In Douluo Continent, he tricked Xiao Wu into giving him a soul ring.

Two and a half years later, in Tiandou City, at Shrek Academy.

At this point, five years had passed since the Soul Master Competition ended.

Compared to five years ago, Shrek Academy hasn't changed much in appearance, but it seems unusually deserted.

Since Shrek Academy was embroiled in a scandal five years ago during the finals, where it was revealed that the academy had forced its players to take drugs to artificially enhance their abilities in order to improve their rankings, Shrek Academy's reputation has plummeted.

Furthermore, since Dean Flander of Shrek Academy became the academy's dean, he has changed the original policy of Blue Tyrant Academy only accepting commoner soul masters. To be admitted, one must meet the strict conditions he has set.

This led to Shrek Academy's further decline, with student enrollment decreasing year by year.

In particular, the revelation of Tang San's identity as a traitor, a bastard, and Xiao Wu's identity as a soul beast almost brought devastating damage to Shrek Academy. Some students, fearing that they would be associated with Tang San and Xiao Wu and be suspected of being traitors, fled one after another.

For a time, only the two cats, Big Cat and Little Cat, remained in the entire Shrek Academy, giving it a sense of decline.

In addition, Yu Xiaogang, the teacher who was accused of being a traitor, had his past exposed. It was pointed out that most of his ten core theories were plagiarized from his predecessors, and the parts that were not plagiarized were almost entirely overturned. Most importantly, he was exposed for trying to mislead Lan Ji into absorbing ninety years of soul power from the sacred wood.

This only made matters worse for Shrek Academy.

Apart from the original Shrek Academy students and a few instructors who had an affinity for Blue Giant Academy, almost everyone else left.

The once-great Shrek Advanced Soul Master Academy thus began its decline.

It was late autumn, and fallen leaves were fluttering down. The withered yellow leaves drifted down onto the desolate gate of Shrek Academy, adding a touch of loneliness to the academy.

It was noon, just past lunchtime, when a tall and a fat man arrived at the gate of Shrek Academy.

One of them looked to be in his early twenties, with long blond hair, nearly two meters tall, and childlike eyes. He stood there staring at the somewhat dilapidated monster carving on the Shrek Academy gate plaque.

The other man looked much older, well past thirty, extremely obese, over eight feet tall, with a waistline of eight feet as well—practically square. He was practically a ball, complete with a fiery red afro and thick stubble. He looked exactly like the sleazy middle-aged men on the streets of Blue Star in Lan Ji's previous life.

They were none other than Dai Mubai, the Evil-Eyed Silver Tiger, and Ma Hongjun, the Phoenix of the Brothel, who had gone out to train together five years ago.

Five years have passed.

They stepped back into the campus as agreed. However, compared to the original story, their cultivation levels were somewhat disappointing.

During the Soul Master Competition, Dai Mubai had some of his life force drained by Lan Ji's Soul-Devouring Eight Spider Lances, resulting in a significant reduction in his talent and a much slower cultivation speed. Now, at twenty-three years old, his soul power has only barely increased from level forty-two to level fifty-two. Excluding the level increase from absorbing his fifth soul ring, he has only increased his soul power by nine levels in five years. On average, that's less than two levels per year, and this is only at the Soul Master stage.

As one gets older and reaches the Soul King stage, it's considered good if one can advance one level per year.

Ma Hongjun was in an even worse situation. Due to consuming the Blood Ginseng, his life force was rapidly depleted, making him look like a thirty-year-old man despite being only twenty years old. To make matters worse, his Martial Soul's problem with the Evil Fire remained unresolved, preventing him from fully dedicating himself to cultivation even with the Blood Ginseng's burning potential.

I go to the brothel every two days, and lately I've been going every day.

Over the course of five years, he spent almost two of them in brothels. His soul power only broke through to level 51 after absorbing his fifth soul ring, allowing him to advance to the Soul King realm.

"Strange, Boss Dai, why is it so quiet? Is it after school? But I remember that at this time in previous years, school had just started." Ma Hongjun, the phoenix of the brothel, looked at Dai Mubai with some doubt.

