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

Shrek Outer Court

In front of a teaching building, a brand-new "Exchange Student List" was posted on the bulletin board, immediately drawing the attention of many students who stopped to take a look.

Ning Tian was among them.

She glanced at the list, which was divided into two sections: the Soul Tool Department and the Martial Soul Department. The leading teacher for the Soul Tool Department was Fan Yu—a name she recognized. He was the vice dean of the department. Among the students listed, the only name she was familiar with was He Caitou, as he had been a reserve member in the recently concluded Continental Soul Master Tournament.

She didn't know much about the Soul Tool Department, but she was still a little surprised.

After all, if they were sending a vice dean, it was clear that this exchange program held significant weight.

But when she looked at the Martial Soul Department list, her beautiful eyes widened in shock.

"Zhang… Zhang Lexuan, Senior Sister?!"

As the young sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, carrying the hope of revitalizing her clan, Ning Tian had, of course, heard of this remarkable senior sister from the inner court. After all, in previous years, disciples from her sect had entered the inner court, though their decline had become increasingly evident, as if an inevitable fate…

She continued reading the names.

"Chu Qingtian, Mo Xuan… Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Ning Tian, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao."

Ning Tian softly recited the names.

There were ten students in total—five from the inner court and five from the outer court—all of them outstanding individuals.

She wasn't arrogant, but at around twelve years old, reaching Rank 35 Soul Elder status was already considered top-tier in Shrek Academy, a place filled with monsters. If she called herself a prodigy, no one would refute it.

"Young Miss, you must take care of yourself when you go to the Sun Moon Empire!" Wu Feng's eyes brimmed with tears.

She had grown up alongside Ning Tian, and now her lady was leaving for three whole years. How was she supposed to endure that?

She had already made up her mind—whenever there was a holiday, she would find any excuse to visit the Sun Moon Empire.

"For the family, this must be done..." Ning Tian said resolutely.

Not long ago, the sect elders had sent a letter insisting that she participate in this exchange program. First, they had seen the immense potential for the future of soul tools displayed by the Sun Moon Empire's team in the tournament. Second, of course, was for the sake of forging alliances.

Ever since Xu Cheng extended his goodwill, many powers from the former three-nation continent had started reconsidering their positions.

Several influential sects had secretly sent disciples to study at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy. Jing Hongchen, the dean of Mingde Hall, was overjoyed by this trend.

As Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire had once said—Shrek cannot lose, and it cannot afford to lose.

Shrek Academy had always thrived on the constant influx of talented bloodlines from noble clans. They absorbed the best, indoctrinated them, and nurtured them into future members of the Sea God's Pavilion, continuing the cycle endlessly.

But now, this supply chain was experiencing severe issues.

Setting aside Xuanzi, the so-called "Genius Slayer," who had already ruined several promising inner court disciples a decade ago, he had recently led a mission that resulted in more casualties. He had gone to apologize to the families of the deceased, but everyone knew what his apologies meant. A man of his stature would never kneel in remorse; he would simply offer a few words before striding away. And those families? They had to smile and accept it.

But what then?

Their clan's pride, their future—the young geniuses they had painstakingly nurtured for over a decade—were gone, just because of Shrek's negligence?

The noble families had resented Shrek for generations.

To them, the so-called Shrek Supervisory Group was a joke.

Those decrepit elders of the Sea God's Pavilion indulged in their comforts while sending their children—barely twenty years old, with undeveloped wings—against cunning and ruthless Evil Soul Masters, many of whom were at the Soul Sage or Soul Douluo level?

Those towering monuments in Shrek weren't symbols of honor.

To the noble families, they were symbols of shame—wounds carved from blood and pain.

Centuries of accumulated resentment would one day explode.

But not now.

Shrek was still strong, its foundation deep. No one dared challenge its authority.

But that didn't mean they had to play along.

If we can't beat you, then we simply won't play your game.

Ning Tian fell into deep thought.

From the tone of the letter, the elders even seemed to consider the possibility of her permanently settling in the Sun Moon Empire. Of course, the final decision rested with her—it would depend on what she saw and experienced there.

"Hu..."

Ning Tian exhaled deeply, looking up at the towering statue in the distance.

Among the figures, she saw her ancestor—the Seven-Colored Goddess, Ning Rongrong.

But instead of admiration or reverence, her eyes carried a complex emotion.

As the young sect master, she knew some of the sect's hidden history.

For example, ten thousand years ago.

Back then, her ancestor had been in the same position as her, tirelessly supporting Tang San. Because the Upper Three Sects were closely connected, she had helped him multiple times when he was weak. But when he ascended to godhood, he gave little in return.

At that time, the sect was still called the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Its two strongest guardians, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, had both perished in the war. It was said that the sect master at the time, Ning Fengzhi, turned white-haired overnight. He had begged his daughter to save the two elders who had loved her the most, but she refused, saying, "The God Realm cannot interfere with the mortal world."

