San could launch an attack, a figure suddenly appeared in the center of the arena!
It was the referee.
The referee raised his hand, and a powerful spirit power pressure crashed down, firmly suppressing the out-of-control and rampaging Tang San, fixing him in place, unable to move.
"Referee! Why did you interrupt the match? What is the meaning of this?!"
Below the stage, Zhou Yi, who had been watching the battle, was the first one who couldn't sit still. She abruptly stood up and questioned him sharply.
The referee was expressionless, his voice spreading throughout the venue via a sound-amplifying spirit tool:
"Everyone, please look at the replay."
The huge spirit tool screen lit up, projecting the footage recorded by the spirit tool recording device.
It clearly showed the entire process of Tang San secretly consuming the bloody Medicinal Pill in slow motion.
The referee's cold gaze swept toward Zhou Yi:
"Teacher Zhou Yi, the evidence is conclusive. Do you have anything else to say?"
Zhou Yi's face instantly turned pale. She opened her mouth, but found that any defense she could offer now seemed weak and powerless.
The referee stopped looking at her and announced loudly:
"Student Tang San illegally consumed forbidden medicine, and his results are revoked! If any other student does this, it will be considered a provocation to the academy's rules and will be severely punished without leniency!
"Furthermore, based on the appearance of the Medicinal Pill in the recording and the subsequent effects after Student Tang San consumed the Medicinal Pill, it can be tentatively identified that this Medicinal Pill is the 'Blood Soul Pill.'
"This is an item that was listed as a forbidden medicine long ago. Shrek will investigate this matter thoroughly, ensure the source of the Medicinal Pill is identified, and detain and punish the person behind it!"
The referee's voice echoed throughout the venue, and the next moment, the entire audience erupted in an uproar...
On the high platform, Kong Mingan glanced at Tang San, who was still alive like a cockroach, then turned his head to look at Zhang Lexuan beside him:
"Is this the'show' you invited me to watch?"
Zhang Lexuan gently shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the noisy venue and the audience below, her tone completely calm:
"No, this is merely the prelude to the opening."
Kong Mingan raised an eyebrow slightly, saying with interest:
"Then I shall wait and see."
... Just as Zhang Lexuan said, the semi-finals of the freshman assessment were merely the fuse that ignited everything.
The Shrek Academy freshman assessment being open to the public was already one of the most eye-catching events on the Douluo Continent recently.
Furthermore, through the powerful media network promotion of the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce, it had become almost universally known.
People discussed the demeanor of Shrek's new generation of Geniuses after meals.
Although Shrek lost to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in the previous Spirit Master competition,
for the people of the Douluo Three Kingdoms who were accustomed to Shrek's existence, whenever Shrek was mentioned, even those in the Douluo Three Kingdoms without spirit power would proudly puff out their chests.
However, this trend suddenly reversed before the finals even began.
The first thing to ignite public opinion were two highly shocking pieces of news:
"Dai Huabin, son of the Star Luo White Tiger Duke, was publicly beaten and humiliated during the assessment!"
"Cheating discovered in the Shrek freshman assessment! A participant consumed a forbidden Medicinal Pill!"
The former broke first, followed closely by the latter, but the latter's popularity far exceeded the former.
Cheating is inherently the most despicable behavior in competition, and its occurrence at Shrek, which prides itself on "fairness" and "honor," was undoubtedly a huge irony.
Just as various speculations, doubts, and mockery followed one after another, and public trust in Shrek plummeted, the Mingmeng News Agency, acting as the main channel, released a rigorous and evidence-based official announcement issued by Shrek Academy.
The focus of this announcement was directed squarely at the cheating student Tang San's homeroom teacher—Zhou Yi.
In the announcement, using the most objective language, the appalling misconduct of Zhou Yi during her tenure was detailed, such as:
Illegally expelling students who did not meet her "standards," ruining their prospects.
Subjecting students to long-term, extreme physical training far exceeding their load capacity, under the guise of "unearthing potential," which actually resulted in multiple students sustaining permanent disabilities.
Using her authority to subject students who disobeyed her "iron-fisted" management to mental humiliation and physical punishment.
To pursue class promotion rates and competition results, tacitly allowing or even encouraging students to use unconventional methods, and exhausting student potential in exchange for immediate combat power; the current Tang San cheating incident was not an isolated case.
Case after case, the time, place, names of the victims, and the resulting consequences. Everything was breathtakingly clear.
Public opinion was instantly ignited to a new height!
Under the adjustment of an invisible large hand, the public's fury was no longer limited to cheating or a specific outcome, but completely shifted toward condemnation of the abuser Zhou Yi, and...
...intense questioning and condemnation of Shrek Academy for tolerating such a black sheep for many years.
"How could such a malignant tumor teach at Shrek for so many years?"
"Are Shrek's eyes blind? Or are they all birds of a feather?"
"Severe punishment is necessary! Give those ruined children an explanation!"
Voices cursing Zhou Yi and questioning Shrek swept across the entire Continent like a tsunami.
Just as public resentment boiled over and media pressure reached its peak, Shrek Academy released a second announcement.
This announcement was relatively concise, consisting of only four parts.
First, Shrek officially admitted the mistake and sincerely apologized, acknowledging major negligence in teacher qualification review and management.
At the same time, they offered the deepest apologies to the students and families harmed in the past by black sheep like Zhou Yi.
Second, they announced a compensation plan, declaring the establishment of a specialized fund to compensate all students verified to have suffered unfair treatment, resulting in physical or mental trauma or ruined prospects, by Zhou Yi or similar teachers.
Compensation includes financial compensation and subsequent other support, and they will assist them in resuming their studies or seeking alternative paths.
Third, they solemnly promised that an internal review team, personally led by the provisional Sea God Pavilion Master Zhang Lexuan, would conduct a thorough review of all faculty and staff across the academy.
They vowed to remove all black sheep from the teaching staff and restore a fair and safe learning environment for the students.
At the same time, a second public judgment would be announced one month after the handling of Zhou Yi's case, ensuring no black sheep would be spared.
Fourth, the final verdict for Zhou Yi was announced. However, compared to the previous three points, which at least used a paragraph for explanation, this one contained only four characters.
— Public Lingchi.
(End of Chapter)
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