Light and Shadow, Blooming Amid Slaughter

"What did you say?"

"Clang—!"

Hua Mulan drew her sword from its sheath, its clear ring echoing throughout the small garden.

"You've got it wrong, Sister Mulan!"

Ying surrendered instantly. At Great Wall Academy, she wasn't afraid of Su Han—she was only afraid of Hua Mulan.

After all, Sister Lan really hit people.

Zhuge Liang entered at that moment and asked Su Han for instructions.

"Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan has arrived in the reception hall. Dean, what should we do?"

Meanwhile, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan was questioning his own talent as a Soul Master.

Come on, a monster with Three Lives Martial Souls had already appeared. What was he still cultivating for?!

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi held a banquet for Chen Xin and Li Bai. Sword and Bone Douluo, along with Ning Fengzhi himself, had all come to accompany this peerless sword talent from Great Wall Academy.

"Wow, Ying is only thirteenth? Looks like that place called Spirit Hall isn't so simple either!"

Seeing that Li Bai had finally shown some reaction, Chen Xin couldn't help but laugh.

"What, looking down on the heroes of the world now?"

"Not really. This Golden Ranking's assessment of combat strength isn't accurate. Miss Shangguan's ranking earlier was inaccurate, and Ying's is absurdly low."

Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi, and Gu Rong all froze. Someone had actually come along to judge the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking as inaccurate. Just how confident was he in the combat strength of his academy's members?

"But that's normal."

Li Bai drained another cup and said nothing more.

If Chen Xin and the others knew that Ying had a second life, and that her battle intent was so mad it bordered on terrifying, they too would think thirteenth was far too low.

The mere Heavenly Dao was not even one ten-thousandth as vast as the Dean's strength. It could not even judge or measure a person's will—clearly, it possessed no intelligence.

Li Bai thought disdainfully, though he never stopped drinking.

Great Wall Academy did not keep much alcohol. Su Han feared Li Bai would lead the children astray, so when he summoned him, he had forbidden him from drinking within the academy. This was the perfect chance to indulge himself.

Sunset Forest.

Porcupinefish Douluo raced all the way there, finally arriving at Dugu Bo's lair from the intelligence reports.

"Old Poison!"

Porcupinefish Douluo's voice, filled with terrifying Soul Power, exploded through Sunset Forest. Within several hundred meters, even thousand-year soul beasts trembled and prostrated themselves.

"No one's here."

Porcupinefish Douluo frowned tightly, but his Soul Power scan detected an aura he recognized.

"Old She!"

Porcupinefish Douluo surged with Soul Power, and the blast of air swept through the dense forest, revealing a blood-soaked body hanging amid the branches.

He had no time to grieve. He immediately turned and rushed toward Heaven Dou City.

Who could have killed Snake Lance Douluo outside Heaven Dou City?

Dugu Bo?

It was not that Porcupinefish Douluo looked down on him, but he truly did not have the ability to kill Snake Lance. Even if he could defeat Snake Lance Douluo, Snake Lance would certainly be able to escape.

Dugu Bo's poison was not particularly useful against experts at the Titled Douluo level.

That left only one possibility: Prince Xue Xing had seen through Qian Renxue's disguise and secretly allied himself with other experts in advance.

For instance, the three instructors of Heaven Dou Empire Royal Academy, or the Heaven Dou Empire's strongest fighter, Marshal Ge Long. Those Soul Douluo experts, together with Dugu Bo, had ambushed and killed Snake Lance Douluo!

These were all existences Qian Renxue, with her Soul Saint cultivation, could not withstand. He had to return quickly to protect the young lady.

Within Shrek Academy.

Yu Xiaogang, shocked to the extreme, spat out a mouthful of tea. Flender and Shrek's Six Monsters were no better off.

"Three Lives Martial Souls!"

"Her phoenix sounds even higher-ranked than mine!"

"Power Attack System, Defense System, Agility Attack System... Dean, can someone really cultivate all of them at once?!"

The exclamations of Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar were naturally also what Yu Xiaogang, who was forcibly maintaining his composure, was thinking.

But how could he dare face a reality that completely contradicted his Soul Master theories?

"Uh, under special circumstances, Three Lives Martial Souls do exist. Uh, because..."

Yu Xiaogang was at a loss for words. He knew of Twin Martial Souls because he knew Bibi Dong, an example he could use, and because her status allowed him to study cases of Twin Martial Souls over the past several centuries.

But Three Lives Martial Souls truly exceeded the limits of his knowledge.

"According to theory, Three Lives Martial Souls should not be particularly good Martial Souls. Even if this Ying is a Super Douluo, she must have forcefully raised herself by filling all three Martial Souls with trash Soul Rings!"

The more Yu Xiaogang spoke, the more confident he became. By the end, his tone had turned impassioned. Then he said with grief and indignation,

"Damn Great Wall Academy! They actually ruined such a genius by rushing her growth. If I were the one teaching her, I could train her into a god!!!"

