As the principal of Monster Academy, En Ci had been furious, and he took Tong Yu back to the academy in person to execute him.

Tong Yu offered no resistance throughout the entire process, and after ascertaining the sequence of events that had led up to his heinous crime, En Ci was very hesitant about how to proceed.

It was extremely difficult to produce a Hyper Douluo, particularly one like Tong Yu, who was willing to remain in the academy, but this matter couldn't just be settled without any consequences being handed down.

Thus, after extensive discussions with the officials of the empire, they decided to give Tong Yu some leniency. All powerful beings at the Titled Douluo level or above had certain amnesty rights, but Tong Yu's crime was far too heinous to simply go unpunished. As such, he was given a sentence of 50 years imprisonment, and he was prohibited from owning a suit of battle armor for the rest of his life. At the same time, he would have to remain in Monster Academy for as long as he lived, unless the academy gave him express permission to go elsewhere.

In the end, En Ci had saved his life, but also taken away his freedom, and in a sense, Tong Yu had become the guardian of Monster Academy.

It had been 37 years since that incident, and Tong Yu was close to 70 years of age. En Ci was the only one that he took orders from, and he was technically a secret guardian of Monster Academy. There were very few people even among the academy's students who were aware of his existence.

The Tong Yu incident was an important factor behind why En Ci was so strict to Long Yue, especially when it came to emotional control.

The general public had been extremely displeased by this outcome, and signed a petition to have Tong Yu executed. In the end, he was only able to survive as the officials and Monster Academy had stood up against the social pressures until the incident was gradually forgotten.

As such, all of the spectators had erupted into a frenzy upon hearing the words "Qilin Douluo Tong Yu".

"Piss off, you murderer!"

"Why is a murderer representing our empire? Who gave him that right?"

"Execute him!"

A series of enraged voices rang out, and the atmosphere of excitement in the stadium instantly turned into one of fury.

Tang Wulin was rather taken aback by this response as he waited near the other entrance. He didn't know who this Qilin Douluo Tong Yu was, but what he did know was that he definitely wasn't on the list of potential opponents that the Smiling Douluo had outlined for this match.

However, from the reaction of the spectators, Tang Wulin could tell that this Qilin Doluo was quite renowned. No, to put it more accurately, he seemed to be extremely notorious.

How could the Star Luo Empire have chosen someone like him to participate in the Trial of Five Gods?

On the rostrum, Dai Tianling's brows furrowed tightly as he turned to En Ci with displeasure in his eyes.

This was the Trial of Five Gods! How could a criminal represent the empire during such a sacred event?

Dai Tianling was suddenly struck by the feeling that he was too trusting of this teacher of his. Choosing Zhang Geyang the day before had already been a very controversial decision, yet he had managed to even outdo that today. Even if Tong Yu were to win this match, there would still be no glory for the empire. How pitiful was it that their empire had to turn to a criminal to defend its honor?

En Ci stood up from his seat before half-kneeling in front of Dai Tianling as he said in an earnest manner, "Your Majesty, Tong Yu has always been waiting for an opportunity, and this is extremely important for him. I can guarantee you that he won't bring shame to our empire. He's waited 37 years for this day, so please grant him this opportunity, Your Majesty. After this match, I'm willing to accept any punishment you wish to pass down onto me."

Dai Tianling didn't know why En Ci had made this decision, but En Ci's earnest display showed him that there had to be a legitimate reason for this. As such, his expression eased slightly as he hurriedly helped En Ci to his feet. "Please don't be like this, Teacher; I have trust in you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." En Ci turned and cast his gaze toward Tong Yu with an encouraging expression.

Go and do what you want to do, Tong Yu!

Even in the face of all of the abuse being hurled at him by the spectators, Tong Yu remained very calm. He had already faced the exact same thing several decades ago, and this was an extremely important day for him, so nothing in the outside world mattered in his eyes.

All of the abuse and resentment being directed toward him was inconsequential, and he looked straight ahead as he strode directly toward the competition platform.

The protective barrier rose up to cut off all sound from the outside world, and a cold look appeared in Tong Yu's eyes.

Tang Wulin also strode onto the competition platform. He was unable to sense his opponent's exact cultivation rank, but he knew that this definitely wasn't going to be an easy opponent.

The announcer was afraid to rile up the spectators any further than they already were, so he immediately announced the commencement of the match without wasting any time.

Tong Yu didn't immediately attack. Instead, he threw his head back and roared to the heavens.

The sound from the outside world couldn't be heard from within the protective barrier, but the sounds that rang out within the barrier were audible to everyone outside.

Tong Yu's roar sounded like a pride of lions roaring in unison, and his voice managed to drown out the collective voices of the 100,000 spectators present. A series of soul rings then began to emerge beneath his feet, and Tang Wulin was stunned to discover that all of Tong Yu's soul rings were red. There were nine of them in total, and as they emerged, Tong Yu's aura began to swell at an insane rate.

Never had Tang Wulin ever seen or heard of someone who possessed nine 100,000-year-old soul rings. This indicated that he possessed at least 18 soul skills, and all of them were definitely going to be extremely fearsome.

Tang Wulin could also hear an undertone of frustration and fury in Tong Yu's roar, as if he were trying to release all of his pent-up emotions through his voice.

Everyone's expressions changed drastically at the sight of the nine red soul rings that had emerged from beneath his feet, and the spectator stands were stunned into silence.

Inside the Spirit Pagoda booth, Zhang Geyang was also astonished by this incredible spectacle, but he then quickly burst into laughter. "Fantastic! I didn't think that Monster Academy would have someone like this up their sleeve; En Ci really is pulling out all the stops for this Trial of Five Gods!"

Gu Yuena merely looked on in silence. Zhang Geyang was laughing, but there was clearly a hint of envy in his eyes at the sight of Tong Yu's nine red soul rings.

This was undoubtedly the ultimate pursuit of a Soul Master, and not even any of the Limit Douluos in history had ever achieved such an incredible soul ring configuration. Did this mean that Tong Yu was already a Limit Douluo?

He had already been a Hyper Doulou 37 years before, and he had somehow managed to evolve all of his soul rings to the 100,000-year level, so what about his cultivation rank? 37 years was definitely enough for an outrageous talent like him to make that all-important breakthrough. Could it be that he was the Star Luo Empire's second Limit Douluo?

The same thoughts were running through the minds of almost everyone present. He was indeed a murderer, but he had already been imprisoned for 37 years. If he had become a Limit Douluo and could control his own power, then could he be forgiven? The opinions of some of the spectators were already beginning to sway.

After all, this was a Limit Douluo in a world where power was revered above all else. A being of his caliber could perhaps play a pivotal role in deciding the fate of the entire empire if a war were to break out.

There wasn't even a single Limit Douluo in the Dou Spirit Empire, and even in the Douluo Federation, there were only several Limit Douluos in total. If the Star Luo Empire could add another Limit Douluo to their ranks, then the overall power of the entire empire would definitely be significantly enhanced.