Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

Upon hearing the voice of Sky fiend Douluo, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy team almost simultaneously turned to Su Yu.

Even Ma Rulong said, "Su Yu, you should go."

"Me?" Su Yu was taken aback. Wasn't Ma Rulong the captain?

"You were the key contributor in this battle. Without you, we wouldn't have won the championship," Ma Rulong said with a smile.

"That's right. If not you, then who?"

"At this stage, only you are qualified," Xiao Hongchen chimed in.

Even the others, including Mi Jia and Xiao Xiafeng, expressed their agreement.

Everyone unanimously nominated Su Yu to represent the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy team and accept the award.

"Since everyone acknowledges you, you should go," Elder Ma added.

"Well, alright, I'll go then." Seeing everyone's unanimous support, Su Yu naturally didn't refuse anymore.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yu stood up.

The soldiers outside quickly parted, opening a path leading to the imperial stage.

Indeed, this final award was to be presented personally by Xu Jiawei, the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire.

In a sense, this was a tremendous honor.

Just as Su Yu was about to set off, Haibo Dong suddenly waved his sleeve. An endless chill condensed, instantly creating an ice bridge leading directly from the resting area to the imperial stage.

The ice bridge stretched straight to the imperial stage, crystal clear and radiating a white mist.

Su Yu was momentarily stunned before smiling faintly. With a leap, he landed on the ice bridge.

The distance from the resting area to the imperial stage was at least several hundred meters.

The massive ice bridge connected both ends and was extremely conspicuous.

By all rights, what Haibo Dong did could be seen as a great disrespect to Xu Jiawei.

But was Haibo Dong the type to care about such formalities?

His young master going to meet the Star Luo Emperor, having to pass through a crowd and climb up to the imperial stage. Absurd!

In his eyes, the Star Luo Emperor didn't hold that kind of status.

So Haibo Dong simply did what he thought was appropriate.

This act shocked many people, even leaving Xu Jiawei momentarily stunned.

However, it was just a brief moment of surprise. Xu Jiawei didn't show the slightest hint of anger.

Even though, technically, this was a bit disrespectful to him.

But Xu Jiawei thought to himself, this was already good enough—far better than dealing with the likes of the Clear Sky Sect.

Su Yu stepped onto the ice bridge and, under everyone's gaze, walked slowly toward the imperial stage.

The sunlight reflected off the ice bridge, refracting into a spectrum of seven colors.

Su Yu advanced as if walking on light, exuding an indescribable sense of sanctity and nobility.

"Wow, that's a solid 10/10 for style," Xiao Hongchen clicked his tongue.

"This guy, Su Yu, has outdone himself today. He's stolen all the spotlight."

"Jealousy is real!"

The envious tears of an onlooker figuratively streamed down.

Though Su Yu walked at a leisurely pace, the several hundred meters were soon crossed.

Xu Jiawei, dressed in imperial robes, stood there. His appearance was refined, and his demeanor carried a hint of imperial majesty.

Su Yu observed the Star Luo Emperor before him and was somewhat surprised.

Xu Jiawei's aura was not weak—at least stronger than Dai Hao's.

From Su Yu's perception, Xu Jiawei's strength wasn't inferior to that of a Titled Douluo.

This man had been hiding his abilities quite well.

Without anyone noticing, he had already become a Titled Douluo.

However, he was likely just an ordinary Titled Douluo, probably at rank 91 or 92—not particularly strong.

Still, considering Xu Jiawei's age, it was quite impressive.

As Su Yu studied Xu Jiawei, the emperor was also assessing him.

From Xu Jiawei's perspective, he could detect a faint but undeniable sense of threat emanating from Su Yu.

Though the sensation was so subtle it was nearly imperceptible, it was still there.

This was remarkable.

After all, even a Soul Sage wouldn't give Xu Jiawei this kind of feeling.

Only some powerful Soul Douluos could evoke such a reaction from him.

Xu Jiawei understood exactly what this meant.

It meant that Su Yu might have the capability to harm him.

Of course, this didn't imply that Su Yu was Xu Jiawei's equal—the disparity in their soul power was still immense.

In the eyes of a true powerhouse, Su Yu was still too young and inexperienced.

"Su Yu, we meet again," Xu Jiawei said with a smile.

"Congratulations to you and your team on winning the championship of this Soul Master Tournament."

Xu Jiawei's tone carried admiration and a hint of recruitment intent.

Su Yu's talent was indisputable—too extraordinary to ignore.

His one-versus-seven feat was well-documented and irrefutable.

