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

Xiao Tao, Teacher Wang Yan is right—you won't recover in a week."

The room fell silent.

Dai Yueheng, as one of the only two Soul Emperors, stepped in to mediate.

"And even if you do go up, if you can't display the absolute dominance that a Soul Emperor should have, it won't help us at all. Instead, it will expose our weakness to other academies, and we'll lose whatever advantage we have."

"At this point, our only advantage is mystery—the unknown. If we lose even that, then we're not far from being eliminated. As Soul Emperors, we're the pillars of this team. If our strength is exposed too soon and our enemies figure out how to counter us, then how can we compete for the top four, let alone the championship?"

"..."

His words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over Ma Xiaotao's head, bringing her back to reality.

Wang Yan glanced at Dai Yueheng in surprise. He hadn't expected the vice-captain to step up at such a crucial moment.

"Teacher Wang, tell us your strategy," Dai Yueheng said calmly.

Wang Yan gratefully nodded, seizing the opportunity.

"Yueheng, how long will your injuries take to heal?"

"About the same as Xiaotao's—one and a half weeks to return to battle, but around two weeks to be at my peak again," Dai Yueheng said after some thought.

"Phew… a little over a week should be enough." Wang Yan let out a long breath and looked around the room.

"Yueheng is right. Our greatest advantage right now is the unknown. Over the past ten thousand years, Shrek Academy has built a legacy of dominance. To our opponents, we are mysterious, invincible, and just standing across from us can make their legs tremble!"

"So we need to stall. Stall until our two Soul Emperors are fully recovered!"

"The first round of eliminations is crucial. If we survive this round, we're halfway to victory. The group stage after that uses a point-based system, which gives us a lot more room to maneuver. So…"

Wang Yan looked around the team.

"Ling Luochen, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu… and Xiao Xiao—prepare for tomorrow's elimination match. Based on the draw, we'll be facing Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy. According to our intel, they have five Soul Ancestors and two Soul Elders. In this first match, we must achieve a crushing victory!"

"Hah! A team that weak? We'll finish the fight in no time!" Bei Bei said with a grin.

"Yeah, you guys don't even need to step in. Luochen and I will slice through them like butter," Xu Sanshi boasted.

"..."

The room's atmosphere quickly lightened.

Only Wang Dong looked around silently, deep in thought.

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"What?! Shrek Academy is being ridiculous!"

In the Sun Moon Empire meeting room, Elder Ma was so furious that his hair bristled as he slammed the table.

"Elder Ma, what's going on?" Ma Rulong and the others looked confused.

"Hmph! The registration deadline just passed, and guess what? Shrek Academy only sent ten people! Seven of them are under fifteen years old, and two of them are only twelve! Do they seriously think they can win the championship with that lineup? Absurd!"

Elder Ma was fuming.

"Calm down, Elder Ma."

"You think I—" Elder Ma turned, about to curse, but then he saw Xu Cheng sitting lazily on the bed, looking completely at ease. He had no choice but to swallow his anger. "Your Highness, they're insulting you with this!"

Xu Cheng: "…"

"Alright, let me show you something. Then you'll understand." Xu Cheng smirked and pulled out a memory crystal, projecting it onto the wall.

Half an hour later…

Ma Rulong's jaw dropped.

"So you're telling me… this Evil Soul Master wiped out Shrek's entire main team? And their experts just let it happen?"

There were so many things wrong with this situation that he didn't even know where to start.

Shrek's main team—with two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings, the perfect lineup—was just gone?

If there weren't video evidence, he would have laughed in the face of whoever told him this.

"..."

The room fell into stunned silence.

Elder Ma silently walked to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and stared into the distance, questioning his entire understanding of the world.

The rest of the team was equally shaken.

"So… how do we even compete now?" Lin Xi's mouth twitched.

"Yeah… is there even a fight to be had?" Mi Jia exhaled in relief.

Facing Shrek's powerful lineup had been stressful, even for their strongest members.

But now…

They thought Shrek was being arrogant, believing the championship was guaranteed.

Turns out, they simply had no other choice.

Ma Rulong secretly glanced at Xu Cheng.

He knew who this man truly was—the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult.

And he had casually wiped out Shrek's entire main team…

Wait. Are all Evil Soul Masters this terrifying?!

"…So, what do we do next?"

Lin Xi cautiously asked.

"Elder Ma, who is Shrek's first opponent?" Xu Cheng asked calmly.

"Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, a school under the Dou Ling Empire. They have five Soul Ancestors and two Soul Elders. Even if Shrek is weakened, there's no way they'll lose this match," Elder Ma replied immediately. He had studied Shrek Academy more than anyone.

"Heh. Shrek is definitely hoping to make a strong first impression, to show their momentum despite the losses. But do you really think I'll let them have their way?"

Xu Cheng's lips curled into a smirk.

"They might not be eliminated in the first round, but I can still make their lives miserable."

"Xiao Hongchen, do we have soul tools that counter ice-based abilities?"

"Hehehe, of course! Even if we didn't, I could make some on the spot!" Xiao Hongchen grinned excitedly.

"Good." Xu Cheng nodded.

"Send them to Tianling Academy."

Cheating?

Please.

The Tang Sect literally gave Shrek a physical cheat code—Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection.

If they can do that, why can't I send a gift to my new friends?

Besides…

Anyone fighting Shrek is automatically my brother!

As the morning sun rose over Star Luo City, a serious atmosphere settled over the imperial capital.

All roads surrounding Star Luo Plaza were sealed by armored soldiers. Only contestants from the Star Crown Hotel were allowed through.

The competition arena was surrounded by 108 metal pillars, which would form a protective barrier once the matches began, preventing soul skills from spilling outside.

Right now, the plaza was empty.

Tall iron fences divided the area into separate competition zones.

Meanwhile, teams from various academies began to arrive, heading toward their designated waiting areas.

And for the first time, Xu Cheng would come face to face with Shrek Academy…

(To be continued…)