The leader reached out to take it, glanced down, and his expression suddenly changed. He half-knelt on the ground, bowed, and said, "I didn't know the elder was here. I offended Your Majesty. I am extremely sorry!"

"Tell me, was it the Spirit Hall that issued the order, asking you to recruit geniuses, or did your Soto City Lord Hall act on its own?" Yu Xiaogang asked with his hands behind his back.

The leader said embarrassedly, "Your Majesty, we acted on our own initiative. The Holy City didn't issue an order to recruit geniuses. Our brother placed a heavy bet in the Great Fighting Spirit Arena, but ended up losing everything. He was furious, so he secretly investigated the information of Your Majesty's students and unexpectedly discovered that six of them were on the peerless genius list from the day before yesterday. So he came up with an idea on the spur of the moment to recruit them for his own use. He would then report to the Holy City and secure a high-ranking position."

"Damn it! You're ruining the reputation of our Spirit Hall. Do you want to make us the public enemy of the entire continent? Thankfully, everyone present is one of our own, so the news won't spread. Your lives are safe. But next time we meet someone else, that might not be the case."

"Yes, yes, yes! The elder is right. I will take people back now. Nothing happened today. Here is your token, please keep it!" The leader responded hesitantly. He held the token in both hands and stretched it in front of Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang took it and put it back in his arms, saying, "You guys should go back. Don't do stupid things that could easily give others a handle."

"Yes, yes, brothers, move aside and let the elders pass." The leader stood up and moved aside with the guards and others.

Flanders and Zhao Wuji retracted their martial spirits and led everyone towards the academy.