"I don't know, let's go in and ask." Dai Mubai shook his head, thinking to himself, I wonder if Tang San has returned yet.

His return this time was not simply a return to his alma mater; there were two more crucial reasons: first, to see Tang San and have Tang San accompany him back to the Star Luo Empire to help him contend for the throne. The pressure from Davis was simply too immense.

Yawen Bar

He alone is no match for them; they need to find outside help.

Secondly, there are the immortal herbs. He clearly remembered that Tang Ritian would return to Tiandou City around this time. By then, even if he didn't have the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, other immortal herbs would do. It's better to have some than nothing.

There was an old man in front of Shrek Academy.

-------------------------------------

Chapter 371 Tang Chen Appears

—Updated at 7:30—

The old man, dressed in tattered clothes and wearing a straw hat, was lying lazily in a grand chair, basking in the sun. Hearing footsteps approaching, he didn't open his eyes but called out to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, "Stop! This is Shrek Academy, a restricted area. You can't trespass. If you want to enter, you must first pay the registration fee."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were both taken aback. Dai Mubai looked the old man up and down carefully and asked uncertainly, "Are you... Teacher Li Yusong?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yusong was taken aback, abruptly stood up, and upon recognizing the person, said with considerable emotion, "You are Mu Bai..."

Five years later, upon returning to his alma mater, he encountered an old friend. Dai Mubai was inevitably a little excited and replied, "Yes, it's me, Teacher Li Yusong. I'm Mubai. What are you doing here guarding the gate? Aren't there students on duty?"

"Fifth Brother and I came over when we heard the commotion. How did Seventh Brother end up like this? What happened?" Third Elder asked in confusion.

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of bell sounds echoed throughout the entire Haotian Sect.

The Second Elder's expression changed drastically. "Oh no! Someone has triggered the mechanism. This is a diversionary tactic. Something's happened at the ancestral hall. Come with me quickly!"

When the five elders of the Haotian Sect arrived with their disciples, there was already a corpse in the ancestral hall, which was none other than 'Tang Song'. Several Haotian Sect disciples were lying sprawled on the ground around him.

Hanging on the corpse was a scroll, a blank scroll recording the oral tradition of the Great Sumeru Hammer. A new line had been added to it: "The humiliation that Haotian Sect has inflicted on me will one day be repaid a hundredfold. Haotian Nine Absolutes, Chaotic Cloak, and the life of that brat Tang Song will be the interest."

—Tang San.

Upon witnessing this scene, everyone present, including the elders, had eyes that were practically spitting fire with rage.

The Seventh Elder, especially, who had been injured by the Buddha's Wrath Lotus, was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood, roared to the sky, and almost screamed, "You killed my disciples, stole my secret techniques... you bastard, I will not let you get away with this..."

..........

Two and a half years later, in Tiandou City, at Shrek Academy.

At this point, five years had passed since the Soul Master Competition ended.

Compared to five years ago, Shrek Academy hasn't changed much in appearance, but it seems unusually deserted.

Since Shrek Academy was embroiled in a scandal five years ago during the finals, where it was revealed that the academy had forced its players to take drugs to artificially enhance their abilities in order to improve their rankings, Shrek Academy's reputation has plummeted.

Furthermore, since Dean Flander of Shrek Academy became the academy's dean, he has changed the original policy of Blue Tyrant Academy only accepting commoner soul masters. To be admitted, one must meet the strict conditions he has set.

This led to Shrek Academy's further decline, with student enrollment decreasing year by year.

In particular, the revelation of Tang San's identity as a traitor, a bastard, and Xiao Wu's identity as a soul beast almost brought devastating damage to Shrek Academy. Some students, fearing that they would be associated with Tang San and Xiao Wu and be suspected of being traitors, fled one after another.

For a time, only the two cats, Big Cat and Little Cat, remained in the entire Shrek Academy, giving it a sense of decline.

