Chapter 171 – Unraveling the Truth: Shrek's Fall from Grace
Everyone present was in utter disbelief. Xiao Qiang, a youth not yet seventeen, had not only suppressed Fan Yu—but had even knocked him unconscious. At first, most didn't grasp the significance of this feat. That is, until He Caitou shouted out Fan Yu's identity and power level—an 86th-level Soul Douluo, marked by a soul ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, and four black rings.
This revelation struck everyone like a thunderbolt. A Soul Douluo of this level could easily rank among the top ten powerhouses in Mingde Hall. And yet, Xiao Qiang had overwhelmed him with seemingly little effort.
"Could Lord Xiao's spirit rings really be real? A Soul Emperor under seventeen, with six soul rings—all hundred-thousand-year rings?"
"Impossible! Who can absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring as their first ring? Even more outrageous—does the Sun Moon Empire even have so many hundred-thousand-year soul beasts to begin with?"
"But if those spirit rings aren't real, how do you explain this? How could a six-ringed Soul Emperor defeat an 86th-level Soul Douluo otherwise?"
The crowd was momentarily silent, frozen in collective astonishment. But soon, whispers turned into a chorus of questions and speculation. In the entire continent's history, never had someone under seventeen defeated a Soul Douluo of such caliber.
Xiao Qiang's cold gaze swept across the gathering before issuing his orders.
"Inform the teachers to raise security. Detain these suspects immediately. And…"
His eyes landed on Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, and the several Shrek Academy students near the fallen Fan Yu.
"This Soul Douluo's sudden aggression is too suspicious. There's clearly something deeper going on. Delay the inspections of the other groups—focus on them first. Use the soul guide recorder to monitor everything. Search them thoroughly."
"Yes, sir!"
This time, the students and staff of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy acted swiftly. Xiao Qiang's strength had changed everything.
Until now, they had obeyed Xiao Qiang purely because of his noble identity. In a world where the strong are respected, it was standard to follow the commands of someone superior—especially if that person was from the upper echelons. Still, there was a degree of unease in submitting to someone so young, no matter his lineage.
But now that Xiao Qiang had decisively crushed Fan Yu, their doubts vanished. This was no longer about identity—this was about power. In a world ruled by strength, he had earned their admiration.
The Shrek students near Fan Yu were subdued immediately. He Caitou, who put up the fiercest resistance, was pinned by several elite students. To keep him from moving, two even knelt on his neck, using their full strength to restrain him.
"You can't do this! We're from Shrek Academy! We're not citizens of your empire! You don't have the right—ugh!"
Huo Yuhao's protest was cut short as Nana delivered a vicious kick to his face. She was wearing high heels, and the sharp heel knocked out two of his teeth.
"Shut up." Nana's voice was cold. She stepped on his body, fully suppressing him with her level 57 strength. Against her, Huo Yuhao—only level 34—stood no chance.
Without Alex's assistance, he couldn't even time his invincible golden body technique. The pair of teeth lying on the ground proved just how helpless he was.
"When you search them," Xiao Qiang continued, "bring the other Shrek students to witness the process. I want every item photographed and sent directly to Shrek Academy. Let's see how they try to explain this."
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Qiang took a seat in a chair brought over by Nana's clone—a new ability made possible after her century-old spirit ring evolved into a thousand-year one, upgrading her second soul skill, Afterimage Clone, into a real physical duplicate.
"You don't have the right—!"
"Say another word, and I'll stomp out the rest of your teeth."
Nana's heel crushed Huo Yuhao's face into the ground, puncturing the skin. Blood seeped from the wound, disfiguring his already average features even further.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Fan Yu, now restrained with soul power-suppressing handcuffs, let out a muffled groan as he started to regain consciousness. Though his body was bruised and broken after the savage beating from Xiao Qiang's Susanoo, his strong foundation from Shrek allowed him to barely hold on.
As his mind cleared, panic began to fade.
Fan Yu took a deep breath. Panicking was useless. Besides, as he regained his composure, he remembered something important.
Wait… Huo Yuhao and He Caitou didn't even have access to high-level technology. The drawings they acquired weren't core secrets of the Sun Moon Empire. They didn't even possess soul tool blueprints above level 6…
If this was the case, then while the incident couldn't be dismissed entirely, it might not be an irreversible disaster. If they were just drawings Huo Yuhao and He Caitou copied on their own, perhaps Shrek could salvage the situation. With a generous enough payment, things might still be resolved diplomatically.
But that was wishful thinking.
Just as Fan Yu felt a sliver of hope, a starlight sapphire was discovered on Huo Yuhao.
Fan Yu's expression changed instantly.
That sapphire… he definitely didn't have it earlier today! When did he—?
The timeline suddenly aligned in Fan Yu's mind. The period when Huo Yuhao wasn't under his watch… That's when it must've happened.
The sapphire was opened—and sure enough, the worst came to pass.
Jing Hongchen, who had just arrived at the scene, saw the contents and erupted in rage.
"YOU BASTARDS! The Shrek people… YOU DARED STEAL MY ARMOR?!"