In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

"The Soul Master Competition is a place for the young talents of various forces to exchange ideas. Everyone stops short of killing each other. Chen Cheng insisted on using me, Huo Yuhao, as a stepping stone to make a name for myself. I gave in to his wish and had a fair duel with him. Why are you questioning why I killed him? According to the rules of the Soul Master Competition, I, Huo Yuhao, have done nothing wrong!"

"You agree, don't you, Lord Bupo Douluo?"

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao's gaze unconsciously fell on Zheng Zhan.

Zheng Zhan: "..."

To be honest, if he hadn't known Huo Yuhao's character, he probably would have been completely fooled by him.

If Zheng Zhan wasn't mistaken, the energy attached to Huo Yuhao's palm in that last palm strike didn't belong to Huo Yuhao himself, right?

Hmph, they're using power that doesn't belong to them, yet they're swaggering around like they're so powerful. It's disgusting!

Huo Yuhao was immoral as he was, using forces outside of his own power to eliminate Chen Cheng, but... Chen Cheng himself wasn't a good person either. He wanted to become famous by stepping on Huo Yuhao's head, so he deserved to die. Zheng Zhan didn't want to waste any more words on this matter.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhan pointed to the female student from Shenfeng Academy and said in a serious tone, "Everyone knows Huo Yuhao's strength. Knowing that the opponent was quite strong, Chen Cheng still used a highly lethal soul skill and died in the clash of soul skills... It is clearly his own fault, and Huo Yuhao does not need to bear any responsibility."

Upon hearing this, the female Soul Master kneeling on the Soul Arena quickly raised her arm, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, looked up at Zheng Zhan not far ahead, and questioned, "Then... I want to ask you, Unbreakable Douluo, as the referee, why didn't you intervene to save Brother Cheng's life? In your view, did he deserve to die?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhan's expression froze instantly. Yes, as the referee, he had an obligation to protect the lives of every participating Soul Master. When he saw Huo Yuhao using a power that did not belong to him, why didn't he step in to save Chen Cheng?

What was he thinking at that time?

What he thinks doesn't matter anymore. After all... what's done is done, and Chen Cheng is completely finished. As a Title Douluo, how could he possibly apologize to a group of young Soul Masters with no background?

"It's not that I deliberately didn't try to save Chen Cheng, but the moment Huo Yuhao's soul skill hit Chen Cheng, Chen Cheng was already dead. If Huo Yuhao hadn't had a premonition and restrained his strength afterward, Chen Cheng probably wouldn't have been able to leave with a complete corpse."

In an attempt to shirk his own responsibility, Zheng Zhan surprisingly spoke well of Huo Yuhao.

To put it bluntly, as a representative sent by the Sun Moon Empire, Zheng Zhan's actions are related to the face of the Sun Moon Empire. For the sake of his own future, he cannot admit his mistakes before the evidence is conclusive.

The problem is... Zhao Qingqing, who has lost her lover, is not so easily fooled. She sensed the insincerity in Zheng Zhan's words and was about to continue questioning him when the team leader, who rushed over, covered her mouth.

"We, Kamikaze Academy... surrender!"

The team leader bowed slightly towards Zheng Zhan, then grabbed Zhao Qingqing's hand, whispered in her ear, "Qingqing, the dead can't be brought back to life. What will you achieve by making a scene like this?"

"Do you still want His Majesty Bu Po or Huo Yuhao to pay with their lives?"

Ugh!

The leader of the Shenfeng Academy sighed. He could easily tell that Zheng Zhan was being insincere, but what could he do?

In the world of Douluo Continent, the strong are respected. If anyone important from the royal families of the four great empires were to die today, even if Zheng Zhan bears no responsibility, he would still be doomed.

On the other hand... their Divine Wind Academy doesn't have much of a background, and its dean is a defector from the Sea God Pavilion. Continuing to cause trouble will only result in mutual destruction.

Zhao Qingqing knew... the team leader's earnest advice wasn't really for her sake, but rather out of fear of implicating Shenfeng Academy and himself. Ha! People, before anything happens, they're all over her, calling her "Qingqing" this and "Qingqing" that; but once trouble strikes, they'd rather sever all ties with her, Zhao Qingqing, on the spot.

No matter what, this young couple had a connection with Shenfeng Academy. Zhao Qingqing couldn't bring herself to commit such a heinous act as the extermination of ten generations of her family. Helpless, she could only put Chen Cheng's corpse into her storage ring and silently follow the team leader down from the Soul Battle Platform.

The competition continued uninterrupted, and Chen Cheng's death did not delay the schedule.

The scene shifts to the rest room of Shenfeng Academy, where Zhao Qingqing bows deeply to the team leader and the rest of the team members.

"Brothers and sisters, and team leader, I'm very sorry, I can't continue fighting with you. I hope you can forgive my unreasonable behavior."

As she spoke, Zhao Qingqing seemed to recall all the little things between her and Chen Cheng, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face once again.

This scene... made all the students very distressed. They knew very well the story between Zhao Qingqing and Chen Cheng. It could be said that... without Chen Cheng's support, Zhao Qingqing would not even have the qualification to awaken her martial soul, let alone have achieved what she has today.

The two were not only lovers, but also master and servant who had been given a chance to make a difference.

However... these students couldn't say anything to persuade her to stay. They all knew that, given Zhao Qingqing's personality, she would definitely take revenge on the Tang Sect, the Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan, and even the Sun Moon Empire before she died. They didn't want to get involved in this mess.

And so, Zhao Qingqing left the Great Soul Arena, the place of heartbreak where her beloved brother had died. Walking along the path leading to Maple Leaf City, her expression grew increasingly solemn as she pondered her next move.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Qingqing was surprised to find a large rock not far in front of her, and on the rock was a woman wearing a light pink flowing dress with wide sleeves... Judging from the back view, it looked like a woman.

A light pink, flowing, wide-sleeved fairy dress?

Zhao Qingqing frowned and quickly took out Zhu Ningyun's figurine from her storage ring. She compared the two figures from behind, and... well, there were quite a few similarities.

As members of the Ningyun Sect, Zhao Qingqing and her lover were Zhu Ningyun's most loyal followers. With their deity present, there was naturally no reason not to pay them a visit.

The trap doesn't matter; what else does Zhao Qingqing have to lose?

Soon, Zhao Qingqing arrived at the boulder and saw the woman resting with her eyes closed on it.

Judging from her appearance, the other person isn't the real Zhu Ningyun; perhaps she's a stand-in? Or is she cosplaying her idol? (End of Chapter)