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

"Let us congratulate Shrek Academy on their victory!"

As the referee's voice rang out, though it was meant as a congratulatory announcement, it carried a hint of confusion and puzzlement.

At the same time, the entire arena remained eerily silent, with only scattered applause breaking the stillness.

Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on Shrek Academy, filled with doubt.

Was this truly the so-called number one academy of the continent, the undisputed top institution of the past ten thousand years?Had Shrek really struggled this much just to defeat a so-called "cannon fodder" academy in the early stages?

Even worse…

Ling Luochen had collapsed on the competition stage due to severe physical exhaustion, unable to hold on until Bei Bei and the others secured victory.

For the audience who had witnessed the match, the title of "Number One Academy" now seemed questionable.

At that moment, Bei Bei and the others hung their heads low, their legs feeling as heavy as lead. They didn't even dare to lift their gaze to meet the countless eyes filled with disappointment in the audience.

The weight of those stares was suffocating.

Wang Yan let out a deep sigh.

He covered his face in frustration.

If, at the start of the match, Bei Bei and the others had been able to follow up on Ling Luochen's ultimate ability in time, things would have turned out much better. But perhaps due to arrogance or because of Ling Luochen's overconfidence, they lost that opportunity.

No matter how hard they fought afterward, they could no longer achieve the desired results.

Bei Bei and the others were indeed strong. Compared to their peers, they were practically unbeatable.

But their opponents had too many tricks up their sleeves. They never even intended to win but instead focused entirely on stalling—dragging the match out for as long as possible. They used all sorts of low-tier, annoying soul tools to delay every second they could.

What should have been a match over in ten seconds had been forcibly dragged out for over a minute.

To the audience, it even looked like an evenly matched battle…

Not only did this completely shatter Wang Yan's original plan, but it also exposed Shrek Academy's weaknesses and caused them to lose their greatest advantage—mystique.

Now that the veil had been lifted, it meant that Shrek Academy might not be able to go far.

"..."

"I'm sorry, Teacher Wang Yan… we…"

Bei Bei spoke with deep regret.

"It's okay, it's okay…" What else could Wang Yan say at this point?

Blame the unconscious Ling Luochen for acting on her own?

Or blame the others for not doing their best?

He could only swallow his frustration and force a smile, pretending everything was fine.

—

Inside the Hotel

"No, I'm going up next time!"

Ma Xiaotao roared angrily.

"I'll just burn them all to death! A complete team wipe! That's the only way to uphold Shrek's honor! This was way too humiliating!"

"Xiaotao, if you don't follow orders, then you can go back to Shrek Academy by yourself." Wang Yan's voice turned harsh.

"Your evil fire is already difficult to control. If you let it erupt in your current heavily injured state, you won't even be able to restrain yourself without outside intervention. If that happens, the world will see Shrek Academy for what it really is—a hollow shell. At that point, we'll be in real trouble!"

"..."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Ma Xiaotao's face was filled with unwillingness, but she turned her head away, suppressing her frustration.

"Actually, I think there's something off about today's match," He Caitou finally spoke after a long period of silence.

"Caitou…" Wang Yan looked at He Caitou in surprise. The usually quiet and reserved soul engineer rarely spoke up.

Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Ma Xiaotao, and the others also turned to look at him.

He Caitou looked conflicted, exhaling deeply as if he had just let go of some burden.

"The truth is… I'm from the Sun Moon Empire."

Everyone was stunned.

"Caitou, you…" Bei Bei was completely dumbfounded. This revelation was shocking, but why was He Caitou revealing his identity now of all times?

"Let's talk about today's match first. Don't you all think something was off? The opposing team was fully equipped with soul tools—all specifically designed to counter ice-based attacks. Based on their quality, these tools were at least at the fifth-tier or higher, capable of resisting Senior Ling's fifth soul skill. But realistically, how could a minor academy afford even one fifth-tier soul tool, let alone seven? And why would they all be so niche, only effective against ice attacks? Isn't that too extravagant?"

"…You mean someone is targeting Shrek?" Wang Yan's pupils contracted sharply.

The others were also startled.

What He Caitou said made sense. How could such a coincidence just happen to them?

"Caitou, keep going." Wang Yan's expression grew heavier.

If someone truly had their sights on them, it wasn't surprising.

Too many interests were at stake, and Shrek Academy had made many enemies over the millennia. If something truly happened, even Wang Yan himself could be crushed in an instant.

"Sigh… This ties into my background as a Sun Moon Empire citizen," He Caitou said with a bitter smile. "Just now, I saw someone in the Sun Moon Imperial Battle Team—Xu Cheng. You might not be familiar with the internal affairs of the Sun Moon Empire, but he is practically a household name there."

"As a prince, he has the backing of both the Holy Spirit Cult and a significant portion of the military. If nothing changes, in ten years, he will be the one ascending the throne. But what's more terrifying is that he likely isn't just a pawn—a piece to be manipulated in the battle for power. No, he might actually be the one playing the game."

He Caitou sighed heavily.

"For someone with no maternal family support, no apparent backing, to slowly climb to where he is today… Can you even begin to imagine how terrifying his strategies and schemes must be?"

Everyone shuddered at the implication.

Wang Yan narrowed his eyes. "Caitou, you mean…"

"That's right," He Caitou smiled bitterly. "If it's him, then everything makes sense. With the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology, manufacturing seven counter-ice soul tools overnight would be effortless. And honestly, only the Sun Moon Empire could accomplish this. But what frightens me the most… is that he predicted Senior Ling would push herself through her injuries and fight in the first round. That level of foresight is simply…"

Everyone swallowed hard.

Their faces were filled with shock.

This Xu Cheng… was truly a monster.

Ma Xiaotao let out a cold snort.

"He's just a scheming little rat. Once I get the chance, I'll turn him into charcoal—oh, sorry, Caitou, I didn't mean you."

He Caitou's mouth twitched, sighing helplessly.

"Senior Ma Xiaotao, I don't think you were listening. He isn't just cunning—his strength is also overwhelming. Half a year ago, he publicly defeated a seventh-tier soul engineer."

"That seventh-tier soul engineer was supposedly one of the previous tournament's main team members representing the Sun Moon Empire."

"..."

Ma Xiaotao coughed awkwardly.

"…It's just a seventh-tier soul engineer. I could also—"

"I understand."

Wang Yan took a deep breath.

"In that case, I will immediately report this to Shrek Academy and request Elder Xuan to oversee the situation. If this involves the Holy Spirit Cult, it might also be connected to…"

"You mean?!!"

"Yes. The Mingdou Mountain Range Incident."

—

Author's Note:

He Caitou learned the truth because, as a royal orphan, he encountered former loyalists of the imperial family who shared this information with him.

(End of Chapter)