Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

After all, the cold poison of the Red Eyed Ice Toad could even backfire on its user.

The fact that Meng Hongchen had cultivated to her current level, mastering control over such a dangerous poison, was a testament to her extraordinary resilience and the hardships she had endured.

Compared to her brother, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen was both more talented and more diligent in her training.

She just wasn't as flamboyant as Xiao Hongchen, preferring to keep a lower profile.

"It wouldn't hurt to use it," Su Yu remarked with a mysterious smile.

"Hmm?"

Meng Hongchen glanced at Su Yu, puzzled.

Was he unafraid of her poison?

Meng Hongchen's curiosity was piqued, but Su Yu's enigmatic expression hinted at some hidden ability. She decided not to probe further—it wasn't in her nature to press for answers.

Even if Su Yu could neutralize her poison entirely, it didn't matter much to her.

Losing to someone else might frustrate her, but losing to Su Yu? That didn't bother her at all.

Seeing her puzzled yet curious expression, Su Yu chuckled and changed the subject.

"Let's focus on the match."

Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes gracefully and shifted her gaze back to the arena.

At this point, the battle was nearing its conclusion.

Wang Dong'er's brilliant blue wings flapped lightly, sending Qiu Yu flying off the stage with ease.

"The battle is over! The winner is Wang Dong from Class 6 of the third year. Congratulations to Wang Dong for advancing to the top sixteen!"

Wang Dong'er had secured her spot in the top sixteen with an impressive performance.

"It seems Wang Dong got there a bit ahead of us," Su Yu said with a light laugh.

Meng Hongchen's red lips curved into a soft smile.

"It'll be our turn soon."

As Meng Hongchen had predicted, three more matches passed before her name was called.

When her yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black soul rings appeared, her fourth-year opponent lost the will to fight almost immediately.

Meng Hongchen didn't even use a soul skill. She relied solely on her skill with a sword to defeat her opponent, securing her place in the top sixteen with ease.

Thanks to her beauty and overwhelming strength, Meng Hongchen quickly became the center of admiration among the watching students.

In just one match, her popularity soared.

Not long after Meng Hongchen's victory, Xiao Hongchen entered the arena. His approach was far more flamboyant.

Facing a third-level Soul Engineer from the fourth year, Xiao Hongchen went all out, defeating his opponent in an instant.

After his swift victory, Xiao Hongchen shot a provocative glance in Su Yu's direction.

Su Yu couldn't help but laugh—Xiao Hongchen's obsession with him ran deep. It was clear he saw Su Yu as a lifelong rival.

Following Xiao Hongchen's match, the subsequent battles were entertaining but less remarkable. Still, they were far more engaging than the early preliminaries.

"Hey, when's your match?"

Wang Dong'er asked curiously. Having returned to Su Yu's side after her victory, she was more excited for Su Yu's turn than she had been for her own.

"It should be soon," Su Yu replied calmly.

"There aren't many matches left."

As expected, after one more match, the announcer finally called Su Yu's name.

"Now, we will begin the eleventh match of the day. The competitors are Su Yu from Class 4 of the fifth year and Mo Han from Class 8 of the fourth year. Both students, please enter the arena!"

"Su Yu, it's your turn!"

Wang Dong'er clapped excitedly, her enthusiasm infectious.

"Good luck, Su Yu," Meng Hongchen whispered with a soft smile.

Su Yu returned her smile faintly and stood up, walking toward the arena.

"Hah, that guy is finally up. I wonder how strong he is," a few Illustrious Virtue Hall students murmured among themselves, rubbing their chins in curiosity.

After all, Su Yu was personally endorsed by the Hall Master and enjoyed the academy's highest privileges.

From the front row, Jing Hongchen and several elders and teachers focused their attention intently on the arena.

"Hall Master, is this the student?" an elder beside Jing Hongchen asked.

"That's him," Jing Hongchen nodded.