Defeating Shrek had catapulted him to fame, a victory of immense significance.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Su Yu cupped his hands respectfully.

Xu Jiawei smiled and gestured. From the side, Xu Jiujiu approached, carrying a tray. The golden tray was covered with a layer of yellow cloth.

"This is the reward for winning the Soul Master Tournament. Would you like to take a look?" Xu Jiawei said with a smile.

Without hesitation, Su Yu lifted the yellow cloth.

Beneath it lay three soul bones: one red, one green, and one white. Each emitted a distinct aura.

The red soul bone was fire-attribute, the green was wind-attribute, and the white was ice-attribute.

The three soul bones were of decent quality. The fire and wind ones were slightly damaged, though not significantly. Their age ranged between 20,000 and 30,000 years.

The ice-attribute soul bone, however, stood out in terms of quality. Its shape was nearly intact, and the aura it emitted was extraordinary, clearly from a top-tier soul beast.

Its age was around 50,000 years.

The value of this ice-attribute soul bone alone surpassed the combined worth of the other two.

Su Yu glanced at Xu Jiawei, suspecting he had done this on purpose.

Sure enough, Xu Jiawei gave a mysterious smile and nodded subtly at Su Yu.

Of the three soul bones, only the ice-attribute one was a true treasure. Xu Jiawei had specifically prepared it for Su Yu, knowing he had an ice attribute.

The other two were meant for the other members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy team.

As for these future adversaries, Xu Jiawei wouldn't provide them with overly powerful soul bones. He wasn't foolish enough to aid his enemies.

"Do you like them?" Xu Jiawei asked.

"Your Majesty is generous. I like them very much," Su Yu replied, fully understanding the emperor's intentions. Xu Jiawei, too, knew that Su Yu understood.

The two shared a tacit understanding.

"Jiujiu, give the soul bones to Su Yu," Xu Jiawei instructed.

At his words, Xu Jiujiu handed the tray to Su Yu.

Taking the tray, Su Yu said, "Thank you, Princess Jiujiu."

Xu Jiujiu didn't respond, merely staring at Su Yu with a peculiar expression.

Xu Jiawei smiled and said, "Su Yu, you and Jiujiu are old acquaintances. There's no need for further introductions."

"If you have time, perhaps you could spend more time together. After all, you're both young and likely share common interests."

"We'll see," Su Yu replied casually.

After chatting for a while longer, Su Yu carried the tray and turned to leave.

...

Star Emperor Hotel.

In the conference room, Su Yu placed the tray on the table.

The three soul bones shimmered with light, each radiating its unique energy fluctuation.

"You can decide how to divide them amongst yourselves," Su Yu said indifferently, sipping his tea.

He truly didn't care.

Su Yu wasn't short of soul bones, especially ordinary ones like these.

What he sought were far rarer: soul bones from savage beasts, true dragon soul bones, or those with unique and extraordinary abilities.

For example, the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone with its Ice Explosion Technique.

Ordinary soul bones weren't worth his attention.

"This isn't complicated—just give them to whoever they suit," Xiao Hongchen said, glancing at the soul bones. "For the record, I'm out."

True to his straightforward nature, he was the first to state he didn't want them.

Wang Dong'er followed suit. "I don't need them either."

Given Wang Dong'er's background, she naturally wouldn't care about a few ordinary soul bones.

Among the three, only the ice-attribute soul bone was somewhat special. The other two weren't anything remarkable.

But not everyone was as carefree as those two.

After all, these were soul bones!

Not everyone came from wealthy families.

Even ordinary 10,000-year soul bones could make many drool.

Here were three soul bones of decent quality—how could they not be tempted?

At that moment, Elder Ma cleared his throat.

The group immediately turned their attention to him.

Elder Ma looked around the room and said calmly, "There's no need to feel conflicted over the ownership of two soul bones.

"This victory, your championship, is not just a great triumph for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.

"It's also an exhilarating moment of pride for our entire empire.

"As such, the academy will reward all of you accordingly."

"Adding these three soul bones, the academy will contribute eleven more, ensuring each of you gets one soul bone."

"Of course, if someone doesn't want a soul bone, they can exchange it for a high-quality Grade Seven soul tool instead."

As soon as Elder Ma finished speaking, everyone was stunned.

"Is this true, Elder Ma?" Mi Jia couldn't help but ask.

Was the academy being this generous now?

"Of course it's true! Do you think I'd lie to a bunch of brats like you?" Elder Ma replied with a laugh.

Winning the championship had put him in an excellent mood.

The first championship in thousands of years—it was a monumental achievement.

