Douluo Continent II: The Peerless Tang Sect: I, Huo Yuhao, join the Sun Moon Sect

Xuanzi's face showed grief and indignation. He said loudly, "It seems that everyone feels that Shrek Academy has been wronged. I firmly say no to this smear campaign against Shrek Academy! This is undoubtedly a cover-up against Shrek Academy!"

Therefore, I hereby announce that Shrek Academy will protest the rigged competition in the Soul Fighting Tournament by withdrawing from the tournament!

Xuanzi thought to himself that with that strange anti-cheating soul tool around, Shrek Academy's strength would be greatly weakened. Moreover, given the level of these reserve team members, even if Xu Jiawei helped to manipulate things behind the scenes, it would be difficult for them to secure a spot in the top four.

After all, to enter the top four, you have to defeat at least one of the top eight opponents. The strongest player among the reserve team members is only a Soul Master. According to the pattern of previous Soul Battle Tournaments, the teams that can enter the top eight basically all have a Soul Emperor!

Even though Shrek Academy students are generally of high caliber, they are still at a disadvantage when facing a Soul Emperor.

To be honest, if someone in the team possessed a Soul Fusion Skill, Xuanzi would definitely not have made such a decision, since Soul Fusion Skills are generally quite powerful.

As for waiting for those regular team members to recover from their injuries and then participate in the competition, to be honest, that is undoubtedly impossible. After all, Ma Xiaotao and the others were seriously injured. Unless the Immortal Doctor Douluo or Bi Ji intervened, their injuries would definitely not be able to improve during the Soul Fighting Tournament!

The former is not currently in the Star Luo Empire, and as for the latter... although Bi Ji is a relatively kind soul beast, given the relationship between Shrek Academy and the Star Dou Great Forest, asking her to treat a regular team member is basically an impossible task.

Therefore, for the sake of Shrek Academy's reputation, the only option is to withdraw from the competition! Withdrawing is better than being completely dominated in the Soul Fighting Tournament!

As for cheating, you may have done it, but you absolutely cannot admit it!

The incident caused a huge stir, with disbelief on the faces of all the spectators. After all, there had never been a case of Shrek Academy withdrawing from the competition before. Generally speaking, teams like Shrek Academy would win the championship in every major competition, while other academies, no matter how strong, were ultimately just foils for Shrek Academy.

On the city wall, Xu Jiawei's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. He thought to himself, "Does Xuanzi have some serious illness? I've been helping Shrek Academy with their underhanded dealings and turning a blind eye to their cheating, but in the end, the Star Luo Empire has to take the blame."

To say there was a conspiracy is to say that the Star Luo Empire, as the organizer, was not fair.

But the problem is, isn't the reason it's not fair because of Shrek Academy?

Thinking of this, he felt somewhat dissatisfied with Xuanzi, but due to the prestige of Shrek Academy, he couldn't easily shift the blame back. In case they really went to war with the Sun Moon Empire in the future, they would still have to rely on Shrek Academy!

Xu Jiujiu, who was standing to the side, asked, "Brother, what should we do now?"

Xu Jiawei was silent for a moment, then sighed: "We must thoroughly investigate this cheating incident and restore Shrek Academy's reputation! We, the organizers, must also be exonerated!"

Xu Jiujiu immediately understood Xu Jiawei's meaning: to find some people to take the blame and completely take responsibility for the matter. For a moment, Xu Jiujiu was also somewhat dissatisfied with Xuanzi, but the matter could only come to an end like this.

The royal family can't take the blame, and neither can Shrek Academy, so the only option is to find someone else to take it.

.......

Jing Hongchen walked back to the audience area and then left with Huo Yuhao and the other two, since there wasn't much to see in the remaining matches.

Along the way, this former Shrek alumnus kept ranting: "According to our intelligence, this Xuanzi is the strongest in Shrek Academy! However, this guy is a shameless scoundrel!"

It was clearly Shrek Academy that cheated, yet he managed to turn black into white! Thank goodness for the anti-cheating soul tool Yuhao made, otherwise I wouldn't have seen through Shrek Academy's true colors!

