Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

Sea God's Pavilion.

This golden pavilion stood proudly at the center of Sea God's Island, surrounded by dense forests.

On the highest floor, nearly all the elders were present.

The wooden windows were open, allowing the fresh scent of the lake and trees to fill the hall.

However, the expressions of those seated inside were grim.

"Wang Yan, you led the team and only managed to reach the top sixteen. How do you have the audacity to face the elders?" Yan Shaozhe slammed the table, launching the first attack.

The other elders remained silent, but their gazes toward Wang Yan carried a trace of disdain.

Wang Yan swept his gaze around.

Except for Xuanzi, all the elders were present.

Among the team members, since they had lost, the reserve team had no right to be here. Even though they had fought with all their might, none of the official team members were present either.

A sense of sorrow crept into his heart.

The true culprit of this disaster, the one responsible for everything, was nowhere to be seen, leaving him alone to take the fall.

"Is this what Shrek Academy is?"

"I have no face to show," Wang Yan shook his head. "But I do have something to report!"

"Speak!" Yan Shaozhe said coldly.

"Elder Xuan... is a spy from the Holy Spirit Cult!"

—Silence.—

The entire Sea God's Pavilion fell deathly still.

Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened, his neck stiffly turning to look at Wang Yan, who had just fallen to his knees with a resolute, fearless expression.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

The other elders were also dumbfounded, completely thrown off guard.

"Slandering an elder... is he not afraid of death?"

"Haha, child, stand up."

A gentle force lifted Wang Yan.

His eyes turned to the deepest part of the room.

A figure sat slouched in a chair, his back slightly hunched. Though his face was obscured, he exuded an aura of kindness.

"Why do you say this?" the voice asked.

Wang Yan recounted everything that had happened during the competition.

As he spoke, the elders gradually understood.

Everything Xuanzi had done was a near-perfect replica of a Holy Spirit Cult infiltrator's playbook.

It was no wonder Wang Yan and the others were so horrified.

"If even Sea God's Pavilion has fallen to this point, does Shrek Academy still have a future?"

The thought alone was enough to induce despair.

Lin Lao wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to start. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.

Xuanzi had brought this upon himself. Even if they wanted to clear his name, how could they?

"Who told you that Elder Xuan made mistakes ten years ago?" Mu En asked gently.

"It was… Xu Cheng." Wang Yan hesitated for a moment.

"The Sun-Moon Empire has long been at odds with us. This kind of attempt to sow discord is quite amusing." Mu En chuckled.

"See? I told you that kid wouldn't just walk into Star Luo without a backup plan. In fact, I suspect he was also behind the so-called Tang Sect orphan incident back then…"

"That young man may be fresh-faced, but his strategic mind is terrifying. With just a few words, he has thrown us into turmoil."

"Don't worry. As long as we old folks are still here, the Sea God's Pavilion will not fall into decay. Elder Xuan and I share the same teacher. You may say the others are blinded by age, but surely, I am not so far gone."

Mu En's words flowed like a gentle breeze, making it hard to doubt him.

First, he shifted the blame to Xu Cheng. Then, with a touch of nostalgia, he subtly dismissed the accusations. Even Wang Yan, who had been so sure of himself, started to waver.

"Teacher Mu is the Pavilion Master of Sea God's Pavilion, an Ultimate Douluo. If even he cannot see the truth, then we would have been infiltrated long ago. The Holy Spirit Cult is nowhere near capable of reaching our core." Yan Shaozhe sneered.

"Ultimate Douluo…" Wang Yan swallowed.

His assumptions shattered completely.

After all, everything that had happened could indeed be a coincidence. Relying solely on information provided by an enemy to suspect their own people…

It was hard to justify.

"Teacher Mu, I…"

Wang Yan lowered his head in shame.

"Hahaha, this child is straightforward. He was even willing to risk his life to speak the truth. Compared to the rest of you, he's not lacking at all."

Mu En laughed, and the others followed suit.

"Indeed, his character is commendable."

"Wang Yan, although your team only made it to the top sixteen, you did your best. You are not to blame for this outcome," Mu En said with a smile. "And now, for the sake of Shrek's future, you have dared to speak out. You deserve a reward. The Sea God Pavilion's library will be open to you for one month. How about that?"

"I… I… Thank you, Teacher Mu! Thank you, elders! I, Wang Yan, will be forever loyal to Shrek!" Wang Yan trembled with gratitude.

"Enough, Shaozhe, take him to the library."

"Yes!"

After the two left, Mu En sighed and looked around.

"You all know what happened at the tournament, don't you?"

"I never imagined that the Sun-Moon Empire's soul tools had reached this level… That boy is at most a Soul King, yet he could unleash an attack on par with a Rank 98 Super Douluo. If…" Elder Song's face darkened.

She herself was only at Rank 97.

If a mere boy could surpass her, what did her century of cultivation amount to?

"And that missile… It contained a deactivated Class-9 soul tool, which meant it registered a soul tool fluctuation, yet we didn't sense a thing. It was only thanks to Teacher Mu borrowing the power of the Golden Tree…" Elder Lin sighed.

"Elders, do you now see the merit in my previous proposal?" Mu En asked with a smile.

"…"

"Teacher Mu, please don't mock us." Elder Zhuang forced a bitter smile.

Mu En had long advocated for the strong development of soul tools.

Although they hadn't outright opposed him, they hadn't taken it seriously either. As a result, soul tool research remained stagnant.

"You lot…" Mu En shook his head with a chuckle.

"I have my own thoughts on this matter.

If the Sun-Moon Empire truly had the ability to mass-produce those mechas, wouldn't they have invaded already? In my view, piloting such machines must require certain unique conditions—and that boy just happens to meet them."

"Secondly, regarding that so-called missile… If the Sun-Moon Empire truly intended to conquer the continent, they wouldn't use it. Its sole purpose is deterrence…"