Qiangu Wangyan

"BOOM--!"

As the four large characters [Qiangu Wangyan] finally locked into place upon the sky screen.

It was as if a thunderbolt from the nine heavens had detonated within the hearts of countless people across two eras!

[Douluo II Era]

In the plaza of Shrek Academy, the students who had previously been crying out for justice on behalf of Wang Yan.

Were now struck as if by lightning, standing frozen in place, the color drained entirely from their faces.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao... all felt a chill shoot from the soles of their feet straight to their scalps.

So, those warm expressions of care, those sincere words of encouragement, those days and nights he had spent pouring his heart and soul into them... it was all fake!

It was all a scam meticulously woven by an infiltrator for the sake of revenge!

"To think you are a remnant of the Martial Soul Hall..."

Elder Xuan's voice was hoarse.

He stared fixedly at Qiangu Wangyan on the ground, and deep within his murky old eyes, beyond shock and rage, surged a terror he himself had not yet realized!

He had never imagined that Wang Yan's true identity was actually an orphan of the Martial Soul Hall!

At this moment, his heart was filled with unspeakable regret.

If he had known, he never should have chosen him!

Now, not only had the sky screen exposed his true identity, but there was no telling what else it might reveal!

One had to know, Wang Yan was privy to many things he should not have known...

In an instant, a chilling murderous intent flashed in Elder Xuan's eyes!

His hand, gripped tightly onto Wang Yan's shoulder, suddenly tightened, his soul power secretly surging, nearly crushing his bones to dust!

He had to kill him before he could spill the truth!

[Douluo I Era]

The Worship Hall.

This was the most sacred place in the entire Martial Soul Hall, shrouded year-round in silence and majesty.

Yet at this moment, that silence was thoroughly shattered.

Ever since the Panlong Staff martial soul first appeared on the sky screen, the Sixth Elder Qianjun Douluo and the Seventh Elder Falling Devil, who were standing guard in the hall, had already harbored suspicions.

Until this moment, when the four characters [Qiangu Wangyan] appeared, all doubts were answered in an instant!

Both of their burly frames shuddered violently!

"Qiangu!"

This surname existed in only one family across the entire Douluo Continent!

They were the most loyal guardian family of the Angel clan!

"Panlong Staff martial soul... the surname of Qiangu..."

Qianjun Douluo's voice was dry and hoarse, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"That child... is a descendant of our Qiangu family!"

The expression on Falling Devil's face was complex to the extreme.

After the brief shock, a sense of immense shame welled up in his heart.

Their own descendant had been judged by the Heavenly Dao Ranking as a [Hypocrite] in front of the entire continent!

"Great Elder!"

The two of them fell to their knees with a "thud," bowing their heads in shame:

"Our clan's descendant has tarnished the reputation of the Martial Soul Hall; he deserves death!"

"Please, Great Elder, punish us!"

Seated at the head of the hall, Qian Daoliu, who had been resting with his eyes closed and his figure as steady as a rock, slowly opened his eyes.

Within those golden pupils, there was a depth and calm that seemed capable of piercing through the ages.

"Punishment? Why should there be punishment?"

His voice was as still as an ancient well, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Rise, this matter is not your fault."

"Great Elder..."

The two wanted to say more, but were interrupted by a wave of Qian Daoliu's hand.

"You only see the shame, but I... I see the future."

Qian Daoliu's voice carried a trace of inexplicable emotion.

He stood up, walked slowly down the steps, and gazed with deep, profound eyes at the sky outside the hall.

"Ten thousand years later, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Sun Moon Empire emerged, and that Shrek Academy became unprecedentedly powerful..."

"Yet, there is no trace of my Martial Soul Hall."

"The answer is already obvious."

Qian Daoliu's voice was very soft, yet it struck like a heavy hammer against the hearts of Qianjun and Falling Devil Douluo.

In everyone's heart, the answer they dared not believe surfaced.

Martial Soul Hall... in the future, it was destroyed!

