Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Yali never expected someone to be so bold—daring to interfere in the competition during a live broadcast, attempting to get Xia Yi killed in the Soul Battle Arena.

Putting other things aside, Yali was certain that Leng Yaozhu would now be waiting for an explanation from Shrek Academy.

Activating the second-level protective shield earlier was still acceptable; it wasn't considered interference in the match.

After all, the second-level protective shield was designed to be used.

But first, the shield was activated, and now this happened?

This was a live broadcast—how brazen could they be?

Did they take the entire audience for fools?

Fortunately, Xia Yi was unharmed.

If anything had happened to him, Yali wouldn't even know how to explain it to the public.

"You all should return to the outer court for now." Yali took a deep breath and waved at Shen Yi, Tang Wulin, and Yang Nianxia.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Shen Yi bowed once more, then turned and left with Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia.

"Wait a moment." Yali thought for a moment and called them back.

"Your Excellency, is there anything else?" Shen Yi asked.

Yali looked at Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia and said, "The fault in the challenge match wasn't yours. Announcing your loss was indeed unfair to you. Xia Yi struck hard against you both only because Shrek Academy was in the wrong first. You merely bore the brunt of his anger on behalf of the Academy. So from now on, for all the missions you undertake, your contribution points will be increased by 20%. Luo Guixing, Zheng Yiran, and Shen Yi, yours will be increased by 10%."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Neither Shen Yi nor Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia had expected this outcome. They thought they would be punished for losing the match, but instead, they were rewarded.

Even Shen Yi needed contribution points.

At her cultivation level, every mission she accepted came with massive contribution point rewards.

Even a mere 10% increase would accumulate over time into a substantial amount.

After considering for a moment, Yali added in a deep voice, "Never mind, Luo Guixing clearly still had the strength to fight but lost suddenly—he must have grievances about that. Everyone will receive a 20% increase. Shen Yi, please explain this to them."

"Yes!" Shen Yi was delighted again. A 20% increase meant she benefited as well.

Twenty percent!

Just thinking about it made her excited.

Soon, Shen Yi found Luo Guixing and Zheng Yiran in the outer court.

Hearing that all their future missions would yield 20% more contribution points, Luo Guixing and Zheng Yiran were overjoyed.

Losing a four-against-one match with no punishment was one thing, but getting such a generous reward?

Shen Yi took a deep breath and explained the situation to them.

"You're saying that someone powerful within Shrek Academy used their spiritual power to simultaneously manipulate Tang Wulin, Yang Nianxia, Xia Yi, and even you, trying to use Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia to kill Xia Yi?" Luo Guixing's head felt like it was about to explode. Like Mu Xi, he found it hard to believe that the renowned Shrek Academy would do something like this.

If these words hadn't come from a Shrek Academy teacher, he would have thought it was complete nonsense.

Even if Xia Yi had made countless enemies, there was no justification for underhanded tactics in a formal match.

"No wonder Her Excellency Yali directly declared Xia Yi the winner. So it was because a high-ranking figure in Shrek Academy interfered?" Luo Guixing finally understood why Yali ignored Shrek Academy's honor and made such a swift decision.

Since a senior from the Academy had already intervened, the match had lost all meaning, regardless of the outcome.

"Which senior made a move?" Zheng Yiran asked curiously.

"Don't ask me—I don't know." Shen Yi shook her head. She had her suspicions, but without evidence, she wouldn't dare speak recklessly.

Even if she knew, she wouldn't dare say it.

The impact was too great.

"The Academy will handle the matter from here. You all should stay out of it. As for today's match, don't take it to heart—Xia Yi is just a freak." Shen Yi gritted her teeth.

"If the match hadn't been interrupted, I definitely could have beaten him." Luo Guixing was unwilling to accept the outcome. At that moment, Xia Yi's soul power was exhausted—he was definitely no match for him.

"You really think Xia Yi exhausted his soul power just by controlling Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia? Wrong. He used most of his soul power to break free from the mental interference," Shen Yi corrected. "If he hadn't used up his soul power resisting that interference, he would have had control over Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia. In that case, would you have stood a chance against him?"

Luo Guixing fell silent. Before today, he had been determined to take revenge on Xia Yi.

But after today's challenge match, he finally understood how vast the gap between them was.

"Alright, this matter ends here. Don't spread it around—wait for the Academy's decision." With that, Shen Yi got up and left.

Meanwhile, in the girls' dormitory of the outer court,

Gu Yue slowly opened her eyes and glanced at Na'er by the door. "I didn't expect you to come to me of your own accord."

"I came to ask you—if you were to face Xia Yi alone, how confident are you in winning?" Na'er got straight to the point and casually sat down.

"Does it matter?" Gu Yue shook her head. "The stronger he is, the happier I am."

"Don't lie to me. You're his master—I don't believe you can tolerate him surpassing you." Na'er scoffed.

"You should know that I have long resolved to dedicate my life and all my energy to the cause of freeing soul beasts. How could I have time to care about such petty victories and defeats?" Gu Yue shook her head calmly. "Honestly, I envy you."

"Envy me for what?" Na'er asked coldly.

"For being able to forget your identity without any burden, for living so carefree and happy." Gu Yue's voice was deep.

"I didn't come to listen to this." Na'er snorted. "I'm here to propose cooperation. If you truly want to defeat Xia Yi head-on, I can lend you the Silver Dragon Spear temporarily. That's all I have to say. If you're willing to be suppressed by Xia Yi forever, forget I mentioned it. But if you're not, come find me anytime."

