Douluo Continent: Angel Saint Huo Yuhao

Chapter 107 Red Dust
"You are very strong."

Ye Wuqing stood amidst the broken and scattered golden leaves, calmly wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, but the light in his eyes was so intense that it was blinding to Xiao Hongchen.

"But I can sense the gap between us... it's not as big as I imagined!"

Ye Wuqing smiled calmly as his sharp gaze swept over the three members of the Sun and Moon team, and walked off the stage with an air of honor despite defeat: "After I obtain my sixth soul ring, I will go to Sun and Moon."

"...Go and try to defeat you!"

In this battle, Ye Wuqing, with his spiritually sublimated Golden Leaf, fought against three Soul Masters head-on.

Defeat.

However, they ignited the atmosphere, stealing the spotlight from the Sun and Moon team's championship victory and becoming the most dazzling presence in this competition.

"Brother...smile!"

Meng Hongchen shook her brother awake with a furrowed brow, sighing with worry in her eyes: "You dreamed about that guy again?"

"……Yes."

Xiao Hongchen, panting heavily, looked through the carriage window at the gradually brightening sky: "Soul Masters who can be called freaks are always impressive, hard to forget."

Ye Wuqing.

The top geniuses cultivated by Zhengtian Academy who are closest to the freaks of Shrek Academy.

He was once highly anticipated and was constantly compared to many strong individuals from Shrek Academy... but he suffered a crushing defeat in his first competition, which broke his spirit. Even his near-mad training could not rid him of the nightmare in his heart.

Unexpectedly, his victory by chance caused his spirit and soul power, which he had suppressed for five years, to erupt, sweeping away the gloom and revealing the dazzling brilliance that the Golden Leaf should have.

The Sun and Moon team, already unsettled, felt a chill run down their spines.

Soul Masters who are used to relying on external forces will never understand the elite among them, those freaks whose strength can soar due to changes in their state of mind.

Unfortunately, Zhengtian Academy is one of the purest soul master academies on the continent, and even retains some of the cultivation methods that were prevalent on the continent ten thousand years ago.

It can be considered an old relic among Soul Master academies.

Thus, the rising stars of the continent, wielding soul tools, witnessed a remnant of an era where enlightenment and state of mind could drive advancement in cultivation.

"Is the power of a Soul Master really that strong?"

The brother and sister exchanged a glance, a hint of confusion flashing in each other's eyes.

'Exchange student...'

Silenced in her heart, Meng Hongchen's gaze unconsciously turned to the horizon: 'Perhaps, I really should go and take a look over there.'

"Get yourself in the right mindset!"

Old Ma, sitting opposite the two, spoke up, interrupting their thoughts: "The carriage is about to enter the city, and the celebration is about to begin."

……

"Welcome back our champions in triumph!"

Accompanied by the resounding boom of the soul-guided loudspeakers, several ornate and elaborate carriages paraded through the city amidst the celebrations.

The citizens of Mingdu, attracted by the crowds, have filled the city's main streets, and even the rooftops on both sides are packed with people, with ribbons and flowers scattered everywhere in the revelry.

Thousands of years.

The people of the Sun and Moon Empire have waited for this day for thousands of years. These carriages on the main road have been displayed in the ceremonial hall until they decayed and were repaired, then left to fall into disuse again, only to undergo another round of repairs, a cycle that continues until today.

It has finally completed its mission.

They welcomed back the champions of the Sun Moon Empire's grand tournament, and the heroes who had swept away the Shrek shadow that had lingered over the empire for thousands of years.

“An old object that has been passed down for thousands of years…” Xiao Hongchen seemed to have a feeling, gently stroking the jewel-encrusted window frame of the carriage, touching the complicated style that had long been outdated for thousands of years.

"Actually, it wasn't like this at first."

Old Ma felt something and stared blankly out the window. He was clearly a renowned and powerful figure, yet now he couldn't even keep his balance, swaying back and forth amidst the ancient national treasure.

"At first, they were just ordinary royal carriages, only a bit more beautiful and bigger than usual. At that time, everyone thought that the champion of the competition would fall into the hands of the Sun and Moon in the near future."

"But we were wrong."

"We keep losing, keep losing. A hundred years, a thousand years... It's been too long, and we've suffered defeats far too many times."

"Over the long years, the royal family has rebuilt the carriage again and again, and the craftsmen have become increasingly obsessed with setting gems on it, as if corresponding to the increasingly important champion's position in their hearts."

“We look forward to it, we preserve it generation after generation… as if it has become a sacrifice, as if as long as we decorate the carriage with enough valuable and gorgeous ornaments, we can bring the championship home…”

The people in the car listened quietly to Old Ma's story, to the pain of their predecessors, and the lingering emptiness in their hearts inexplicably dissipated.

Instead, there was a sense of sadness, and a feeling of relief as the pent-up emotions were finally released.

It was at this moment that these young people first truly felt the cheers of the citizens outside the car, and were able to resonate with the excitement and high spirits in their eyes.

That is……

The voice rebuilt from the spine shattered by Shrek over thousands of years!
"So... please get off the bus."

Old Ma slightly raised his hand and led it to the car door, his eyes slightly red: "No matter what, today, you are all heroes of the sun and moon."

"laugh."

Meng Hongchen looked at her brother, who was engrossed in the ornaments and jewelry, and said, "It's time to go."

"Um…"

Xiao Hongchen nodded slightly and was about to leave when suddenly a dazzling blue gemstone came loose from the window frame and landed right in his palm.

It was the same color as his eyes.

"Dream, do you think I'm a very arrogant person?"

Staring at the gem, Xiao Hongchen felt a strange stirring in his heart and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, Meng Hongchen gave an answer.

"Ah…"

Xiao Hongchen gripped the gem tightly and slowly rose. His emotions, which had shattered all the way from Xingluo City to Mingdu, seemed to have found a foothold and slowly pieced themselves back together: "Then you're right."

He patted his sister's shoulder heavily, then darted out of the carriage and punched the jubilant crowd that filled his vision.
"We won!"

The sounds from the crowd subsided for a few seconds, then erupted into a tsunami-like roar that engulfed the returning team members, nearly drowning them in their joy.

"Oh? I didn't expect the Master of the Red Dust Hall to have such a fine grandson!"

Xu Tianran, who was perched atop the jade steps, praised him in surprise, prompting Jing Hongchen to bow and say, "Your Highness is too kind."

"No, no... He is a hero of our Sun and Moon Empire, the future of our empire! He's still waiting for me to award him his medal..."

Xu Tianran laughed heartily, enduring the bows and kowtows of countless figures below, and then suddenly pulled Jing Hongchen's arm: "My dear minister, would you mind awarding me the medal?"

Jing Hongchen's already stiff expression instantly changed. His gaze swept over the motionless officials below the steps, and he bowed even more deeply: "I shall obey your command."

(End of this chapter)