"How should I put it..." Tang Ya thought for a moment, recalling Beibei and Xu Sanshi's past matches. She shook her head and continued,
"It's hard to say who'll win. Xu Sanshi has the top-tier Defense System Beast Martial Soul, the Mystic Turtle, and is known as the Outer Court's best defender. He's one of the Outer Court Twin Stars, alongside Beibei, the Outer Court's best attacker. Their past matches have gone both ways, with each winning about half the time. They're evenly matched."
"But Yuhao, you don't need to worry. Do you remember the advice Beibei and I gave you?"
"Um..."
Huo Yuhao recalled the advice Tang Ya and Beibei had given him and couldn't help looking troubled. After all, cheating was simply too despicable.
But if Beibei lost, the Xuan Water Pill would slip right out of his grasp, and his hopes of improving his cultivation speed would vanish with it.
After a moment's hesitation, the desire to become stronger ultimately outweighed his conscience and sense of right and wrong.
He lowered his head slightly and stole a few furtive glances at Mo Yuan and Han Ruoruo, who were quietly talking beside him.
Unfortunately, the instant Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on him, Mo Yuan noticed...
Just then, the previously noisy Battle Soul Arena fell abruptly silent as two figures stepped into the ring. Everyone watched Xu Sanshi and Beibei without blinking.
A showdown between the Outer Court Twin Stars—the best defender and the best attacker—was bound to be explosive. No one wanted to miss a single detail.
"Junior, who do you think will win?"
Han Ruoruo leaned slightly toward Mo Yuan and whispered in his ear. Her warm breath brushed his earlobe, leaving it tingling.
Mo Yuan looked away from the two contestants, who had already released their Martial Souls, and glanced at Huo Yuhao, who seemed to have made up his mind, then at the confident Tang Ya. He replied meaningfully,
"If no one interferes, Beibei will most likely win."
The people he meant by "interferes" weren't Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao, but himself and Han Ruoruo.
At the referee's command, blue lightning erupted. Beibei's right arm rapidly swelled, and with a ripping sound, his sleeve tore. His arm transformed into a dragon claw.
Amid the swirling blue light, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul appeared. Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, slowly revolving.
Xu Sanshi was no less imposing. His body bulged, stretching his school uniform tight, and a massive Tortoise Shell Shield appeared in his right hand. His Soul Ring Configuration was the same.
As evenly matched opponents, neither attacked right away. Instead, they slowly moved to the side, fixing each other with sharp gazes as if searching for an opening.
Powerful Soul Power surged from both of them. Crackling lightning flashed with blinding blue light, while soundless, flowing black water covered half the arena. Blue and black stood in stark contrast, each claiming its own side.
Watching the two contestants, Mo Yuan nodded slightly. As expected of the next generation of elites, carefully cultivated by the academy. They were nearly flawless in every respect.
Suddenly, Mo Yuan sensed an unfamiliar burst of spiritual power. He followed its source and, just as he expected, found Huo Yuhao sitting beside Tang Ya.
Faint golden light shimmered in Huo Yuhao's normally deep blue eyes.
The Spiritual Eye's first Soul Skill, Spiritual Probe Sharing.
Han Ruoruo turned to look as well. Huo Yuhao's Soul Skill gave off so little spiritual power that the referee, still some distance away, couldn't detect it—but Mo Yuan and Han Ruoruo were right there!
To be honest, even Mo Yuan hadn't been sure Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya would dare cheat so openly in front of them. They barely knew one another, so there was no reason for him to cover for them.
But now, Mo Yuan couldn't help guessing that his earlier lesson to Xu Sanshi had made Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya mistakenly think he was on their side.
At that moment, Mo Yuan faced two choices:
First, turn a blind eye. He could earn Huo Yuhao, Tang Ya, and Beibei's goodwill, but he'd share their reputation as hypocrites.
Second, stop Huo Yuhao outright and expose his cheating in front of everyone. That would earn him the Son of Heaven's Mandate, Huo Yuyao's hatred, but at least he'd keep his integrity.
While Mo Yuan weighed his options, Xu Sanshi was already being driven back step by step by Beibei, whose attacks were aided by Spiritual Probe Sharing. If nothing unexpected happened, Huo Yuhao would soon use Purple Demon Eyes and Soul Impact to end the match with one decisive blow.
After thinking it over, Mo Yuan suddenly chuckled and turned to Han Ruoruo, whose expression had darkened.
"Senior, do you believe in the Mandate of Heaven? Or perhaps fate?"
Han Ruoruo shook her head, her face cold. "I don't believe in any of that. I believe that everything depends on what people do."
