The rest of the school is still unaware of what happened in the training room.
At this moment, the entire Linjiang First High School is in turmoil because of that rumor.
Upon learning of the incident, the principal immediately ordered a lockdown of the entire school, shut down the local network, and strictly forbade all students from spreading the rumors.
However, this action by the principal did not calm the situation; instead, it escalated it further.
"The principal actually locked down the whole school! It seems the news is true!"
"Did Cao Yong really deceive everyone? Oh my… as the head teacher of Class 8, how could he act so irresponsibly?"
"Who would have thought? The whole city knew our school supposedly had a top S-level talent, but it turns out to be fake!"
"This is going to be interesting to watch!"
With a mindset of wanting to stir trouble, many people secretly fanned the flames.
Throughout the school, from seniors down to freshmen, and even some uninformed teachers, were discussing the matter!
Soon, the entire school was buzzing with discussion, and tens of thousands of students and teachers were talking about it.
The situation was spiraling out of control.
...
School conference room.
At this moment, teachers and leaders from all grades were gathered, each with a grave expression.
The conference room was silent, and the atmosphere was extremely tense!
Standing at the head of the table, the principal looked displeased and said in a deep voice, "Who on earth leaked this information?"
"Wasn't it supposed to be strictly confidential?"
"Back when Cao Yong revealed Xu Zhou's talent, everyone was paying attention to our school!"
"Now with this incident happening, aren't we making our school a laughingstock?"
The principal was somewhat furious, and by the time he finished speaking, he pounded the table forcefully.
In fact, if they had just confessed from the beginning, it might have been fine.
The crux is that Cao Yong exaggerated Xu Zhou's talent, talking about being invincible at the same level, ranked among the top...
Now, schools around and leaders from Linjiang City, even big figures from nearby cities, are paying attention to this incident!
After all, a top S-level talent had never appeared in the small city of Linjiang.
The principal thought that even if Cao Yong mentioned it, as long as nothing untoward happened, it could garner some fame for their school.
But unexpectedly, things went awry so quickly.
What would outsiders think now?
The esteemed Linjiang First High School, the top high school in Linjiang City, creating a farce for some non-existent fame, deceiving millions of people!
A disgrace to Linjiang City, a disgrace to Jiangzhou!
Thinking of this, the principal's expression turned even more sour.
Among the seats, Cao Yong frowned; he had just learned of the matter.
Who would have thought that a lie he fabricated would escalate to this extent?
Cao Yong stood up and said, "Principal, this matter started because of me. If you want to punish me, go ahead, but I hope whoever leaked the information will also be severely punished!"
The principal glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "The person who leaked it will, of course, be found out."
"But the most pressing issue now is to prevent this uproar from escalating further!"
The principal's expression was extremely grim: "Now, from the freshmen to the seniors, all the classes are talking about it. Once they spread this outside, our school's reputation will be ruined!"
Hearing the principal's words, everyone fell into silence.
Block the students' mouths?
That's tens of thousands of students; it's not as easy as just saying it.
Moreover, even if we were to quiet them now, there's no guarantee they won't talk later.
At this point, a teacher spoke in a deep voice: "Let the perpetrator of this matter publicly clarify that it was just a misunderstanding."
As soon as these words came out, everyone started discussing.
"Who is the perpetrator?"
"Which teacher leaked it?"
In the conference room, the teachers looked at each other.
The principal said solemnly, "Tracing this is easy enough; whoever did it, just stand up."
Everyone fell silent again.
A moment later, a teacher stood up with a grim face.
The other teachers all looked at him.
It was Liu Kaiqi, the head teacher of Class 2, Grade 12!
A teacher exclaimed, "Old Liu, why is it you!"
With a grim expression, Liu Kaiqi said, "I accidentally let it slip earlier, but I've already strictly instructed that student not to spread it."
The principal said mockingly, "So did your student 'accidentally' let it slip too?"
"I'll punish him when I get back," Liu Kaiqi said solemnly, "But the problem is, even if I and that student clarify it in person, others might not believe it!"
