Douluo: In an extraordinary world, with unparallel understanding!

Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:

patreon.com/ZeroMoney

I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated. 

******

As the door opened, Xu Jiujing's pupils contracted. 

"Senior, what happened to you two?" 

Standing at the doorway were none other than Yan Shaozhe and Xuanzi. 

Their condition was far from good. 

Realizing something was wrong, Xu Jiujing quickly ushered them inside, glanced around the hallway to ensure no suspicious figures were lurking, then locked the door before continuing to question them. 

"What exactly happened to you both?" 

At that moment, Xuanzi looked particularly weak. Though he was using soul power to suppress his injuries, his frailty was still evident. 

Yan Shaozhe, on the other hand, was in slightly better shape. 

Strangely, despite their poor state, neither of them bore any visible wounds. 

Could it be a mental trauma? 

Given their identities and the nature of spiritual injuries, Xu Jiujing immediately thought of the Evil Demon Forest. 

Had they been severely wounded by the Evil Emperor? 

"Cough cough. Xuanzi and I were intercepted by the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps and couldn't take the usual route, so we had no choice but to detour through the Evil Demon Forest," Yan Shaozhe explained. 

Xu Jiujing listened in silence. 

They had even joked on the way about how unreliable Shrek was, yet despite their precautions, trouble had still found them. 

Xuanzi, who had been hiding in the shadows, was exposed. 

How ridiculous. 

Xu Jiujing didn't bother questioning them on the spot. After all, Yan Shaozhe and Xuanzi would undoubtedly blame everything on the Evil Soul Masters. 

And what could she say to that? 

So she chose to remain silent. 

"We were merely passing through, yet the Evil Emperor noticed us and attacked immediately," Yan Shaozhe recalled, his eyes still carrying a trace of fear. 

Had Xuanzi not absorbed most of the impact, he might not have survived that attack. 

They had neither provoked the Evil Eye Clan nor done anything excessive. 

Yet that Evil Emperor acted like he was on some kind of stimulant and launched an assault out of nowhere. 

Unbelievable! 

Even now, Yan Shaozhe still couldn't understand why the Evil Emperor had been so unreasonably aggressive. 

What he didn't realize was that the Evil Emperor had seen two Hyper Douluos entering the Evil Demon Forest and assumed they were up to no good. 

Hmph, two Hyper Douluos arriving together—who else could they be after besides the Evil Eye Clan? 

After hearing Yan Shaozhe's account, Xu Jiujing and the Medical Immortal Douluo, Wang Xian'er, both fell silent. 

Tragic. 

First, they were ambushed by the Evil Emperor and barely escaped with their lives. Then, in their weakened state, they were bombarded by the Sun Moon Empire's stationed troops at the forest's outskirts. 

To make matters worse, those Sun Moon soldiers weren't using ordinary artillery—their shells were shock bombs, intensifying their suffering. 

Not only did the attack further disrupt their already injured spiritual power, but it also left their soul power and internal organs in a state of turmoil. 

On the surface, they appeared relatively unharmed, but both their bodies and minds had sustained severe injuries. 

"Wang Lao, we'll be relying on you," Yan Shaozhe said, turning to Wang Xian'er. 

Their visit here was solely in hopes that the Medical Immortal Douluo could heal them as soon as possible. 

"Xuan Lao's injuries are far more severe, and due to his high soul power, my treatment will be significantly less effective. It will likely take some time—I'll do my best to stabilize his condition within half a month. As for your injuries, I can treat you much more quickly." 

Yan Shaozhe still appeared capable of moving normally, meaning he could likely recover sooner. 

As long as his combat strength wasn't affected, that would be enough. 

 The Royal Back Mountain 

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I was already planning to be on guard." 

Kong Deming frowned after hearing about Su Yu's encounter earlier that day. He was displeased with Long Xiaoyao—using sheer strength to coerce a junior into revealing secrets was beneath someone of his stature. 

More importantly, the one Long Xiaoyao had pressured was Kong Deming's own disciple. 

Does he think I don't exist? He knows my strength and still acts this way? 

"By the way, here's the latest intelligence from the Evil Demon Forest," Kong Deming said, handing over the report he had received. 

Su Yu scanned the information and was left speechless. 

Two mysterious powerhouses had clashed with the Evil Emperor, forcing them to flee from the Evil Demon Forest. The Sun Moon Empire had been compelled to fire one ninth-tier shock cannon, three eighth-tier shock cannons, one ninth-tier explosive shell, and ten eighth-tier explosive shells to contain the situation. 

Two mysterious powerhouses? 

Could they be Yan Shaozhe and Xuanzi, who were intercepted by the Fire Phoenix Soul Master Corps? 

So they went around the Evil Demon Forest instead? 

How tragic. 

They might have been better off trying to break through the Fire Phoenix Corps' blockade directly—taking the detour through the Evil Demon Forest was probably the worse option. 

