Douluo Dalu 3 | Divine Destruction

Looking over his students with crossed arms, Wu Zhangkong's cold eyes scrutinized each and every one of them. As expected, their exams had proved immensely fruitful though it seemed even he had underestimated the exact amount of growth.

It was hard to tell without some kind of showing but each had grown massively even from a glance. Xie Xie had become like a shadow or the mist, a passing part of nature. If it weren't for Xie Xie actively keeping his presence clear, not even Wu Zhangkong and his upper middle level Spiritual Abyss Realm spiritual power could see him. The boy had surpassed his teacher in that regard at least.

Mu Xi was equally as obvious in her growth, the passive aura of heat surrounding her a clear indication that her affinity to the fire element had grown immense. Besides that, her cultivation had shot up almost ten levels.

Xu Xiaoyan was more subtle than the other two though. The only visible change was the confidence she carried herself with though that was telling in its own way. She had always felt like she didn't fit in with their class due to her 'lacking' talent but the truth was different.

Though Mu Xi was a multitalented monster, Xie Xie's talent was as bottomless as a dark well, and Wulin and Gu Yuena were literal godly talents, Xu Xiaoyan was no less talented. He would never say as much but he was glad to see she had found her path in life.

As for said godly talents… Wu Zhangkong didn't even have a clue. Wulin had clearly changed which meant Gu Yuena had as well but, truthfully, Wu Zhangkong couldn't tell. If anything, it felt as though the two had gotten weaker but that couldn't be right. Even when Wulin was suffering from the Heavenly Tribulation he hadn't looked phased let alone weak.

"You have two paths ahead of you." Raising two fingers, Wu Zhangkong was secretly relieved to see that he still effortlessly gathered their undivided attention. "You can either take standard testing using various machinery, or you can fight one another." 

Glancing at one another the five of them simply smiled, their answers obvious. Nodding his head calmly he motioned for them to follow him, a curious look shared among them all. After all, they were heading the opposite way from Wulin's specialized training ground.

"Shrek has invested plenty of resources into you all with huge expectations however, some doubt that you deserve that privilege." Gauging their reaction from the corner of his eye, Wu Zhangkong was entirely unsurprised by their lack of reaction. 

Wulin as Gu Yuena had proved their worth in the battle long ago as well as Xie Xie to a lesser extent. However, for the rest of them, their worth was unproven yet they were giving out an absurd amount of benefits to them. It was only natural some would grow upset and soon the students would follow as well. For that reason, a public event would be held.

"You five will be put up against the staff. I was told to say that winning or losing doesn't matter so long as you put up a good fight but ignore that!" Turning around, Wu Zhangkong looked at them seriously, flaming dancing in the Cold God's eyes as the excited cheers of the staff rung out behind him. "Win at all costs!"

Winning against the staff? The very same staff that had decades to hone their skills while they didn't even have one? Sharing a look once more, their answer was very quickly decided. It didn't matter if their opponent was twice as old as them or a thousand times, they would still win.

"Of course." Promising victory with a chuckle, the former class 0 stepped past their teacher and entered the hastily made coliseum. It was subtle, but a soft smile graced the Cold God's face upon the sight.

This was a preview of the future, a future that would surely come. His students would all surely go far beyond him, surpass him dozens of times over, and he'd be there to see it. Perhaps one day he would be a burden but he had put so much effort into teaching so he could get away with that much at least.

After all, they were good children.

|DD|

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Pavillion Master?" Humming at the somewhat worried tone of one of the Elders, Yun Ming knew that it was a silly worry but how could he verbalize that without sounding biased?

"Are you doubting the capability of my grand disciples?" Scoffing at the notion, Zhuo Shi answered in Yun Ming's stead. He hadn't taught them much but considering his knowledge was the foundation of the Atlas Douluo's personal student it felt fair enough.

"I think anyone would doubt those brats with such a mad event." Lazily refuting the Scarlet Dragon Douluo, the Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er looked uninterested in the whole event. It was quite amusing to the Atlas Douluo all things considered.

She was set to be the head of the Outer Court for the current generation of students which meant, inevitably, that indifference would become an immense irritation and eventually resignation. He was quite excited to see that transition.

"It's a bit rude to call it madness, don't you think?" Smiling warmly his wife, Ya Li gently chided the Silver Moon Douluo. All things considered, that was a light punishment for insulting the Pavillion Master's planning. If they were the Spirit Pagoda she would have been killed.

'Then again, if I was a member of the Spirit Pagoda, I would kill myself too.' Chuckling at the mental image, Yun Ming warmly looked over the arena. His student and his companions all looked calm as though the entire thing was commonplace. But to them, maybe it was. Tasks that seemed impossible were part of their everyday life after all.

Wulin hadn't been told—he probably knew though—but all five of them had been given positions among Shrek's Thirteen Months. Using a half fake, half real meeting with Luslec as a reason plus the upcoming war, the Shrek's Seven Devils system had been replaced. It would only take place after this current generation came of age but that was fine.

Regardless, they had earned their spots. They had shown Yun Ming that they deserved them more than anybody else. And now it was their job to prove it to the rest of the world as well. It shouldn't be hard for them so it was only a matter of time.

'It should be easier than getting my recognition, right?' Internally joking about this or that, Yun Ming smirked knowingly. "Why don't we wait and see before making assumptions? Then we can discuss whether it's madness or not."

Glancing at the Silver Moon Douluo, she sat up straight instinctively. Turning away from her, his amused grin returned as he looked at his student and his companions. With the world in their hands, even a turbulent time like this seemed peaceful.

Only a little though.

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Hey there, hope you liked the chapter.

I feel like so far, Yun Ming has been a kind of casual character that doesn't really feel strong if that makes sense. Hopefully this chapter changed that impression a little though ultimately it wasn't exactly the main intention of the chapter.

If you want more chapters, head to patre*on.com/TrapOverlord for up to 25 extra chapters. It isn't required but it'd be much appreciated.