Douluo Continent: We agreed on a simulation, but they've come to life?

Fortunately, he didn't give anything away, and those guys didn't seem to have any reason to suspect them. They just asked them a routine question and then released him.

Although he was still a little resentful that Lu Cheng hadn't asked him to evacuate with him, he still came to the laboratory. He just didn't expect that such a big surprise would be waiting for him as soon as he entered.

"Teacher Xuan, why are you acting so strangely? Where could Senior Brother have gone...? You should tell us what happened first." Ke Ke was excited, not angry, but rather eager to watch the drama unfold.

"This surprise attack was carried out by the Body Sect, and the damage to Mingde Hall is incalculable. In short, it's outrageous. Anyway, when we researchers were being questioned, the expressions of those royal experts weren't very pleasant," Xuan Ziwen said, shaking his head.

He still had some affection for Mingdetang, but he was relieved to hear that only two or three researchers were injured last night.

“However… I’ve heard that some people suspect that Master Jing is colluding with the enemy.” Xuan Ziwen hesitated for a moment before speaking, deliberately glancing at Lu Cheng.

"Even his granddaughter, Meng Hongchen, was imprisoned."

……

Mingdu, within the imperial city.

The old emperor, enraged, looked coldly at Jing Hongchen kneeling below, whose hair was half white, and said, "My dear minister, what are you doing? Even if you had ordered it to be stopped last night, the Mingde Hall wouldn't have suffered such severe losses. And what about you?!"

"You stopped all the researchers who tried to stop you, allowing them to loot and destroy! This is a serious dereliction of duty on your part as the head of Mingde Hall!"

“The opponent is extremely strong, and the leader is a Limit Douluo. If we resist, the hundreds of researchers will only face certain death.” Jing Hongchen’s lips moved as he slowly spoke.

"Bullshit! You're just scared!" Xu Jiangliu roared from the side. "You're afraid of being surrounded and killed by the combined might of the opposing forces! Jing Hongchen, you're nothing but a coward who clings to life!"

Jing Hongchen remained silent, offering no explanation.

"Your Majesty, and I strongly suspect that Jing Hongchen is colluding with the enemy!!" Xu Jiangliu said bluntly, stepping forward.

These words shocked everyone in the room.

Jing Hongchen is the head of Mingde Hall, a position he has held for decades and has made great contributions to the Sun Moon Empire. Although he did make a big mistake last night, this is... a bit too much.

However, the ministers were aware of Xu Jiangliu's past conflict with Jing Hongchen, so they all stood by and watched, waiting to see what would happen.

"Heh, last night I was about to give chase when Hall Master Jing fired a Level 9 bunker buster first, blasting the entire passage into a hole and blocking our Royal Soul Guidance Legion's pursuit," Xu Jiangliu sneered.

"Secondly, even if those guys from the Body Sect are as powerful as Hall Master Jing boasts, they shouldn't know the entire Mingde Hall so well. Judging from their movements, they clearly have a secret map of Mingde Hall's interior. Otherwise, they couldn't have destroyed and looted such a large Mingde Hall in just ten minutes..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the court fell silent.

Everyone wore a complicated expression.

Even if one still believes in Jing Hongchen, everything Xu Jiangliu said is true.

Mingde Hall was so large that even if the number of people on the other side increased tenfold, it would be impossible to loot it completely in such a short time. As a result, the other side felt as if it were their own home and knew more about it than many of the people present.

"Master Jing, do you have anything else to say?" The old emperor coldly scrutinized him.

“I have nothing more to say…” Jing Hongchen closed his eyes and knelt on the ground.

"Dismiss him from his post, confiscate his property, and imprison him." The old emperor uttered these eight cold words, instantly leaving many of the surrounding ministers dumbfounded. So ruthless?!

Without thoroughly investigating the truth, such a severe punishment clearly indicates that the old emperor no longer trusts Jing Hongchen. Even the slightest rift between the emperor and his minister is difficult to mend, let alone such a heavy penalty.

Clearly, this is an attempt to completely destroy Jing Hongchen, leaving him no chance to recover. Let alone the head of Mingde Hall, he would be lucky to even walk out of prison.

"Here!"

Xu Jiangliu remained expressionless, waved his hand, and signaled the guards to put shackles on Jing Hongchen and take her away.

Jing Hongchen kept her eyes tightly closed.

Despite the soldiers' rough handling, he couldn't understand who had betrayed him. The only people who knew the maps of all the secret rooms in Mingde Hall were himself and Elder Kong. As for the previous head of Mingde Hall, he had long been buried, but it was impossible for him and Elder Kong to leak the secret.

Who could it be?

As Jing Hongchen was escorted away, the atmosphere in the imperial court became increasingly solemn.

“There is one more thing,” Xu Jiangliu stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, according to the reports from our scouts, news spread from the original continent early this morning that the Body Sect is grateful to Shrek Academy for sharing information…”

"Shrek, it's Shrek again!!"

The old emperor, his face contorted with rage, roared: "Interrogate! Interrogate him for me!"

“Your Majesty, you mustn’t! Shrek Academy is, after all… If we break off relations, our elites at Shrek will also be affected. Geniuses like Ma Rulong are the absolute elite of the empire, the future pillars of the nation.” An old minister stepped forward to dissuade him.

"..."

The old emperor's face was gloomy as he stroked the armrest shaped like a golden dragon's head.

To him, Xiao Hongchen was a scourge, not worth mourning, but the other disciples... were very "valuable" and could not be abandoned.

"That's enough. During the interrogation, do not use any unusual methods." After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke coldly.

"Anyone who dares to plead for Master Jing again, don't blame me for not showing any mercy."

