Douluo: I Am the Lord of Mysteries

The one who had just kicked Tang Wulin back into the circle of upperclassmen…

It was none other than Mu Xi, his senior sister in forging.

(Although, at this point in the story, they hadn't yet officially become master and disciple.)

She was a stunningly beautiful girl with a tall, slender frame and long, golden ponytail. Her appearance was striking, and she carried herself with natural grace.

That blinding flash of light from earlier had been released by Mu Xi. A pair of yellow century soul rings hovered beneath her feet, their radiance glowing upwards. Above her head floated a golden orb like a miniature sun, and a small flame flickered gently on her left shoulder—her soul spirit, seemingly of the fire attribute.

Though the heat she had released was already receding, the surrounding air still shimmered from the lingering warmth.

At this moment, Mu Xi turned to glare at a burly senior student who had raised a fist toward Tang Wulin's face. Her voice rang out sharply:

"Stop!"

The upperclassman hesitated, then withdrew his hand with a scowl—but still gave Tang Wulin a shove for good measure.

The rest of the crowd stepped aside. Mu Xi strode toward Tang Wulin slowly, her presence commanding even as her soul power receded.

Two soul rings—she was already a Grandmaster.

She looked directly at Tang Wulin and said coldly,

"I'm Mu Xi, from Class One of Year Five in the Intermediate Division. I'm challenging you to a forging match. If you plan to keep studying at this academy, don't you dare decline."

She was competitive by nature. She'd been like that since she was a child.

Tang Wulin's eyes narrowed.

He hated being threatened.

That stubborn streak buried in his personality flared to the surface.

Just as he was about to respond, a wave of dizziness swept through the crowd. Even Mu Xi and the upperclassmen swayed, their minds briefly clouded.

When they regained their footing, a cold, chilling voice cut through the air:

"If you want to stay alive, then stop talking nonsense… and tell your little lapdogs to back off."

Mu Xi's expression changed. Her body went rigid, and for the first time, fear flickered in her sharp gaze.

The others were confused, but she could feel it clearly:

Something hard and cold was pressing into her waist.

As the daughter of the eight-star forging master Mu Chen, Mu Xi was no stranger to danger, and she instantly recognized it.

It was a gun.

A soul tool gun.

A big one.

Mu Xi didn't kid herself. As a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, she stood no chance of surviving a close-range blast from a soul tool weapon like that.

She didn't dare move. She didn't even dare to release her martial soul again.

"Tell them to get lost."

That chilling voice came again—this time from right beside her.

From her shoulder, a head leaned into view.

Nan Fusheng.

He was shorter than Mu Xi by a bit, and to anyone watching, it looked like one of his arms was casually draped over her shoulder while the other held the soul tool gun directly against her waist.

"Bastard! Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

The tall upperclassman from earlier bellowed, but the words caught in his throat.

Because in that moment, a razor-sharp coldness pressed against his neck.

The sensation told him one thing—if he made the slightest move, his throat would be slit open.

He also felt the pressure of a dagger against his waist.

"Oh, we know exactly what we're doing."

A voice came from behind him. A figure stepped forward from the shadows.

Xie Xie.

Nan Fusheng's tone was calm and icy.

"Our patience is limited. If you think we won't make a move just because we're inside the academy... feel free to test that theory."

As he spoke, the hand at Mu Xi's throat tensed slightly. She let out a small cry of pain.

"Get them out of here," she ordered in a low voice.

She could feel it—the killing intent. Cold, sharp, and real.

She was still just a thirteen-year-old girl. Fear quickly took hold.

One by one, the upperclassmen backed away. Just as the situation began to deescalate—

"Stop!"

A thunderous roar echoed out.

Xie Xie's entire body jolted. In an instant, both of his daggers—Light Dragon Dagger and the invisible Shadow Dragon Dagger—vanished. The next moment, he was snatched off the ground like a ragdoll by a towering figure, lifted into the air as easily as a hawk grabs a chick.

Seeing the figure, Nan Fusheng immediately let go and gave Mu Xi a push forward, stepping back and lowering his weapon.

Intermediate Division, Disciplinary Office

"Explain. What happened?"

Director Long Hengxu stood behind his desk, expression as dark as a storm cloud, eyes fixed on the group of students before him.