With that, Na'er got up and left.

Gu Yue was always on the side of righteousness, and she knew she could never outargue her.

But she didn't believe that Gu Yue was truly as "great" as she claimed to be.

She didn't believe that someone as proud as Gu Yue would allow a mere fox to surpass her.

Yet with the power Xia Yi had displayed today, none of them—split or whole—could take him down alone.

Their only chance was to work together.

Gu Yue + the Silver Dragon Spear.

Given Gu Yue's compatibility with the Silver Dragon Spear, holding it was practically a fusion between them.

Only then would they have a chance to defeat Xia Yi.

Even Na'er, proud as she was, had to bow before reality and come seeking an alliance.

Watching Na'er leave, Gu Yue shook her head, her expression indifferent.

Na'er was right—perhaps she wasn't as selfless as she claimed. But she wasn't about to team up with Na'er just to defeat Xia Yi.

"If we are to join forces, we'll do so after we truly become one again."

Gu Yue shook her head, recalling Xia Yi's proud, spirited expression.

Then she muttered through gritted teeth, "Damn fox, freakish fox!"

After venting, she sighed softly.

Against the current Xia Yi, all she could do was call him names—she had no other options left.

Don't be fooled by Summer's playful demeanor, as unknowingly, both Ziji and Biji, as well as Emperor Tian, have come to respect him more and more.

They've even learned how to joke around because of Summer.

Of course, they still wouldn't dare joke around with their superior, Gu Yue, the way Summer does.

At the same time, on Sea God Island in Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, Ye Xinglan was sitting cross-legged, the Star God Sword placed horizontally across her legs. Her gaze was filled with pain as her mind kept replaying Summer's actions on the soul fighting arena earlier that day.

She had been determined to take revenge on Summer, but the result today was something she could hardly accept.

Even Na'er had come to realize that she wasn't a match for Summer, let alone her.

"Senior Xinglan, what's wrong with you?" Xu Lizhi approached her curiously.

It was the first time he had seen Ye Xinglan so deeply affected.

"Lis, how is it that Shrek Academy, the number one academy in the world, with the best resources, and we, working so hard to cultivate, are still outclassed by a soul master from a small school in the East Sea?" Ye Xinglan struggled to lift her head and look at Xu Lizhi. Her Ye family's inherited martial soul was the Star Saint Sword, but every so often, it would mutate into the Star God Sword.

For thousands of years, every time the Star God Sword appeared, its wielder would become the head of the Ye family and lead them into new heights.

At the age of six, after awakening the Star God Sword martial soul, she was sent to Shrek Academy's inner courtyard.

Having grown up within Shrek Academy, she had an almost blind confidence in it.

But with the appearance of Summer, Gu Yue, Wu Jin, and Mosi Duo, her perception had shattered. Despite all her hard work in the inner courtyard, she found herself lagging behind them.

This had caused her trust in Shrek Academy to crumble.

The feeling of having her faith shattered brought her great pain.

"Senior Xinglan, our talent is great, but compared to true geniuses, we fall short. We've worked hard, but if hard work alone was enough, why would we even need geniuses?" Xu Lizhi sighed, having watched the livestream earlier. He understood the impact this event had on Ye Xinglan, so he specifically came to comfort her.

"I won't say anything about the others, but Summer's martial soul is just an ordinary fox. Does that mean his talent surpasses mine?" Ye Xinglan asked in defiance.

"According to the academy's teachers, Summer's martial soul seems to be a mutated version. It can't be measured as just an ordinary fox," Xu Lizhi said in a low voice, continuing, "Senior Xinglan, I came here to advise you. Forget about the things that happened in Tianhai City. The teachers say that although Summer is a bit sly, he's not inherently bad. Moreover, in Tianhai City, you were the one who provoked him first."

"Hey, are you out of your mind? Are you already defending outsiders? What do you mean by 'not inherently bad'? Don't you remember how he treated me in Tianhai City? And do you forget how he made Shrek Academy look bad today? It was just a match, yet he was so harsh! If the Holy Spirit Crown hadn't been nearby, Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia would have probably been left with lasting damage, and you're telling me he's not inherently bad?" Ye Xinglan was dissatisfied with Xu Lizhi's words.

"You were right there too. I'm sure you saw it. There was something off about the soul fighting arena that day. Someone from our academy tried to kill Summer. If Summer had truly wanted to retaliate, he could have easily crushed the frozen Zheng Yiran with one strike. You should be able to imagine what would happen to Zheng Yiran if she was hit while frozen. But Summer didn't attack her. Instead, he struck Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia, who were using their martial souls. The teachers in the inner courtyard said that's why they believe Summer's nature isn't bad." Xu Lizhi said in a solemn tone.

"How could the teachers at the academy have done something like that?" Ye Xinglan's expression grew more painful. While she could accept that Summer's strength had surpassed hers, what she couldn't accept was Shrek Academy's involvement in such underhanded schemes.

Shrek Academy, her sacred place for cultivation, the symbol of justice… How could they have done something like this?

Every year, countless students from Shrek Academy go out to challenge students from other academies.

But for a teacher to secretly harm a student during a challenge? Even ordinary academies wouldn't do that.

How could the number one academy in the world, Shrek Academy, stoop to such tactics?

(End of Chapter)