Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

After the host announced the victory of the Emperor Battle Team, the audience was left in regret and pain, except for a few who had bet on the Emperor Battle Team just for the sake of trying their luck.

Many in the crowd went crazy. Knowing the ferocity of the Berserk God Battle Team, they never expected tonight's team battle to turn out this way. They certainly didn't expect the team they had high hopes for, the Berserk God Battle Team, to be utterly defeated.

Looking at the members of the Emperor Battle Team standing tall on the soul battle stage, the audience's eyes were filled with hatred and anger. Yet, none of them dared to shout at the members of the Emperor Battle Team because, after all, these spectators were just gamblers.

Gamblers are not a group worthy of sympathy.

A moment later, led by Yu Tianheng, the Emperor Battle Team left the soul battle stage.

After the team battle ended, Qin Ming and Cheng Xiao left the viewing area and headed towards the rest area for the battle teams.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted by the cheers of the Emperor Battle Team, with Yu Feng and Oslo being the most excited. They were the most carefree among the group, while the others maintained their cold and silent demeanor.

"Teacher," Yu Tianheng greeted Qin Ming as he stood up from the sofa when he saw him and Cheng Xiao return.

"You did well tonight, Tianheng." Qin Ming looked at Yu Tianheng approvingly, then shifted his gaze to the others. "You all performed well in today's battle, each fulfilling your role."

"But I still want to ask, what insights have you gained from today's battle?"

"Insights?" Dugu Yan thought for a moment and said, "The opponents were too weak. Compared to the soul masters in Heaven Dou City, they were far too inferior."

"Yan is right, teacher. They were so weak that it was hard to get excited," Yu Feng chimed in.

"It seems your insights are all focused on the weakness of the opponents," Qin Ming sighed. "Can anyone tell me if there's something else you've realized besides the weakness of the opponent?"

"Teacher, I believe the reason we won so easily this time was because they didn't understand our strength. Moreover, they underestimated us. So, I think we should be cautious to avoid becoming overconfident, which could lead to failure," Yu Tianheng thoughtfully responded.

Finally hearing what he wanted, Qin Ming smiled and praised, "Well said, Tianheng. Soul battles are like that: once you underestimate your opponent, the one who suffers will be you."

"However, their weakness is only part of the reason. Your coordination tonight was also perfect. As your teacher, I'm very pleased. Tomorrow's team battle will continue with the same seven of you. As for the solo and duo battles, feel free to sign up if you'd like."

"Alright, if there's nothing else, let's head back to the hotel and rest. You need to be in good shape for tomorrow's battle."

With that, Qin Ming waved his hand, signaling the team to leave the battle arena.

Upon being dismissed, the members of the Emperor Battle Team excitedly left the rest area. As they reached the exit, they noticed many hateful stares from the crowd—likely from gamblers who had lost everything.

However, none of the Emperor Battle Team members paid any attention to them. They quickly followed Qin Ming out of the arena.

As usual, Cheng Xiao and Ye Lingling walked at the back of the group. On their way to the Rose Hotel, Ye Lingling suddenly spoke, her cold voice making Cheng Xiao pause for a moment.

"It seems many people will hate us tonight."

Hearing this, Cheng Xiao thought for two seconds and replied, "Let them hate us. Betting on their team was their choice. It has nothing to do with us."

"True," Ye Lingling nodded slightly, then surprised him by saying, "Next time you place a bet on our team, remember to include a share for me."

"Are you short on money?" Cheng Xiao asked curiously.

"Not really, but who doesn't like having more money?" For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Ye Lingling's usually calm face.

"So that's the real you, Lingling." Cheng Xiao smiled.

…

The next day, at Shrek Academy.

The sunlight was particularly bright, and the sky was clear. Although it was still early morning, the sun already felt somewhat scorching.

The master's shadow stretched long in the sunlight. With his arms crossed, he waited for the Shrek Seven Devils to line up, his stiff face betraying no emotion. "Who can tell me what happened yesterday? What made the headmaster, Flender, ask for an extra day of rest for you? Tang San, you explain."

