Above the Sky Screen, light suddenly blazed.
It gathered into several enormous words!
[First List—Top Ten Hypocrites List!]
Hypocrites!
The moment those three words appeared, the whole world seemed to fall silent.
Countless people exchanged baffled looks, their expressions turning strange.
Some were curious, while others took gleeful pleasure in it.
But many more—especially those in high positions who prided themselves on being righteous—felt their hearts jolt, an ominous presentiment rising within them.
Was this going to be... a public execution before everyone from both eras?
[Douluo I Period]
In Spirit Hall, the corner of Bibi Dong's mouth curled into a cold smile.
"Hypocrites? How interesting."
"I'd like to see whether those old fossils from the Upper Three Sects, or the trash from the two empires who are always preaching benevolence and morality, will make the list."
Heaven Dou City.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe held his teacup, maintaining the composure expected of a crown prince.
Yet deep in his eyes, a flicker of something no one could detect passed by.
[Douluo II Period]
At Shrek Academy, many students had already begun whispering, guessing who the first "lucky one" would be.
"Hypocrites? They must mean those sanctimonious people, right?"
"Like those politicians from the Sun Moon Empire who invade us while claiming they want to build peace?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. The list hasn't even started yet!"
As countless eyes watched, golden light flowed across the Sky Screen, and a line of large characters slowly took shape.
[Top Ten Hypocrites List, Tenth Place!]
Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the sky and waiting for the name to appear.
Who would it be?
A renowned powerhouse, or some schemer hiding behind the scenes?
An ancient figure from ten thousand years ago, or someone from ten thousand years in the future?
Golden light continued gathering. The name about to shock both eras was on the verge of being revealed.
Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the sky.
Nervousness, anticipation, schadenfreude... All kinds of emotions spread to every corner of the continent.
At last, under the gaze of countless people, the name about to shock both eras slowly emerged.
Golden light continued gathering, each stroke growing clearer.
[Tenth Place: Wang Yan]
The instant the name appeared, a clear image of a man's face materialized beside it.
It was the face of an ordinary-looking young man wearing glasses. He looked somewhat bookish and even a little frail.
In an instant, the whole continent fell into another strange silence.
[Douluo I Period]
Inside a valley.
Tang San and Tang Hao stared at the unfamiliar name and face on the Sky Screen, both frowning deeply.
"Wang Yan? I've never heard of him."
Tang Hao's voice was low.
"Judging by his appearance, his Soul Power fluctuations shouldn't be strong. He doesn't seem like a major figure. Who is he?"
Purple Demon Eye glimmered in Tang San's eyes. He felt that every part of this list was strange and didn't dare underestimate it in the slightest.
Spirit City.
Confusion also flickered in Bibi Dong's eyes.
"Investigate! Find out everything! Track down every Soul Master on the continent named Wang Yan!"
She gave the order coldly.
Yet she had a feeling that this list would be far from simple.
[Douluo II Period]
When the name and face appeared together on the Sky Screen,
the Soul Masters in the Sun Moon Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and elsewhere were still completely baffled.
Wang Yan? Never heard of him.
But at Shrek Academy, the atmosphere instantly erupted, then immediately froze.
"I-is that... Teacher Wang Yan?"
"Am I seeing things? That's Teacher Wang Yan on the Sky Screen!"
Cries of shock rang out one after another.
On the Outer Court plaza, thousands of gazes were drawn like iron filings to a magnet, all turning toward a corner of the teachers' ranks.
The young teacher standing there was none other than the man whose face was on the Sky Screen.
A core teacher of Shrek Academy—Wang Yan!
"Buzz—"
Wang Yan's mind went blank. It felt as if all the blood in his body rushed to his head, only to freeze solid the next instant.
Fear, like a hand reaching up from an abyss, gripped his heart tightly.
The color drained from his face, leaving it as pale as paper.
Behind his glasses, his eyes filled with unprecedented terror and panic, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
"N-no... Impossible... This can't be... How could it be me..."
His lips trembled. His body shook uncontrollably, and he could barely stay on his feet.
