Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 17 Entering the Finals

Huang Chutian was struck down as if by a heavy hammer, falling heavily to the ground, dust billowing everywhere. He struggled desperately to get up, but sadly discovered that he had already exhausted most of his strength, his body feeling as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

Upon seeing this, the Lan sisters quickly exchanged a glance, their eyes meeting in an instant, their minds in perfect harmony. Their blue hair instantly danced like serpents, weaving into a massive, dense net that menacingly enveloped Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.

Wang Dong snorted coldly, and suddenly his body shone brightly. "Butterfly God's Light!" With his angry shout, countless dazzling points of light shot out from his wings like a meteor shower, colliding fiercely with the blue hair net with the force of thunder.

"Bang!" The powerful energy impact caused the surrounding air to tremble slightly, as if even space itself could not withstand the enormous force.

Huo Yuhao's gaze sharpened, a resolute look flashing in his eyes. "Mental interference!" The moment he unleashed his mental skill, the Lan sisters' movements froze, and their seemingly flawless hair net instantly revealed a clear flaw.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Xiao manipulated the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. The cauldron rapidly grew larger, accompanied by a whistling sound, and slammed down hard on the Lan sisters.

"Ah!" The two sisters couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, their bodies being knocked back several steps by the powerful force, their faces filled with panic.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Huang Chutian made a desperate decision and charged forward again, trying to use his last bit of strength to turn the tide.

Wang Dong gave him no chance at all, cooperating perfectly with Huo Yuhao. "Power of Hao Dong!" the two shouted in unison. In an instant, their soul powers merged, and an incomparably powerful force surged forth, greatly increasing their strength.

With a flap of his wings, Wang Dong unleashed a powerful beam of light that shot towards Huang Chutian like lightning.

Huang Chutian was unable to dodge in time and was struck solidly by the light, flying backward and finally crashing to the ground in a sorry state.

"The match is over, Huo Yuhao's team has won!" the proctor announced loudly.

Without lingering, the three of them left the assessment area as soon as the competition ended, eagerly searching for Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena.

"Yuhao, what's wrong with you today? Do you know that Dai Huabin?" As they walked, Wang Dong couldn't suppress his curiosity and couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, class monitor, what's wrong with you?" Xiao Xiao asked, looking at Huo Yuhao with a puzzled expression.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. Just hearing the name Dai Huabin made his body tremble uncontrollably again. He slowly said in a hoarse and pained voice, "Dai Huabin is the son of the White Tiger Duke. You should know the White Tiger Duke, right?"

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao nodded solemnly and said, "Of course. Duke Baihu is the hereditary Grand Duke of the Star Luo Empire, a position of great prestige and far-reaching fame..."

Wang Dong paused, staring intently at Huo Yuhao, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Then...then you and Dai Huabin..."

Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and said, "My mother was a servant in their family. I lost my father at a young age. My mother worked at the White Tiger Duke's mansion and raised me with great difficulty..."

"Damn it." Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao couldn't help but curse angrily. Wang Dong impulsively said, "Let's go, let's go find Dai Huabin and get revenge right now."

"What are you doing?" Huo Yuhao quickly grabbed the two of them, his face full of anxiety and helplessness.

Wang Dong, enraged, roared, "Of course we're going to avenge you! Let's go! We'll go now!"

Huo Yuhao shook his head with a wry smile, his voice filled with helplessness and suppressed emotion, and said, "No, we don't have that strength yet. Dai Huabin is a three-ring Soul Master. If we act rashly, we'll only suffer losses for nothing."

Wang Dong gritted his teeth and said, "Are we just going to let it go like this?"

Huo Yuhao's gaze was resolute, his eyes burning with fierce anger. He said, "Of course not. But we must plan carefully and first strive to improve our own strength. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Right now, to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, I am nothing more than an ant that can be crushed at will. What I need to do now is only to become stronger and stronger. The White Tiger Duke's Mansion will continue to exist. Ten years, twenty years, even thirty or fifty years later, one day, I will come after them. I will sever the lineage of the White Tiger Duke."

In that instant, Huo Yuhao's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his pupils even turned a chilling red due to the deep-seated hatred in them.

Xiao Xiao gradually calmed down and nodded heavily, saying, "Yu Hao is right. If we act impulsively now, we will not only fail to get revenge, but we may also bring unpredictable trouble upon ourselves."

