Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 210 People are always flexible and tolerant towards the strong!

Zhu Ziyang arrived at the restaurant, where everyone else was already there.

Upon seeing Zhu Ziyang arrive, Tang Ya smiled and asked, "It's rare to see you sleep in, Zhu Ziyang!"

"It wasn't that I slept in; I just made a breakthrough." Zhu Ziyang smiled faintly, sat down next to Jiang Nannan, and took the rice porridge and steamed buns that Jiang Nannan handed him.

"Breakthrough?" His words unexpectedly broke Tang Ya's composure. She said indignantly, "Isn't this just too abnormal? Breaking through so quickly, what about those of us with average talent?!"

Beibei and Xu Sanshi nodded in agreement, feeling deeply powerless inside.

"Hehe, if you guys are still considered average in talent, then there are no geniuses in the world!" Wang Yan said with a smile. He was very happy about Zhu Ziyang's breakthrough, but he was also a little uneasy. He looked at Zhu Ziyang and said, "Ziyang, although you've broken through, you don't need to take action yet. Wait a few more days!"

"I know!" Zhu Ziyang replied.

Wang Yan's thinking was simple: before Elder Lin arrived, it was best if Zhu Ziyang didn't make a move. Because a 100,000-year spirit ring was too conspicuous, no one could guarantee that there wouldn't be any reckless individuals or forces that would attack him. Therefore, only with a Super Douluo by his side would Wang Yan feel comfortable letting Zhu Ziyang go into battle.

Although Zhu Ziyang wanted to say that he actually carried five Title Douluo-level powerhouses with him and was not afraid of anyone's attacks, he knew very well that the Hell Knight and the Lich King were beings who could not be seen in the light of day. As the purest undead creatures, if they appeared in the public eye, Zhu Ziyang would definitely be branded as an evil soul master and suffer joint rejection from both the soul master world and the secular world.

By then, no one will care whether he is a true evil spirit master or not. People only care about what they see. Those with ulterior motives will magnify this point infinitely and then take the opportunity to eliminate him.

As for Shrek Academy, it will also face an unprecedented crisis due to Zhu Ziyang's identity as an evil soul master. How did Shrek Academy gain its reputation over the past ten thousand years? Besides turning the tide four thousand years ago by repelling the Sun Moon Empire's army, it is also because of their unwavering efforts to eradicate evil soul masters over the past millennia, which have earned them the respect of both the secular world and the soul master community.

If Zhu Ziyang is identified as an evil spirit master, Shrek Academy's enemies, such as the Sun Moon Empire, will immediately accuse Shrek Academy of protecting evil spirit masters, inciting public resentment towards Shrek Academy, and then take the opportunity to destroy Shrek Academy. This is not an exaggeration, but a very likely thing to happen!

The people on the mainland who previously had great trust and respect for Shrek Academy will now feel just as much anger and disgust, and will unite to destroy it!

Ten thousand years ago, the Spirit Hall was destroyed in this way.

Therefore, Zhu Ziyang would never send out undead creatures unless it was a matter of life and death.

Why aren't they afraid that someone will attack Huo Yuhao?

First, it's too unbelievable. Anyone with even a basic understanding of Soul Masters can see that while Huo Yuhao's five 100,000-year Soul Rings might seem shocking and frightening at first glance, upon closer inspection, they're completely untenable and riddled with flaws. Second, Huo Yuhao doesn't actually possess any 100,000-year Soul Rings. Therefore, neither Wang Yan nor Zhu Ziyang are worried about anyone attacking Huo Yuhao, because it's not worth it. No power would be foolish enough to make an enemy of Shrek Academy for the sake of a powerful Soul Master.

In short, the problem isn't that you don't have a 100,000-year soul ring, but that you actually do!

Whether it's Zhu Ziyang or Huo Yuhao, at their current age, if they really possess a 100,000-year soul ring, it means they can have a second, a third, or even more. That's what's truly frightening and terrifying.

The Shrek group quickly finished their meal, left the hotel, and headed towards Starry Sky Plaza.

At the hotel entrance, they bumped into the Sun Moon Academy team coming down from another passage. The two teams were old rivals. They would have been at peace if they hadn't met, but now that they had, a head-to-head confrontation was inevitable.

"I never expected that Shrek Academy, a prestigious institution, would send a bunch of pretentious charlatans to participate in the Soul Master Competition. It's truly an eye-opener!" said a student from the Sun and Moon Team, his tone sarcastic and his face mocking.

His words made the rest of the Sun and Moon team smile knowingly, while the members of the Shrek team, who were in the preliminaries, all looked angry.

Ma Xiaotao, who was walking at the front, also looked unhappy. Her beautiful eyes were filled with anger as she said, "Good dogs don't block the way, get out of the way!"