Cold sweat soaked his back.
Instinctively, he took a step back, turned around, and pushed through the crowd, desperate to escape this place and the countless scrutinizing gazes.
Above Sea God Pavilion, Xuan Zi hovered among the clouds, taking in everything below.
He saw Wang Yan fleeing in a daze. A complicated look flashed through his cloudy eyes.
Should he just let him go?
But just as the thought arose in Xuan Zi's mind,
an old, authoritative voice rang directly in his Spirit Sea.
[Xuan Zi, keep him here.]
It was Mu En!
Xuan Zi's heart tightened. He immediately cast aside all hesitation and reluctance.
He gritted his teeth and flashed forward, appearing in Wang Yan's path as if by teleportation.
A hand like an iron clamp landed on his shoulder.
"Wang Yan."
Xuan Zi's voice was deep as an abyss, revealing no hint of emotion.
"Why are you running?"
Wang Yan's body went completely rigid.
He turned around with difficulty and saw the bottomless depths of Xuan Zi's gaze. His heart nearly stopped.
His legs gave way, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
"I... I didn't... Elder Xuan! This is a misunderstanding!"
"It must be someone with the same name! Or... or someone's framing me! Yes, that's it—they're framing me!"
He stammered out his excuses, his voice turning shrill and grating from sheer terror.
But his reaction had already said everything.
Huo Yuhao, Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, and the others watched, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"How could it be Teacher Wang Yan?"
Xiao Xiao murmured, her little face full of shock.
"He's such a good person..."
Before she could finish, the golden Sky Screen blazed with light and began showing Wang Yan's past.
A voice-over rang out. It was Wang Yan's own voice.
[My name is Wang Yan. I was born in a remote village on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire. Our village was tiny—so tiny it didn't even have a proper Soul Master.]
On the screen, a rundown mountain village appeared.
Young, frail Wang Yan was undergoing his Martial Soul awakening.
[I awakened a tool-type Martial Soul—the Coiling Dragon Staff—but my Innate Soul Power was only level five.]
[An elder of the village stroked my head and sighed, saying, "What a shame. With Innate Soul Power at level five, this child is a genius in a place like this. But out in the wider world, he'll be lucky to become a Soul King. This is as far as he'll ever go."]
On the screen, there was no dejection in young Wang Yan's eyes. Instead, a stubborn flame burned within them.
[I don't believe in fate! Why should where you're born determine everything? Why should talent decide how far you can go?]
[I firmly believe knowledge can change your fate! I'm going to the holy land of every Soul Master on the Douluo Continent—Shrek Academy!]
The scene changed. Young Wang Yan carried a simple pack on his back and said goodbye to his weeping parents. Determination filled his youthful face as he walked out of the mountains, step by step.
He delivered letters, did odd jobs, and walked for months before finally reaching the Shrek City he had dreamed of.
[When I first stood before Shrek Academy and saw those seven words, I swore I would stay here.]
On the screen, Wang Yan was barely admitted to Shrek Outer Court on the strength of his outstanding theoretical results and unremarkable abilities.
[I knew my talent was mediocre, so I had to work harder than anyone else.]
[When others meditated for one hour, I meditated for two. When they rested, I worked my way through the library.]
The images on the Sky Screen shifted rapidly.
In the library late at night, he was alone among towering piles of books, writing furiously. Candle after candle burned down on his desk.
On the training grounds, he was knocked down again and again by powerful classmates, only to grit his teeth and get back up. Even covered in injuries, he never lowered his gaze.
[At Shrek, I studied as if I could never get enough.]
[I happened upon a book written by Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and treasured it like a priceless discovery.]
[The theories recorded in it, such as the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, inspired me deeply!]
[I memorized every word in the book until I knew it by heart.]
[Then I devoted myself to studying them day and night, trying to refine those theories and establish a Martial Soul research system of my own.]
On the screen, Wang Yan's dormitory walls were covered in countless diagrams and notes, all filled with analyses and hypotheses about various Martial Souls.
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