Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

"..."

Ma Xiaotao walked along the shore of Sea God Lake, absentmindedly kicking small stones while deep in thought.

She only had a vague understanding of the truth from back then. Even when she asked her teacher, she would only get a brief, dismissive answer. Today, she had hoped to learn more details from Lexuan, one of the people involved… yet…

"Sigh, what a headache."

Ma Xiaotao pouted. "That guy named Xu Cheng, how does he know about this? I should've just asked him directly on the competition field…"

"No need, little girl. You can go to the Sun-Moon Empire now… and ask in person."

A sudden voice broke the silence.

Ma Xiaotao's pupils contracted.

Lifting her head, she found herself completely surrounded by several figures in black robes. They had appeared without her noticing, leaving her with no way to escape…

The gentle breeze rustled their sleeves.

The leader of the black-robed figures lifted his hood, revealing a face full of amusement.

"Saintess, come back with us…"

Mingde Hall

Jing Hongchen handed a list to Xu Cheng.

"We might need to revise the exchange list. Shrek Academy said that, aside from a few reserve team members from the tournament, the rest of the exchange students they are sending are all elite Inner Court students. They want us to send equally talented students in return—not just Axiao, but others like Ma Rulong."

"Oh? The list has already been decided?" Xu Cheng took the list with a surprised look.

"Not yet. Shrek told me to wait until just before the summer break for the final list, but they're clearly taking this very seriously." Jing Hongchen stroked his chin.

"Looks like they're making a serious effort." Xu Cheng glanced at the list.

Even Zhang Lexuan, their senior sister, was included. Regardless of the final version, it was clear that the exchange students would be top-tier talents.

Of course, no matter how the list changed, Ma Xiaotao was bound to be on it.

Xu Cheng chuckled.

Whether she liked it or not, if he calculated the timing correctly, she was already on her way…

"Alright, add Zhang Wen, Ma Rulong, and Bai Wennian. They are all Mingde Hall students with sixth-rank Soul Engineer abilities. Zhang Wen is even close to reaching the seventh rank, so they should be on par with Shrek's students. As for Zhang Lexuan… I seriously doubt she'll come."

Xu Cheng spoke indifferently.

"Heh, same thought as me. But since we have such strong candidates, there's no need for Meng to go, right?" Jing Hongchen laughed.

"Of course, with Ah Xiao ( Xiao Hongchen) going, the lineup is already impressive enough…"

Sun-Moon Empire Royal Academy

Inside a trial arena…

With a dazzling flurry of moves, Laughing Hongchen swiftly defeated his opponent.

Feeling pleased with himself, he suddenly sneezed.

"Ah-choo!"

Suspiciously glancing around, he only saw people cheering for him.

"Who's talking about me behind my back?"

Sea God Pavilion

Fan Yu was engaged in a heated debate.

"Dean Yan, if you're not opposing this, then why is the list still undecided? The Sun-Moon Empire has already shown their sincerity. Even their Mingde Hall Master's grandson, Xiao Hongchen, is on the exchange list. Isn't that enough? As one of the strongest individuals in the Sun-Moon Empire, do you expect their imperial prince to come instead?"

Yan Shaozhe's face darkened.

"Zhang Lexuan is impossible! She is the senior sister of the Inner Court, far more valuable than that Xiao Hongchen. Unless they send Xu Cheng, I won't even consider it."

"Heh, you sure dream big. That man not only holds military power in the Sun-Moon Empire and has a noble status, but on the battlefield, he alone was enough to make Shrek gasp for breath. Even at her peak, Ma Xiaotao couldn't last a single exchange against him. What makes you think he'd come?"

Fan Yu scoffed. "If we sent you instead, maybe they'd consider it."

"You think he's worthy of exchanging with me?" Yan Shaozhe snapped angrily.

"That man pilots a mecha strong enough to wound a Body Sect powerhouse with three hundred-thousand-year spirit rings. Dean Yan, could you accomplish that? Forget wounding him—could you even break through his defenses?" Fan Yu retorted without hesitation.

"..."

At the side of the meeting, Qian Duoduo shrank back, watching Fan Yu verbally crush Yan Shaozhe.

"I never expected Fan Yu to be this sharp. He's got Yan almost turning red from anger. First time I've seen this."

Xian Lin'er snorted. "Yan Shaozhe is shortsighted. He deserves to be scolded. I agree with Fan Yu. That old man pretends to be reasonable and kind, but he's actually just a stubborn fool…"

"Alright, are you two done arguing?"

Mu En finally spoke.

He turned to Zhang Lexuan, who had been silently listening. With a gentle smile, he said, "Lexuan, seeing them argue so fiercely, why don't you share your opinion? The final decision is yours."

"Of course, they both have good intentions. Fan Yu believes that as the senior sister of the Inner Court and a future Sea God Pavilion member—possibly even the next Martial Soul Department Dean—you should be exposed to the Sun-Moon Empire's soul tool advancements. It would be beneficial."

"On the other hand, Shaozhe worries about your exceptional talent. He fears that the Sun-Moon Empire might detain you or that you could encounter other dangers. As the Martial Soul Department Dean, it's natural for him to be concerned about his students."

"So…"

Mu En smiled at Zhang Lexuan, waiting for her response.

Just as she was about to decline—

"Something's happened!"

An alarm blared through the sky.

"This is… an academy-level emergency alert! It only sounds in cases of extreme danger!" Cai Mei'er exclaimed.

Most of the people with the authority to trigger this alarm were already here.

Only a few others, such as the Martial Soul Department's Dean and Vice Dean, had permission…

"Ma Xiaotao has been captured by a group of evil soul masters! Director Du Weilun has been severely injured! Requesting immediate assistance!"

A frantic voice called out.

"..."

Everyone was stunned.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen elders shot off like meteors toward the scene—Mu En included.

Only Zhang Lexuan remained frozen in place.

Just yesterday…

Ma Xiaotao had asked her about the incident in Star Dou Forest from ten years ago.

Could it really… be just a coincidence?