Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

Credits: RrJ

It was just Dai Huabin's bad luck to encounter Su Yu, the bringer of misfortune. Evil is often met with its match, and Dai Huabin, who had been too arrogant for his good, finally faced the consequences of his actions. Ultimately, if you don't court disaster, disaster won't find you. Dai Huabin brought this upon himself, so no one else could be blamed for being ruthless. After all, he was the one who started it.

"This whole incident today has surely earned us Shrek Academy's wrath. They probably despise us to no end now," Xiao Hongchen said with a chuckle. No doubt about it—Shrek Academy suffered quite a loss today. Even their accompanying teacher had been ignored, and the entire academy had been thoroughly mocked. Xiao Hongchen figured that if he were a member of Shrek Academy, he'd have been livid by now.

"And it's not like you were acting humble yourself. Your mockery was far more outrageous than mine," Su Yu said with a light laugh. Su Yu had only targeted Xu Sanshi and Dai Huabin, but Xiao Hongchen had ridiculed the entire Shrek Academy and even made provocative gestures before leaving. Who was more over-the-top here?

"Hehe, I just figured that since we'd already offended them, we might as well go all out and make it worthwhile," Xiao Hongchen replied with a sly laugh.

"More like you just wanted to have fun. Shrek Academy certainly wouldn't see it that way," Su Yu retorted, exasperated.

"Hehe," Xiao Hongchen grinned sheepishly and sank into the couch.

"Speaking of which, it's strange. This group we met today seemed to be their reserve team. They were all quite young. Where are the official members of Shrek Academy's team? Could it be they think their reserve team alone is enough to deal with us? To be blunt, I think you alone could easily sweep through their reserve team."

Xiao Hongchen knew Su Yu's strength well. Even Ma Rulong couldn't match him in raw power. For Su Yu, defeating Shrek Academy's reserve team would be a walk in the park.

"Shrek Academy's reserve team isn't weak," Su Yu said calmly, then began recounting their strengths.

"Their captain, Bei Bei, possesses the Bright Holy Dragon bloodline and can use his trump card, the Bright Thunder Tyrant Dragon. The vice-captain, Xu Sanshi, is a Black Tortoise Shield Soul Master with the Black Tortoise bloodline. Under special conditions, he can awaken his bloodline, making him formidable. As for Dai Huabin, his martial soul is the White Tiger, which might seem ordinary, but he has Zhu Lu by his side. Her martial soul, the Hell Civet, enables them to use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Nether White Tiger."

"And Ning Tian from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—her martial soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, was once known as the greatest auxiliary martial soul. In terms of soul master combinations, Shrek Academy's reserve team is exceptionally well-balanced."

Su Yu's voice was steady as if reciting a dossier on the reserve team.

Xiao Hongchen was dumbfounded.

"Holy crap, how do you know so much about them? Shrek Academy must be crying their eyes out right now. The match hasn't even started, and their cards are almost entirely exposed. How are they supposed to fight?"

Even Meng Hongchen and Wang Dong'er looked at Su Yu in astonishment. The information, especially about Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, was supposed to be Shrek Academy's top secret. Yet Su Yu recited it all as if it were common knowledge.

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you'll never be defeated. Some things are worth investigating ahead of time," Su Yu said, peeling an orange. He split it in half and handed a piece to the two girls beside him.

"These reserve team members will likely be our academy's opponents next year. It's always good to be prepared," he added lightly.

Meng Hongchen accepted the orange, her delicate fingers carefully removing the white threads before peeling off a segment and offering it to Su Yu. Caught off guard, Su Yu looked into her soft, affectionate gaze, hesitating for a moment before opening his mouth slightly. She popped the orange segment into his mouth, smiling sweetly.

"Is it sweet?"

"Sweet," Su Yu replied.

Xiao Hongchen: "…"

We're in the middle of a serious discussion, and you're flirting?

Cough, cough!

Xiao Hongchen cleared his throat loudly.

"Can you two be serious? If you want to flirt, do it later!"

Xiao Hongchen's face was filled with exasperation. Halfway through a conversation, and here they were, feeding him a display of public affection. Can you not survive without flaunting your romance? Meng, you've never treated your own brother this well before. Xiao Hongchen looked like he'd been wronged. The envy, jealousy, and resentment were written all over his face.

Su Yu, you lucky bastard!

Meng Hongchen, unfazed by Xiao Hongchen's complaints, continued peeling the orange with delicate precision.

"Ah~"

Meng Hongchen handed another piece to Su Yu. This time, even Wang Dong'er couldn't help glaring at her, feeling utterly fed up.

"Alright, Meng'er, you can eat the rest yourself," Su Yu said gently, taking her hand in his after finishing the orange piece.

"Okay~"

Meng Hongchen replied softly, like an obedient little wife.

Xiao Hongchen covered his face, feeling like the world had gone mad. How had Su Yu managed to make his sister so submissive? This couldn't be the same Meng Hongchen who used to tease and provoke him at every turn.

How could my amazing sister fall for this white-haired devil? But Xiao Hongchen dared not say it aloud. He knew better than to risk a beating from Su Yu.

"Xiao, you were saying?"

Su Yu prompted him to continue.

Xiao Hongchen rolled his eyes.