As she spoke, the aura of a top-tier Soul Emperor erupted, instantly blasting the two leading members of the Sun and Moon Team away, sending them staggering back seven or eight steps before regaining their footing. Ma Xiaotao, however, paid no attention. With no one blocking her way, she raised her head and said, "The dog blocking our way is gone, let's go!"

Ma Xiaotao took the lead, walking at the very front, followed by Zhu Ziyang and the Shrek Academy members. They headed straight for Xingluo Square, ignoring the Sun Moon Academy members who were glaring angrily at them from the side.

After everyone from Shrek Academy had left the hotel, the group from Sun Moon Academy also departed. On their way to Star Luo Square, their team leader, Teacher Ma, asked, "Ru Long, how did it go?"

"Just as we suspected, Ma Xiaotao is very strong!" Ma Rulong said gravely. "In a one-on-one fight, none of us are a match for her!"

"Hmph! Give me five years, and I will definitely be able to trample this Ma Xiaotao under my feet!" Xiao Hongchen's face was gloomy because he was the one who had been forced to retreat by Ma Xiaotao's aura. This made the extremely proud Xiao Hongchen feel extremely humiliated, and his hatred for Ma Xiaotao instantly became the number one priority.

"In other words, our chances of winning the individual competition are not high." Old Ma didn't pay attention to Xiao Hongchen's words, but pondered.

"Yes!" Ma Rulong nodded in agreement, but then changed the subject, saying, "However, if they maintain this lineup, our chances of winning in cooperative and team battles are very high. In that case, with a score of two to one, our chances of winning the championship are more than two-thirds!"

After Ma Rulong finished speaking, an excited expression appeared on his face.

"Ha!" Xiao Hongchen scoffed, "Old Ma, Brother Ma, you're thinking way too far ahead. With Shrek Academy in this state, it's questionable whether they can even make it to the finals!"

"Xiao Hongchen, I'm warning you, don't set your pride on your enemy!" Old Man Ma said angrily to Xiao Hongchen, "If Shrek Academy, as the Empire's number one enemy, were truly only of this caliber, how could it have stopped the Empire's army and powerful figures for nearly a thousand years?"

"That just means the people the empire used before were all idiots and mediocre talents!" Xiao Hongchen said casually.

"You..." Old Ma was so angry at Xiao Hongchen's words that he almost fainted. He wanted to continue scolding him, but as if he had thought of something, all his anger and dissatisfaction turned into a sigh. He said, "Ah, never mind, let's go to the arena."

Xingluo Square was bustling with activity, just like the day before, with the stands filled with eager spectators. On the Imperial City Tower, Emperor Xu Jiawei, accompanied by the Empress and his ministers, reappeared.

Today is the first day of the third round of the round-robin tournament, and also Shrek Academy's fourth match. Although Shrek Academy tricked everyone in the match two days ago, no one really cares. People are always most forgiving of the strong.

As the Shrek Academy students entered Star Luo Square, they were greeted with the loudest cheers. The Shrek students enjoyed the cheers without a care in the world, for the glory created by their predecessors should be accepted by their successors without a care in the world.

The group arrived at the rest area, and the competition was about to begin. Their opponent today was Zhengtian Academy, the strongest team in the first group, second only to Shrek Academy.

During the draw, Shrek Academy still fielded Bei Bei as the captain of the preliminary team, while Zheng Tian Academy fielded Ye Wuqing as the captain, a cold young man as indifferent as his name suggests.

The draw results show that Shrek Academy will face Zheng Tian Academy in an individual battle!

Upon hearing this result, Ma Xiaotao, who was in the rest area, stood up excitedly and stared intently at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan felt a chill run down his spine under Ma Xiaotao's gaze, and could only nod helplessly, saying, "In that case, Xiaotao, you go ahead!"

"Haha, finally it's my turn!" Ma Xiaotao was overjoyed, laughing and patting Zhu Ziyang beside her. "Watch me, in a quarter of an hour at most, we can go back to the hotel to rest!"

"Really?" Wang Dong yawned and said expectantly, "Senior Xiao Tao, you'd better do your best! I'm all ready to go back to the hotel to sleep!"

"Don't worry at all!" Ma Xiaotao said confidently.

"Wang Dong, what were you doing last night? You kept yawning while eating breakfast this morning?" Tang Ya asked curiously.

"It's all because of Yuhao. He kept bothering me until almost dawn before letting me sleep!" Wang Dong replied, completely unaware that his words were strange.

Xu Sanshi, with a strange expression, said with a smile, "Yuhao, Wang Dong, you two wouldn't...?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Huo Yuhao exclaimed impatiently, "Wang Dong, can't you speak properly? We're just cultivating, not messing around!"

When Beibei returned, the rest area was filled with laughter, while Ma Xiaotao had already entered the waiting area, ready to step onto the ring at any moment.

(End of this chapter)