Douluo: A Person in Peerless, Fake God

It was evening, with the sky awash in crimson clouds.

Inside the palace, the lights burned brightly.

The master of the palace, clad in a well-fitting white robe, appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. His attire was simple, but his eyes were sharp and piercing. Though not exceptionally handsome, his features possessed the inherent dignity of someone in a position of authority. His dark skin held a healthy sheen.

He was currently seated at his desk, engrossed in reading a book.

The palace's interior was sumptuously decorated yet retained an air of antiquity. Most of the ornaments within bore the motif of an Eight-Clawed Fire Dragon, signifying the extraordinary status of the palace's owner.

At this moment, a stooped old man suddenly appeared in the room as if from nowhere.

Despite wearing the ordinary attire of a servant and possessing a withered frame, his slightly clouded eyes exuded a captivating sharpness.

Hearing the sound, the young man in white put down his book and looked up at the newcomer.

"Your Highness."

The old man approached, bowed, and spoke with deference.

The young man in white nodded slightly and replied in a flat tone, "What is it?"

"The operation in the Jingyang Mountain Range has failed."

The old man came closer to the young man, bowed his head, and respectfully stated, "The subordinates have sent word that the assassination failed, and Xu Jinyu has already returned to the Heng Prince Mansion."

"Failed?" The young man in white raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The old man nodded and explained, "The people we dispatched are still searching the Jingyang Mountain Range. This message just came from our mole within the Heng Prince Mansion."

"Heh heh, it seems my cousin is not as simple as I thought..."

The young man in white murmured to himself.

He had specifically dispatched five Soul Emperors and three Soul Saints, while Xu Jinyu only had two Soul Saints and one Soul Emperor.

Even with such a force, they couldn't keep him in the Jingyang Mountain Range?

As he thought this, the young man's eyes grew deeper, and a subtle curve formed on his lips, carrying a hint of playfulness that made his thoughts unreadable...

The old man stood to the side, silent, awaiting his command.

After a long pause, the young man in white finally spoke slowly, "What is the current situation of my cousin?"

"That is not yet clear; the mole rushed the message."

After a brief pause, the old man inquired, "Your Highness, what should we do now? Should we send more people to continue the assassination of Xu Jinyu?"

"No need."

The young man in white shook his head slightly and said calmly, "The assassination failed, and Xu Jinyu will surely strengthen his defenses. It will be impossible to find such an opportunity again. Sending more people to assassinate him would only expose our identities."

The old man nodded in agreement.

"Also..."

A cold glint flashed in the young man's eyes. "Make sure those involved in this operation keep their mouths shut."

Upon hearing this, the old man nodded slightly.

"This subordinate understands."

"Oh, and remember to spread some false information pointing towards the third brother,"

The young man in white gently closed his eyes, as if struck by an idea, and softly chuckled, "I recall they have some animosity between them. This is a good opportunity to test how much influence his Heng Prince Mansion still holds in court."

"This subordinate understands."

The old man nodded, then asked, "Your Highness, what about the mole in the Heng Prince Mansion? According to the secret guards' report, that fellow knows some of our secrets. If he were to get out, it could cause some trouble."

"Oh, how interesting~"

The young man in white's lips curved slightly, a spark of interest igniting in his eyes. "Then let's keep him for now. Perhaps he'll be useful someday."

"Yes."

The old man immediately took his leave, not daring to delay.

Chapter 71: The Grand Competition

Watching the old man's retreating back.

The young man in white looked out the window, a cold glint in his eyes, and murmured, "Xu Jinyu... my dear cousin... why couldn't you just die obediently?"

"..."

"Fine, I'll let you off for now. The Old Prince won't live much longer anyway."

As if recalling something, the young man's smile became even gentler.

The Four Great Protector Soul Master Legions, the throne of the Sun Moon Empire, and everything in the Sun Moon Empire would be his, and only his.

No one, absolutely no one, could take it from him.

Brothers, friends, enemies – anyone who stood in his way would perish!

Besides the most powerful Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps, the other top-tier forces in the Sun Moon Empire were the Imperial Dragon, Claw, Fire Phoenix, and Evil Lord, the Four Great Protector Soul Master Legions.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's direct Soul Master Legion was under the Emperor's direct jurisdiction, with no prince allowed to interfere.

Thus, the only ones he could contend for were these four great Soul Master Legions, which held significant sway in the struggle for the throne.

Heng Prince Mansion had not offended him.

But a man's wealth is his own ruin.

And this Dreadclaw Soul Master Legion was that jade.

The current Heng Prince Mansion was in decline, no longer capable of defending the Legion.

Yet, at this crucial juncture of the struggle for the throne, he remained indecisive, dooming Heng Prince Mansion to be the first casualty in the fierce competition!