A Rank 97 and a Rank 98… 

Su Yu highly doubted they could have stood their ground against the Evil Emperor. 

They must have been utterly overwhelmed. 

The fact that they even managed to escape was already a miracle. 

And then, to make matters worse, they were bombarded by the army stationed outside the Evil Demon Forest. 

Tsk, tsk, tsk. 

"Are they really stubborn enough to try sneaking into Sun-Moon?" Su Yu muttered to himself. 

"They fled south while escaping, but I suspect they'll still attempt to enter Sun-Moon," Kong Deming said. 

"Sun-Moon is a chaotic place right now. Even in their injured state, with their abilities, they should be able to sneak in." 

Hearing his teacher's analysis, Su Yu nodded in agreement. 

But what could two heavily wounded men even accomplish? 

"We don't even know how severe their injuries truly are." 

Perhaps their strength remained unaffected. Or perhaps they had reached the point of no return and were preparing for a desperate final stand. 

This was precisely why Kong Deming had already decided to closely monitor the situation in Sun-Moon over the coming days. 

Yan Shaozhe and Xuanzi were significant threats. 

During the Sun-Moon Grand Tournament, the destruction they could cause would be catastrophic. The city's defensive measures couldn't simply be activated—too many innocent people would be caught in the crossfire. 

Since his teacher had decided to take action, Su Yu took the opportunity to reiterate what he had previously warned Jing Hongchen about. 

"The armory?" Kong Deming frowned, considering the implications. 

Would they really provide the Douluo Continent forces with the location of an armory? 

It wasn't impossible. 

Evil Soul Masters were capable of anything. 

 Sun Moon Royal Hotel, Room 401 

"Dean Yan, you're finally here." 

Seeing Yan Shaozhe, Fan Yu finally let out a breath of relief. 

"Where's Qian Duoduo?" 

"Dean Qian is currently all over Sun-Moon, collecting rare metals and blueprints for soul tools." 

Even though it was already late at night, Qian Duoduo was still out and about. 

Actually, it would be more accurate to say that many black markets only opened at this hour. 

"Hmm. Have there been any unexpected incidents in the tournament over the past two days?" Yan Shaozhe asked. 

He needed to get a better understanding of the competition's progress. 

Along the way, and even after arriving in Sun-Moon, he had picked up some information about the tournament, including the location of the Star Luo Royal Team's hotel. However, he still lacked details on the actual matches. 

This... 

Hearing Yan Shaozhe's question, Fan Yu hesitated, unsure where to begin. 

To be honest, the one piece of intelligence he most wanted to share with Yan Shaozhe was about Huo Yuhao. 

Back at Shrek Academy, if there was anything that had left Huo Yuhao dissatisfied, it was likely his experience in the Martial Soul Department. 

Huo Yuhao was seeking revenge. However, given his situation at the time, he probably hadn't even realized that revenge within Shrek itself was impossible from the start. 

So his departure had to be driven by a reason. 

And the most fitting reason was that Yan Shaozhe and the Martial Soul Department had been blind! 

Fan Yu, however, had completely overlooked the fact that Huo Yuhao had actually been forcibly brought to the Sun Moon Empire and had ultimately chosen to acknowledge his new allegiance. 

Although Huo Yuhao had spoken to him face-to-face before, he had never gone into detail about these matters. 

"This is my fault. I let such a talent slip through my fingers," Yan Shaozhe regretted bitterly. 

A genius like Huo Yuhao, a talent who should have belonged to the Star Luo Empire, had ended up lost to the Sun Moon Empire's Sun-Moon Hall—all because of his own mistakes. 

Yan Shaozhe didn't believe Huo Yuhao's resentment was beyond reconciliation. If he had stayed at Shrek, everything could have been resolved. 

But— 

"What a waste." 

Such extraordinary potential... wasted just like that! 

Yan Shaozhe was devastated. 

But there was no what if. 

Sigh. 

Seeing Yan Shaozhe's expression, Fan Yu decided not to dwell on Huo Yuhao's situation any longer. Instead, he reported on the battle armor displayed by the Sun Moon Royal Battle Team during the tournament. 

"Battle armor?" 

Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe's expression grew grave—so serious it was almost terrifying. 

The effectiveness of battle armor had already been fully demonstrated in today's matches. 

It provided a comprehensive enhancement to a soul master, almost as if someone with rank-50 soul power had been directly elevated to rank-60. Aside from lacking a sixth soul ring, everything else was virtually on par. 

Moreover, the battle armor itself possessed certain soul tool capabilities, including the ability to generate a protective barrier at any time, which essentially equated to an additional defensive soul skill. 

Yan Shaozhe's face darkened. 

"It seems we truly underestimated soul tools in the past. I never imagined that Sun-Moon Hall had advanced them to such a level." 

A soul tool, reforged into armor, fully amplifying a soul master's combat power. 

What was even more concerning was that the three battle armor masters who had taken the stage showed none of the usual clunkiness or restrictions associated with traditional soul tool armor. 

