Chapter 62: What Are You So Afraid Of?!
Hearing this, Meng Hongchen frowned.
"Xiao, do you know how many people have gone bankrupt because of gambling?
Are you trying to corrupt Yuhao?"
Xiao Hongchen was stunned.
"Wait… whose side are you on? Why are you throwing me under the bus? Am I your brother, or is Huo Yuhao your brother?!"
Huo Yuhao, sitting nearby, chuckled.
"Senior Xiao, if you really want to gamble, I suggest you join the rest of the gambling addicts in Star Luo City."
Xiao Hongchen's face darkened.
"Fine! No gambling, then! But I still think Shrek Academy will finish the match in under a minute their opponent is way too weak."
Huo Yuhao instinctively glanced at the competition arena.
The participants hadn't entered yet; they were still discussing tactics.
Since he wasn't part of Shrek Academy, their team must have suffered heavily under the Death God's attack.
That meant that if Shrek wanted to win the first elimination match, they had to use special methods.
In the original timeline, Shrek won their first match thanks to Huo Yuhao's Simulation Soul Skill, which made it appear as if he had six ten thousand year soul rings.
This intimidated the enemy, and then Golden Road finished them off.
But now…
Huo Yuhao wasn't in Shrek Academy.
Wang Dong alone couldn't use Golden Road.
So Shrek's tactics had to change.
From what he knew about Shrek's people, their twisted morals meant they didn't see cheating as wrong.
If it was for the academy's eternal glory, cheating was justified.
And that's exactly why the anti cheating soul tool he had designed was about to come in handy.
If Shrek wanted to keep their thousand year legacy, they at least had to reach the Top Four.
But…
If they got caught cheating, their real strength wouldn't even be enough to get that far.
The result?
A massive hit to their reputation.
Their "eternal glory" would crumble.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind.
This was all for his own benefit.
In the future, he and Shrek would become enemies.
Might as well start weakening them now.
After all
"If Shrek cheats, I, Huo Yuhao, will personally bring them to justice!"
He turned to Jing Hongchen.
"Dean, you're up next."
The night before, on their way back from the Star Dou Forest, Huo Yuhao had shared his plan with Jing Hongchen
They would use the anti cheating soul tool in the tournament to monitor Shrek Academy.
Jing Hongchen immediately agreed.
After all, Huo Yuhao was far too valuable.
He couldn't let anyone target him, so certain things had to be done by a Titled Douluo.
Meanwhile…
Xu Jiawei sat in the VIP area, observing the tournament stage.
His expression was thoughtful.
"Shrek… Shrek… don't disappoint me."
Just then, Jing Hongchen approached him.
Immediately, Cheng Gang, the Guardian Douluo, stepped in to block him.
"Hall Master Jing, what do you intend to do?"
As Star Luo Empire's Guardian Douluo, Cheng Gang's duty was to protect the emperor.
Jing Hongchen calmly explained.
"Our academy recently developed an anti cheating soul tool.
I would like to apply it to the tournament, to prevent any unfair play."
Xu Jiawei froze for a second.
For just a moment, an undetectable trace of panic flashed in his eyes.
As the man behind the tournament rigging, he had already manipulated the drawing process to favor Shrek Academy.
But…
If Shrek wanted to win, they needed more than just his secret help
They also needed to cheat.
The reserve team was far weaker than the original lineup.
If they weren't desperate, they wouldn't have sent them to the front lines.
Xu Jiawei forced himself to remain calm.
"Hall Master Jing… are you serious?
Is there really such a thing as an anti cheating soul tool?"
"In my opinion, soul tools are no match for the eyes of a Titled Douluo referee.
So…
I think you should take it back."
Jing Hongchen smiled.
"Oh?
Then why don't we let your empire's soul engineers test it?"
"I'm sure they can verify its functionality in no time."
"After all, as one of the competing academies, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy has a duty to maintain fairness."
Cheng Gang's eyes lit up.
"Your Majesty!
Hall Master Jing is right!
As the host nation, it is our responsibility to ensure this tournament is just!"
To him, this was a golden opportunity to study Mingde Hall's technology.
If their engineers could learn something, then it would be worth it.
No way was he letting this chance go.
Xu Jiawei was stunned.
"But…"
Looking at his hesitation, Cheng Gang couldn't help but think
"Your Majesty, what exactly are you afraid of?!"
Now, even the other ministers were looking at Xu Jiawei.
At this point, he had no way out.
Even though he was the emperor, he wasn't a tyrant he couldn't ignore his officials' opinions.
So, with no other choice, he reluctantly said,
"Fine.
Summon our Rank 8 soul engineers."
Soon, a group of white haired Rank 8 engineers arrived and inspected the soul tool.
After a brief examination, one of them looked up at Xu Jiawei.
"Your Majesty,
This tool does indeed prevent cheating.
I believe it would be beneficial to use it in the tournament."
Xu Jiawei felt his soul leave his body.
But he couldn't just say
"You're ruining Shrek's plan! You're all courting death!"
So, in his heart, he could only silently mourn for Shrek Academy.
For three whole minutes.
Then, with a forced smile, he said,
"Excellent!
Mingde Hall truly is the pinnacle of soul engineering.
To create something so unique…
It is truly a blessing for our continent!"
"Hall Master Jing, let us work together to maintain the integrity of this tournament!"
He then assigned one of his Rank 8 soul engineers to accompany Jing Hongchen to the competition arena.
At the same time, Shrek Academy's team and Blue Cloud Advanced Soul Master Academy finally entered the stage.
Jing Hongchen pulled out a black metal disc the anti cheating soul tool and began scanning the soul power fluctuations of each competitor.
The Star Luo engineer monitored him closely, ensuring nothing was tampered with.
Up in the spectator stands, Huo Yuhao quietly observed Blue Cloud Academy's team.
His thoughts raced.
"Blue Cloud Advanced Soul Master Academy… never heard of them."
"Then again… the original story only focused on Shrek's elimination matches."
"This must be a team that was meant to fight someone else… but thanks to the butterfly effect, Xu Jiawei rigged the matchups?"
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