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao thought to himself that Xuanzi was only seen as the strongest in Shrek Academy from the outside world. Although Mu En was a level 99 Limit Douluo, he hadn't made a move for a long time, so many people thought that the once-famous Dragon God Douluo Mu En was long dead.

For Shrek Academy, Moon is the pillar of strength. As long as Moon is safe and sound, Shrek Academy has the confidence to face any opponent.

At this moment, Xiao Hongchen said, "By the way, Junior Brother Yuhao, I have a feeling that you knew all along that Shrek Academy was going to cheat, which is why you had Grandpa use the anti-cheating soul tool!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "After I underwent attribute transfer with the auspicious beast, my martial soul underwent some mutations. Since then, I've had a premonition that Shrek Academy is going to cheat."

This premonition helps me dispel the fog of fate, allowing me to vaguely glimpse some things about the future. Therefore, to verify this, on my way back to Star Luo City yesterday, I discussed the deployment of anti-cheating soul tools with the Dean!

This time, he did not try to mislead the other party into believing that he was a reincarnation of a god. The previous concept of a reincarnation of a god was only meant to deceive Tianmeng and Bingdi.

"A Martial Soul mutation?" A look of surprise appeared on Xiao Hongchen's face. "So that's how it is. I didn't expect your Martial Soul to mutate like this! Doesn't that mean your Martial Soul is stronger than before?"

Huo Yuhao did not deny it, "Strictly speaking, that's true."

"You've gotten stronger again! Does that mean I'll always be the second most talented person in the Sun Moon Empire? And be overshadowed by you for the rest of my life?" Xiao Hongchen asked, looking conflicted.

Although he envied Huo Yuhao's martial soul mutated to be more powerful, he had no intention of mutating his own martial soul. Martial soul mutation can sometimes make a martial soul stronger, but most of the time it can only make a martial soul weaker.

A typical example is Tang San's teacher, Yu Xiaogang.

Upon hearing this, Meng Hongchen said, "Xiao, we should be happy for Junior Brother Yuhao as he gets stronger!"

“That makes sense, but…” Xiao Hongchen was like a deflated balloon. He was a proud person, so he never wanted to be overshadowed by anyone. But the problem was, if things continued like this, he would never have the chance to defeat this junior in his lifetime.

He suddenly understood his grandfather's thoughts. No wonder his grandfather had always wanted to match Meng and Huo Yuhao. Faced with such a genius, anyone would want to recruit him.

Chapter 65 It's all the fault of the Sun and Moon Empire!

The Shrek Academy students were gathered in an attic.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Wang Yan looked at Xuan Zi with disappointment. Suppressing his anger, he said, "Elder Xuan, how could you withdraw from the competition without my permission? Do you know how much damage this will do to the academy's reputation?"

Xuanzi sighed: "Wang Yan, withdrawing from the competition is a last resort. If we want to reach the top four, we not only need Xu Jiawei to manipulate Shrek's opponents behind the scenes, but also need to steadily implement the cheating scheme I devised with my extraordinary wisdom."

That way we can save face, and then use the evil spirit master's story to garner the audience's sympathy and approval! Even if we're not the champions, we'll be just like champions!

However, only one of these two conditions is currently met. For the sake of the academy's eternal glory, I have no choice but to announce my withdrawal from the competition! You know, I've always been thinking about the academy's future.

As he spoke, he placed his hand on Wang Yan's shoulder and said righteously, "However, in general, it's all the fault of the evil Sun Moon Empire! It's all their soul tools that are causing this! Otherwise, my cheating scheme could definitely have been implemented smoothly."

In the eyes of the Shrek Academy members, cheating for the sake of the academy's eternal glory is not a shameful thing. Therefore, in a sense, those who hinder their continuation of their eternal glory are undoubtedly evil enemies!

He Caitou, standing to the side, was somewhat speechless. As a member of the royal bloodline of the Sun Moon Empire who had been living abroad, he felt that Elder Xuan's words seemed a bit extreme.

His lips moved slightly, as if he was about to say something, but Beibei pressed down on He Caitou's shoulder and shook her head at him, indicating that He Caitou should not contradict Elder Xuan at this time.