"He looks quite spirited, but I'm curious—what abilities does he have to earn the Hall Master's favor?" another elder remarked.

As a key student nurtured alongside Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, Su Yu naturally attracted the scrutiny of the elders.

"You'll see soon enough. Though, I doubt this opponent will push him hard enough to reveal much of his strength," Jing Hongchen said with a chuckle.

He was well aware of Su Yu's capabilities.

Apart from his grandchildren, no one here could force Su Yu to show his true power.

"Oh? The Hall Master thinks so highly of him? Then I must pay close attention," another elder said with interest.

As the elders chatted, Su Yu stepped into the arena. His opponent, Mo Han, was a fourth-year student around fifteen years old.

Mo Han's soul power was no joke. From Su Yu's observation, it was likely at level thirty-seven or thirty-eight—a commendable level for a fourth-year student.

However, Mo Han was visibly nervous. A person's reputation often preceded their presence, and Su Yu's fame had spread far and wide across the academy.

As an Illustrious Virtue Hall prodigy and a peerless genius, Su Yu's name carried significant weight.

Facing such a figure, how could Mo Han not feel the pressure?

"Su… Su Yu, please instruct me," Mo Han stammered, his nerves palpable.

Su Yu smiled gently.

"Don't be nervous. Just give it your all, and don't leave any regrets."

"Damn, this guy is so pretentious!"

Xiao Hongchen muttered from the audience, his tone laced with annoyance.

To Xiao, Su Yu's words sounded like an adult consoling a child—essentially saying, You're going to lose anyway, so do your best.

If Su Yu had spoken to him like that, Xiao Hongchen would have exploded with anger. Who did he think he was, looking down on others like that?

But even as Xiao fumed, he begrudgingly admitted that against Mo Han, Su Yu indeed had the match in the bag.

"I thought this guy was low-key, but it turns out he's secretly as pretentious as me," Xiao Hongchen grumbled.

"Give me a break," Wang Dong'er jabbed.

"Su Yu's just confident. You're the one who's over the top."

"What did you say? Say that again!"

Xiao Hongchen was fuming. Did Wang Dong just call him over the top? Was he?

"Brother, stop it. Su Yu's match is starting. Can you be quiet for once?" Meng Hongchen frowned, visibly displeased.

If Xiao didn't want to watch, fine, but could he at least not disturb others? She was eager to see Su Yu's first public battle without distractions.

Seeing his sister's frown, Xiao Hongchen realized she was genuinely upset and quickly backed down.

"Fine, I'll deal with you later," he muttered, though his threat lacked conviction.

Wang Dong'er rolled her eyes, clearly unfazed by Xiao Hongchen's bluster.

In the arena, the match was about to begin.

"Both sides, prepare. The battle begins!"

As the announcer's voice rang out, several metallic tubes emerged from Mo Han's body—third-level soul tools.

Su Yu, on the other hand, appeared calm and composed. With a casual wave of his hand, a blue spear materialized.

It was a fourth-level soul tool, one that Su Yu had crafted himself.

After all, this was the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. Out of respect for its traditions, Su Yu reluctantly decided to use a soul tool.

"Be careful!"

Mo Han shouted as beams of white light shot from the metal tubes, streaking toward Su Yu.

At the same time, Mo Han activated a third-level propulsion device, quickly widening the distance between them. He was a traditional long-range Soul Engineer.

From his perspective, Su Yu was likely a close-combat Soul Engineer. The strategy was obvious: maintain distance.

As the white beams approached, Su Yu casually thrust his spear, generating a swirl of icy blue energy that diverted all the beams.

"Huh? What kind of technique is that?"

Xiao Hongchen exclaimed, surprised. He was certain Su Yu hadn't used a soul skill—his martial soul hadn't even been released.

"Could it be… a self-created soul skill?"

"This guy is hiding a lot. He even knows self-created techniques," Xiao muttered, rubbing his chin and mentally taking notes.

