Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

"Better keep working hard, little Wang Dong!"

Su Yu pinched Wang Dong'er's cheek and stood up.

Glancing at the sky outside, Su Yu guessed that class time was approaching. On the first day of the new school year, being late was never ideal. Su Yu wouldn't let the special treatment he received go to his head; respecting his teacher was necessary. He tidied up the books on his desk, stored them in his soul tool, and stretched comfortably.

Wang Dong'er was still sulking, staring at Su Yu with her lips pouted high. Su Yu chuckled, raised his hand, and messed up Wang Dong'er's freshly styled hair. After ruffling it twice, Su Yu said, "Big brother is going to class now, little Wang Dong. Aren't you getting ready to leave?"

Wang Dong'er slapped Su Yu's hand away.

"I just fixed my hair, and you messed it up again."

She looked at Su Yu with an aggrieved expression.

Su Yu laughed out loud and said, "Hurry up and get ready; we'll go together. It's getting late."

This time, Wang Dong'er didn't argue. After fixing her hair again, she packed her things into her soul tool and left the room with Su Yu.

The academic area was a concentrated section of the campus, with the third- and fifth-year buildings not far apart. Su Yu and Wang Dong'er shared much of the same route. Walking with his hands behind his back, Su Yu's long white hair draped over his shoulders, giving him a cold and aloof aura, while Wang Dong'er, with her short pink and blue hair, looked youthful and full of energy. Walking together, they often attracted the attention of many female students.

Upon entering the academic area, they parted ways—Wang Dong'er heading to the third-year building and Su Yu to the fifth.

Fifth Year, Class Four.

This was Su Yu's class. It had been assigned back in the first year and was one of the key classes in the fifth year. Su Yu should have joined months earlier, but his absence had delayed it until now. This would be his first time attending a fifth-year class.

After finding the classroom, Su Yu stepped inside. There weren't many students in the fifth year; Class Four had fewer than twenty. The small class size was partly due to the limited student numbers and partly because fifth-year studies focused on Level 5 Soul Tools—quite advanced knowledge that required individual attention. By the sixth year, students would study with a personal mentor and team due to the need for increasingly personalized guidance.

When Su Yu entered, some students were already seated, and he noticed about a dozen of them scattered around. By the fifth year, there were no slackers; most students had developed real skills. Su Yu's presence attracted attention—some male students sneered, perhaps out of jealousy, while many female students' eyes lit up, and some even whispered among themselves.

In the large classroom, students sat in small groups, clearly divided into cliques. Being new, Su Yu didn't know anyone, so he casually found a seat. To his right sat two female students. One was petite and cute, her twin ponytails exuding a lively energy. The other, around sixteen or seventeen, had long black hair and bright, intelligent eyes. Her flawless skin—pink and smooth—made her quite eye-catching, her school uniform accentuating graceful curves and an impressive figure. Though not quite as stunning as Snow Empress or Gu Yuena, her natural charm and slightly lazy demeanor were striking.

Su Yu was a bit surprised; it was the first time he'd seen someone at Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy whose looks could rival Meng Hongchen's. Of course, Meng Hongchen was still slightly more beautiful, but this girl's exceptional skin made up for a lot. However, Su Yu, who had seen many beauties, only paused for a moment before looking away.

"Ju Zi, look! This new guy is so handsome—totally my type!"

While Su Yu was surveying the room, the two girls behind him were also sizing him up. His striking appearance and white hair made him hard to ignore. The petite girl, who looked like a little loli, stared at Su Yu with hearts practically popping out of her eyes. At that moment, she was already imagining future baby names.

"Ke Ke, get a grip. He's just a handsome guy," Ju Zi sighed helplessly. Her friend was a complete fangirl, unable to resist any cute guy she saw.

"This one's different, though! He's so handsome—and that cold aura hits me right in the heart. Ah, I'm going to die!"

Ke Ke's eyes were practically glued to Su Yu. Compared to him, the guys she'd seen before were nothing.

Ju Zi twitched the corner of her mouth, defeated by Ke Ke's fangirling, though she couldn't fully blame her this time. Even Ju Zi, who didn't care much about appearances, was a little shaken. It seemed there was a man this handsome.

The two girls whispered quietly, but Su Yu, thanks to his extraordinary senses, heard everything. With a thought, he could hear every whisper in the classroom.

"Ju Zi? Ke Ke?"

Su Yu was stunned. These two were Ju Zi and Ke Ke?

No wonder he felt something was off. No wonder that girl's beauty could rival Meng Hongchen's; it turned out she was Ju Zi. Based on the timeline, Ju Zi should indeed be in her fifth year by now. But wasn't this too much of a coincidence?

He just happened to join Ju Zi's class and just happened to sit next to her. When coincidences reached this level, they were no longer coincidences.

Su Yu looked up at the sky, wondering what the will of the world was up to. Was it trying to recreate Huo Yuhao's path for him? But he wasn't Huo Yuhao! If the world thought it could play that game with him, it was sorely mistaken.

Besides, he didn't particularly like Ju Zi. Not that he disliked her, either. Ju Zi was... complicated. She had ability and ambition, and, yes, she cared about people. She could command an army of a million, managing everything with skill and precision—something not many could do. Even when clashing with Dai Hao, he found it difficult to match her, a testament to her strategic prowess.