Wang Dong was indignant, but he knew Huo Yuhao was right, so he said helplessly, "Alright then, we'll just have to bear with it for now. But one day, we'll make Dai Huabin pay a heavy price."

Huo Yuhao looked at the two of them, his eyes filled with gratitude, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Thank you, my good partners."

Without another word, the three quickened their pace and continued walking towards Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena. They knew that they should still be in the cafeteria at this time, and they should be able to see them when they arrived. Since they couldn't take revenge themselves right now, someone else could: Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, who were about to face off against Dai Huabin's team that afternoon.

The three rushed to the cafeteria and, sure enough, saw Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena eating. Wang Dong couldn't wait to go up to them and tell them all about the grudges between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin.

After hearing this, Ye Qi'an's expression did not change much; he remained calm and composed. He simply looked at Huo Yuhao with unwavering eyes and said in a deep voice, "Leave it to me."

Gu Yuena nodded slightly in agreement.

Huo Yuhao said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Ye and Sister Nana, but you should also be careful. Dai Huabin's strength should not be underestimated."

Ye Qi'an smiled confidently, a hint of arrogance in his eyes: "Hmph, so what if you're strong? That's because you haven't met me yet."

It was lunchtime, and not many students had arrived yet. Just as Ye Qi'an was speaking, a somewhat shrill female voice rang out: "Shameless! Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"

Ye Qi'an and his group of five turned around at the same time and saw three freshmen walking towards them. The one walking in the very center was none other than Huo Yuhao's enemy, and also Ye Qi'an's opponent in the afternoon's finals, Dai Huabin. And the one speaking was a girl with black hair on his left.

Dai Huabin had a cold and stern expression. He didn't say a word from beginning to end, but just glanced at the five people with his indifferent and disdainful eyes before walking proudly into the cafeteria.

The black-haired girl snorted at them disdainfully, her eyes filled with contempt and disdain. On the other side, the girl with long pink hair smiled sweetly, a smile so alluring it seemed to seep into one's very bones.

"The weak bark and howl." Ye Qi'an sneered, his tone full of sarcasm.

Upon hearing Ye Qi'an's words, the black-haired girl's eyebrows shot up in anger, and she shouted, "Who are you calling a weakling? Let's see who's stronger this afternoon on the field!"

Ye Qi'an smirked coldly and said without fear, "I'll play along to the end."

Dai Huabin stopped and glanced back at Ye Qi'an, his eyes filled with provocation. He said coldly, "I hope you won't disappoint me too much." After saying that, he led the two girls into the cafeteria.

Wang Dong said angrily, "That Dai Huabin is too arrogant! Brother Ye, we must teach them a lesson this afternoon."

Ye Qi'an remained calm, like a bottomless lake, and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Gu Yuena frowned slightly and said worriedly, "Qi An, don't let them affect your mood."

Ye Qi'an smiled slightly and said, "They can't affect my mood for eating."

The two sides were not far apart, yet a strong sense of tension was already subtly spreading in the air.

In the afternoon, the assessment area was unusually quiet. Although it was the final round of the freshman assessment elimination competition, apart from the three teams competing in the final this afternoon, there were no other students watching. All the students who were not participating in the assessment continued their classes. Therefore, this afternoon's final was the one with the fewest students in the assessment area.

Of course, fewer students does not necessarily mean fewer people.

Almost all the teachers from the Foreign Languages ​​Department who were not teaching gathered in the assessment area to watch the competition. Shrek Academy Dean Yan Shaozhe also came in person and went up to the platform accompanied by Du Weilun and a group of teachers.

Don't underestimate this once-a-year freshman assessment, which takes place three months after the start of the semester. Almost all the inner students of Shrek Academy have stood out in the freshman assessment and were valued by the academy for comprehensive training.

Dean Yan Shaozhe came to watch the competition in person because this year's freshmen are exceptionally strong, and he wanted to see who the final champion would be.

Comparatively speaking, he was more concerned about Ye Qi'an's team. He had already heard Du Weilun's report, and Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena's performance could only be described as amazing. In particular, Elder Xuan had also asked Wang Yan to speak to him, so he would definitely pay attention to this group.