Mu Xi kept her head lowered.

"I just came to challenge Tang Wulin in forging."

Xie Xie sneered,

"Oh yeah? You corner someone with a mob at the first-year dorms, and you call that a challenge? That's how you 'invite' someone?"

Long Hengxu glared at him coldly.

"So that's why you pulled a blade on your senior? If he didn't stop—what then? You would've killed him?"

Xie Xie snorted, giving the upperclassmen a mocking glance.

"Depends on the mood, I guess."

Long Hengxu turned toward Nan Fusheng, his tone severe.

"The academy prohibits the possession of dangerous soul tools. Where did you get that soul gun? And using it to threaten a senior? If you can't give me a proper explanation, I have every right to expel you on the spot."

Unlike Xie Xie, who had used his martial soul, Nan Fusheng had brandished an actual weapon. A soul gun.

And that was serious. Very serious.

The Federation strictly regulated soul tool ownership, and the academy had clear rules against students bringing anything capable of lethal force onto campus.

If Nan Fusheng didn't have a good reason… even if they chose not to report him to the authorities, he would not be allowed to stay.

Nan Fusheng lowered his head slightly, his voice trembling as he spoke,

"That gun… was my mother's."

"The day before I came to Eastsea Academy, a criminal broke into our home and… violated my mother. That gun belonged to him."

"I managed to take it from him and… I shot him. Killed him.

But afterward… my mom… she used it to end her own life too."

"There's a record of it in Aolai City. You can check.

If you want to expel me, go ahead. But I won't give up that gun."

The room fell silent.

Everyone turned to look at Nan Fusheng. Even Xie Xie, who often butted heads with him, was left speechless.

Tang Wulin looked stunned, mouth opening and closing without any words coming out.

Long Hengxu just stood there, frozen.

Gods above… how could I have forced him to relive that…?

He quickly dismissed the idea that Nan Fusheng was lying. Something like this could be easily verified with the authorities in Aolai City—there was no need to make it up.

Flustered, Long Hengxu shifted his gaze to Tang Wulin.

"And you? As the person this all centered around—anything to say?"

Though still shaken by Nan Fusheng's story, Tang Wulin raised his head and said firmly:

"When I was little, my dad taught me something:

If I ever bullied someone weaker than me, he'd punish me harshly."

"But if someone stronger bullied me, he said—fight back without hesitation.

And he would never blame me for it."

Long Hengxu stared at the group of kids before him.

One defiant, one with a tragic past, and one who spoke with reason and conviction…

I've been a disciplinary director for years, and I'm actually at a loss for words.

Then came a cold, familiar voice from the door.

"Well said. I don't see anything wrong with what my students did."

The door opened—and in walked Wu Zhangkong, face as dark as ever.

Long Hengxu's brows furrowed.

"Wu Zhangkong, have you forgotten the basic courtesy of knocking?"

"Apologies," Wu Zhangkong said coldly.

Long Hengxu's face twitched.

That was the most insincere 'sorry' I've ever heard.

He was already a nightmare back when he taught in the Advanced Division.

Now he's been assigned the lowest-ranked class, and he still hasn't changed one bit.

Wu Zhangkong's icy gaze swept across the group of fifth-year students.

"Picking on first-years… impressive. Very impressive."

"I don't pick on those weaker than me.

But if I ever catch any of you messing with my students again—

I'll personally beat your class teacher to a pulp."

Long Hengxu growled,

"Wu Zhangkong, mind your manners!"

"If you can beat me," Wu Zhangkong replied,

"I'll mind them."

With that, he grabbed Tang Wulin by one hand and Nan Fusheng by the other, and strode right out of the disciplinary office.

Xie Xie:

Σ(°△°|||)︴???

Uh, Teacher Wu?

You forgot someone?

Seeing Long Hengxu's increasingly red face, Xie Xie wasn't about to stick around.

He quickly ran after them.

You—!

Long Hengxu jumped up, furious, but then remembered what Wu Zhangkong had done back in the Advanced Division…

Forget it. That guy's a lunatic.

Turning back to the remaining upperclassmen, he unleashed his fury.

All of you! One demerit each.

Picking on younger students—what real strength!