Childhood Exposed!

Dai Mubai reached out and flicked Zhu Zhuqing on the nose, then laughed.

"Alright, stop making fun of him."

As he spoke, he felt a little anticipation too.

If they won this comparison, what kind of reward would Heaven's Dao give them?

Could it help him carry out his plan to "unify the continent" even faster?

Under everyone's watchful gaze.

The image on the Sky Screen finally began to change.

[Comparison begins!]

[Stage One: Childhood Experiences!]

The screen split in two.

The Black World appeared on the left, and the White World on the right.

The image on the left, showing the Black World, lit up first.

[Black World: Dai Mubai is born!]

On the screen.

The Star Luo Empire's imperial palace was festooned with lanterns and decorations, while gongs and drums thundered.

A baby's cries rang out, as he was born to the eager anticipation of all.

His signature Evil Eyes and twin pupils instantly sent shockwaves through the entire imperial family.

"Born with twin pupils!"

"This is an auspicious sign!"

"This child will surely accomplish great things!"

The Old Emperor held the baby and beamed with delight, immediately bestowing countless treasures upon him.

Next.

The image shifted.

It showed Dai Mubai's life as a young child.

He had truly lived in luxury and comfort, pampered and indulged.

Dedicated maids fed him, and eunuchs carried him around. Whenever he wanted a toy, even if it was a star in the sky, someone would find a way to pluck it down for him.

He was surrounded by countless people eager to flatter him.

"Third Prince, you truly are a dragon among men!"

"Third Prince, one day you'll surely ascend the throne!"

On the screen, little Dai Mubai wore a magnificent brocade robe, a priceless Soul Tool hanging around his neck. Looking utterly arrogant, he directed a group of palace maids and eunuchs as they played.

At this sight.

The commoners and low-ranking Soul Masters of the Black World all turned red-eyed with envy.

How enviable!

"So this is how a prince lives?"

"Born with a silver spoon in his mouth—there's no beating that kind of luck."

"Ah, comparing yourself to others is enough to drive you mad. I was still playing in the mud as a kid, while he was already living like a lord in the imperial palace."

"Although Mu Bai was born into nobility, that was also the source of his pressure."

Yu Xiaogang spoke up, trying to salvage the situation. "The imperial family's struggles are ruthless. These material comforts can't conceal the pressure he faced mentally."

However.

Only Dai Mubai himself, watching the scene on the Sky Screen, had a thin sheen of cold sweat on his forehead.

His gaze darted away, and he looked decidedly guilty.

Everyone else saw only his dazzling life.

Only he knew.

It was all just a façade.

Although he'd lived comfortably as a child, he had actually been constantly on edge.

His elder brother, Dai Weisi, had loomed over him like a mountain.

Even though he appeared to be playing in the scene, he had actually been running away.

Afraid of being targeted by his elder brother, he had deliberately acted like a wastrel, as if all he cared about was pleasure.

How was that carefree?

It was downright cowardly!

Even so, when he heard everyone around him praising him, Dai Mubai straightened his back and pretended that he'd had a "wonderful childhood."

The image on the Sky Screen continued to shift.

Soon, it reached the time when Dai Mubai was five years old.

On the screen.

Five-year-old Dai Mubai was playing hide-and-seek with a group of guards in the Imperial Garden.

He was drenched in sweat from running, his face alight with carefree laughter.

He'd even skipped his lessons that day because he'd been having too much fun.

When his teacher came looking for him, he'd relied on his status as a prince to scold the teacher away.

At this point.

Although the people of the Black World thought the child was a bit mischievous, most of them understood.

"He's five. Of course he's at the age where he wants to play."

"Princes are people too. It's nice that he still has a bit of childlike innocence."

"Exactly. It shows Dai Mubai was a pure-hearted child, with no schemes."

Everyone was full of praise.

After all, Dai Mubai was now a Titled Douluo and a high-ranking member of the allied forces.

Who would dare speak ill of him?

As they watched the five-year-old child race around the entire Imperial Garden, looking smug after skipping his cultivation lesson.

In the Black World.

The atmosphere on the open ground at Heaven Dou Camp was rather relaxed.

Many soldiers looked at the plump child in his finery with a little sour envy, but most of them thought it was only natural.

After all, he was a prince.

He'd been born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

"Nothing unusual about this."

Oscar held a Big Sausage in his hand and took a bite, speaking indistinctly.

"A five-year-old is at the age when you play in the mud, isn't he?"

"Boss Dai was a little mischievous back then, but that just shows he still had a childlike innocence."

Ma Hongjun nodded repeatedly beside him, his little eyes narrowing into slits.

"Exactly."

"If I'd been born in the imperial palace, I'd have played all day too."

"Cultivation's a miserable chore. Whoever wants to do it can do it."

Standing in the middle of the crowd with his hands behind his back, Yu Xiaogang's rigid air of a Grandmaster seemed especially forgiving at that moment.

He watched the Sky Screen and spoke in an even tone.

"Man is born good by nature, and children are born playful."

"A five-year-old has yet to mature. Enjoying pleasure is only natural."

"This proves that Mu Bai was true to himself."

"Only after experiencing such a carefree childhood can someone summon even greater resilience when faced with setbacks later in life."

Yu Xiaogang's theory was laid out with impeccable logic.

The Shrek members around him nodded one after another, convinced that the Grandmaster was indeed a Grandmaster. He had such a sharp and profound way of looking at things.

Only Tang San.

He stood there. His Purple Demon Eye wasn't active, but envy was hidden deep in his eyes.

Five years old?

What had he been doing at five?

He'd been standing on a little stool in the dilapidated Blacksmith Shop in Holy Soul Village, cooking porridge on the stove.

He'd also had to take care of his father, who was drunk and asleep all day long.

Forget fine clothes and good food—even a bowl of porridge with rice in it had been a luxury.

Then he looked at Dai Mubai on the screen.

The fabric in just one of his outfits could probably have covered Holy Soul Village's expenses for an entire year.

"That's just fate."

Tang San sighed inwardly, but didn't show it on his face. He simply nodded along.

"Teacher is right."

"Although Boss Dai was born into the imperial family, he didn't grow arrogant because of it. That's quite rare."

Hearing everyone defend him.

Dai Mubai, who had still been feeling somewhat apprehensive, finally put his worries to rest.

He wiped a nonexistent sheen of sweat from his forehead, and confidence returned to his Evil Eyes.

"Ah, the past is best left in the past."

Dai Mubai shook his head with an air of gravity, though the corners of his mouth kept turning upward.

"I was so young back then. I didn't know any better."

"I did nothing but play all day. I hope you'll forgive me."

"But it's a good thing, too. That experience is exactly why I value strength even more now."

With that, he'd played them all.

He'd admitted to being mischievous in the past while highlighting how hard he worked now.

The people of the Black World thought even more highly of him.

However.

The scene shifted to the White World.

Inside the Star Luo Empire's great hall, the atmosphere was entirely different from that of the Black World.