Above the Galaxy
Chapter 312 - 205: The Advancing Shen Xinglan!_2

Chapter 312: Chapter 205: The Advancing Shen Xinglan!_2

"Fine, let’s follow Dean Si’s instruction," Shen Xinglan nodded.

"Hmm, that is also the Dean’s intention," Si Yinchuan spoke up, "You’ve expended too much energy; go back and rest."

"Yes," Shen Xinglan gave a slight bow and rose to walk outside.

Si Yinchuan watched Shen Xinglan’s retreating figure for a while, a mocking smile emerging at the corner of his mouth.

Shen Xinglan stepped out of the Virtual Battle Room and stood at the very center of the stage.

All eyes were on him, and the room fell utterly silent.

Shen Xinglan broke into a smile and waved his hand at everyone.

Roar!

The whole arena erupted.

The following matches were contested by other students, with both sides experiencing wins and losses.

After Prince Philip entered the fray, he too defeated two students from White Crane Academy, but alas, he ultimately lost to Shen Xinglan.

One could say the Martial Arts competition was Shen Xinglan’s one-man show.

Because his performance was so dazzling, everyone else seemed dull in comparison.

When the moon shines too brightly, it’s hard to notice the stars around it.

In the end, the competition concluded with Shen Xinglan securing the championship of the Martial Arts contest.

This year, the Phoenix Empire reaped a rich harvest, with Tang Fei clinching the championship in the engineering competition, and Shen Xinglan winning the Martial Arts competition.

Even in the forum exchange segment, whether it was the number of articles published or the quality of scientific research findings, the students of the Phoenix Empire far surpassed those of the Aus Empire delegation.

The Aus Empire had the worst performance in the history of the Heaven’s Path Exchange Conference, whether in engineering, intelligence, Martial Arts, or even the cultures and arts which Prince Philip least esteemed, they were comprehensively outdone by the Phoenix Empire.

What was even more infuriating was Shen Xinglan taking on six by himself, trampling the dignity and face of the Aus Empire martial artists underfoot, a humiliation of epic proportions.

If news of this spread back to the Aus Empire, public opinion would surely boil over, and the entire country would rage against the competitors involved in this contest.

As a representative of the Royal Family, Prince Philip could not avoid responsibility. If not handled well, it would become another political incident.

Without a doubt, this matter would spread to the Aus Empire.

Nowadays, with advanced networks, the people of the Phoenix Empire need only post the video on their own network, and netizens from the Aus Empire would be able to see it immediately.

If they were a bit more strategic and let the publicity team distribute it on other countries’ networks as well, turning it into a global incident, it could set off the entire star network...

It was unrealistic for the Aus Empire to attempt to conceal this unilaterally.

Prince Philip was so infuriated that he didn’t even attend the concluding evening banquet, simply stating he was feeling unwell and designated a Royal Family member to attend in his place.

He was well aware that if he couldn’t give an explanation to both the Royal Family and the nation, he would lose that position forever.

Zhong Tianque, however, was full of high spirits, as if he had already moved past the recent ’scandal.’

At the banquet, he pulled Tang Fei and Shen Xinglan to sit together, raising his glass to them frequently.

"Come on, Xing Lan, Tang Fei, you two are the great heroes of our Empire... Here’s to you..."

"Xing Lan fought six battles, wielding only six swords... Inflicting heavy damage on Aus, uplifting our nation’s pride..."

"Both of you brothers are pillars of the future, the fortune of Phoenix... let’s the three of us drink together..."

-------

Shen Xinglan was modest in demeanor but resolute and composed, not succumbing to frequent toasts just because the Prince offered drinks, always maintaining his own distinct pace.

Tang Fei was somewhat more obsequious, raising his glass whenever Zhong Tianque said to drink, and emptying it without a drop left whenever Zhong Tianque said to ’bottoms up.’

Zhong Tianque kept all this in mind, thinking this youngster could be a useful asset.

If only he didn’t have such a close relationship with his sister and wasn’t on hostile terms with Shen Xinglan...

Alas!

He wanted to use this man, yet he had many reservations.

Tang Fei understood his ’dilemma’ and knew to become one of his own, he needed to stoke the fire a little more.

He wasn’t in a rush.

Phoenix watched from the side, feeling both joy and heartache: joy that Tang Fei was working hard for their future.

The heartache was for Tang Fei compromising himself...

Sob sob sob, I’m going to cry to death.

Indeed, on the night the Heaven’s Path Exchange Conference ended, someone posted the video of Shen Xinglan singlehandedly defeating six competitors from the Aus Empire online.

He was already the favored one, number one on the Star Sky ranking.

Once these videos were released, they quickly went viral on the network.

"Oh my God, my idol... my idol is so handsome..."

"Aaah, I’m going crazy... my hubby is so cool"

"Xing Lan baby, mommy loves you..."

-------

The size of Shen Xinglan’s fan group was visibly swelling, and his spot as number one on the Star Sky ranking was as solid as a rock.

No one could compete with him.

At the same time, the news of Tang Fei winning the engineering competition championship was ’dug up’ by someone with an agenda.

The Tang Fei organization went into ecstasy, busying themselves with their endeavors.

Only the style was strangely humorous, striving in some peculiar directions.

"Eating, sleeping, gaming, shopping, that’s the standard university student life... The air at White Crane Academy is so fresh, why would you get up so early?"

"White Crane Academy is a place for advancing one’s realm and refining Martial Arts, how could you silently snatch up the championship in the engineering competition? Isn’t that a bit negligent of your duties?"

"Lie down, as long as you’re willing to lie down, you’ll find it’s more comfortable..."

"Tang Fei, I want to reiterate our organization’s rules: wherever you fall, just lie down there."