His return this time was not simply a return to his alma mater; there were two more crucial reasons: first, to see Tang San and have Tang San accompany him back to the Star Luo Empire to help him contend for the throne. The pressure from Davis was simply too immense.

He alone is no match for them; they need to find outside help.

Secondly, there are the immortal herbs. He clearly remembered that Tang Ritian would return to Tiandou City around this time. By then, even if he didn't have the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, other immortal herbs would do. It's better to have some than nothing.

There was an old man in front of Shrek Academy.

In addition, Yu Xiaogang, the teacher who was accused of being a traitor, had his past exposed. It was pointed out that most of his ten core theories were plagiarized from his predecessors, and the parts that were not plagiarized were almost entirely overturned. Most importantly, he was exposed for trying to mislead Lan Ji into absorbing ninety years of soul power from the sacred wood.

This only made matters worse for Shrek Academy.

Apart from the original Shrek Academy students and a few instructors who had an affinity for Blue Giant Academy, almost everyone else left.

The once-great Shrek Advanced Soul Master Academy thus began its decline.

It was late autumn, and fallen leaves were fluttering down. The withered yellow leaves drifted down onto the desolate gate of Shrek Academy, adding a touch of loneliness to the academy.

It was noon, just past lunchtime, when a tall and a fat man arrived at the gate of Shrek Academy.

One of them looked to be in his early twenties, with long blond hair, nearly two meters tall, and childlike eyes. He stood there staring at the somewhat dilapidated monster carving on the Shrek Academy gate plaque.

The other man looked much older, well past thirty, extremely obese, over eight feet tall, with a waistline of eight feet as well—practically square. He was practically a ball, complete with a fiery red afro and thick stubble. He looked exactly like the sleazy middle-aged men on the streets of Blue Star in Lan Ji's previous life.

They were none other than Dai Mubai, the Evil-Eyed Silver Tiger, and Ma Hongjun, the Phoenix of the Brothel, who had gone out to train together five years ago.

Five years have passed.

They stepped back into the campus as agreed. However, compared to the original story, their cultivation levels were somewhat disappointing.

During the Soul Master Competition, Dai Mubai had some of his life force drained by Lan Ji's Soul-Devouring Eight Spider Lances, resulting in a significant reduction in his talent and a much slower cultivation speed. Now, at twenty-three years old, his soul power has only barely increased from level forty-two to level fifty-two. Excluding the level increase from absorbing his fifth soul ring, he has only increased his soul power by nine levels in five years. On average, that's less than two levels per year, and this is only at the Soul Master stage.

As one gets older and reaches the Soul King stage, it's considered good if one can advance one level per year.

Ma Hongjun was in an even worse situation. Due to consuming the Blood Ginseng, his life force was rapidly depleted, making him look like a thirty-year-old man despite being only twenty years old. To make matters worse, his Martial Soul's problem with the Evil Fire remained unresolved, preventing him from fully dedicating himself to cultivation even with the Blood Ginseng's burning potential.

I go to the brothel every two days, and lately I've been going every day.

Over the course of five years, he spent almost two of them in brothels. His soul power only broke through to level 51 after absorbing his fifth soul ring, allowing him to advance to the Soul King realm.

"Strange, Boss Dai, why is it so quiet? Is it after school? But I remember that at this time in previous years, school had just started." Ma Hongjun, the phoenix of the brothel, looked at Dai Mubai with some doubt.

"I don't know, let's go in and ask." Dai Mubai shook his head, thinking to himself, I wonder if Tang San has returned yet.

Sword Comes

Chapter 372 Tang Chen's Attempt to Become the God of Asura

The sword-shaped demonic mark on his forehead lit up, and a strange red light, different from the previous one, covered the entire body of the King of Slaughter.

In an instant, the appearance of the King of Slaughter began to change.

His hair turned from red to black, the bloodshot in his eyes completely disappeared, and his originally pale face was replaced by an unhealthy flush. Subtle changes to his face made him much more handsome. The wings on his back shattered inch by inch, turning into ashes and vanishing. His blood-red armor was also gone, replaced by an old gray robe of the Haotian Sect. The only thing remaining on his body was the sword-shaped demonic mark on his forehead that remained red.

