Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

Credits: Bowzer

If someone else had said these words, Jiang Nannan might not have listened. After all, Shrek Academy's indoctrination was undeniably strong. But Su Yu was different. When he spoke, Jiang Nannan at least considered his words seriously. By starting with the perspective of commoners, Su Yu stripped away Shrek Academy's facade and exposed its harsh reality to her. The impact on her was profound. As she reflected on it, she realized that most of the people she knew at the academy were not commoners.

Were commoners so unworthy?

For nobles, the answer was often an unequivocal yes. But as a commoner herself, Jiang Nannan approached the issue from a different perspective. This was the biggest distinction between her and the others at Shrek Academy.

"The reserve team member He Caitou seems to be a commoner," she murmured absentmindedly, not even lifting her head. Su Yu paused, then let out a laugh.

"He Caitou's real name is Xu He. He's from the royal family of the Sun Moon Empire."

"What?"

Jiang Nannan's head shot up, her wide eyes filled with disbelief. "That's impossible!"

"And why wouldn't it be possible?" Su Yu countered.

"He Caitou's dark complexion and tall stature are classic traits of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family. About six or seven years ago, a coup occurred in the empire. The reigning emperor was killed, and the prince, Xu He, disappeared. Coincidentally, six years ago, Shrek Academy's Fan Yu found a boy with exceptional soul power and aptitude for soul tools and took him in as his first disciple."

"Do I need to continue, Nannan?"

Su Yu's voice was calm but cutting. He knew this was Jiang Nannan's last shred of hope, but he mercilessly shattered it. Hesitating now would only mean abandoning her to the swamp she was stuck in. Breaking her illusions might be painful, but it was the only way to free her. Jiang Nannan froze, stunned by the overwhelming evidence. Facts spoke louder than anything else, and Su Yu laid them out so clearly that she had no room to argue. Shrek Academy's disdain for ordinary commoners was something Jiang Nannan could not tolerate. The academy had become a playground for nobles—a fact that required no further debate.

"How could it be like this? Why is it like this?"

Jiang Nannan muttered, her emotions spiraling out of control. The destruction of her ideals hit her hard. For so long, she had taken pride in Shrek Academy, dedicating herself to defending its honor. Now, she was being told that Shrek Academy fundamentally looked down on commoners. The gap between her beliefs and reality was too vast, leaving her unable to calm down.

"Why not? Shrek Academy dares to meddle in imperial politics. Do you still think it's just a school?"

Su Yu scoffed.

"No academy rejects imperial jurisdiction. No academy arbitrarily tries imperial officials. Shrek Academy sees itself as a law enforcer. It's just a school—how dare it act like an enforcement agency?"

Su Yu's words were relentless. He pointed out that while Shrek Academy's actions against evil soul masters were justifiable, its interference in imperial governance was an overreach. Such arrogance and disregard for boundaries had set it up for destruction. In Soul Land III, the academy's eventual destruction was its own doing—too much power, too much arrogance, and no restraint. Su Yu was determined to wake Jiang Nannan from her illusions today.

"Stop... stop talking."

Jiang Nannan raised her head, tears streaming down her face. This time, the tears were born of shattered dreams. "Why are you doing this to me? Why?" she cried, pounding her fists against Su Yu's chest. After a few feeble hits, she broke down entirely, collapsing into his arms and sobbing uncontrollably.

Su Yu sighed, gently embracing her as he patted her back to comfort her. After what seemed like an eternity, Jiang Nannan finally calmed down. Su Yu ran his hand through her hair and said softly, "Nannan, watching you is like watching someone sinking into a swamp. I want to pull you out, but you're so entranced by it that you choose to sink deeper. I could either stand by and watch you fall beyond saving or forcefully break your illusions and pull you out. I couldn't do the first. I couldn't just watch you fall, so I had to do the second. Don't hate me for it. Remember, you can always trust one thing: I will never harm you. Never."

As he soothed her, Su Yu's focus remained unwavering. Though Jiang Nannan's delicate form was in his arms, he had no ulterior motives. All he wanted was to pull her out of the mire of Shrek Academy. That decaying ship was better abandoned sooner than later. Staying with Shrek Academy would only lead to ruin.

Jiang Nannan remained silent, quietly shedding tears against his chest. After a long pause, her raspy voice finally broke the silence. "What's the name of the sect you joined?"

"Ice God Palace," Su Yu replied.

"It's a force even stronger than Shrek Academy.If you join the Ice God Palace, I promise you'll become a Titled Douluo—no, a Super Douluo. That's my promise to you."

Jiang Nannan didn't seem moved. Instead, she asked flatly, "A force stronger than Shrek Academy—would they even want a commoner?"

Su Yu chuckled.

"Nannan, don't compare the Ice God Palace to Shrek Academy. The Ice God Palace accepts every ice-element soul master, noble or commoner, without discrimination. No other organization in the world can do that."

"And the Ice God Palace has no restrictions. Whether you're old or young, a prodigy or an ordinary soul master—if you possess an Ice Martial Soul, the Ice God Palace will never turn you away."

"What makes you so certain?"

Jiang Nannan questioned.

"Because... the Ice God Palace is mine."

Su Yu's voice was calm but carried an undeniable pride.

"My faction—don't I get to decide?"

