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

"In several large towns near Mingdu, down to each village, there are classrooms like this—around a hundred in total. They are all staffed by the Holy Spirit Cult, providing free Martial Soul awakenings and educational resources. If any of the students show great talent, they are recommended to nearby advanced academies," Nana said lazily, leaning on Xu Cheng's arm.

"If you don't believe me, you can walk around and see for yourself."

Her tone toward Tang Ya was not particularly pleasant—whether out of jealousy or for some other reason.

Tang Ya's expression stiffened.

A hundred classrooms?

Could they really be for the common people?

Commoners—those whom everyone saw as insignificant—were actually being treated this way by a cult?

She had grown up in Tian Dou City, within the remnants of the old aristocracy. Even her own father had never cared much for commoners.

Yet, the Holy Spirit Cult was willing to spend time and resources to awaken their Martial Souls and educate them?

You call this an evil soul master?!!

She had always thought evil soul masters were heinous criminals, infamous for committing every atrocity imaginable. Even just mentioning the term was enough to frighten children into silence.

Why, then…?

Xu Cheng spoke slowly, as if reminiscing.

"What I'm doing now… if you look back through history, you'll find that another organization once did the same."

The name he mentioned made Tang Ya's scalp tingle.

"The Spirit Hall."

"They established branches across the continent, sending professionals to awaken Martial Souls. Those who excelled were recommended to higher institutions, where they could choose either to join the Spirit Hall or to leave and pursue their own paths."

Xu Cheng's voice was calm.

"You should know, the upper ranks of the Spirit Hall were mostly made up of commoners."

Tang Ya remained silent.

Seeing this, Xu Cheng smiled.

"The funny thing is, according to what I know, your ancestor Tang San's father was lost in grief after his wife died. Despite being the renowned Clear Sky Douluo, he spent his days drowning in alcohol and provided no help whatsoever to Tang San."

"But back then, a Spirit Hall representative happened to visit his village for Martial Soul awakenings, and Tang San, with the Spirit Hall's recommendation, entered a local primary academy. That was the beginning of his rise to power."

"Now, let's imagine… just for a moment… if that Spirit Hall representative had happened to miss that village… what would have happened then?"

Tang Ya stood frozen, her mind reeling.

It was like a heavy blow to her chest.

She was not stupid—she could hear the deeper meaning behind Xu Cheng's words.

If the Spirit Hall had not awakened Tang San's Martial Soul and helped him enter school, he would never have met Grandmaster. Without that support in his early days, even with his twin spirits, how could he have survived?

Yet what had history recorded?

The Spirit Hall was branded as remnants of an old regime.

Why?

Because they had sought unification. Because they had threatened the noble class's interests.

To the aristocracy, commoners were born to wear shackles. They were meant to be ridden like beasts of burden, their rights stripped away, living and dying on tiny plots of land.

Tang Ya's worldview crumbled.

Everything she had believed in—shattered.

The impact was overwhelming.

Xu Cheng watched with an amused expression.

This was exactly what he wanted: a Tang Ya who had been broken, who could be rebuilt with a new perspective. Only then would she become a future ally.

She racked her brain, trying to find something—anything—to defend her ancestor, Tang San.

Yet her conscience clamped down on her throat, preventing her from speaking.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

A long silence followed.

Finally, Xu Cheng spoke again.

"I sincerely invite you to stay in this village for a while. Once the new school term starts, whether you choose to stay or leave will be entirely up to you. I hope to see you then, but I will respect your decision either way."

With that, he turned and left with Nana.

Tang Ya remained motionless, watching his figure fade into the distance.

—

On the back of a massive black raven…

"Brother, why do you care about her so much?"

Nana pouted.

"I'm jealous…"

"I can tell."

Xu Cheng nodded.

"Then shouldn't you do something about it?" Nana widened her beautiful eyes.

"If you keep complaining, I won't bring you next time."

Xu Cheng's words were calm but effective.

Sure enough, Nana immediately fell silent, making a zipping motion over her lips. But she still glared at Xu Cheng, her eyes full of resentment.

Xu Cheng, unfazed, continued admiring the scenery.

"How much longer?"

Wu Yun scowled.

"Almost there."

"What do you mean by 'almost'?"

"If you keep nagging, I won't bring you next time!" Wu Yun shot Xu Cheng a glare. This brat was treating him like a personal chauffeur.

"…."

A strange silence settled between the three of them.

They stared at each other.

—

A few hours later…

Xu Cheng's sharp vision spotted a vast encampment ahead.

Thanks to his Martial Soul, his eyesight was exceptional, allowing him to clearly see the layout of the camp.

Nearby, a squad of red-armored female warriors patrolled the perimeter. They seemed to be guarding the entire base.

What stood out was that every single one of them was a woman!

Looking around, he realized—this entire military camp consisted solely of female soldiers!

"We've arrived…"

Xu Cheng nodded.

This must be the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Regiment—one of the four great beast-type soul engineer corps of the Sun-Moon Empire.

The only all-female regiment, it was led by the formidable Fire Phoenix, a Rank Nine soul engineer.

"Let's land here."

"Got it."

Wu Yun nodded but swept a cautious gaze across the surroundings.

"There's a problem. They've already noticed us…"

As soon as he spoke, a flurry of red shadows appeared, swiftly surrounding the massive black raven.

Up close, Xu Cheng could see their weapons more clearly.

Each soldier was equipped with an exoskeleton, basic soul cannons, soul ray launchers, and waist-mounted defensive soul tools.

Their gear was top-tier.

Internally, Xu Cheng marveled at their wealth.

As expected of one of the most elite soul engineer corps, their equipment was cutting-edge, at the very forefront of the Sun-Moon Empire's technology.

A quick scan with his spiritual detection revealed that all twenty of these soldiers were at least Rank Five soul engineers.

And this was just one squad.

"You! Who are you? Why have you trespassed into a military zone?!"

The leading officer was a woman with striking features, her voice sharp and commanding.

She radiated authority—a true warrior.

"She's impressive…"

Even Nana couldn't help but murmur in admiration.

This was exactly the kind of warrior she aspired to become.

Wu Yun glanced at Xu Cheng, silently signaling him to explain himself.

Xu Cheng took a step forward, his voice calm.

"My name is Xu Cheng. I mean no offense—I've come to find an elder, Commander Huo Qing of the Fourth Battalion."

"Huo Qing?"

The leading officer hesitated, exchanging glances with another soldier.

A man with the surname Xu…

And looking for Huo Qing…

Their expressions softened immediately.

"My apologies, but Commander Huo Qing is currently patrolling the border. She should return in about half an hour. If you don't mind, you may wait here."