In Shrek Academy's organizational structure, Yan Shaozhe is not the only dean. He is the dean of both the inner and outer academies of the Martial Soul Department, and Shrek Academy also has a dean of the Soul Guidance Department. The two deans oversee everything at the academy.

"Wei Lun, who do you think will win today's match?" Yan Shaozhe asked with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

Du Weiren chuckled and said, "I still think Ye Qi'an is the better choice."

Yan Shaozhe smiled and nodded, then asked, "What about the final?"

"Isn't the final just an internal battle between the freshmen class? Does it even matter who wins or loses?" Du Weilun nodded and said, with a casual look on his face.

Yan Shaozhe shook his head slightly and said earnestly, "That's different. For these children, every victory can affect their mindset and growth in the academy in the future. Moreover, the closer the strength of the contest, the more it can stimulate their potential."

A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out: "Since it will ultimately be an internal battle between the freshmen class, I'll just say Huo Yuhao's team will win."

Yan Shaozhe didn't turn around, but a smile appeared on his face. He said with a hint of teasing, "Qian Duoduo, what brings you here? I knew it was you as soon as I smelled that money-grubbing aura around you."

Yan Shaozhe didn't turn around, but Du Weilun had already turned around. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he quickly bowed and said, "Vice Dean Qian, hello. What brings you here?"

Vice Dean Qian Duoduo chuckled casually and said, "I was just passing by when I overheard you and Lao Yan guessing who would win. I'm the kind of person who likes to gamble. Lao Yan, wanna place a bet?"

Yan Shaozhe finally turned around, a smile on his face, and said, "I don't believe your motives are that simple. If you want to covet people from our Martial Soul Department, you'd better watch out."

Qian Duoduo walked over to Yan Shaozhe with a nonchalant air and plopped down next to him, saying indifferently, "What do you mean by 'you martial spirit people'? Are you going to gamble or not? Just say it."

Yan Shaozhe remained unfazed by Qian Duoduo's provocation, smiling and shaking his head, saying, "I won't gamble."

Qian Duoduo's facial muscles twitched, and he said indignantly, "That's so unfair of you!"

Yan Shaozhe glanced at Qian Duoduo's indignant expression, chuckled, and said, "Alright, what do you want to bet on?"

Qian Duoduo then smiled again, a shrewd glint in his eyes, and said, "If the team I mentioned wins, three years from now, you must allow me to choose any freshman from the Martial Soul Department to join the Soul Guidance Department, and you must not obstruct me in any way."

Yan Shaozhe snorted coldly, curled his lip, and said, "I knew you weren't planning anything good. I'm betting. And even if you lose, I'll let you choose a student like this. So you won't say I don't support your work."

Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "Okay, Lao Yan, you said it yourself, so let's wait and see."

At this moment, the three participating teams were completely unaware that their freshman elimination tournament had escalated into a bet between the two deans. All three teams arrived at the venue early, methodically carrying out their pre-match preparations while keeping a watchful eye on their opponents in the distance.

Dai Huabin was well aware of the immense threat posed by Ye Qi'an's team. Although, from a cultivation perspective, by any measure, their team should have won, countless things in this world could happen, but not every event could become an absolute fact.

Were Ning Tian's team really that weak? You have to understand, Ning Tian, ​​with his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, and Wu Feng, with his Fire Dragon martial soul, are both outstanding, top-tier students among the freshmen. Their team's overall strength isn't actually that much weaker than Dai Huabin's team.

Are Xie Huan Yue's team weak? Everyone knows Xie Huan Yue's powerful defensive abilities, yet even so, the match still required the teacher's intervention to end. Without the teacher's help, that guy probably wouldn't have even been able to escape unscathed.

The formidable Ye Qi'an, who had consistently displayed strength, and Gu Yuena, capable of precise real-time control, combined their power, making Dai Huabin feel deeply threatened. Therefore, before this battle began, he made extremely thorough preparations, even seeking out opponents who had previously fought Ye Qi'an and his group to meticulously understand their abilities.

Compared to Dai Huabin's cautiousness and intense focus, Ye Qi'an's attitude seemed nonchalant and indifferent. They had never truly taken any team seriously. Of course, they found Dai Huabin's team utterly ordinary and nothing to fear.

……

(End of this chapter)