"And Tang San, along with that Shrek Academy, must be the culprits behind the destruction of my hall."

"This child..."

Qian Daoliu's gaze returned to the sky screen, watching the young child who swore an oath in blood.

"He hid his name, endured humiliation, and with his own body, shouldered the blood feud of our Martial Soul Hall's destruction, infiltrating deep into the enemy camp."

"He is a hypocrite in the eyes of the world, but to my Martial Soul Hall... he is the final hero!"

Hero!

These two words made both Qianjun and Falling Devil Douluo tremble.

They looked up, and as they gazed at the figure on the sky screen again, the shame and anger in their eyes had already faded.

Replacing it was endless sorrow and a hint of... pride!

Yes, for the sake of revenge, for the final glory of Martial Soul Hall, what did the mere reputation of a hypocrite matter!

Above the sky screen, the images continued to play.

[Qiangu Wangyan's knowledge of martial souls did not come from the library of Shrek Academy, as he claimed.]

[Instead, it originated from...]

The scene shifted, revealing an underground palace so magnificent it was hard to imagine.

Countless ancient texts were categorized and stored on massive bookshelves.

The vastness of the collection far exceeded the library of Shrek Academy by a hundred, even a thousand times!

[This is the core collection where Martial Soul Hall gathered precious texts from the entire continent and assembled countless wise men to conduct research!]

[It is the most precious treasure accumulated by Martial Soul Hall over thousands of years!]

In the image, the young Qiangu Wangyan was like a sponge, frantically absorbing this long-lost, top-secret knowledge.

[How long is the history of Martial Soul Hall; its understanding of martial souls is beyond what others can imagine.]

The scene switched again.

The now-grown youth Qiangu Wangyan held a book with a somewhat worn cover in his hands.

It was none other than—Master Yu Xiaogang's Theory Collection.

In the previous scene that moved countless people, he had treated this book like a precious treasure.

But at this moment, what the sky screen revealed was a completely different picture.

The young Qiangu Wangyan was seen conversing with an elder beside him, who was also an orphan of Martial Soul Hall.

His face was filled with undisguised contempt and disdain.

["Yu Xiaogang? That piece of trash who was expelled from his clan because of a martial soul mutation? Does he even deserve to be called a 'Master'?"]

As soon as this monologue emerged, inside Shrek Academy during the Douluo I era, Yu Xiaogang's expression changed instantly.

But this was only the beginning!

["His theories are full of errors and riddled with loopholes!"]

["They are nothing more than picking up others' wisdom and viewing the sky from the bottom of a well!"]

["Any basic introduction to martial souls in my Martial Soul Hall's archives is a hundred times more profound than his theories!"]

["Calling them trash is actually giving them too much credit!"]

On the sky screen, Qiangu Wangyan's voice was cold and mocking.

["If it weren't to find a cover for the profound knowledge I possess from Martial Soul Hall, I wouldn't even bother mentioning the name of this piece of trash."]

["Who would have thought that ten thousand years later, Shrek Academy would still be so stagnant, actually regarding such trash theories as the gold standard?"]

["It is truly ridiculous!"]

["However... this trash does have its uses."]

The young Qiangu Wangyan closed the book, a mocking curve forming on his lips.

["The world knows of Yu Xiaogang, but they do not know the greatness of my Martial Soul Hall."]

"I can use the excuse of studying his trash theory to cover up the true source of my knowledge."

"They will only think I am a worshiper and successor of Yu Xiaogang; they will never imagine that what I possess is wisdom from the Martial Soul Hall!"

"A perfect disguise, isn't it?"

[Douluo I Era]

BOOM!

The merciless evaluation from Qiangu Wangyan was like an incredibly loud slap, striking someone hard across the face.

Yu Xiaogang froze completely.

His complexion shifted from red to purple, then from purple to pale.

An uncontrollable surge of blood rushed straight from his chest to his head!

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of blood sprayed violently from Yu Xiaogang's mouth!

His body trembled violently, his finger pointing toward the sky, his lips quivering, yet he could not utter a single word.