Startled by his attack being so easily neutralized, Mo Han quickly increased his firepower, deploying additional soul tools in search of an opening.

But with just one hand on his spear, Su Yu deflected every attack effortlessly.

Minutes passed. Mo Han was drenched in sweat from the intense battle, while Su Yu remained completely composed, not even moving from his spot.

"It's about time," Su Yu muttered. Suddenly, he stepped forward, and in the blink of an eye, Mo Han lost sight of him.

Before Mo Han could react, Su Yu's blue spear struck, sending him flying out of the arena.

"The battle is over! Su Yu wins and advances to the top sixteen!"

"Thank you!"

Mo Han called out as he struggled to rise, clasping his hands in gratitude.

He knew that Su Yu had held back considerably. Otherwise, the match wouldn't have lasted as long as it did.

Su Yu offered a faint smile before stepping down from the stage.

"What a waste of time. He could've ended it instantly but dragged it out," Xiao Hongchen muttered.

"He was giving his opponent some face. You wouldn't understand," Wang Dong defended Su Yu.

"Giving him face? If you're weak, just train harder. Why expect others to go easy on you?"

Xiao Hongchen scoffed.

"Does that mean if you ever lose, you wouldn't want anyone to hold back?"

Wang Dong'er retorted.

"Exactly! If I lose, beat me down hard. If you go easy on me, I'll be furious!"

Xiao Hongchen declared.

"Well then, I'll make sure not to hold back in our next fight," Su Yu teased as he returned to the viewing area.

"That's right! If you hold back, I'll lose it!"

Xiao Hongchen thumped his chest dramatically.

Su Yu laughed.

"Good to know."

"Su Yu, you're back! Well done," Wang Dong'er praised, eyes bright with admiration.

"It was alright. The opponent wasn't too strong," Su Yu replied modestly.

"Congratulations on advancing," Meng Hongchen added.

"And congratulations to you as well," Su Yu responded warmly.

"Since we're all done, why not celebrate?"

Wang Dong'er suggested.

"Sure!"

Everyone agreed and left together.

...

After the round of thirty-two, came the round of sixteen.

Su Yu and the others each took their turns, successfully advancing to the top eight.

Su Yu faced a fourth-level soul engineer, also a fifth-year student.

After playing around for a minute, Su Yu knocked his opponent out of the arena with a single spear strike.

Wang Dong'er, however, encountered a true challenge.

Her opponent was also a fourth-level soul engineer and a rather experienced one at that.

Wang Dong'er had to exert every ounce of strength, even using the power of her 50,000-year-old Golden Earth Dragon King right arm bone, to secure victory.

After that battle, Wang Dong'er was completely drained. It took her half a day to recover.

The further they progressed, the stronger the opponents became.

Only the true geniuses of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy remained.

At Wang Dong'er's age and level, it was becoming increasingly difficult to advance.

...

"System, log in!"

It was another morning.

Su Yu, as usual, communicated with the system to log in.

Logging in every morning had become an unbreakable habit for Su Yu.

Year after year, day after day, he had kept up with it without fail, unless special circumstances arose.

In a way, it was no small feat.

[Ding, login successful. Congratulations to the host for acquiring the skill: Camouflage.]

[Skill: Camouflage. Allows the host to disguise or transform, including but not limited to altering the host's martial soul, gender, race, etc.]

"Camouflage skill?"

Su Yu raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean I can even transform into a woman?"

[Yes, the host can even transform into a dog, but it's only a physical disguise; your essence won't change.]

Su Yu: "…"

"System, do you even know how to be polite?"

System: "…"

The system played dead, offering no response.

Su Yu took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with the troublesome system.

The camouflage skill would be useful, particularly now.

His soul ring colors, especially the white color of his third ring, were too conspicuous.

There was nothing he could do about it; the Skydream Iceworm couldn't simulate the color of soul rings.

The Skydream's soul ring was white-gold. By suppressing the gold, it naturally became white.