Yu Xiaogang had worked himself into excitement, but then he suddenly caught sight of Tang San's somewhat unpleasant expression.

With his woeful emotional intelligence, he asked,

"Xiao San, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Teacher."

Tang San forced a smile as he answered Yu Xiaogang's question.

Yet he felt rather awkward inside. What did he mean, he could train someone with Three Lives Martial Souls into a god?

What about me? I, Tang San, have Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power. With a disciple like me, what was there for you, a useless Soul Grandmaster like Yu Xiaogang, to be dissatisfied with?!

Tang San's desire to leave Shrek Academy and search for Great Wall Academy grew ever stronger.

He made up his mind. Once today's broadcast of the Golden Ranking's seventh place was finished, he would take Xiao Wu and leave Shrek.

"How could a phoenix possibly be a low-grade Martial Soul?!"

Ma Hongjun's expression was also unpleasant. He was Flender's personal disciple and had always respected Yu Xiaogang, his teacher's friend.

But for someone like him, the only thing worth boasting about was his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul. How could he allow anyone to slander phoenix Martial Souls?

Yu Xiaogang was left unable to step down after Ma Hongjun's retort, awkwardly trying to explain himself.

"Hongjun, don't you want to eat anymore?!"

"Tch. What kind of bullshit Master are you?"

"You... you!"

Yu Xiaogang's lips trembled, but just then, the Golden Ranking's announcement sounded.

He abruptly raised his head, like a drowning man desperately grasping for his only lifeline.

He watched anxiously. It seemed that as long as his judgment proved correct, Yu Xiaogang would still be that Master.

[Dark Feather Douluo Ying possesses three supreme peerless Martial Souls at once. Her Tool Martial Soul is unparalleled in offense, her Beast Martial Soul possesses immense vitality, and her Body Martial Soul has perfect attributes. Her strength is immensely captivating—the terrifying beauty of pure values and mechanics existing side by side! Light and shadow, blooming amid slaughter!]

[Reward: Soul Power increased by one level, Soul Ring Year Limit increased by 2,500 years, one 90,000-year Left Arm Soul Bone, one 90,000-year Right Leg Soul Bone, and one 90,000-year Head Soul Bone!]

The coexistence of values and mechanics—the Golden Ranking's unreserved praise shocked the entire Douluo Continent.

Come on, it wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.

Case closed. This Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking was a Great Wall Academy fanboy.

Spirit Hall, Worship Hall.

After the broadcast revealed Ying's Three Lives Martial Souls, Mighty Lion Douluo, who had loudly proclaimed that none could stand before him and none dared stand before him, was rendered speechless.

After stubbornly declaring that his Blazing Lion was surely superior in Beast Martial Soul quality, he fell silent.

When the people in Worship Hall saw the Golden Ranking's evaluation of Ying, the atmosphere became even stranger.

Three Lives Martial Souls, every one of them top-tier. The Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking's evaluation of the Nether Feather Phoenix also appeared far superior to Mighty Lion Douluo's Blazing Lion Martial Soul!

"Was I wrong to tell you to call Xue'er back?"

"I'll write a letter right away."

Qing Luan Douluo immediately agreed with Qian Daoliu. What a joke—now that a Super Douluo with Three Lives Martial Souls had appeared, she could at most rely on the full set of Spirit Bones gained through years of cultivation to withstand two more opponents.

Qian Daoliu slowly spoke. With his insight, he had noticed something terrifying.

"Her level was not raised by piling up Three Lives Martial Souls. She has not even attached a single Soul Ring to her latter two Martial Souls."

"How is that possible?!"

Mighty Lion Douluo was greatly shocked. As a worshiper of Spirit Hall, he had personally witnessed the terrifying rate at which Bibi Dong's strength rose after she broke through to Titled Douluo and filled her second Martial Soul with ten-thousand-year Soul Rings.

Without stacking Soul Rings onto her other Martial Souls, how could she have cultivated to level ninety-seven so easily?!

"Otherwise, with three top-tier Martial Souls and thirty abilities, how could she possibly rank only thirteenth?!"

Qian Daoliu also lost his usual composure and spoke urgently.

Golden Crocodile and the others instantly understood. Right—how could she possibly rank only thirteenth?!

"Just how many secrets is this Great Wall Academy hiding?"

Qian Daoliu sighed. He felt fear unlike anything he had ever known. Spirit Hall's thousand-year hegemony over the continent might be buried in his generation.

Meanwhile, Bibi Dong sat on the Pope's throne in even greater shock.

She herself possessed Twin Martial Souls, and with her intelligence, she could naturally see that Ying absolutely had not added any Soul Rings.

"No, I will not fail. I am the strongest!"

"I am a God-Chosen One!"

Bibi Dong screamed shrilly as black-purple energy rose from her body, as though she had fallen into the embrace of some evil substance.