Douluo: The Martial Soul Asura Armor, a Good Spirit Turning Evil

The realm of gods, the castle is destroyed.

The black palace floated in the void, surrounded by a gray-purple aura of destruction.

Deep within the palace, a low laugh suddenly rang out, echoing through the empty hall.

"interesting."

The God of Destruction sat on his throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

Before him was a mirror image formed from the power of destruction. In the image, a young man dressed in dark purple armor was turning away from the lakeside, carrying two bags of grilled fish in his hand.

The scene freezes on the moment Duanmu Yan says, "I will not stop."

The corners of the God of Destruction's mouth turned up slightly.

A rare hint of interest appeared on that cold, hard face.

"It's been so many years since I've seen such a cute little guy."

Footsteps came from outside the hall, soft and unhurried.

The goddess of life walked in, her long dress flowing like spring water, her emerald green hair cascading down to her waist.

She glanced at the image in front of the God of Destruction, then at his rarely seen expression, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What made you laugh like that?"

The God of Destruction didn't turn around. He tapped his fingers on the armrest, and the images in the mirror began to flow again...

From Duanmu Yan suppressing Ma Xiaotao, to confronting Yan Shaozhe, and then to the line "You can kill me now."

The goddess of life watched quietly, her gaze settling on the face of the boy in the picture.

"Level sixty-two, daring to draw your sword against a titled Douluo." Her voice was calm, revealing neither praise nor criticism. "It's courage, but also recklessness."

"That's the bottom line," the God of Destruction corrected her. "He knew he couldn't win, but he still didn't back down. People like that are either idiots or they have a scale in their hearts, and what's on that side is heavier than their lives."

He paused, his interest growing even stronger.

"He's not an idiot."

The Goddess of Life glanced at him but said nothing. She knew that the God of Destruction's judgment was always very accurate.

"And his attributes..." The God of Destruction raised his hand, a wisp of grayish-purple destructive power condensing at his fingertips. "Did you feel it? The aura on that armor is seven-tenths similar to mine. It's not pure destruction, but its essence is."

"You want to pass the divine position to him?" the goddess of life asked directly.

The God of Destruction did not answer immediately.

He stared at Duanmu Yan's back in the mirror and remained silent for a moment.

"Let's see," he said, his tone unusually cautious. "The succession to a divine position is no child's play. He has the potential, but we'll have to see how far he can go."

He waved his hand, and the image vanished.

"However—" The God of Destruction leaned back in his chair, the corners of his mouth curving into a wider smile, "I quite like this kid."

The goddess of life shook her head and turned to walk away.

"Don't scare them away." Her voice drifted in from outside the hall, carrying a hint of helpless laughter.

The God of Destruction did not respond.

He closed his eyes and tapped his fingers twice more on the armrest.

The lower realm, Shrek Academy.

Duanmu Yan sneezed.

Duanmu Yan returned to his dormitory, put the grilled fish on the table, and took off his coat.

The two bags of grilled fish had gone cold, and there was still dust on the oil paper bags.

He looked at it, neither throwing it away nor eating it.

This mess has completely ruined his appetite.

He planned to take a shower.

I had just unbuttoned my coat halfway when there was a loud banging on the door.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

It wasn't knocking, it was smashing.

The force was so great that the door frame was shaking.

"Duanmu Yan! Open the door for me!"

Ye Guyi's voice carried an barely suppressed urgency.

Duanmu Yan sighed, pulled his outer robe up again, and walked over to open the door.

Ye Guyi stood at the door, her hair a little messy, her face flushed from running over.

She looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth that hadn't been wiped clean, and her pupils contracted slightly.

"You fought with Dean Yan?"

"Yes, because of some problems." Duanmu Yan leaned against the doorframe. "How did you know?"

Ye Guyi took a deep breath, as if suppressing some emotion.

"How did you know?" she repeated, her voice rising a few decibels. "The whole of Shrek Academy knows!"

Duanmu Yan frowned.

"With such a commotion by the lake, do you think no one saw it?" Ye Guyi pushed him aside and went straight into the room. "When you and Ma Xiaotao were fighting, there were already onlookers. By the time Dean Yan brought people over, there were at least twenty or thirty teachers and students standing by the lake. By the time the inner court instructors wanted to clear the area, it was already too late."

She sat down in the chair and looked up at Duanmu Yan.

"The version circulating outside is—a Shrek Academy inner court disciple is suspected of falling into depravity, and an evil soul master named 'Meat Grinder' is trying to kill her, but the dean intervenes, and the two end up fighting. Tsk, I feel like if this keeps going, it'll turn into 'Shrek is harboring an evil soul master.'"

Duanmu Yan remained silent for a moment.

"Because of this matter, the Sea God Pavilion has already held a meeting," Ye Guyi added. "This matter is probably not easy to handle."

Duanmu Yan remained silent.

He turned and walked to the table, picked up the two bags of cold grilled fish, thought for a moment, but decided not to throw them away and put them aside.

"Aren't you worried?" Ye Guyi asked, her voice complicated as she watched his retreating figure.

"What are you worried about?" Duanmu Yan turned around. "Every word I said is true, and everything I did was correct. If Ma Xiaotao's anger isn't quelled, it will cause trouble sooner or later. I'm just speaking my mind."

He paused.

"But it's you."

"What's wrong with me?"

Duanmu Yan looked at her calmly.

"Do you think... there's any point in us staying at Shrek Academy like this?"

The room fell silent.

Ye Guyi opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She looked into Duanmu Yan's eyes, which held no anger or disappointment, but rather a very serious question.

She suddenly didn't know what to say.

The light outside the window dimmed, and a lake breeze blew in through the window, carrying a fishy smell.

Neither of them spoke.

After a long silence, she spoke softly, her tone filled with uncertainty: "Are you serious?"

Duanmu Yan did not answer immediately.

He walked to the window and pushed it open.

A lake breeze blew in, carrying moisture and faint voices from afar.

The direction of Poseidon Island was brightly lit, much brighter than usual.

"I don't know," he finally spoke, his voice very soft, "but I have a feeling—"

He paused, his gaze falling on the lake, where the lights of Shrek Academy, which had stood for millennia, were reflected.

"That day may not be far off."

Looking at his back as he stood by the window, Ye Guyi suddenly felt as if he might leave at any moment.

She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she found her throat tightening.

"and you……"

"We'll see." Duanmu Yan turned around, his face expressionless. "You go back first, I'm going to take a shower."

Ye Guyi glared at him, then got up and walked out.

He stopped at the door without looking back.

"I don't care if you leave or not, you're my only friend, don't leave me here alone."

The door closed.

Duanmu Yan stood in the empty room, the lake breeze making his clothes flutter.