"Then we agree. I also believe that everything depends on what people do. I decide my own fate, not heaven."
As Mo Yuan spoke, a flash of gold suddenly flared in his deep black eyes. A moment later, his dazzling Golden Eyes shone from the stands.
At the same time, a pained scream rang out beside him. The sudden sound instantly drew everyone's attention.
Huo Yuhao knelt on the ground, both hands covering his face, and let out one agonized scream after another. A little blood seeped between his fingers and dripped onto the floor.
The unexpected sight immediately drew everyone in the arena's attention. Xu Sanshi, who had been defending against Beibei's attacks, also stopped and looked toward Huo Yuhao.
Unlike Xu Sanshi, who was merely confused, Beibei sensed something was wrong the moment Huo Yuhao screamed and Spiritual Probe Sharing vanished.
Meanwhile, in the stands.
"Junior, you..."
Han Ruoruo couldn't help staring in surprise at Mo Yuan's sudden move, but once she recovered, she smiled.
Her eyes shone with delight and admiration as she looked at Mo Yuan. As an exemplary student who had worked her way from the Outer Court to the Inner Court, Han Ruoruo detested cheating.
After all, this was Douluo Continent, not Earth. On Earth, cheating might only boost your grades. It was unfair to others, but at least it wasn't life-threatening.
But things were different on Douluo Continent. If someone cheated to win a fight, even one careless mistake could leave someone injured—or, in the worst case, dead!
The only reason she hadn't openly called them out was that she knew Beibei and Tang Ya and didn't want to embarrass them. If it had been anyone else, she would've slapped them across the face long ago.
"What are you doing, student?!"
The referee realized something was wrong and rushed toward Mo Yuan, shouting at him as he came. From his perspective, events had unfolded like this: Mo Yuan had released his Martial Soul, and Huo Yuhao had been hurt and fallen to the ground.
It was obvious who was at fault.
What a perfect example of the magic of journalism...
"You should be asking him that. Using a spiritual Soul Skill to interfere with a one-on-one match isn't exactly acceptable."
Mo Yuan's Golden Eyes went dark, and the Dragon's Might he had deliberately directed at Huo Yuhao dissipated.
"What? Cheating?!"
The referee was startled. He inwardly cursed. This was a fight where every blow landed with full force. If someone cheated and something went wrong, blood could be spilled.
If anything happened to either of the Twin Stars, he'd be in serious trouble!
At the same time, the referee got a good look at Mo Yuan's face. As a referee who had been here all day, he recognized him.
He also knew of Mo Yuan's peerless talent: a Soul Ancestor at eleven, with a ten-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring. Remembering that, the referee's attitude changed completely.
If Mo Yuan said Huo Yuhao had cheated, then he had probably really cheated!
A genius of Mo Yuan's caliber had no reason to frame an ordinary new student.
Now that Mo Yuan had spoken up, Han Ruoruo, who had been annoyed for a while, naturally couldn't stay silent. "My junior is right. He really did cheat."
The referee followed the voice and saw her. Well, with an Inner Court disciple as a witness, there was no doubt about it now.
This chapter establishes that Tang Ya and Beibei suggested cheating, and Huo Yuhao accepted. That's how it happens in the Original Work, too. I'm not making anyone out to be purely evil, so don't argue with me. If you want to argue, bring screenshots of the original text. And if you've read the Original Work and are preparing to argue, read the earlier parts of this book first. I've already patched up the plot holes. You won't win this argument. ()
As for the protagonist exposing Huo Yuhao's cheating, first, the protagonist was never going to be on the same side as Huo Yuhao. They were bound to be enemies. So, facing the Son of Heaven's Mandate from the Original Work, exposing him was tantamount to tearing off the mask and becoming outright adversaries.
Just as the protagonist said: I decide my own fate, not heaven. He's taking on the Son of Heaven's Mandate!
Don't say the protagonist deliberately targeted Huo Yuhao or that he's a hypocrite or whatever. The book makes it very clear: this is Douluo Continent, not Earth. Cheating in a one-on-one match really can get someone killed. For that alone, catching someone cheating and reporting it should be mandatory. For that matter, Xu Sanshi wouldn't be wrong to kill Huo Yuhao.
Second, it's to set up the romance. You've probably all noticed, so I won't say more.
Don't say the protagonist was looking for trouble or shouldn't have reported him. People who say that are no different from Tang San. And I hope that wherever you go, whenever you're in a competition, you run into opponents who cheat and pull strings to get ahead.
Before you continue