He lowered his head, meeting Jiang Nannan's gaze as he spoke. At that moment, she felt an indescribable noble aura emanating from him. Suddenly, all her doubts clicked into place.

Why did Su Yu dare to offend Xu Sanshi and Dai Huabin, and even disregard the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Because he had the confidence to do so—he was the master of the Ice God Palace.

Jiang Nannan had never heard of the Ice God Palace. As a commoner, her knowledge of the world was limited. But she trusted Su Yu. If he said it, it must be true. Still, she couldn't understand how the boy who used to linger around her as a child could have such a monumental identity. She thought about this and asked as much.

"Because I have Ultimate Ice Martial Soul. The Ice God Hall reveres ice, and so I became its young master," Su Yu explained with a smile.

"Ultimate Ice?"

Jiang Nannan was truly shocked this time. Even with her limited knowledge, her studies at Shrek Academy had taught her what Ultimate Ice meant. It was the most powerful ice-attribute talent in existence—one of the strongest martial souls. Suddenly, something clicked, and she asked, "Xiao Yu, do you also have a wind-attribute martial soul?"

This question stemmed from Wang Yan's earlier hypothesis. He had suggested two possibilities: Su Yu either possessed twin martial souls or a single martial soul with dual attributes. Now that Su Yu was confirmed as Ultimate Ice, dual attributes under one martial soul were impossible, leaving only one option—twin martial souls.

"How did you know that, Nannan?"

Su Yu asked with a playful grin.

"I do have a second martial soul—Ultimate Wind."

Jiang Nannan was stunned. Her small mouth opened in disbelief. Twin Ultimate Martial Souls—what kind of talent was this?

"No wonder. No wonder!"

Everything made sense to Jiang Nannan now.

Why Su Yu was the young master of the Ice God Palace. With such talent, how could the hall not revere him as their leader?

"Have you made up your mind? Will you join?"

Su Yu asked again.

"But I'm not ice-attribute," Jiang Nannan replied. By this point, she no longer resisted the idea of joining Su Yu's faction. She knew he was acting for her good and appreciated his concern for her as her childhood companion. She wasn't someone who would disregard the kindness of others, especially when she understood that Su Yu's persistence stemmed from how much he cared about her. Besides, Shrek Academy was just a school—it didn't stop her from joining other factions.

"That doesn't matter. You're one of my people, and I have the authority to cultivate my own," Su Yu casually found an excuse.

After all, if he wanted someone in the Ice God Palace, wasn't it as simple as saying so?

"So, will you join?"

This time, Jiang Nannan didn't hesitate.

"I'll join."

"If you're giving me so much face, how could I not accept?" she said with a smile.

"But I can't leave immediately. After this tournament, I'll apply to withdraw from the academy. This tournament will be my last act for Shrek Academy. After that, we'll be even."

Her tone was complicated as she bit her lip.

"Fair enough," Su Yu agreed with a nod, a hint of a smile on his face. This was the Jiang Nannan he knew. He understood that, even now, Jiang Nannan felt reluctant to part with Shrek Academy. She was a deeply emotional person, and leaving wasn't easy for her. But since she had made her choice, Su Yu wouldn't push her further. His goal was simply to pull her out of Shrek's mire. If she could leave without regret, that was for the best.

Seeing the faint smile on Su Yu's face, Jiang Nannan became lost in thought. No one knew how important Su Yu was to her. His words might have been persuasive, but they weren't the real reason she agreed. The real reason was Su Yu himself.

Jiang Nannan had grown up with Su Yu. Despite being younger, he was her idol. Su Yu had always been mature, intelligent, and kind. He was even good-looking and had saved her mother's life. To Jiang Nannan, Su Yu was her knight in shining armor. She couldn't bear to hear anyone speak ill of him, which was why she had confronted the Shrek team.

She chose to join the Ice God Palace not because it was stronger than Shrek, but because Su Yu had said it was his. That was the real reason she agreed. Joining a faction didn't matter to her. What mattered was joining his faction. But this sentiment was something Jiang Nannan kept hidden in her heart. No one, not even Su Yu, knew the depth of her feelings. Not because Su Yu was oblivious, but because he never imagined his charm could be that strong—especially since he hadn't seen Jiang Nannan in two years.

Two years ago, Su Yu had only been ten years old.

How could he have anticipated any of this?

Who would have thought that Jiang Nannan's knight in shining armor was a ten-year-old boy?

But in the world of Douluo, nothing followed conventional logic.

If the Silver Dragon King could betray her race for love, what was Jiang Nannan seeing Su Yu as her knight in shining armor in comparison?

"Nannan, since you'll stay at Shrek until after the tournament, don't mention today's events to anyone. And don't let anyone know you've seen me."

"No matter how those people at Shrek badmouth me, don't argue with them. Just protect yourself. Let them say what they want—it won't harm me in the slightest. Oh, and keep my martial souls and identity a secret, alright?"

Su Yu said with a lighthearted smile.

"I'll keep your secret."

Though Su Yu had only mentioned it jokingly, he didn't particularly care if the information leaked. But Jiang Nannan nodded earnestly, her serious demeanor and determined gaze reflecting her commitment. It was clear she wouldn't reveal anything, even under pressure from Shrek Academy.