Tang God King's Plan Uninterrupted for Now

Around him, new students bustled by, their faces a mix of anticipation and anxiety as they moved in small groups toward the dormitory area. The clamor of their voices filled the registration plaza of Shrek Academy.

Watching these green and naive newcomers, Su Ming wore a faint smile, his mind involuntarily drifting to the comical blunder that had just unfolded during registration.

The delicate and spirited Wang Dong, who was actually a girl disguised as a boy, possessed the world-rare Radiant Goddess Butterfly martial soul. Through a twist of fate, she had been assigned to the 108 boys' dormitory. As Wang Dong walked into the all-male living quarters, she and Huo Yuhao were left in a state of awkward, flustered confusion.

Gazing toward the crowd, Su Ming rubbed his fingertips together, his thoughts quietly turning.

He knew clearly that Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao were the two most critical pieces in the grand chess game laid out by Tang God King. From the moment they met in that dormitory, their fates were tightly bound together, moving step by step according to the God King's design, eventually leading to a life beyond their own control.

Su Ming pondered in secret: if he were to intervene now and covertly alter the dormitory assignments so that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong could not live together, could he disrupt the layout of this God King from the root and break free from their destined fate?

But the moment this thought emerged, Su Ming forcibly suppressed it.

A trace of apprehension stirred in his heart. High above in the God Realm, that supreme Tang God King kept his divine sense constantly draped over Douluo Continent; anyone who dared to tamper with the fate he had set would be detected in an instant.

That God King was a man of heaven-defying means and ruthless decisiveness. If he discovered someone meddling in the shadows, he would show no mercy and strike without hesitation. With his current strength, Su Ming had absolutely no power to resist.

This move was too risky; one wrong step would lead to total destruction.

Moreover, Su Ming knew that the current Wang Dong was pure and clean—a proud, free-spirited youth who valued friendship above all else, with no hidden flaws.

The true danger was the later Tang Wutong, a being born from the forced stitching together of souls and memories. That was the entity completely controlled and perfectly aligned with the will of Tang San; that was the trouble hardest to resolve.

Furthermore, Su Ming still cherished the pure and sincere friendship of the trio from the manga version of Douluo.

The free-spirited and proud Wang Dong, the gentle and resilient Huo Yuhao, and the cute and sensible Xiao Xiao—from their initial meeting as strangers to fighting side by side, trusting one another, and growing through trials together at Shrek Academy.

That friendship, devoid of any ulterior motives or the shackles of fate, was pure and precious—a beauty he did not want to destroy with his own hands.

After much deliberation, Su Ming ultimately dismissed the idea of intervening for now.

There was no need to rush; rash action would only invite disaster. Once his strength was sufficient and he possessed the foundation to contend with the God Realm, he could then lay his own plans and prevent the two from being forcibly dragged into the Valley of Universe Inquiry.

He remembered correctly: it was in the Valley of Universe Inquiry that Huo Yuhao was pushed step by step by that Tang God King, forcibly ground down until his temperament was broken, his edges smoothed away, and he was reduced to a puppet of fate.

As long as he could avoid that catastrophe, protect Huo Yuhao's original heart, and find a way to prevent the birth of the "stitched-together" Tang Wutong, there would still be a turning point.

In Su Ming's heart, the person Huo Yuhao loved with all his sincerity had always been the youth Wang Dong who accompanied him day and night, the pure and spirited Wang Dong'er—not the Tang Wutong created by forcibly fusing memories and piecing together souls.

The latter was merely a puppet manipulated by others, a stitched-together monster that imprisoned Wang Dong's soul; she was never Huo Yuhao's true beloved.

With all the pieces falling into place, the knot in Su Ming's heart dissipated. He turned to Xuan Zi and Wang Yan, speaking with a casual tone:

"Old Xuan, Teacher Wang, you two go ahead and handle the new student affairs. I'll just wander around the academy; I won't disturb you any further."

Xuan Zi was still brooding over the fact that Su Ming had secretly stolen his prized braised chicken leg earlier. His face was long, filled with indignation, and he waved his hand dismissively, scolding with a look of disgust:

"Go, go, go! Always idling about, never doing anything productive, just cooped up in your room tinkering with those scraps of metal—I've never seen you accomplish anything of note!"

Hearing this, Su Ming only curled his lips in a calm smile. He did not argue with Xuan Zi, nor did he offer any explanation, simply turning and walking slowly toward the direction of Shrek's Sea God Lake.

He didn't plan to return to his residence for closed-door cultivation just yet. With his thoughts in a tangle, a stroll by the lake was just what he needed. Admiring the beautiful scenery of Shrek, watching the rippling water and the lush, verdant trees, would help him calm his mind and find new inspiration and ideas for the subsequent forging and development of his Armor Beasts.

Before long, Su Ming arrived at the vast and magnificent Sea God Lake. A breeze swept by, sending layers of ripples across the surface. The emerald water stretched as far as the eye could see, and the air was filled with fresh, moist vapor that made one feel refreshed and relaxed.

He looked into the distance, his gaze landing on Sea God Island in the center of the lake. The Golden Ancient Tree, which blocked out the sky, stood at the heart of the island. Its trunk was straight, its branches lush, and golden light swirled among the leaves, radiating a thick and majestic life force. It was the foundation of life for all of Shrek Academy and the very core of the Douluo Continent plane.

Su Ming's eyes darkened, and he let out a cold, internal laugh.

He knew better than anyone that the core essence of this Golden Ancient Tree, which carried the vitality of the plane, was being slowly devoured and replaced by Ah Yin, the mother of Tang San. And the position of the Master of the Douluo Continent plane was about to be firmly occupied by Tang Hao, the father of Tang San.

The entire Douluo Continent, the vitality and foundation of the whole plane, was being nibbled away bit by bit by the Tang family, consumed until nothing remained, leaving no room for anyone else.

"Good grief, they're truly wiping everyone out, eating them out of house and home. This Great God King Tang is truly ruthless to the extreme, leaving not a single path of retreat for the Douluo plane!" Su Ming murmured, a flash of imperceptible indignation and gravity crossing his eyes.

Just as he lowered his head in thought, silently plotting how to dismantle Tang San's layout step by step and protect the Douluo plane, his peripheral vision caught a sudden, blinding crimson fire igniting on the distant horizon. A massive fireball streaked through the air, carrying a scorching heat wave.

At first, Su Ming didn't pay it much mind, assuming it was just senior students from the academy practicing their soul skills by the lake—after all, sparring and training were common occurrences for Shrek students.

But as time passed, the fireball grew larger, the scorching heat becoming increasingly oppressive. It carried a violent, tyrannical, and aggressive evil aura. Instead of dissipating, it charged madly in his direction, moving at an extreme speed with a terrifying momentum.

Only then did Su Ming's expression sink as he realized something was wrong. This was no ordinary soul skill; it contained an extreme, evil, and manic power—it was a runaway evil fire!

Without a moment's hesitation, Su Ming's eyes turned sharp. A golden halo erupted around him, the thick power of the metal element sweeping across his body as he shouted in a low voice:

Snow Mastiff Armor, combine!

Brilliant golden light, wrapped in the majestic pressure of the Ultimate Metal, instantly covered his body. The hard, heavy armor shielded him, sharp and dignified, its aura imposing. The Snow Mastiff Armor was fully combined, and Su Ming instantly entered combat mode.