"Though our Mu Bai acted a little... unruly at that age, he was merely keeping a low profile!"
"As for character, knowing when to endure—that's true wisdom!"
With that, Yu Xiaogang swept his sleeve and declared proudly:
"So I'm voting for Dai Mubai from the Black World!"
"I'll prove through my actions that this so-called Sky Screen is nothing but a joke!"
Without hesitation, he selected [Dai Mubai from the Black World] on the illusory screen that appeared before him.
Tang San opened his mouth, just about to urge his teacher not to act rashly.
After all, better to believe it than risk finding out it was true.
But before he could speak,
everything changed!
[Warning!]
[Detected a malicious vote that goes against the voter's true intentions!]
[Target: Yu Xiaogang!]
[Executing punishment!]
The golden light on the Sky Screen instantly turned bloodred.
A red beam brimming with destructive energy, like a sharp sword, tore through the sky and shot straight toward Shrek Academy!
It was so fast that even a Titled Douluo couldn't react in time!
"No!"
Yu Xiaogang managed only a terrified scream.
The next moment,
the red beam struck him squarely in the lower body.
"AAAH!!!"
A shrill, agonized scream rang through the sky.
It was so heartrending that anyone who heard it would be moved to tears.
Yu Xiaogang collapsed to the ground, both hands clamped over his crotch. His body curled up like a shrimp as he rolled around wildly.
Blood gushed between his fingers.
It soon stained the ground red.
"My... my..."
Yu Xiaogang's face was as pale as paper, cold sweat pouring down him. The pain left him unable to utter a complete sentence.
Even without looking, everyone knew what had happened.
He'd been made a eunuch!
The great Grandmaster had been physically castrated by a divine beam from the Sky Screen!
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Tang San stood frozen, staring at his teacher writhing on the ground. A chill shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
The punishment was real!
And it was the kind of punishment that left you... utterly hopeless!
Flender and Zhao Wuji were both so frightened that their faces turned pale and their legs went weak.
Zhao Wuji in particular instinctively pressed his legs together, his face full of lingering fear.
Thank goodness he hadn't listened to Grandmaster's nonsense!
If he'd been hit like that too, he'd rather have been killed outright!
"Anyone else want to try?"
The Sky Screen didn't speak, but its invisible pressure weighed on everyone's heart.
Tang San and the others, who had still been hesitant or wanted to stand up for their friend, no longer dared to entertain even the slightest hope of getting away with it.
"I vote for the White World!"
Tang San hurriedly made his choice.
"I vote for the White World too!"
Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and the others pressed their choices even faster, afraid of falling behind.
Even Yu Xiaogang, lying on the ground and howling in pain, was filled with regret.
If Heaven gave him another chance, he would kneel and fawn over the Dai Mubai from the White World without a second thought.
Unfortunately, there were no second chances.
In the crowd,
Dai Mubai's face was livid, his teeth grinding together.
The humiliation nearly drove him mad.
It wasn't just because everyone had voted for that impostor.
It was because... even his good friend, his teacher, and even his fiancée, Zhu Zhuqing, had voted for the other one!
They might have been forced into it,
but each vote still felt like another slap across his face.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
Dai Mubai clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms and blood trickled out.
He watched the figure in the Sky Screen, adored by countless people, as envy gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.
Why?
Why could the version of himself in that world enjoy such glory?
Why did he have to suffer such humiliation here?
"Mu Bai..."
Seeing Dai Mubai on the verge of breaking down, Tang San couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.
He stepped forward, patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder, and murmured words of comfort:
"Don't take it too much to heart."
"This was when we were only five."
"You were still a child back then. It's normal that you fell a little behind."
"Don't forget, you're a White Tiger, a prodigy with twin pupils."
"That version of you might not have smooth sailing forever."
"Maybe his pride will lead him astray later on."
"But you've been tempered at Shrek. Your strength and character are already completely different from what they were."
"We still have a chance!"
Hearing Tang San's words, Dai Mubai took a deep breath, and some of the red faded from his eyes.
That was right.
It was only the first round.
That kid might be impressive now, but that didn't mean he'd stay that way.
He still had Tang San, Hidden Weapons, and... the future!
If he could win even one round later, just one, he could salvage his reputation!
"You're right, Xiao San."
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down.
"I won't lose."
"I'll watch him. I'll watch him fall from the clouds!"
Just then,
the voting on the Sky Screen closed.
The results were announced.
[Votes for Dai Mubai from the Black World: 0.0001% (cast by Yu Xiaogang alone)]
[Votes for Dai Mubai from the White World: 99.9999%]
[Congratulations to Dai Mubai from the White World for winning!]
[Issuing rewards!]
Rumble!
The Sky Screen shook.
A dazzling golden light poured down as if from the highest heavens. It pierced through the barriers between worlds and descended upon the Star Luo Imperial Palace in the White World.
[Reward: One Million-Year Spirit Ring!]
[Reward: Second Martial Soul—Five-Clawed Golden Dragon!]
At the sight of those two lines,
both worlds fell utterly silent.
A Million-Year Spirit Ring?!
What did that even mean?
A hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring was already enough to make Titled Douluos covet it, even risk their lives for it.
A million years?
That was the stuff of myths and legends!
And a second Martial Soul, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon!
The Sky Screen's rewards were terrifying!
White World, Star Luo Imperial Palace.
The golden light enveloped Dai Mubai on the dragon throne.
Roar!
A deafening dragon's roar shook the heavens and earth.
Behind Dai Mubai, the once-mighty phantom of a White Tiger began to undergo an astonishing transformation in the golden light.
The tiger's roar became a dragon's roar.
Its white fur turned into golden scales.
Its limbs became powerful dragon claws.
In the blink of an eye,
a golden dragon hundreds of meters long, radiating boundless majesty, coiled above the hall!
Its terrifying dragon might made everyone present, even the Titled Douluo, want to prostrate themselves in worship.
At the same time,
a golden Soul Ring slowly appeared beneath Dai Mubai's feet.
Its color surpassed red and transcended the limits of what anyone could comprehend.
A Million-Year Spirit Ring!
Dai Mubai slowly opened his eyes.
His pupils had turned completely gold. Within those vertical pupils lay an air of boundless majesty and indifference.
He gently clenched his fist.
In his palm, space rippled like a fragile sheet of paper.
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