Douluo: The Unrivaled Demon Lord

Chapter 151 The Official Selection and the Preparation: A Cruel Reality, The Journey Begins in Xingluo

In the afternoon, the sky was overcast with dark clouds overhead, a harbinger of an impending storm.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, and even on Poseidon Island, there was hardly any wind. However, due to the abundant moisture around the island, it didn't feel particularly stuffy, just less comfortable than usual.

Shu Yan rarely changed into the red school uniform that symbolized his status as an inner court student. He usually wore his own clothes because Shrek's school uniform was not very comfortable to wear. Unless necessary, Shu Yan almost never touched the clothes.

The inner academy has regulations requiring students to wear school uniforms, but if you don't, most people probably won't say anything, especially for the most outstanding students like Shu Yan. Most teachers will turn a blind eye, but if you encounter someone who doesn't know their place... then things can get interesting...

When Shu Yan arrived, Ma Xiaotao and the others had been waiting for a long time. Xuanzi, who was sitting on a rock, glanced at Shu Yan, then casually crushed the chicken bone in his hand and said irritably:
"Are you planning to take a nap at home before coming here?"

Shu Yan smiled helplessly, and then said:

"Elder Xuan is too kind. Something came up and I was delayed a bit. I apologize to everyone."

Hmm… Wu Ming seems to have taken the wrong medicine today, daring to challenge his authority, so Shu Yan spent some time suppressing her. Even now, when he left, Wu Ming was still sobbing…

Ma Xiaotao, who was closest to Shu Yan, noticed the ambiguous red mark on Shu Yan's neck with her keen eyes. She pursed her lips and then spoke:

"Let's go, don't keep the juniors from the Foreign Languages ​​Department waiting... Time is money, we should focus on our cultivation right now..."

Ma Xiaotao seemed to be hinting at something to Shu Yan, or perhaps it was unintentional; in any case, being as clever as she was, she could certainly guess what Shu Yan had just experienced…

The others didn't say much. Some listened to Xuanzi's few innocuous words, then got up and used their various abilities to head towards the outer courtyard...

……

For various reasons, the original list of the Seven Devils' reserve team is certainly not applicable to the present, but upon arriving at the destination, two familiar faces made Shu Yan pause for a moment in surprise.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong also noticed Shu Yan's surprised gaze, and they couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, but given the occasion, they couldn't explain themselves...

Aside from Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, who are "best buddies," Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi are also familiar faces. One is the top attacker in the outer academy, and the other is the strongest defender. In addition, both of them have powerful backgrounds, so they have long been the designated members of the Seven Devils.

The other boy, with darker skin and a strong physique, was He Caitou, the sole representative of the Soul Guidance Department and a Level 4 Soul Master.

As for Jiang Nannan... she unsurprisingly missed out on a spot among the Seven Eccentrics.

Among the many agility-type martial souls, the Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul is not particularly outstanding or powerful. There are quite a few agility-type students in the fifth and sixth grades of the outer academy whose cultivation has reached the Soul Master level or above and who are of suitable age, and their backgrounds are hundreds of times better than Jiang Nannan's... Previously, Shrek Academy was willing to give Jiang Nannan a spot, probably mostly to win over Xu Sanshi. Now that Xu Sanshi has lost interest in her, how can a commoner girl with no background and not particularly outstanding talent compete with those students of the same grade with powerful backgrounds?
Isn't this like a moth drawn to a flame, courting its own death?
The person who took her place was the female student who had been quite close to Xu Sanshi before. Her martial soul was the Thunder Eagle, which was undoubtedly a top-tier beast martial soul, possessing both strong offensive and agile offensive characteristics. More importantly, her family had a foundation that was no less than that of the Xuanming Sect. Although she herself was not the sect's first heir, if she could form a powerful alliance with Xu Sanshi, then the title of first heir would definitely belong to her.

As for this last person… Shu Yan was somewhat unfamiliar with him…

But when he heard the other person introduce themselves, everything became clear.

Ning Tian, ​​Martial Soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Heir of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.

The reserve team has six members from the most prestigious sects and families on the continent. Shu Yan will not discuss how Huo Yuhao managed to get in, but Shu Yan was absolutely right about Shrek Academy's motives and standards for selecting people.

To be frank, the reserve team was just there to broaden their horizons by following the main Shrek Seven Devils to the tournament, and incidentally brainwash them with the so-called "eternal glory." Their specific role was hard to say; they were somewhat useful but ultimately ineffective.