What was most terrifying was the killing intent emanating from him, which, like his strength, began to increase exponentially. The evil aura that was originally in the red light vanished, replaced by the purest killing intent, even purer than Lan Ji's final stage of the Killing God Domain.

At this moment, the King of Slaughter finally reverted to his true nature, becoming Tang Chen, the most powerful Haotian Douluo in the history of the Haotian Sect. He also completed the eighth trial of the Asura God, achieving a demigod body and wielding the Asura God Sword. In terms of basic strength alone, he had even surpassed Lan Ji, who had just entered the Limit Douluo realm.

Tang Chen, who had regained his senses, was clearly not expecting that the Crimson Nine-Headed Bat King would voluntarily relinquish control of his body. It wasn't until the giant Haotian Bamboo Shoot above his head fell that he realized what had happened. At the critical moment, he summoned the Haotian Hammer Martial Soul. The Haotian Hammer surged with red light, and countless beautiful magic patterns lit up rapidly, transforming in the blink of an eye into a giant red sword over two meters long.

Tang Chen gripped the Asura Demon Sword, his entire body glowing red, and with a swift upward thrust, he met Lan Ji head-on.

...In the distance, Bibi Dong stood quietly atop a high peak, watching. Originally, she wanted to join forces with Lan Ji to defeat the King of Slaughter, but Lan Ji refused. He decided to face Tang Chen, who had completed the Eight Trials of the Asura God and possessed the strength of a demigod, alone.

Bibi Dong didn't stop him. She knew her little man's temperament; among those of the same cultivation level, he had always crushed his opponents. No matter how powerful the enemy, he would never back down, nor would he seek help from others. So what if Tang Chen reached demigod status? So what if he possessed the supreme artifact, the Asura Demon Sword? He would still be defeated by her little man.

From her angle, all she could see was a massive bolt of lightning crashing into a slightly smaller patch of crimson.

Boom! Lightning and blood light collided, instantly merging into one, transforming into an incredibly terrifying energy sphere. It then rapidly expanded, with lightning and blood light constantly colliding on the surface of the sphere, each trying to devour the other. Terrifying shockwaves swept out like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami, even affecting Bibi Dong, who was thousands of meters away. However, she was still a Limit Title Douluo. Due to the innate nature of her martial soul, even though her strength was slightly inferior to Tang Chen, who now possessed the Asura Demon Sword, and Lan Ji, who possessed a million-year soul ring, the difference was still limited. Faced with the massive energy aftershocks, she simply erected a soul power barrier in front of her, easily neutralizing them.

Finally, as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a huge energy sphere suddenly exploded, causing the earth to collapse. Within a radius of one kilometer, all living things and soil and rocks completely disappeared, replaced by a deep pit with a diameter of nearly one kilometer and an estimated depth of several hundred meters.

Yes, the true form of the weapon spirit born from Lan Ji's million-year-old soul ring was broken open from the front.

Slammed straight into the ground, the God-level Soul-Devouring Eight Spider Lances plowed through the earth for hundreds of meters before finally stopping, but his blood and qi surged violently within him. He couldn't help but be horrified. Was this the power of a super artifact? Combined with the Asura Demon Light, it actually possessed such power. If he hadn't been careful and used the strongest of the six soul skills of the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot, the Titan's Hammer, and hadn't been empowered by the two Martial Soul True Bodies, he would have only managed to fight the opponent to a standstill.

Otherwise, if he is even slightly careless, he will surely suffer a severe blow.

Tang Chen was also in a bad state. He stepped into the void and flew backwards for hundreds of meters before finally stopping. His face was also full of horror, because he had been forced to use almost all his strength. Although he didn't have time to charge up, he had indeed unleashed the full power of the Asura Demon Sword. Except for the Exploding Ring, he had released almost all of the Asura Demon Sword's power without reservation.

The two flew to the center of the giant crater and faced off, neither making the first move.