Among the three individuals before him, two of them frowned slightly, seemingly displeased. They felt that Wang Teng had a huge temper.
The one leading them was a seemingly genial young man who introduced himself, saying, "Councilor Wang Teng, my name is Song Kuan. I am also a councilor within the Academy Arbitration Association."
"Wang Teng, Councilor Song Kuan is neutral. He's not on the judge's side," Wu De said hurriedly using voice transmission.
"Councilor Song Kuan." Wang Teng nodded at the other party.
Since he was not affiliated with the Judge, there was no need to direct his anger towards him.
At this point, Wang Teng was gaining some understanding of the internal power struggles within the Academy Arbitration Association.
Ernest was evidently on the Judge's side, which was the most powerful faction within the Academy Arbitration Association of the Seventh Stellar Academy.
However, it was clear that they didn't particularly favor Wang Teng.
The events of today led Wang Teng to consider many possibilities. Perhaps from the beginning, the Seventh Judge had wanted to suppress him by not allowing him to enter the core circle of the Arbitration Association so quickly.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Wang Teng was not one to be easily suppressed. His decisive actions caught the Judge off guard, making it impossible to prevent him from entering the core circle of the Academy Arbitration Association.
One could only imagine the current frustration of the Judge over this matter.
Wang Teng couldn't help but think about this. Suddenly, he found it amusing.
The idea of causing vexation to a Judge gave him a peculiar sense of accomplishment.
"Councilor Wang Teng, the previous actions of Councilor Ernest were indeed inappropriate, but our Academy Arbitration Association is by no means as you imagine. Please do not misunderstand," Councilor Song Kuan said, noticing the softened tone of Wang Teng.
"I also want to believe that the Academy Arbitration Association is just, but what I have witnessed today, even my personal experience, has left me somewhat disheartened." Wang Teng shook his head, expressing a sense of grievance and profound disappointment.
"Well…" Councilor Song Kuan was somewhat at a loss for words. After a brief pause, he looked behind him and said, "Councilor Ernest, your handling of this matter was indeed not well considered. For the sake of the reputation of the Academy Arbitration Association, you should apologize to Councilor Wang Teng."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Wang Teng was a bit surprised. Councilor Song Kuan requested an apology from Ernest. This was intriguing.
"Apologize! Absolutely impossible," Ernest's expression turned grim.
"Councilor Song Kuan, you've seen it. Councilor Ernest is simply trying to humiliate me," Wang Teng said.
"What do you think?" Councilor Song Kuan shook his head and looked at the other two councilors.
Hong Lie and Antoine exchanged glances with each other. They were in a dilemma but ultimately chose to compromise.
"Ernest, apologize. Don't make things difficult for the Judge," Hong Lie said using voice transmission.
"Apologize to a cosmos-stage martial warrior? Have you all gone mad?" Ernest's face darkened.
"It's not that we've gone mad, but if this matter continues to escalate, it will inevitably involve the president. Wang Teng's status as a councilor was personally requested by the president. Consider how the Judge will ultimately handle this," Antoine said.
"What? The president!" Ernest's expression changed drastically, looking at Wang Teng with disbelief.
"Otherwise, how do you think he went from an associate council member to a councilor?" Hong Lie sighed.
Ernest's expression kept changing. He was undergoing intense inner struggles. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I apologize. I won't make things difficult for the Judge."
At this point, the onlookers below were already having difficulty processing the situation. Those councilors actually made Councilor Ernest apologize to Wang Teng?!
Ockham wore a shocked expression, feeling as if his heart had turned to ashes. If Councilor Ernest was forced to apologize, was there any hope left for him?
How did this happen?
Things shouldn't be like this!
On what grounds did Wang Teng make a long-established, powerful councilor in the Academy Arbitration Association apologize?
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Countless doubts surged in Ockham's mind.
Yuan Mu stared blankly at everything, his fists unconsciously clenched. Wang Teng had caught him completely off guard. Why could he consistently achieve what others couldn't?
Wang Teng calmly watched Ernest, his eyes indifferent yet tinged with a hint of mockery.
Seeing Wang Teng's expression, Ernest felt extreme humiliation. He maintained a stoic expression and took a deep breath.
