Chapter 92: Heaven and Earth Are Broad, Yet the Ignorant Restrict Themselves
Xuan Zi, who could already be called semi-illiterate, had no idea where Kong Deming had heard these rumors. This was clearly an attempt to destroy Shrek's 'glorious' image in the hearts of the common people of the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms.
"Oh?"
"So there's such a hidden history on the continent. Presumably, Shrek erased it from history after they rose to power, right?"
"No wonder Shrek has been investigating evil Soul Masters, yet evil Soul Masters have become even more rampant. So, the problem lies here."
Huo Yuhao and Dai Hao had finished what they wanted to say. At this moment, Huo Yuhao promptly followed his teacher, and the two old foxes—one old and one young—began to act in concert, clearly aiming to sway public sentiment among the common people of the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms.
It would be an overreaction to stage such a grand show and set up a ring just to express hatred and completely humiliate White Tiger Duke Dai Hao.
As for the words just spoken, Huo Yuhao had rehearsed them with his teacher in advance.
As a frequent visitor to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's library—the recognized 'King of Studies' in his first year, a genius of astonishing intellect… cough cough—Huo Yuhao told Kong Deming that it was very reasonable, citing that he had learned this information from obscure historical records.
In other words, today's 'farce' had been prepared by Sun Moon for a long time.
Probably no one from Shrek would have expected that the arrow shot ten thousand years ago would hit them squarely in the heart ten thousand years later.
Every strike was true damage; every word a critical hit—directly piercing Shrek's heart!
And surprisingly, these words did indeed cause many people to waver. There are always many who enjoy watching a spectacle, but once they realize they are the spectacle, he believes many won't be able to laugh.
Although Sects and noble Soul Masters make up the majority on the continent, there are still Soul Masters from lower strata. For example, Jiang Nannan and Su Tong from Shrek's side were already deep in thought.
Some were contemplating the benefits Kong Deming mentioned for the common people's Martial Soul awakening, while others wondered why evil Soul Masters had become more rampant despite Shrek's efforts over the years.
Many then recalled Ma Xiaotao's performance earlier, and compared it with the previous words—hey, don't say it, you really can't say it!
How did this seem to break the shackles of 'wisdom,' and suddenly their minds felt much clearer?
The goal had been achieved. Even if Shrek refused to admit it, what then? Not to mention that this matter was actually true; even if it were false, just a rumor, it was enough to give Shrek a hard time.
Rumors spread with a single mouth; refutations wear out legs. Moreover, Huo Yuhao and his teacher's words were all piercing, and not a single one was false.
But Kong Deming's tone suddenly shifted, and he abruptly stopped 'contesting' with Xuan Zi.
"Here, this old man, on behalf of Sun Moon, is willing to offer an opportunity to those who cannot awaken their Martial Soul and struggle to survive at the bottom. Sun Moon's doors are always open to you."
"Sun Moon will give you freedom and provide your descendants with the opportunity to awaken their Martial Soul—an opportunity to live with dignity."
"Perhaps you don't know, but my disciple, Yuhao, had only rank one innate soul power. After he arrived at Sun Moon, this child only took one year to reach this stage today, earning the opportunity to challenge White Tiger Duke."
Actually, these words didn't carry much persuasive power.
Because even bottom-tier Soul Masters wouldn't fare poorly in the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms. The reason is simple: the status of a Soul Master ensures they are a cut above. Who would abandon their country for some nonsensical, illusory freedom and go to Sun Moon?
They're not Mexicans!
Given this premise, Kong Deming's words were merely setting up a typical linguistic trap. These words aimed to make everyone fall into the logical fallacy of "if he can do it, so can I."
Knowing the outcome, no one would be willing to investigate how Huo Yuhao did it. Everyone would only care that a young man with an innate rank-one soul power had become the most dazzling genius in Sun Moon.
Only the parties involved—namely Huo Yuhao and Kong Deming—knew that the talent, luck, and opportunities required to grow to this point were all indispensable.
