The Second Batch of Explorers! Dai Mubai!

Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan residence.

Inside Thunder Hall, the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.

"No—!!!"

A shrill, furious roar shattered the hall's dome and echoed across the entire mountain.

Yu Yuanzhen, the current clan leader, abruptly rose to his feet. An incredibly violent force of lightning erupted from his body, instantly reducing several nearby rosewood chairs to charcoal.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the darkened image on the Sky Screen, his teeth grinding audibly.

"Tianheng... My Tianheng!"

Yu Yuanzhen's heart was bleeding.

Yu Tianheng was his own grandson!

His eldest son's eldest son!

He was the most outstanding disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's generation, a core junior groomed to become the future clan leader!

He possessed the purest Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon bloodline and limitless potential!

And he had died without rhyme or reason from a mere aftershock?

For the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, this was undoubtedly a devastating blow, practically equivalent to severing their future!

"Damn it! What kind of cursed world is that?"

Second Elder Yu Luomian was trembling with rage as well.

As for the other two dead explorers—

One had been some farmer from an unknown village, while the other had been a lowly Spirit Hall steward.

Their deaths were not even a drop in the ocean to the Heaven Dou Empire or Spirit Hall. They were utterly insignificant.

Why did their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan have to suffer such a tremendous loss?

Yu Yuanzhen panted heavily, a savage gleam gradually surfacing in his eyes.

"Men!"

Yu Yuanzhen shouted, his voice shaking the hall.

"Gather our forces at once. Come with me to Heaven Dou Royal Academy and demand an explanation!"

The Second Elder froze for a moment before asking hesitantly, "Big Brother, Tianheng was chosen by that mysterious Sky Screen. If we go to the Royal Academy, this..."

"What do you mean, this?"

Yu Yuanzhen abruptly turned his head, his eyes crimson as though they might drip blood.

"It's true that Yu Tianheng was chosen by the Sky Screen, but don't forget that he disappeared on Heaven Dou Royal Academy's grounds!"

"He studied at the Royal Academy, so they were responsible for protecting his safety. Now that he's gone, the Royal Academy cannot escape responsibility. No matter what, the Heaven Dou Empire must give us an explanation!"

The elders in the hall exchanged looks.

They all understood perfectly well.

Put bluntly, Yu Yuanzhen intended to use this excuse to extort the Heaven Dou Empire for massive compensation.

In the cruel world of Soul Masters, a dead genius was no longer a genius.

Even if he was the current Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan leader's own grandson, his eldest son's eldest son, bound by blood thicker than water, death was still death.

The dead had no value.

To the clan, what had been lost could not be recovered. The dead Yu Tianheng could only serve as a bargaining chip, exchanged for more resources to make up for the clan's losses.

That was reality.

Meanwhile.

Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

A sorrowful air permeated the spacious training grounds.

Dugu Yan, with her emerald-green short hair, was crouched on the ground, covering her face with both hands as her shoulders shook violently.

"Tianheng..."

Inside a tall building beside the training grounds—

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's three board members—Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—sat around a round table, all wearing grim expressions.

"This is a huge problem now."

Meng Shenji rubbed his aching brow and sighed. "Yu Tianheng was selected by the Sky Screen from our academy, only to die miserably in another world. Those lunatics from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan who protect their own will never let this go."

The smile had vanished from Bai Baoshan's round face as well.

"On one hand, we need to find a way to deal with that old man Yu Yuanzhen and give him an explanation. On the other hand..."

Bai Baoshan glanced at the grieving Dugu Yan outside the window.

"Yu Tianheng was also a junior our academy had invested tremendous effort into nurturing. He was the absolute core of our team for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."

"Now that the core is gone, it is an extremely serious loss to both our academy's reputation and strength."

"It will also be difficult to explain this to Xue Ye."

Zhi Lin could only smile bitterly.

"We had originally hoped that by nurturing Yu Tianheng, we could forge a deep friendship with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in the future and win a powerful ally for the Empire."

"But now, he died on our grounds. Not only did we fail to build a friendship, we have made an enemy instead."

Just as the three board members were at their wits' end—

The grand voice from the heavens rang out mercilessly once more.

[The first batch of explorers has been completely wiped out.]

[Selection for the second batch of explorers begins. The number of selections remains three.]

Hearing this, everyone's hearts leaped into their throats again.

[Countdown begins.]

[Three, two, one.]

[Selection complete!]

Amid a burst of dazzling light, the Sky Screen instantly split into three separate smaller displays. Three completely new names, accompanied by clear phantom images, appeared brightly in midair.

[Heaven Dou Empire, Shrek Academy, Level 37 Battle Soul Elder, Dai Mubai!]

[Spirit Hall, Golden Generation, Level 52 Battle Soul King, Yan!]

[Heaven Dou Empire, Suotuo City civilian, Cuihua!]

As they looked at the three names with vastly different identities and statuses, the eyes of the entire continent instantly focused on them.

On Shrek Academy's training field, the atmosphere abruptly became particularly strange.

"Cuihua?"

Ma Hongjun, who had just been astonished by Tang San's training results, now looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He stared blankly at the plump, ordinary-looking girl in rough hemp clothes on the Sky Screen and pointed at her.

"Isn't that... Isn't that my ex-girlfriend?"

Ma Hongjun swallowed, feeling as though his mind could not quite process it.

That ordinary village girl who had broken up with him because she could not endure his Evil Fire had actually been selected by the Sky Screen and was about to enter that high-dimensional world where immortals battled?

But at that moment, no one at Shrek had the mind to pay attention to a village girl.

Everyone's gaze was fixed upon the blond young man standing at the very front of the group.

Dai Mubai's entire body stiffened for a moment, then he slowly let out a long breath.

A flicker of astonishment first crossed his handsome face, only to be replaced by intense arrogance and fighting spirit.

"Good! It's perfect that I was chosen! I wanted to see that so-called other world for myself anyway!"

Flender strode forward, patted his shoulder, and earnestly cautioned him, "Mubai, be careful in all things."

"That world's power system is far too bizarre. Do not judge them according to the common sense of our Douluo Continent. If you encounter danger, do not fight stubbornly. As long as you survive for one year, you will be Shrek's greatest contributor."