It was as if the battle armor had completely merged with their bodies. 

"That's exactly it." 

This level of integration was even more terrifying. 

If battle armor could achieve this—what about soul tools? 

If the same technology were applied to soul tools, it would fundamentally change the relationship between a soul master and their equipment. No longer would soul tools merely be external instruments; they would become an extension of the user's own body. 

Such a breakthrough would be a complete game-changer in every aspect. 

That was what truly worried Fan Yu. 

The Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology had long surpassed the three Douluo Continent nations. 

Fan Yu had never denied this. But he had never realized just how vast the gap had become. 

While they were still struggling to master rank-nine soul tool technology, the Sun Moon Empire was already revolutionizing the entire system. 

"We must acquire the battle armor technology!" Yan Shaozhe declared firmly. "We don't yet know the full extent of battle armor development, but now that we're aware of its existence, we have to catch up." 

The Sun Moon Empire had only revealed battle armor composed of rank-five soul tools. But who knew if they had already achieved rank-six or higher? 

Shrek Academy had its own hidden depths. The Sun Moon Empire undoubtedly understood this principle as well. 

"Fan Yu, from now on, you're not to leave the team for rare metal acquisitions. Instead, I want you to watch every single match of the Sun Moon Royal Battle Team. Analyze their battle armor to the greatest extent possible—identify its features, its principles, everything." 

As for whether they could truly crack the battle armor technology through this method... 

Yan Shaozhe wasn't pinning all his hopes on it. 

"It seems our mission needs to be adjusted," he thought to himself. "I'll have to discuss this with Xu Jiujing and Wang Xian'er." 

Just then, Fan Yu's gaze flickered toward the door. 

"Dean Qian is back." 

A round, plump figure slipped inside and quickly locked the door behind him. 

"Yan Shaozhe? So you finally made it." Qian Duoduo greeted him. 

Yan Shaozhe nodded. "I've already gone over the details with Fan Yu. We must obtain the battle armor technology." 

Qian Duoduo knew Yan Shaozhe well. The two had been in the same generation, and with all the history between them, they were as familiar as two people could be. 

So he immediately caught the hidden meaning in Yan Shaozhe's words. 

Even if they had to steal it, they had to get their hands on this technology. 

But... 

Sun-Moon Hall's security was far from ordinary. 

"Old Qian, you're a rank-nine soul engineer—you understand soul tools better than I do." 

Meanwhile, at the Sun Moon Empire's Grand Soul Arena, the tournament continued. 

After securing their victory in the second elimination round, the Sun Moon Royal Battle Team had left immediately and hadn't shown up the next day. 

The tournament had started with 84 matches in the first round, spanning four days. The second round, with 42 matches, had wrapped up in just two days. 

Now, only 42 teams remained. 

The next phase would involve another draw to determine the third-round matchups. Six more teams would be eliminated, narrowing the competition down to the final 36. 

Inside the arena, the atmosphere was electric. 

Despite the tournament running for six days, excitement had not waned—if anything, the best matches were yet to come. 

And today, the Sun Moon Royal Battle Team was making another appearance. 

"The teams that won in the second round, please send one representative forward to draw lots for the third-round matchups." 

With two rounds completed, the number of teams had been cut to a quarter of the original lineup. 

The once-crowded waiting area now felt much more spacious. 

One by one, representatives from the 42 remaining teams stepped onto the stage. 

Under the watchful eyes of thousands, they each drew a number. 

Numbers ranged from 1 to 36, with six teams drawing special numbers from 1 to 6—teams that would be directly impacted in the next elimination round. 

The teams that drew numbers 1 through 6 were set to compete in the third elimination round. The remaining teams, having avoided this round, would automatically advance to the round-robin stage. 

Today's elimination matches would feature only six battles. Once they concluded, the tournament would immediately proceed with group assignments and the first round of the round-robin phase. 

"Seven." 

The Sun Moon Royal Battle Team drew number seven—meaning they were exempt from the third elimination round. 

Not that it mattered much to them. 

Even if they had been selected to compete, it wouldn't have posed any challenge. 

Shrek Academy drew number twelve, also avoiding elimination. 

Tang Sect, however, drew number three. 

As the matches began, Su Yu noticed a new face among Shrek Academy's lineup. 

Sensing the stranger's soul power, he quickly deduced his identity. 

Yan Shaozhe? 

So, he really did make it to Sun-Moon. And he wasn't even bothering to hide. 

Technically speaking, Yan Shaozhe wasn't illegally entering the city—he had registered his entry with the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Regiment. 

Fan Yu and Qian Duoduo, on the other hand, had not. 

Qian Duoduo remained hidden, while Fan Yu wasn't a Titled Douluo, meaning there was little point in exposing him. 

As Su Yu observed Yan Shaozhe, the latter also took notice of him. 

"So that's Su Yu?" 

(End of Chapter)