Kong Deming knew it was time to end, so he kept it brief. His last few sentences almost scared Xu Jiawei and the Star Luo Empire officials to death.
Do they dare to stop him? Not at all!
As for how the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms would later guard against their own people migrating to Sun Moon, that was not Sun Moon's concern.
The goal was merely to make the common people of the Douluo Three Kingdoms see the true faces of the upper echelons and stir up some resistance among them. There was no intention of truly absorbing those common people, who knew if spies from the Three Kingdoms would take advantage of the situation?
Don't think everyone is a genius like Huo Yuhao. Cannon fodder will always be cannon fodder; changing environments won't bring much change.
Freedom? Fairness? What ridiculous words!
And you know what—taking Huo Yuhao and Wang Yan, the former leading teacher of Shrek Academy, as precedents, many frustrated individuals were truly moved.
"Enough, I said enough!"
"Your Excellency Silver Moon Douluo, you are truly going too far—spreading heresies and deceiving the masses. Are you underestimating the Star Luo Empire's military might?!"
Damn it, Xu Jiawei was practically grinding his teeth. If it weren't for the rank-nine Soul Guide bomb suspended in the sky and Du Busi's watchful gaze, he would have already ordered Star Luo Empire's Titled Douluo to swarm and kill Kong Deming. Of course, this was just bravado.
This was no longer just shaking Star Luo Empire's foundation; it was preparing to smash Star Luo Empire's rice bowl.
Kong Deming and his disciple exchanged a smile; their goal had been achieved—everything was unspoken.
From the beginning, both the Star Luo Empire and Shrek had fallen into a self-incrimination trap. Although Xu Jiawei was angry, his performance was acceptable—at least unlike Xuan Zi, who only made things worse with his explanations.
Look, the Star Luo Emperor couldn't sit still and started threatening. How disgraceful!
Alright, alright, little mouth—no more talking.
"What, are the Shrek guys leaving? Or are you planning to stay here for dinner?"
Du Busi was someone who enjoyed watching this spectacle. The Body Sect had its own channels for discovering Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls from the lower strata, so everything Kong Deming said did not affect the Body Sect.
As a reclusive Sect, it had its own prestige—unlike Shrek, which prided itself on justice and maintained a 'bright and magnificent' image on the continent.
"I swear, the humiliation of today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!"
What else could Xuan Zi say? He hadn't expected that stopping to watch a show would cost Shrek so much of its reputation again.
Damn it, could he be cursed by the God of Misfortune? Why has everything been so unlucky lately?
"Oh my, how scary—the Shrek guys are angry now."
The Sun Moon team members had watched the spectacle for so long, and Xiao Hongchen, being the boldest, couldn't stand still any longer.
With Kong Deming present, Lin Xi, Mijia, and others became much bolder and were happy to cooperate with Xiao Hongchen.
"That old man already said it. Who can't make threats?"
"Shrek has won so many championships; why did they only make it to the top four this time? What's the problem? Can't guess, can you?"
Listening to the mockery behind them, Wang Dong and the others couldn't be as thick-skinned as Xuan Zi. Their faces were all ugly, but they couldn't refute, nor could they.
Compared to the current situation, they had to worry more about how to explain themselves to the teachers when they returned to Shrek Academy.
This was truly their concern. It was unclear why an academy charging tuition to teach students would have its students worrying about explaining themselves to the higher-ups after a competition.
Shrek: Why don't you look for your own problems? Why did you lose the championship? Why has Shrek's reputation fallen? See if you've worked hard. The academy hasn't lost in so many years; it's obvious who the weaklings are.
Dai Huabin's body was naturally taken away by Xuan Zi and others. Although Dai Hao was still here, how to deal with him was a matter for later. For now, Dai Huabin was still a Shrek student.
"Heaven and earth are broad, yet the ignorant restrict themselves. Teacher, we have actually given Shrek a lot of face."
Kong Deming nodded. He had indeed held back a lot; otherwise, what he said would have been even more unpleasant. However, then Xuan Zi would definitely have become angry, which would have been counterproductive. The safety of the young ones was paramount.
—
End of Chapter