After all, the regular Shrek Seven Devils are selected from the inner court students. Being able to become a reserve team only proves that you have the qualifications to enter the inner court to study, but whether you can maintain your status as one of the Seven Devils after entering the inner court still depends on your own strength.

The inner court is slightly fairer than the outer court, but that's about it.

This world values ​​talent, ability, and background; without these three things, it's hard to get by anywhere.

……

After all fourteen people had arrived, Xuanzi slowly appeared and then spoke:
"Introduce yourselves and get to know each other. Then, Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen, you two will choose your teammates as I told you before. Shu Yan, you can go cool off to the side now and don't get in my way."

Shu Yan's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything. After all, he was just showing up today...

After a pause, Shu Yan took a step forward and instantly appeared dozens of meters away... There was a friendly "social gathering" coming up, and he could at least watch the fun...

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the seven reserve team members, but soon, after Ma Xiaotao and the others finished introducing themselves, they could only follow suit by stating their names, martial spirits, and cultivation levels, and then they were divided into groups again...

Xuanzi ate his roast chicken, watching the scene with great interest. When the time was right, he announced the punishment for the loser, then gave the order for the friendly free-for-all to begin, while he retreated to the other side of the stands... enjoying a delicious sip of wine and a bite of meat...

But soon everyone realized that this friendly brawl was really not much of a surprise.

As a Soul Emperor specializing in controlling extreme ice, Ling Luochen's combat power was already comparable to that of a Soul Saint. Coupled with the terrifyingly low temperature of extreme ice, low-level Soul Masters like Huo Yuhao were frozen and lost their combat power before they could even resist. Dai Yueheng and the others were also under great pressure. The only one who could compete with Ling Luochen was Ma Xiaotao, who was exuding a powerful aura.

Shu Yan looked at Huo Yuhao and the others who had retreated to the edge of the arena, then used teleportation again to appear next to the two of them.

The sudden appearance of Shu Yan startled Huo Yuhao and Shu Yan, who were huddled together and trembling. But after regaining their senses, Huo Yuhao exclaimed with some surprise:

"Senior Shu Yan..."

Shu Yan nodded and waved his hand gently, dispelling the chill that had enveloped the two of them. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong felt refreshed, but after regaining their senses, Wang Dong quickly pushed Huo Yuhao away, blushing and keeping a distance of about a meter from him.

Huo Yuhao was pushed by Wang Dong and almost stumbled and fell, but he was lucky to avoid embarrassment because of his good physical coordination.

Shu Yan watched their interaction, chuckled, and shook his head. Then, somewhat curiously, he asked:
"How did you manage to get into the reserve team? What, did you sell yourself to the academy?"

Huo Yuhao was well aware that his strength and background were far inferior to those of the others. In the first and second years alone, there were at least five students more qualified than him and Wang Dong to take this position. But to be honest, he himself was a little confused about how he had been selected so inexplicably…

After scratching his head, Huo Yuhao tentatively said, "Maybe...maybe...it's because my grilled fish was too delicious? We've been short of a cook for the whole trip...?"

Shu Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud this time. Wang Dong, seeing this, pursed his lips, then poked Huo Yuhao's waist in an annoyed tone and said:

"Cook, you big dummy! This is all my doing... I saw you really wanted to join this reserve team, so I used some connections and struck a small deal with the academy. Anyway, those people's backgrounds are what they are, and after considering everything, the academy naturally gave us the positions..."

"what!?"

Huo Yuhao was stunned. He had asked Wang Dong about this before, but Wang Dong had easily brushed it off with a few words. To be honest, he really hadn't expected it to be like this...

Wang Dong, however, disagreed and continued:
"The academy only stipulates that the reserve team will be selected from us core disciples of the outer academy, but it has never stipulated that the reserve team must be the final winners of the selection competition... Please, Huo Yuhao, can't you be a little more mature? All you think about is cultivating or grilling your fish all day long..."

Wang Dong's words were unpleasant, but they were indeed the truth.

Reality is often this cruel; behind every single spot lies a vast web woven from interests and other factors, and once you're caught in it, you can never escape.

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao's expression showed a hint of complexity, but that complexity disappeared quickly, replaced by seriousness.

"Wang Dong, no matter what, I still want to thank you..."