"If you knew it was so tricky, why didn't you control your own mouth in the first place!" On the side, Cao Yong repressed his anger and said coldly.
Frowning, Liu Kaiqi said, "I already said, I accidentally let it slip."
"Moreover, that student of mine is among the top ten on the school leaderboard for Grade 12. I thought he could keep quiet, so I didn't restrict his movements."
Cao Yong snorted coldly, sneering, "You can't even control your own mouth, and you expect your student to?"
Liu Kaiqi faltered, and then his expression became somewhat unpleasant.
"I'm not the only one who mentioned it. The vice principal also told his apprentice, Li Ruoxi!"
He seemed somewhat resigned, revealing the vice principal's involvement as well.
With his words, there was another uproar among the crowd.
But Cao Yong clearly knew something, and said solemnly, "Li Ruoxi is Xu Zhou's sister. It makes sense for the vice principal to tell her."
"But you, why did you tell others? What were your intentions!?"
"Cao Yong, you're old, I don't want to argue with you," Liu Kaiqi said angrily, "I merely mentioned that Xu Zhou would have a slow cultivation speed, and told my student not to worry, without going into details."
"Who knew he was so smart and guessed it right away?"
With these words, the anger in Cao Yong's eyes suddenly intensified, and he slammed the table hard, shouting, "You deliberately leaked it!"
Liu Kaiqi looked at him and shouted, "Cao Yong, if it weren't for your insistence on hyping Xu Zhou, how could it have gotten to this point!"
"Would these issues happen if we confessed the truth earlier?!"
"Enough!"
The principal suddenly shouted.
With a somber expression, he said deeply, "Liu Kaiqi, after you finish this cohort, you won't be a homeroom teacher anymore. Go watch the school gate!"
"What?"
Liu Kaiqi was instantly stunned.
He would watch the gate?
"Why? Dissatisfied?" The principal repressed his anger and said, "If you spoke out of turn, you must bear the consequences!"
"You don't want to watch the gate? Fine, then take three moves from me. If I can't overpower you in three moves, you can have my job as the principal!"
"I..." Liu Kaiqi's expression was gloomy, but he said no more.
Three moves?
Not even one move, and he'd be overpowered!
The other teachers were also silent.
The principal was clearly furious.
He even wanted to take action against Liu Kaiqi!
Several teachers wanted to speak up, but seeing the principal seething with anger, they remained silent.
Seeing this, the principal snorted coldly, saying, "Liu Kaiqi's matter is settled for now, but that doesn't mean it's his only punishment! As a Martial Artist, he should know the cost of leaking secrets!"
He looked at the others and continued:
"Now tell me, how do we resolve this crisis?"
"With the opening of the Thousand Demon Cave forbidden zone imminent, do we have the face to attend after such a scandal?"
Hearing this, the teachers present all tensed up.
The Thousand Demon Cave!
This is Jiangzhou's most renowned forbidden zone, opening once every five years. All the key schools in Jiangzhou would send participants!
And coincidentally, there's an entrance to the Thousand Demon Cave near Linjiang City.
If such a scandal were to break out now, it wouldn't just be known in Linjiang City; it would likely reach all schools across Jiangzhou.
By then, our school would unequivocally become the laughing stock of Jiangzhou!
Cao Yong, with a grim face, sat back down.
At this point, a teacher spoke in a deep voice, "There is only one solution now."
With these words, everyone looked at him curiously.
The teacher slowly said, "Let Xu Zhou prove to everyone that his cultivation talent is indeed strong, stronger than even an ordinary S-level talent!"
"This way, it would naturally silence everyone's mouths."
"Easier said than done!" Cao Yong said in a stern voice, "Xu Zhou has been cultivating for less than half a year. How is he supposed to prove it?"
The others nodded slightly.
Letting Xu Zhou prove his talent was clearly not feasible.
But, does this mean we should let the situation continue spiraling?
Once this affair spreads throughout the city, and even to neighboring cities, not only will our school lose face completely, but Xu Zhou will also suffer immensely heavy repercussions!
For a moment, every teacher furrowed their brows in deep thought.
Could it be that there's really no solution to this problem?