Wang Yan was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Elder Xuan, I think I understand your thoughts, but how should we explain this to the students and the elders of the Sea God Pavilion after we return to the academy?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzi took a sip of wine from his gourd and said, "Wang Yan, you don't need to worry about that. In the end, this matter is still my responsibility."

As for the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, I will handle the explanation. If that doesn't work, I'll resign! As for the students, let's use the excuse that Shrek Academy was involved in a conspiracy! I believe the students will understand!

"Elder Xuan! Should we go back to Shrek Academy now?" Wang Dong couldn't help but ask. She had traveled all the way from Shrek Academy to participate in the Soul Fighting Tournament, but now that the academy had withdrawn from the competition, there was no need for her to stay here.

However, Wang Dong actually wanted to stay in Xingluo City a little longer, since this place seemed much more interesting than Haotian Sect.

“Go back? Go back for what? The Soul Fighting Tournament isn’t over yet! Everyone, just watch the competition!” Xuanzi put down his wine gourd, put his hands behind his back, and said calmly, “Besides, the evil Sun Moon Empire ruined my plans, so I’ll keep a close eye on all the teams they sent to prevent them from cheating!”

Who knows if they tampered with that soul tool! If these guys secretly cheated, I'll have to give them a good talking-to!

In Xuanzi's view, he cheated in order to maintain the glory of ten thousand years, but if the Sun and Moon cheated, that would be the most shameless thing ever!

.......

The Imperial Palace of the Star Luo Empire.

Xu Jiawei sat in a chair, and in front of him was a minister with white hair and beard. This minister's main responsibility was to be in charge of the security of Xingluo City. Today, this minister requested an audience with him and asked to report on the current security situation of Xingluo City.

The minister said, "Your Majesty, the impact of Shrek Academy's withdrawal from the competition is immeasurable. According to statistics, in just one hour, a large number of people chose to jump off the walls of Xingluo City. Fortunately, the Soul Master Corps stationed nearby intervened in time and successfully saved these people."

Xu Jiawei was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Oh? Why are they planning to commit suicide in this way?"

The minister hesitated. He knew that His Majesty had studied at Shrek Academy in his early years, so His Majesty's stance should be on Shrek Academy's side.

Seeing the minister's hesitant expression, Xu Jiawei waved his hand and said, "Just say what you have to say!"

The minister nodded and said, "These people all have one thing in common: they have staked their entire fortune on Shrek Academy's inevitable victory. Some have even chosen to sell their houses and all the soul tools they possess."

Logically, Shrek Academy should have won the first round of the academy elimination tournament, but no one expected them to withdraw from the competition! This resulted in all of them losing everything! That's why they took such an extreme action.

Xu Jiawei immediately felt a headache coming on. "Alright, let's deal with the aftermath of Shrek Academy's withdrawal from the competition properly and try to save as many people as possible!"

Although he disliked these gamblers, they were, after all, people of Xingluo, and as the emperor of Xingluo, he couldn't simply ignore their safety.

.........

As a renowned auction house in the Star Luo Empire, Starlight Auction House is a place where only the wealthy and powerful can enter and become VIPs. Since this year's Soul Battle Tournament is being held in Star Luo City, it has attracted a large number of people from other places to come to Star Luo City.

Therefore, Starlight Auction House will also see a huge leap in revenue.

At this moment, Jing Hongchen and his group arrived at the auction house and sat down in the auction hall. Of course, they also followed the fixed procedure, receiving and putting on the masks provided by Xingluo Auction House.

Huo Yuhao took a cup of tea, slowly sipped it to moisten his dry throat, and then quietly waited for the auction to begin.

For Huo Yuhao, his main purpose in coming here today was to obtain the carving knife forged from the Gold of Life, which was an essential item for forging the Eye of Destiny.

The Snow Emperor's embryo will not appear at today's auction. According to his memory, the Snow Emperor's embryo will appear at another auction.

As for the people from Shrek Academy... to be honest, even though everyone was wearing masks, he could easily recognize them. The reason was simple: Shrek Academy had a great influence in the Star Luo Empire, and with the help of Dai Yueheng, the son of the White Tiger Duke, the people from Shrek Academy would basically sit in the first row in this Auction Hall No. 12.

