Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 198 Death: You think you're so great, you think you're so high and mighty, you can complain that my reward is too small!

Nighttime, in Zhu Ziyang's room at the Star Emperor Hotel, he sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes closed, his breathing smooth, and the spider lily on his forehead shimmering, as if declaring something.

At this moment, he was already in the place of divine succession, receiving the rewards of the first trial of the Grim Reaper and the content of the second trial.

Zhu Ziyang stood on the tenth step of the Path to Godhood, his gaze falling on the God-Locking Pillars on both sides of the steps. The contents of the Death God's Trial on the God-Locking Pillars had disappeared, replaced by a line of mysterious runes.

Xiao Bai's voice came at just the right time: "Congratulations, you have passed the first test of death. The rewards will be distributed now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ziyang's body trembled, and the reward details appeared in his mind: "Death God Trial Successful. Reward: 10% Death God Affinity, a pair of God-Locking Pillars."

That's it? A reward for the Divine Exam? That's all? Zhu Ziyang thought to himself, but quickly came to terms with it.

This is why Zhu Ziyang didn't know about the Sea God Tang San's assessment rewards; otherwise, he would have felt extremely resentful. The Sea God rewarded Tang San with both soul power level and soul ring age, practically giving him the godhood for free. But the God of Death was incredibly stingy and not generous at all.

If the examiner for the divine positions, Xiaobai, knew Zhu Ziyang's thoughts, he would feel utterly wronged. The previous Sea God was alive and well, so of course he could use his divine power to give favored individuals preferential treatment without restraint. But the God of Death is different. He has been dead for hundreds of thousands of years, barely managing to maintain the succession of his divine position; where would he find the spare capacity to help examinees cheat?

As the rewards began to be distributed, Zhu Ziyang noticed that the misty steps in front of him were becoming clearer: the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and so on, until the twentieth step. At the same time, he was astonished to see the God-Locking Pillars on either side of the tenth step begin to shake violently, then rise from the ground and soar into the air. To his astonishment, they shrank, shrank, and shrank again, finally transforming from a pair of hundred-foot-tall pillars into two embroidery needles the length of a finger, which landed in his hands.

Zhu Ziyang had a very strange feeling and wanted to examine the two magical God-Locking Pillars, but was told that he did not currently have permission to use them. This made Zhu Ziyang very frustrated, but at the same time, he was also somewhat expectant. Such magical pillars must have extraordinary abilities.

Without dwelling on the God-Locking Pillars, he began to ascend the steps, step by step, until he reached the twentieth step. Naturally, there were two God-Locking Pillars on either side of the twentieth step, and unsurprisingly, the content of the Second Trial of Death appeared on them.

Zhu Ziyang was reviewing the contents of the second trial of the Grim Reaper.

"Divine affinity: 20%"

The Second Trial of Death: The Grim Reaper possesses unparalleled power, having slain three kings in a single battle. As the successor to the Grim Reaper, you must demonstrate formidable fighting prowess to prove your worth.

Assessment criteria: In a single battle, kill five Soul Masters or Soul Beasts whose cultivation level is no lower than yours.

Assessment requirements: Solo operation; no use of a second martial soul; no use of soul tools; assessment time not exceeding three years.

Performance-related rewards: Unknown.

The second trial of the Grim Reaper is somewhat more difficult than the first, but not by much. It's just killing five opponents at once, right? For Zhu Ziyang, that's hardly a challenge!

Could it be that Xiaobai intentionally let him win?

-

The next day, early in the morning.

When the first rays of sunlight shone into Star Luo City, it signified the start of the exciting Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament.

All the streets around Xingluo Square were blocked off by soldiers in bright armor, especially near the Xinghuang Hotel, where thousands of soldiers were stationed. The streets leading to Xingluo Square from there were completely under martial law, and only participating students from various academies who came out of the Xinghuang Hotel were allowed to pass.

Although everyone knew that no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble at such a grand event that spans the entire continent, it was absolutely necessary to send troops to guard and block certain roads. Only by sending troops could the empire demonstrate the importance it attached to this competition.

The arena used for this tournament was not built in the center of Xingluo Square, but on the south side of the square, directly opposite the main gate of the imperial city. Only in this way could His Majesty the Emperor of the Xingluo Empire lead his civil and military officials to watch the matches from the top of the imperial city, enjoying both the best vantage point and ensuring His Majesty's safety.