But Su Yu couldn't quite understand her logic. Ju Zi's father had been conscripted by the Sun Moon Empire and died in a war against the Star Luo Empire. By all rights, Ju Zi should hate the Sun Moon Empire. Yet she hated Dai Hao instead! It wasn't that she couldn't hate Dai Hao, but wasn't the Sun Moon Empire the real culprit? Shouldn't she be seeking revenge on them? Su Yu couldn't wrap his head around it. Wasn't her target for revenge misplaced? The Grand Duke Dai Hao wasn't a good person, but pinning this on him seemed a bit unfair.

Of course, Ju Zi hadn't had an easy life, either. And she expected happiness with Huo Yuhao? What was she thinking? Would the Tang God-King let anyone be happy? The God-King would descend, threaten her with her child, and force her to rename the Sun Moon Continent as the Douluo Continent. Wouldn't that be terrifying? A god descending to bully a widow and her child—the excellence of the Tang God-King.

Thinking about this, Su Yu couldn't help but feel a bit more sympathy for Ju Zi. Regardless of her personal qualities, being bullied by that god was tragic.

As Su Yu's thoughts raced, Ju Zi and Ke Ke continued their quiet conversation beside him, occasionally bursting into soft laughter. It seemed like Ke Ke was trying to convince Juzi to break the ice with Su Yu. Using a friend to test the waters was a classic move. Juzi wasn't on board, and the two of them bantered back and forth. Su Yu calmly opened his book, unaffected by their chatter.

The two girls were still whispering when they suddenly fell silent. Su Yu looked up to see a tall figure enter the room. The man was nearly two meters tall, dressed in a white coat, and wore glasses, giving off the air of a scholar. As soon as he entered, the entire classroom fell silent.

"My name is Lin Sheng'an, your homeroom teacher, a Level 7 Soul Engineer from Illustrious Virtue Hall.

This year, we have a few new students in our class. You may not yet know my rules.

I hate tardiness, so from now on, you'd better arrive early. Anyone late doesn't need to attend class that day.

Second, I only teach one class each day. I'm busy with research, so I don't have time for more.

If you don't understand something, make a note of it and ask another teacher or discuss it with your classmates. If you really can't find an answer, tell the class monitor. The monitor will record it, and I'll explain everything during class. But don't bother me outside of class—I don't have time.

Third, in every class, I'll randomly quiz you on what I taught last time. If you can't answer, go outside and shout, 'I'm an idiot' three times. If you don't pay attention in class, you can experience the embarrassment firsthand.

Fourth, and most importantly, don't whisper during my lessons. Don't disrupt the class. If anyone dares to fool around, I'll apply for a school-wide announcement and make sure your name is known throughout the academy.

If you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of the entire school, pay attention.

Now, let's begin."

Without any further pleasantries, Lin Sheng'an launched into his lesson. There was no self-introduction or warm-up—just straight to the point. This was the decisive style of a high-level soul engineer from Illustrious Virtue Hall.

Su Yu could tell that this teacher was the type who was obsessed with soul tool research. To them, soul tools were everything. And Su Yu found this teacher quite interesting. His method of punishment was particularly amusing. Young people feared nothing more than losing face. With this kind of threat hanging over their heads, no one would dare slack off in class. After all, nobody wanted to "make a name for themselves" across the entire school.

Sure enough, once class began, everyone in the room paid close attention, afraid of being caught by Lin Sheng'an. Su Yu suddenly understood why Class Four had the highest advancement rate in the fifth year. Lin Sheng'an wouldn't expel students, but he would make them socially dead. How interesting.

A faint smile appeared on Su Yu's lips as he began to focus on the lesson. Having studied the material in advance, Su Yu easily kept up with Lin Sheng'an's pace. Before he knew it, the class had ended.

"Juzi, you're responsible for gathering any questions the students still have. I'm leaving now."

Lin Sheng'an pointed to Juzi before walking out of the classroom.

Su Yu glanced sideways, surprised. Juzi was the class monitor? He hadn't expected that!

After Lin Sheng'an left, Juzi began going around the room with a notebook, asking each student about any confusion they had. If she knew the answers, she explained them on the spot. If not, she wrote them down.

One by one, Juzi worked her way from the back of the room toward Su Yu. Before long, she stood beside him, holding her notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. Keke followed closely behind, her wide eyes fixed on Su Yu, looking every bit the fangirl.

"Hey, do you have any questions?"

Juzi nudged Keke out of the way, clearly embarrassed by her friend's behavior.

"None, for now, thanks," Su Yu replied.

"None?"

Juzi looked at Su Yu in surprise. Lin Sheng'an had covered a lot today. Did Su Yu understand everything? Wasn't he new?

"Don't be shy if you don't understand something. It's better to ask than to stay confused, right? Not understanding something now will only hold you back later."

It was clear that Juzi thought Su Yu was too embarrassed to admit he didn't understand, so she kindly offered some advice.

Su Yu was a bit taken aback. His impression of Juzi improved slightly. "Thanks for the reminder, but I don't have any questions."

Lin Sheng'an's lecture hadn't been particularly difficult, and so far, Su Yu had followed everything easily.

Bang!

Just as Su Yu finished speaking, someone slammed a hand down on the table, making a loud noise.

"When Juzi asks you a question, you answer! Stop acting all high and mighty, or I'll slap you."

A dark-skinned young man stood up, glaring at Su Yu with a menacing look. Seeing this, Su Yu frowned and let out a cold laugh.

"I'd like to see you try."

"You ungrateful punk. You're asking for a beating!"

The dark-skinned youth swung his hand toward Su Yu's face.

"Stop!"

Juzi shouted, trying to intervene.

Suddenly, something flashed before their eyes, and in the next moment, the young man was sent flying.

Thud!

The figure crashed into the classroom wall, hanging there like a painting before slowly sliding down.