A few soul bones? They were nothing in comparison to this victory.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had plenty of resources; wealth was never a problem.

Even compared to Shrek Academy, the Sun Moon Royal Academy was leagues ahead in financial resources.

As the largest hub of soul engineers on the continent, with countless high-ranking experts, the academy's wealth—especially that of the Illustrious Virtue Hall—was beyond what outsiders could imagine.

With Elder Ma's confirmation, the group practically burst with joy.

"Elder Ma is the best!"

"Elder Ma is the best!"

The team cheered in unison.

Elder Ma waved his hand dismissively and said, "If you want to thank someone, thank the Hall Master. These were his exact words.

'As long as they win the championship, they'll be rewarded generously.'

It's not like I have the power to give out rewards."

"Then… The Hall Master is the best!"

"The Hall Master is the best!"

The room filled with loud chants once again.

Su Yu smiled faintly, observing the lively group. Spending time with them, he found that they were all quite amusing in their ways.

Meng Hongchen leaned against Su Yu's shoulder, uninterested in the commotion.

Having both her left and right arm soul bones, and both being top-tier, she didn't care much for these prizes.

To her, these rewards were far less appealing than Su Yu himself.

Su Yu gently stroked her wine-red hair and rested his head slightly against hers.

The two openly displayed their affection, which no one found surprising anymore.

If a day came when Su Yu and Meng Hongchen didn't show affection, the others would probably wonder if something was wrong.

Watching the cheering group, Elder Ma's face was filled with a content smile.

"Since we've won the championship today, I'll treat everyone to a feast tonight to celebrate. Tomorrow morning at nine, we'll return to the academy," Elder Ma announced loudly.

The cheers grew even louder.

At this moment, Su Yu suddenly said, "Elder Ma, you all can head back first. I might need to stay here for a few more days."

Elder Ma looked at Su Yu curiously and asked, "Do you have some unfinished business here, Su Yu?"

The rest of the group quieted down and turned to him with curious gazes.

Su Yu smiled faintly and replied, "It's nothing major. I had previously opened a hall in the Star Luo Empire and bet one billion gold soul coins on our victory. Now that the tournament is over, I'm waiting for them to bring me the money.

Given the amount, I suspect it might take them a few days to sort it out."

As Su Yu finished speaking, the room fell into stunned silence.

Xiao Hongchen stared at Su Yu with a strange expression and asked, "How much did you say you bet?"

"One billion gold soul coins?"

The others were equally dumbfounded. One billion?!

What the—?!

This young man had some wild moves.

Su Yu nodded calmly and said, "I just took this opportunity to make a little pocket money. It's nothing much."

"A little pocket money?! Are you serious?!" Xiao Hongchen's voice became sharp. A billion—how much could he have earned from this?!

The others shared Xiao Hongchen's incredulous expression, teetering on the edge of questioning reality itself.

"No way! You must treat us!" Xiao Hongchen suddenly pushed aside Wang Dong'er, who was standing next to Su Yu, and threw an arm around Su Yu's shoulder.

"If you don't treat us after making this kind of fortune, we won't let you off the hook!"

Su Yu chuckled. "Of course, I'll treat you. Tonight, the most luxurious banquet at the Star Emperor Hotel is on me."

Elder Ma didn't object. Even he was stunned by Su Yu's revelation.

While everyone else had been focusing on the competition, this seemingly honest and straightforward young man had secretly struck gold.

This guy had truly hidden his cards well.

"That's more like it! Let's go, everyone, and make sure the Star Emperor Hotel prepares something fancy!" Xiao Hongchen took the lead, already heading out to arrange the feast.

Seeing that Su Yu didn't oppose, the others quickly followed Xiao Hongchen, excitement written all over their faces.

"Yu, don't mind my brother—he's always like this."

Meng Hongchen, worried that Su Yu might mind, couldn't help but explain.

Su Yu gently patted her head and smiled. "It's fine. Today's a happy day, so let's let everyone enjoy themselves and have some fun.

It's just a meal—how much could they possibly eat?"

"Mm."

Seeing that Su Yu truly didn't mind, Meng Hongchen finally felt at ease. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.

Su Yu wrapped an arm gently around her waist and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

Elder Ma shuddered, feeling as though the world had truly changed. Young people these days—why did they have to flaunt their affection everywhere they went?

Not wanting to endure any more of this public display of affection, Elder Ma took the opportunity to leave the conference room.

Meanwhile, Wang Dong'er stood there completely stunned, looking more conflicted than ever. The more she watched, the more she regretted disguising herself as a man.