Upon hearing this, all the officials in the court were terrified.

However, the ministers who were on good terms with Jing Hongchen felt a pang of pity, as if they were witnessing the death of a rabbit. Even someone like Jing Hongchen could fall so easily. Just one misjudgment was enough to push him to the brink of ruin, and then the royal family would take care of him.

What about them?

……

Chapter 191 Lu Cheng: This is a good thing.

Royal Academy of the Sun and Moon Empire

The Trial Grounds.

The venue was packed with people, and it was very popular. Similar to the dueling area of ​​Shrek Academy, many disciples also like to come here to duel and release the energy that young soul masters have nowhere to vent.

"boom……"

With the roar of a long-range soul-guided cannon, Lu Cheng was standing leisurely in the center of the arena when a blazing beam of light surged from his shoulder and landed in front of Ji Juechen in an instant. The latter's pupils shrank sharply, and he raised his sword to block, but his body also retreated.

The sword intent that had just been gathered was dispersed, and only after the force was dissipated could he barely stabilize his body.

But the distance between the two grew further and further.

Just as Jing Hongchen said, the closer he got to Xuanzi, the lower his chances of winning. But if the distance between the two could be widened to a certain extent, even Xuanzi, a level 98 Super Douluo, would be helpless against him.

This is the core of the battle between Soul Masters and Soul Mages.

distance……

Unless the opponent's ranged attacks are extremely strong, it's a dimensional reduction attack for melee Soul Masters. Under the dense and powerful firepower suppression, you won't be able to lift your head, and then your Soul Power will be worn down until you're carried off.

Most Soul Masters study how to maintain distance from melee Soul Masters while maximizing their damage output.

Now, Lu Cheng has delivered a truly impressive answer.

With just a basic level 6 long-range soul-guided cannon, which almost everyone has, Ji Juechen, the sword fanatic who was invincible among his peers in Mingde Hall, was forced to question his life. The seemingly casual cannonball marks accurately predicted Ji Juechen's direction of movement.

The stronger one is, the more terrified they become upon seeing this.

Such exaggerated predictive and perceptive abilities! If we were to actually encounter such a monster on the battlefield, we would probably be instantly killed the moment it shows its face.

After all, the opponent is a level seven Soul Master, and won't give you a chance to react.

Now, this so-called "competition" is seen by many as more of a show of skill; who knew that Soul Masters could be played like this...

"I... admit defeat."

Ji Juechen remained calm, slowly raising his head. His handsome face was slightly pale as he spoke.

His soul power had been completely drained and even overdrawn. His thighs were trembling slightly, and the hand holding the longsword had lost its strength. He looked at Lu Cheng, who was still carefree, and felt a deep sense of powerlessness for the first time in his life. This guy was like a towering wall, without any weaknesses or vulnerabilities, unlike anyone he had ever met.

It's like... a completely hexagonal monster.

Even so, it has never revealed its true potential.

He had a vague premonition that the young man opposite him, who was smiling and whose appearance was comparable to his own, would be more violent than a volcanic eruption if he were to reveal his true fighting power, and he would be no match for him at all.

"..."

"Not bad, it has a slight sword-like shape."

Lu Cheng smiled, glanced at Ji Juechen, put the ordinary-looking long-range soul-guided cannon into his storage ring, and left gracefully.

Only Ji Juechen, with a blank expression, was left, repeatedly muttering four words.

"It has a rough outline?"

"It has a rough outline..."

"Old Ji, are you alright?!" Jing Ziyan flashed a few times and landed in front of Ji Juechen, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a worried expression, and asked with concern.

Ji Juechen was still savoring what Lu Cheng had said. He was born with a "useless martial soul" and his innate soul power was only level three. However, he insisted on abandoning the power of traditional soul skills and cultivating combat skills on his own. He relied on his talent in swordsmanship and his ascetic methods day after day to forge a path that belonged to him alone.

Although he used to be uncompetitive and didn't care about other people's comments, whether it was insults or praise, it was none of his business.

But today... Lu Cheng's words completely stunned him.

Is it only vaguely similar?

He had cultivated his sword intent for so many years, only to have it rejected by the other party with a single, casual remark. Instead of anger, he felt more bewilderment and confusion. Could it be that his sword path... his pursuit of the ultimate sword intent, was wrong?

"Old Ji, don't listen to his nonsense. If you believe in your own path, then keep going." Jing Ziyan didn't know what Lu Cheng had said, but she knew that Ji Juechen was almost obsessed, so she quickly tried to comfort him.

"No, he's right."

For the first time, Ji Juechen's eyes showed confusion. "This path is becoming more and more difficult, with no end in sight. It has form but no substance. My sword intent seems to flow like a mighty river, endless and continuous, but in reality, it is vast but empty... not refined enough, not lethal enough..."

Seeing Ji Juechen's dazed and confused appearance, Jing Ziyan was speechless. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that although he was discouraged, at least he didn't give up.

Many young students, when encountering peers who are even more monstrous than themselves, have had their Daoist hearts shattered and never recovered.

Since she met Ji Juechen, she had never seen this sword fanatic suffer a defeat at the hands of anyone. Even the disciples of Mingde Hall, whose combat strength was higher than his, found it difficult to gain any advantage from his fierce sword intent.

but……

Only this guy.

Jing Ziyan glanced at Lu Cheng's departing figure, her eyes filled with emotion. "These days, monsters keep popping up one after another."

……

"Don't cry, tell me slowly..."

in the dormitory.

Nana served tea and water, dressed in a black outfit that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure, standing charmingly to the side. However, the protagonist today was not her, but Miss Meng Hongchen, who stood before the master.