Scanning the Shrek Seven Devils one by one, there was a trace of anger in the master's eyes. He couldn't figure out what could have happened that made Flender delay their training just to give them an extra day off.

"Teacher, a couple of days ago…" Called upon by the master, Tang San stepped forward and recounted everything that had happened the day before.

"Utter nonsense!" After listening to Tang San, the master gave a cold glance at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. "Because of you two, Flender gave you an extra day off. Since you two are mostly recovered, in a moment, the entire group will run ten laps to and from Soto City with weights."

"You're not full of energy? No one gets to eat until today's training is complete!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Hongjun, who was already mentally wounded, couldn't hold it in anymore. He glared angrily at the master and said, "My martial spirit has a flaw, and the headmaster knows it. I wasn't causing trouble just for the sake of it. I was only trying to release the evil fire. How can you punish us?"

"And you think that's justified?" The master pointed at Ma Hongjun and reprimanded him, "I am your teacher, and you are my student. If you don't want to complete the training, you are free to leave this team. After all, you are nothing but a coward with a flawed martial spirit!"

"Who are you calling a coward?" Furious at being called a coward, Ma Hongjun erupted. A purple-red light surged from his body, releasing a burst of scorching energy. A blood-red phoenix shadow flickered behind him, and two yellow soul rings rose from his feet as his hands turned into claws.

Seeing Ma Hongjun's angry outburst, the master sneered and calmly said, "What? You want to fight me? If you want to prove you're not a coward, retract your martial spirit and start running with your weights. Otherwise, how are you any different from a coward?"

At this moment, Tang San also spoke. He looked at the enraged Ma Hongjun, frowned, and advised, "Fatty, the teacher is right. You should put your martial spirit away. We postponed training for a day because of you and Boss Dai. It's only fair that we're punished."

"Besides, aren't we a team? Once we finish the punishment and grow stronger, we'll be able to help you get revenge!"

Tang San's words didn't sit well with everyone, especially Dai Mubai. While he knew postponing training was his fault, something about the way Tang San said it just irritated him.

Ma Hongjun understood he was being emotional. But as a man, losing two important things had made him fragile and sensitive.

Though they had been saved, what good were they now, practically reduced to toothpicks? Slowly retracting his martial spirit, Ma Hongjun stood silently in the lineup.

Seeing this, the master snorted, "Alright, now all of you, get running. The second phase of training awaits you tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang San was the first to take off. As the master's disciple, he had no choice but to obey. The others, though reluctant, followed, especially Ning Rongrong, who had seen through the so-called "hellish training" in the past few months. To her, it was just endless running with weights.

Just after the Shrek Seven Devils set off, a figure silently appeared beside the master. It was Flender.

"Xiaogang, don't take it personally. Hongjun had an unexpected incident," Flender said with a bitter smile.

"What? You, a dignified Soul Saint, couldn't prevent your own disciple from having an accident?" The master glanced at Flender with sarcasm.

"Xiaogang, I…" Flender was rendered speechless by the master's words and could only sigh helplessly.

"Hmph. Flender, I'm only tolerating him because of you. Otherwise, I would've kicked Ma Hongjun out of the team long ago," the master coldly replied.

"Yes, yes, I know you have the students' best interests at heart." Flender smiled obsequiously, then said, "But if you make them run so long, will they still be able to complete their training tonight?"

"What are you worried about? Based on my calculations, their physical conditioning is more than sufficient for the ten laps. Tonight, they'll participate in the one-on-one and two-on-two soul battles, but we'll skip the team battle."

"That's fine. Since you're in charge, it's up to you."

"By the way, Flender, I have a question for you. What kind of headmaster are you? Your students were bullied, and you did nothing? Are you just going to stand by and let your students get bullied?"

"And who are these people anyway? All they did was harass a female soul master. Was that really worth such a harsh retaliation?"

Hearing this, Flender could only shake his head with a bitter smile. "Xiaogang, this is something I'll take care of. Don't worry, as the headmaster, I'll find a way to handle it."

"Hmph, you'd better," the master said with a cold glare.

Flender could only nod helplessly, though he himself had no idea how to resolve the situation that had started because of them in the first place.