At this moment, Xingluo Square was deserted, with no one in sight except for the soldiers in the distance.

Because of the extremely tragic stampede that occurred during the last All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament held in the Star Luo Empire, the Star Luo Empire's royal family is taking this matter very seriously. They have not only dispatched a large army to maintain order, but have also come up with many new ways to prevent stampedes from happening again.

Xingluo Square was divided into different areas by iron fences. These areas were opposite each other and had different entrances and exits. The rows of iron fences made it very convenient for the soldiers to maintain order. At the same time, there were clear limits on the number of people that each area could accommodate.

The imperial city of the Star Luo Empire is located north of Star Luo City. The main gate faces the arena. To the west of the arena lies a specially constructed rest area for participating students from various academies. This rest area is extremely luxurious and comfortable; however, it can only accommodate approximately seventy academies. Clearly, only those who pass the first round of the elimination tournament are eligible to enjoy this lavish treatment.

Since the All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament changed its old format and adopted the new one, apart from the final stage of the competition, the most exciting part is the first stage of the elimination rounds. The intensity of the competition can even be described as brutal, because all participating academies only have one chance!

The second stage of the round-robin tournament might allow for tactical arrangements and a margin for error in tactical failures. But in the first stage, a loss means losing everything. Every participating academy must overcome this hurdle, even the reigning champions, Shrek Academy.

Early in the morning, the teachers leading the teams from each academy arrived at the imperial city and drew lots using the competition number plates they had received during registration. By this time, the drawing ceremony was complete, and officials from the Star Luo Empire had tallied the results. Once the competition order was announced, the final preparations for this year's competition would be finished.

As the sun slowly rose into the sky from the distant east, the temperature in Xingluo City gradually increased. The sunlight shone directly on the city gate tower, where a young man dressed in a bright yellow robe and wearing an eight-treasure purple-gold crown stood with his hands behind his back, displaying the majesty of a monarch. He was Xu Jiawei, the current emperor of the Xingluo Empire.

Beside Xu Jiawei were his empress and the main ministers of the Star Luo Empire, their eyes fixed on the square in front of the imperial city, their faces filled with excitement.

Emperor Xu Jiawei smiled as he watched the participating academies enter the arena. He said to his empress, "Zitong, look! The team members from each academy have already entered. However, they cannot use the rest area today. Only the victors are eligible to enter the rest area."

It's said that Shrek Academy only sent ten people this time, and most of the participants are quite young. I'm really looking forward to their performance! Alas, Yue Heng was supposed to be among them, what a pity.

I originally intended to use this opportunity to get Dai Hao to return to Beijing to watch the game, since it only happens once every twenty years in our country. But then I thought better of it, since things aren't peaceful anywhere these days!

As the young emperor spoke, a shadow of melancholy flashed in his eyes. Seeing this, the empress took his hand and said softly, "Your Majesty, this is not your fault. Don't blame yourself!"

"Ha! I will get rid of these treacherous villains who are waving the banner of royalism sooner or later!" Xu Jiawei's voice was so soft that even the Empress could not hear it clearly.

Leaving aside the emperor and ministers watching from the city tower, Zhu Ziyang and the rest of the Shrek team had already arrived at the contestants' waiting area, awaiting the upcoming opening match.

Today, everyone at Shrek Academy is wearing their traditional dark green school uniforms, the standard color of Shrek Academy. Furthermore, they are standing in the very front row of all the academies, a position that no academy objects to, as it is a position that Shrek Academy has earned through centuries of strength.

However, the other contestants from the academies standing at the back couldn't help but show some surprise when they saw Shrek Academy's lineup. Only ten people had come, and most of them were well under twenty years old; their youth was obvious even without bone age testing.

That's far too arrogant!

Anger arose among some of the stronger academy teams, with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy being the most furious. Although they already knew about Shrek Academy's lineup, knowing and seeing it with their own eyes were two completely different feelings!

They were standing right behind Shrek Academy, so they had the clearest view of everyone from Shrek Academy.

Among the Shrek Academy team, the youngest are Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. Huo Yuhao is alright; having fused with the Ice Emperor's torso bone, he's grown much taller and looks about fourteen or fifteen years old. However, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao are different; their faces still retain a touch of childishness, especially Xiao Xiao, whose petite figure makes her look like a little sister from a junior soul master academy!

Such a strange lineup filled even Xiao Hongchen with doubt. What exactly was Shrek Academy trying to do?

(End of this chapter)