Wang Dong continued to purse his lips, then slowly said:
"It's good that you know to thank me. You're so mature sometimes and childish at other times... I really don't know what's wrong with you... But you didn't waste the precious spiritual item I went through so much trouble to get for you. You owe me so much, Huo Yuhao. If you don't cultivate properly, you'll never be able to repay my kindness in this lifetime..."

Huo Yuhao chuckled, then said:

"It's alright, at worst I'll sell myself to you and grill fish for you for the rest of my life..."

Wang Dong was taken aback, then gave a disdainful smile, but ultimately said nothing more...

Shu Yan watched the two of them flirting, chuckled, and said nothing more, then turned his gaze to the arena...

……

Time flies by...

Shu Yan still had nothing to do lately. During this time, the other thirteen people launched an attack on him at Xuan Zi's instigation, but unfortunately, even so, none of them could even touch the hem of his clothes...

The difference was obvious to the naked eye, and Xuanzi was not particularly surprised. After all, a prodigy like Shu Yan was not comparable to an ordinary monster. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Shu Yan had undoubtedly entered the ranks of the world's top experts. As the days went by, his strength and influence were also increasing. After all, he was still too young.

Now, Shu Yan can no longer be simply regarded as a "student" at Shrek Academy. This rising star is too dazzling, so much so that all the light of this era seems to be shrouded in him alone. This is the birth of a legend, but for others, it is also a kind of tragedy...

……

Time continued to pass, and soon, only three days remained until the end of this competition.

Xuanzi had slacked off early in the morning and disappeared without a trace, so the task of leading everyone to the Star Luo Empire was handed over to Han Ruoruo, who had recently broken through to the Title Douluo level.

Xuanzi also knew that Han Ruoruo possessed a 100,000-year-old soul ring and soul bone, which is why he trusted her so much. Moreover, even if they encountered troubles that Han Ruoruo couldn't solve, wouldn't there be Shu Yan to help them?

Xuanzi was extremely relieved about this. He was used to being lazy, and it was very difficult to get him to focus on one thing. Even with his cruel past, Xuanzi hadn't changed his habit of slacking off over the years... and had even become more and more adept at it...

After Xuanzi left, Han Ruoruo looked helpless. In three days, if there were no reserve team, it would be extremely easy for them, the inner court students, to reach the Mingdou Mountains in the western part of the Star Luo Empire to complete their surveillance mission. However, if they brought along the seven "burdens" of the reserve team, it would undoubtedly slow them down considerably. After all, Huo Yuhao, the one with the lowest cultivation level in the team, had only just broken through to the Great Soul Master level...

In this situation, Han Ruoruo decisively chose to seek help from Shu Yan.

"Ayan, please help me..."

Shu Yan reached out and pinched Han Ruoruo's soft cheek, looking at her pleading expression, then waved his hand and said:

"Gather around, everyone. I'll take you for a while."

Ma Xiaotao and the others, who had been watching the two being affectionate from a short distance away, quickly gathered around upon hearing this. They had all heard that Shu Yan's control over spatial power had recently reached an almost abnormal level, even the Time Douluo Shi Xing had fallen into a disadvantage against him...

"Don't panic. This is your first time experiencing spatial teleportation, so feeling dizzy is normal..."

As he spoke, a dazzling silver light burst forth from Shu Yan's hand, rapidly engulfing everyone's figures and then vanishing without a trace along with their auras. Xuan Zi, who was observing from the shadows, was stunned for a moment, and then a deep look of astonishment appeared on his face.

……

Five hundred kilometers southwest of Shrek City, in a mountain range, a spatial gate slowly opened. Apart from Shu Yan, Han Ruoruo, and Ling Luochen, everyone else tumbled out, dizzy and disoriented, and then lay scattered on the ground.

Ma Xiaotao, with the highest cultivation level, was the first to recover from her dizziness. She struggled to get up and looked around blankly, completely unaware of where she was.

As time passed, the others, including Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, gradually regained consciousness. Shu Yan looked at everyone with a smile, then chuckled:

"Looks like everyone's adapting pretty well. I was thinking you'd need to rest a bit longer... But that's fine, time waits for no one. Get ready, we're off again..."

Ma Xiaotao and the others' pupils contracted slightly. They were about to say something, but Shu Yan had already acted again. A flash of silver light, and that dizzy feeling once again invaded their senses...

……

(End of this chapter)