And so, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect gained nothing from their sacrifices, aside from changing their name to Nine Treasures.

Instead, they suffered immense losses.

In the following ten thousand years, they had been forced into seclusion, struggling to survive.

This part of history was buried, and everyone forgot the contributions of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

But within the sect, the perception of Tang San and Ning Rongrong was not favorable.

To put it bluntly, Ning Rongrong was no better than a traitor.

"The road ahead is long…" Ning Tian sighed.

She could clearly sense it—this was a critical period of upheaval and transformation.

If things weren't handled properly, her sect could be wiped out.

The pressure on her young shoulders was as heavy as a mountain.

Elsewhere…

"Buzz!"

As Xu Cheng opened his eyes, his amber-red pupils reflected in the water's surface.

But unlike before, his eyes now had double pupils, and the red hue made them look even more demonic.

He grinned at his reflection.

Although his martial soul had already evolved into the Heavy Pupil, the celestial herb given to him by Youyou had once again elevated its quality to a whole new level.

If his original martial soul, Blood Pupil, had been somewhat ordinary—relying purely on his own monstrous talent—then after Tianmeng's sacrificial blessing, a second awakening of his martial soul, and the enhancement from the celestial herb, his current Blood Pupil now stood at the very peak of existence, on par with Ultimate Martial Souls.

With the advancement of his martial soul, his strength had also skyrocketed.

Previously, his spiritual detection could only extend to a radius of about 1,500 meters. But now… it had surged to 3,000 meters! As the quality of his martial soul improved, the benefits Tianmeng had given him were also being realized to their fullest potential.

As for the soul skills of the Blood Pupil, their potency had increased significantly as well.

For example, his fourth soul skill, Liar, which previously could only affect those at Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao's level, could now exert considerable influence over hundred-thousand-year soul beasts like Youyou.

It even gave people a sense of familiarity and closeness, subtly altering Youyou's original attitude towards Tang San.

At the same time—

Not far away—

A golden barrier slowly dissolved.

"Chirp!"

A crimson fire phoenix erupted from Ma Xiaotao's body, condensing in the air before soaring toward the sky. It circled a few times at the top of the valley before returning to hover around Ma Xiaotao.

"Huff…"

Ma Xiaotao exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened her eyes.

Feeling the joyfully surging flames coursing through her body, she was filled with excitement. For the first time ever, she had truly felt that the mischievous "troublemakers" hidden deep within her bone marrow and blood—those that used to wreak havoc whenever she was weak—had been completely subdued.

No, it wasn't just suppression; it was as if they had fully merged with her, becoming a part of her strength, entirely under her command.

Was this how her ancestor, a thousand years ago, had suppressed the Evil Fire?

Why had she never known about this before…?

"If Tang San was willing to share the secrets of celestial herbs with the world, why would he have planted poisonous plants around this valley to keep outsiders from entering?" Xu Cheng chuckled softly.

He patted Ma Xiaotao's shoulder.

Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips lightly and glanced at Xu Cheng out of the corner of her eye. She found herself increasingly unable to understand this man. He was clearly five years younger than her, yet every movement and word of his carried an extraordinary steadiness.

It was as if everything in this world was within his grasp… including herself.

Xu Cheng scanned the valley.

A moment later, Elder Yi's figure slowly emerged.

Sure enough, Elder Yi was still Elder Yi—he noticed the problem within just a few breaths. "The entire valley is part of a formation designed to absorb spiritual energy, siphoning away all surrounding luck and vitality. What's more, I think I saw a severed golden dragon within it…"

Xu Cheng was momentarily stunned. "You mean…?"

"The one who set this up is quite ruthless," Elder Yi stroked his chin and sighed. "If my guess is correct, this valley is likely positioned near the heart of a country—perhaps even close to its imperial capital. This isn't just draining the empire's dragon vein; it's outright severing it. If I'm not mistaken…"

"You're not," Xu Cheng said with exasperation.

But at the same time, a trace of doubt rose in his heart.

Tang San's character was well-known to all.

But given his grand, thousand-year plan, he definitely wouldn't want the Sun-Moon Empire to completely crush the original Three Kingdoms. This setup, aside from weakening Heaven Dou's strength, didn't seem to serve any other purpose…

Or was it truly just an unintentional consequence?

As Xu Cheng pondered, Electrolux had already begun dismantling the formation.

His presence suddenly seemed to rise to a higher level, as if he were gazing down upon the vast river of history. Countless fragments of the past flickered through his eyes. At the valley's bottom, a five-pointed star formation slowly surfaced. At its very center, an invisible vortex was devouring everything that came near it.

"A mere petty trick," Electrolux said dismissively, waving his hand.

The abundant life force he wielded allowed him to repair even his own fragmented soul.

With a crisp crack, the formation shattered, breaking into specks of starlight that scattered throughout the valley.

From this moment on, the Sunset Forest was filled with new life.

(End of Chapter)