Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

Spirit City, within the Pope's Hall.

"Chrysanthemum Elder, you've broken through to rank 96? What happened?"

Before Bibi Dong, seated on the throne, could speak, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, standing beside her, exclaimed in surprise. He felt as if he had missed something significant. Having been stuck at rank 95 for many years, he knew all too well the difficulty of breaking through this level.

Damn, how does someone go out on a mission and come back having broken through rank 95? Is that even reasonable? This clearly doesn't make sense!

"Old Ghost, it was just luck. I barely managed to break through to rank 95." Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan said modestly, but his eyes couldn't help but drift toward Bibi Dong on the throne. As long as she didn't speak, he didn't dare to be too presumptuous.

"Yue Guan, breaking through to rank 95 is a good thing." Bibi Dong's face remained calm, her emotions unreadable.

"I remember your disciple's name is Cheng Xiao, right? When do you plan to bring him to see me at the Spirit Hall?"

Upon hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo looked up at Bibi Dong, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "Your Holiness, although my disciple is a genius with innate full spirit power, for some reason his cultivation has been unusually slow. I went on this recent trip to find a solution to his problem."

"I estimate it will take some time before his spirit power level is worthy of meeting your standards."

"Is that so?" Bibi Dong's expression darkened slightly, her tone indifferent. "In that case, make sure he trains harder. A genius with innate full spirit power progressing this slowly—Elder Yue, you should pay more attention to his growth."

"Yes, Your Holiness," Chrysanthemum Douluo quickly agreed.

"You're dismissed," Bibi Dong said impatiently, waving her hand.

"By your command." Both Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo bowed in unison and then disappeared from the hall in two streaks of light.

Once she could no longer sense their presence, Bibi Dong massaged her temples and sighed softly. Chrysanthemum Douluo breaking through to rank 95 had caught her off guard. After all, who would have thought that just by going out, he'd manage to break through?

"Forget it. A breakthrough is a breakthrough. In the end, a pawn is still a pawn. No matter how powerful, it's still just a piece on the board."

…

Heaven Dou City, Shrek Academy.

Since Blue Tyrant Academy merged with Shrek Academy, the Grandmaster had been avoiding Liu Erlong, not wanting to see her. He used the excuse of helping Ma Hongjun with his evil fire problem to hide out in his dormitory and refused to go out.

But what the Grandmaster didn't know was that, at her age, Liu Erlong was like a tigress on the prowl. Even though he was avoiding her, she wasn't planning to sit idly by. After all, she wasn't just any tigress—she was a "Mother Dragon."

However, when Liu Erlong barged into Ma Hongjun's room, the scene before her left her completely dumbfounded.

After seeking some thrills, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai had both taken a beating. After a few days of rest, their bodies had mostly recovered.

As they started feeling better, the two brothers-in-arms became more and more fearful. Knowing they were in the wrong, they didn't dare face Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. Thus, they stayed in the infirmary, refusing to leave.

But staying in there had its problems. As Ma Hongjun's body recovered, his evil fire began to stir, threatening to erupt. Surrounded only by men, he could only grit his teeth and resist the urge to release it.

After all, this wasn't like visiting a brothel. They were at an academy. Their previous behavior had already caused serious consequences. If he were to do something indecent again, it would be unforgivable.

As everyone knows, once a person gives in to desire, it's hard to stop. Ma Hongjun was no different. At this moment, he was on the verge of his evil fire erupting, and Dai Mubai, sharing the room with him, had long fallen asleep. He probably had no idea what was about to happen would stay with him for the rest of his life.

"It's about to happen. Please… find someone to help me..." Ma Hongjun's desperate plea pulled the Grandmaster, who had been engrossed in his research, back to the present. The Grandmaster stood up quickly and rushed to Ma Hongjun's bedside, his expression serious. "Hongjun, hold on a little longer. I'll go get Flender to help you."

But as soon as the Grandmaster turned to leave, Ma Hongjun grabbed his arm without warning. His entire body was flushed red, as if he were burning. "Grandmaster, I beg you, help me! I can't take it anymore!"

The Grandmaster's expression changed. Instinctively, he tried to pull away, but Ma Hongjun, now in the throes of his evil fire, had grown stronger, and the Grandmaster couldn't break free.

"Hongjun, get a grip! I'm the Grandmaster! I'm a man!" The Grandmaster tried to appeal to Ma Hongjun's last shred of reason. But the evil fire had consumed him, and he could no longer hear what the Grandmaster was saying.

At that moment, all Ma Hongjun wanted was release. He needed it, fiercely, as if only through that release could he find relief.

Seeing that Ma Hongjun was still in a daze, the Grandmaster didn't know what to do. As he struggled to escape, Ma Hongjun only tightened his grip.

His small, burning eyes were full of desire, staring at the Grandmaster with a hunger that spoke of his desperate need.

"Ma Hongjun, snap out of it!" the Grandmaster roared.

Slap! Before he could finish his sentence, Ma Hongjun struck him hard across the face. The blow caught the Grandmaster off guard, sending him stumbling to the ground, where he sat dazed for a long moment.

…

An hour later.

"Xiaogang, Erlong and I have come to see you," Flender called out as he knocked on the door of the infirmary. "I know you're worried about Hongjun's evil fire problem, but you can't keep hiding from Erlong."

After waiting for a moment with no response, Flender and Liu Erlong both frowned.

Just then, an unusual smell wafted through the door. Liu Erlong, always quick to notice things, asked, "Flender, do you smell something strange?"

"Strange smell?" Flender was puzzled. "I don't smell anything. What are you talking about?"

"That's odd. The smell seems to be coming from inside the infirmary." Liu Erlong covered her nose. "Could Xiaogang be conducting some kind of experiment? You did say he's been researching Hongjun's evil fire problem lately."

"That's right, Erlong. You have no idea how long Hongjun's evil fire problem has been troubling me." As soon as he mentioned Ma Hongjun's evil fire, Flender's face turned bitter. "It's really…"

Suddenly, Flender's voice trailed off, and a thought struck him, sending a cold sweat down his back.

"Ma Hongjun, evil fire, strange smell… Wait!" Flender muttered to himself, realizing something.

"Flender, what are you talking about?" Liu Erlong hadn't yet caught on.

"Xiaogang, I'm coming to save you!" Before Liu Erlong could react, Flender kicked the door open with a tremendous force, sending it flying off its hinges.

The sudden turn of events left Liu Erlong stunned. But when she and Flender entered the infirmary, what they saw made her freeze in place, completely petrified.