"I apologize for the improper handling of the matter involving Ockham earlier. It's entirely my fault and has nothing to do with the arbitration association."
His voice wasn't low, ensuring that everyone in the vicinity could hear. It seemed like a genuinely sincere acknowledgment of his mistake.
Gasp!
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
Ernest had offered a genuine apology.
A universe-stage martial warrior apologizing to a cosmos-stage martial warrior!
A veteran councilor apologizing to a new councilor!
It was beyond imagination.
The gleam in Ockham's eyes completely dimmed. With Councilor Ernest's apology, he was beyond salvation.
Wrong!
He was wrong!
To make a veteran senator apologize—Wang Teng was someone he couldn't afford to provoke.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Now he realized how absurd he had been, foolishly attempting to provoke someone he couldn't handle. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Yuan Mu's mind was in turmoil, unable to find calmness. Something seemed to be sprouting within him.
So, this was true dominance!
In the past, he had lived under the shadow of his brother's influence. All his semblance of dominance stemmed from his brother, not from himself.
He couldn't be compared to Wang Teng.
Wang Teng's eyes narrowed slightly, a sense of vigilance rising within. Ernest was no ordinary opponent. He could bend and yield, as evidenced by his public apology.
Such adversaries were the most formidable.
Unfortunately, he was unable to resolve this adversary currently.
He understood very well that the animosity between him and Ernest had solidified today. Ernest wouldn't easily let him off, and he had no intention of letting it end either.
Both were acutely aware of this.
"Councilor Wang Teng, Councilor Ernest has already apologized to you. What do you think?" Councilor Song Kuan inquired.
"What about this man?" Wang Teng pointed at Ockham.
"Ockham attacked a councilor without cause, so naturally, his associate council member status should be revoked," Hong Lie interjected indifferently before Song Kuan could speak.
He was just an associate council member. Revoking him was not a problem.
Even if he had become a councilor, in their eyes, he was still far inferior.
They had held councilor positions for a long time, wielding indescribable influence within the Academy Arbitration Association. Newly appointed councilors were incomparable to them.
Of course, Wang Teng was an exception.
He was so special that the councilors had to treat him with caution. Otherwise, today's scene wouldn't have unfolded.
Wang Teng looked at Ernest.
"Revoke it," Ernest said nonchalantly, no longer sparing a glance at Ockham.
"Good!" Wang Teng nodded and said, "It would have been better if things had turned out this way earlier. Why escalate it to this extent?"
Ockham wore an expression of despair. The position he had pursued for years was now irretrievably lost, and it seemed unlikely that he would ever have another chance to enter the Academy Arbitration Association.
After having his associate council member status revoked, he would be completely estranged from the council.
Many onlookers sighed in sympathy. Ockham's fate was truly tragic. Offending Wang Teng had led to a fate worse than a beating, a thousand times more miserable.
"Councilor Wang Teng, since the matter has been resolved, why not accompany us to handle the formalities for your councilor position?" Councilor Song Kuan gestured, suggesting they move on.
Wang Teng had become a hot potato. To avoid further escalation, it was best to facilitate his smooth transition to a councilor. This way, they could prevent drawing the attention of the president.
Wang Teng nodded. At this stage, he wouldn't give up his councilor status. To counterbalance against Ernest, he needed to leverage this position.
Song Kuan breathed a sigh of relief. Subsequently, they led Wang Teng towards the interior of the Academy Arbitration Association.
Ernest's gaze remained cold as he stared at Wang Teng's departing figure. It wasn't until Wang Teng had completely entered the council that Ernest's silhouette slowly faded away.
Yuan Mu sighed and cast a glance at Ockham. He instructed someone to help him with his injuries before turning away. He needed to return to his cultivation and catch up with Wang Teng.
The onlookers gradually dispersed, but each person continued to discuss the incident with great interest.
The events that had unfolded at the entrance of the Academy Arbitration Association today were destined to be remembered. No one had ever dared to be so "audacious" at the council's doorstep!
Someone also recorded the recent happenings, turning them into a video and sharing it on the students' internal network, causing a significant stir.