"What's the point of saying anything more? I'm not even in the mood anymore. We already know most of what there is to know about Shrek Academy's reserve team. The only mystery left is the whereabouts of their official representative team. Based on records, they shouldn't underestimate us like this. The previous Shrek team was filled with elites, and even in their easiest victories, they fielded two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings. There's no way they'd send just a reserve team this time."

"The previous team…"

Su Yu pondered for a moment.

"If I recall, it was led by Sister Xuan. When she was still under 19, Sister Xuan had already reached Rank 69 as a Soul Emperor and broke through to Soul Sage before 20. With talents like her and Han Ruoruo, it's no wonder the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy lost so badly back then."

After a brief pause, Su Yu speculated, "Perhaps something happened to Shrek Academy's official team this time."

"An accident?"

"What do you mean?"

Xiao Hongchen perked up with interest.

"I'm not sure, but I'll have someone look into it," Su Yu said calmly. Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen nodded in agreement. It made sense to send someone to investigate thoroughly. As Su Yu had planned, the moment he left the conference room, he instructed Mu Wu to dispatch agents to uncover what had happened.

Although the Ice God Palace maintained a reclusive existence, it didn't lack an extensive intelligence network. Being reclusive didn't mean being blind to the world. As one of the most powerful factions, the Ice God Palace kept an eye on significant happenings across the continent. While the Ice God Palace refrained from engaging in continental affairs, it ensured it stayed well-informed. Its intelligence network spanned the three major empires, with many ice-attribute soul masters secretly connected to the Ice God Palace. The Ice God Palace was considered the holy ground for ice-attribute soul masters, much like how the Body Sect was to body-attribute martial souls.

The Ice God Palace welcomed all ice-attribute soul masters to worship and never turned them away. For example, if Ling Luochen had approached the Ice God Palace, even if they didn't offer her special treatment, they would never deny her entry. Ice-attribute martial souls were among the most common, with their numbers vastly exceeding those of body-attribute martial souls. Even if only a small fraction were linked to the Ice God Palace, the absolute numbers made it a formidable network.

What made it even more extraordinary was that most soul masters connected to the Ice God Palace had undergone its trials, forging a bond of unshakable loyalty. Although Shrek Academy was known for its brainwashing loyalists, it paled in comparison to the faith inspired by true divine miracles. Once soul masters witnessed the Ice God's wonders, their devotion to the Ice God Palace became unwavering. Given this, Su Yu was confident that his agents could uncover the circumstances surrounding Shrek Academy's situation without much difficulty.

...

The next day arrived swiftly, marking the final day for tournament registrations. After today, no further changes could be made to the team rosters. Each academy would have to proceed with the registered participants, regardless of any late additions or upgrades. Shrek Academy, acutely aware of this, had taken this tournament very seriously following recent setbacks. The academy desperately needed a strong showing to reassert its dominance and silence any doubts about its declining influence. If they failed, their prestige would be questioned, inviting unwelcome scrutiny and raising concerns about whether Shrek Academy was losing its edge. This would spell disaster for an academy already under immense pressure.

Thus, it was no surprise that a support team finally arrived to bolster Shrek Academy's roster on this crucial day.

"Lexuan, I wasn't expecting you to lead the team this time. You've come at just the right moment!"

Wang Yan said, relief evident in his voice. The sight of Zhang Lexuan at the helm calmed his nerves. He had been under immense stress. With Ma Xiaotao and others severely injured, and the reserve team too inexperienced, he had no confidence in the academy's chances. Now, with Zhang Lexuan bringing reinforcements, Wang Yan finally felt optimistic.

"Teacher Wang, we've done our best given the tight time. Unfortunately, we could only summon four inner-court students," Zhang Lexuan said, her gentle voice as serene as her graceful demeanor.

"Four is enough—more than enough!"

Wang Yan exclaimed confidently.

"With Ma Xiaotao and the others requiring two weeks to recover, these four can help us hold the line until they're ready to rejoin. Once they return, with two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings, Shrek Academy's lineup will be unbeatable."

Zhang Lexuan nodded softly, her expression calm yet reassuring.

"Oh, and by the way, Dean Yan is handling the arrangements for our fallen students. He may arrive later," Zhang Lexuan added.

"I understand. Thank you for coming, Lexuan. Let's share the good news with the others—they'll be thrilled," Wang Yan said excitedly.

"Let's go together, Teacher Wang. It's a good opportunity for everyone to meet," Zhang Lexuan suggested.

"Of course! Let's go," Wang Yan agreed eagerly.

When the reserve team saw Zhang Lexuan and the four inner-court students, their faces lit up with surprise and awe.

"Quiet, everyone!"

Wang Yan began, gesturing for silence.

"Let me introduce you to Zhang Lexuan, the chief disciple of the inner court. You may address her as Senior Sister. She's not even twenty-four yet but has already reached level 85 as a Soul Douluo!"

"Wow!"

Gasps filled the room as admiration and astonishment spread among the reserve team. A Soul Douluo under twenty-four? Such talent was almost mythical! Shrek Academy's inner court truly lived up to its reputation. Wang Yan smiled knowingly at their reactions.

"This time, Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan has brought reinforcements with her."

"See these four beside her? They're also from the inner court, and each one is a Soul King!"

"These seniors will join you and fight alongside you in the tournament."