Even if he didn't make a move, his other brothers would still vie for it.

So why not strike first?

Time flowed by.

Another three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had been particularly lively these past few days.

Because this period was special: the grand assessment competition for all grades in the academy would begin the day after tomorrow!

This was an annual grand event, lasting for two days in total.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy held assessment competitions every semester, and Su Luoheng had been waiting for this grand competition instead of participating in the third-year upgrade assessment.

There were many students like him in the class.

They had all reached the level of a Rank 2 Soul Master and were waiting for this grand competition.

After all, being admitted to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was already a sign of exceptional talent, and being assigned to Class 1 of any grade meant being a genius among geniuses.

Reaching Rank 2 Soul Master within a year was not difficult.

The reason for choosing this path was the rules of the competition.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's assessment competition was conducted separately for each grade. Regardless of the ranking achieved by the participating students, there were no penalties. Instead, outstanding performances would be rewarded by the academy. Furthermore, if a student's performance was exceptionally outstanding, they might not even need to participate in the upgrade assessment and could directly advance to the next grade at the beginning of the following year.

With cultivation resources and rewards, students naturally wanted to give it their all.

Motivating students was also the academy's purpose in holding competitions.

At the same time, this period was also when Mingde Hall began its assessments, and the selection rules, which were one in ten thousand, did not have the same cheerful atmosphere as the other five grades.

The assessment competition was divided into two categories: a Soul Tool assessment and a Soul Master combat assessment.

The two assessments would be held on the first and second days, respectively, so students could sign up for both competitions.

A few years ago, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy only had the Soul Tool assessment. However, in recent years, with the increasing emphasis on Soul Master abilities, the academy had also added the Soul Master assessment competition.

As the homeroom teacher of Class 2-1, Ran Yuming also announced this matter.

Instantly, the entire class erupted in excitement.

However, this had nothing to do with the master and disciple, as they had already returned to the laboratory.

"Teacher."

Su Luoheng rubbed his hands, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Ran Yuming, "If I get first place, what reward will I receive?"

"Core student treatment."

"This..."

Su Luoheng was slightly disappointed.

It wasn't that the reward was bad, but he was already a core student, so it would be useless even if he received it.

"What are you thinking, kid!"

Ran Yuming saw through Su Luoheng's thoughts at a glance and said with a faint smile, "Don't worry, if you can get first place, the academy will definitely give you other rewards. Our academy will absolutely not let you suffer when it comes to treating its students."

Hearing this, Su Luoheng became expectant.

The other students felt the same.

Only strength could lead to a broader stage!

Therefore, from first year to fourth year, across all grades, even the newly enrolled freshmen were actively preparing!

Time flowed by.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was the day the academy's assessment competition began.

Early in the morning, thousands of students gathered on the academy's training grounds, their faces beaming with excitement and eagerness.

They were the future of the Soul Master world!

"Everyone, please remain quiet."

The instructor standing on the high platform was Jing Hongchen, the Hall Master of Mingde Hall.

Dressed in a golden robe embroidered with sun and moon patterns, he stood before all the faculty and students, his voice resonant and powerful. "The annual academy grand competition is about to begin. I hope you all achieve excellent results!"

"..."

Following a series of impassioned speeches from the academy leaders, the annual assessment competition of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy finally kicked off!

The soul tool assessment competition was set up on the south side of the testing area.

To ensure the smooth progress of this assessment, the academy had specifically cleared out six large testing grounds for the matches, designating separate areas for the first through fourth years.

As long as you had talent, you would receive cultivation.

Therefore, for outstanding students, this was the best stage to showcase their strength.

"All first-year students..."

"Attention all second-year students, attention all second-year students. The assessment area for classes one through five is in the fourth testing ground, and classes six through ten are in the fifth testing ground. Please take note of the testing ground numbers. You have ten minutes left to enter; those who are late will be considered to have forfeited this assessment."

"All third-year students..."

"..."

The loud broadcast echoed throughout the entire academy, its sound reaching every corner of the testing area. The students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy followed the signs along the path and arrived at their respective grade assessment areas in an orderly fashion.

Su Luoheng also followed the second-year group to the fourth assessment area.

The layout of the entire assessment venue was similar to the advancement assessment from before, but the overall space had been expanded by more than five times. Furthermore, every twenty experimental tables were separated by partitions, with each cubicle being roughly the size of a classroom. At a glance, there were over a dozen cubicles, each marked with a number plate at its entrance.

Dividing the area into several smaller assessment zones was for the sake of convenience in management.

Su Luoheng was assigned to the tenth assessment zone, located at the far right of the assessment area, making it very easy to find.