At this moment, an auctioneer dressed in a purple dress slowly walked onto the auction stage. She looked at everyone present with a smile and said, "Good evening, distinguished guests. I am Qingya, a purple-level auctioneer from Starlight Auction House. I will be hosting this auction today, and I hope everyone can get what they want."

"Today's auction is quite special, as it mainly focuses on soul tools, so I believe everyone will definitely not be disappointed."

Chapter 66 The Soul-Devouring Blade

Then Qingya began to introduce the auction items one by one. Huo Yuhao glanced at them but was not very interested. Although the people of Xingluo might treasure these soul tools, they were actually quite ordinary to Huo Yuhao, who was now in the Sun Moon Empire.

So naturally he didn't think much of it and didn't make a bid.

Shrek Academy's soul tool technology was actually inferior to that of Sun Moon Academy, so the Shrek Academy people were generous enough to buy some soul tools, including the milk bottle.

During the event, auctioneer Qingya even made a joke related to baby bottles, which was quite a quirky joke.

Qingya looked at everyone and said, "Of course, for today's auction, our auction house has prepared a mysterious grand gift. This mysterious grand gift is of great significance to Soul Masters, and it is also extremely rare. Please take a look."

As she spoke, she lifted the curtain, and soon a carving knife appeared in everyone's eyes. For Soul Masters, carving knives are an essential tool, because they need to use them to carve the core magic array.

"I can tell you with certainty that even in the world of carving knives, this carving knife is extremely rare because it is a ranked carving knife! There are only one hundred ranked carving knives in the entire Douluo Continent, so its rarity is self-evident!"

Everyone's breathing quickened as they stared intently at the carving knife, while Qingya continued to introduce it.

Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted slightly, clearly recognizing the carving knife: "It's actually the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife, known as the 'murderous knife'! I didn't expect the Star Luo Auction House to put such a vicious thing up for sale! It seems that not many people will choose to buy it today."

Xiao Hongchen also looked solemn. "Yes, Grandpa, this carving knife is really too strange. Basically, every owner of it has died tragically. It seems that Xingluo Auction House is just doing this for someone else. It's a pity that this kind of carving knife is basically worthless."

After all, for a Soul Master, personal safety is of paramount importance. Moreover, this is merely a carving knife ranked ninety-ninth; in my opinion, even a carving knife ranked one hundredth would far surpass this Soul-Devouring Carving Knife!

The Soul-Eating Carving Knife is a good thing; in terms of actual effectiveness, it is indeed quite good. But the problem is, even good things need to be used while you're still alive!

"100,000 gold soul coins!" Huo Yuhao raised his sign directly.

Qingya was overjoyed. "This guest has offered 100,000 gold soul coins. Is there anyone else willing to bid?"

Jing Hongchen, standing to the side, looked at Huo Yuhao in astonishment. "What are you doing? Wake up! This is the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife!"

It wasn't that he was worried about the money; the main problem was that the Soul-Devouring Carving Blade was far too dangerous! If Huo Yuhao were to come into contact with something like that and something happened to him, it would be a huge loss for the empire.

Meng Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao and said, "Junior Brother Yuhao, if you want the engraving knife, Grandpa will definitely help you. However, this engraving knife is special, so I still advise you not to buy it. After all, an engraving knife that can kill thirty-seven directors in a row is undoubtedly a cursed knife."

Xiao Hongchen then spoke up, "Junior Brother Yuhao, listen to me, don't buy this knife. If you want a carving knife, just use my grandfather's for now!"

"You brat!" Jing Hongchen gave Xiao Hongchen a sharp rap on the head.

Xiao Hongchen covered her head, somewhat puzzled. Hadn't Grandpa always wanted to bring Meng and Huo Yuhao together? Wouldn't it be better to give Meng his beloved carving knife as a dowry?

At this moment, Jing Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao and said, "Yuhao, I will find you a top-ranked engraving knife. The Soul-Devouring Engraving Knife is actually not suitable for you."