Star Luo Grand Coliseum, Arena Twelve.
Jing Shaoyu stepped onto the platform. On the other side, his opponent, Contestant 321, also ascended from the opposite end.
He couldn't help but grumble inwardly about this matchup. What were the odds? Contestant 123 versus Contestant 321—was this some kind of cosmic joke?
Contestant 321 was a youth of about sixteen or seventeen, with delicate features, a well-proportioned build, and an air of effortless nobility. His confident, carefree smile made it clear he came from no ordinary background.
A soul barrier slowly rose around the arena as an electronic voice announced: "Preliminary Round One, Arena Twelve: Contestant 123 versus Contestant 321. Countdown begins! Five…"
As the countdown echoed, Shaoyu noticed his opponent's demeanor shift—his smile vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating gaze fixed on him.
Jing Shaoyu, however, kept smiling.
The moment the countdown ended, Contestant 321 strode forward decisively. A blue sword shimmering with a rainbow-like radiance materialized in his grip, while two yellow and two purple Soul Rings emerged behind him, sharpening his aura to a razor's edge.
"Look! It's the Nine Calamities Sword!"
A cry of surprise erupted from the audience watching Arena Twelve, identifying the legendary blade in the youth's hand.
Contestant 321 was Chu Yang, scion of the ancient Chu Clan from the Star Luo Continent. His Martial Soul, the Nine Calamities Sword, ranked among the most formidable native Martial Souls of Star Luo, comparable to the Seven Kill Sword of Douluo Continent.
Some spectators already began mourning Jing Shaoyu's fate—what wretched luck to face the Chu Clan's young master in the very first round.
Unaware (or indifferent) to the crowd's murmurs, Shaoyu remained motionless as Chu Yang charged.
Seeing his opponent rooted in place, Chu Yang's lips curled in delight. What luck! A rookie in his first major tournament—just like himself three years ago. Back then, he had been the inexperienced one, overwhelmed in the opening round.
Now, the tables had turned. He was the veteran!
With this thought, Chu Yang quickened his pace, the Nine Calamities Sword gleaming coldly as it thrust toward Jing Shaoyu.
Shaoyu watched him close in, then casually raised a hand. The Staff of Stars appeared in his grip before tilting forward slightly.
The next instant, thick white mist erupted from nowhere, swallowing the entire arena in the blink of an eye.
Arena Twelve vanished into a milky void. Murmurs of confusion rippled through the stands as spectators lost sight of the battle. Even the referee below frowned—a fog that blocked perception? Intriguing, but he made no move to intervene.
Inside the arena, Chu Yang's heart sank to the depths. Only from his position could one understand how terrifying this suddenly spreading white mist truly was. The mist carried a bone-chilling cold, densely striking his body. It was so thick that even when he looked down, he couldn't see his own body—his vision filled with nothing but meaningless white.
Chu Yang felt as if he had become blind and deaf. His eyes couldn't see beyond a few inches, and his ears couldn't hear the faintest sound. An inexplicable panic and loneliness enveloped his heart.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Sword Shadows Flicker!" he shouted, his Nine Calamities Sword erupting with dazzling light. Yet, the radiance failed to pierce through the surrounding mist. Unfazed, Chu Yang directed the Soul Skill toward the position he remembered.
Even if he were a fool, he would have realized by now—this sudden white mist was undoubtedly the work of his opponent.
After unleashing his fourth Soul Skill, Chu Yang remained uneasy. The dimly visible third Soul Ring behind him flickered to life, and a row of sword shadows instantly materialized around him, spinning protectively. This was his third Soul Skill, Sword as a Curtain.
"Drip!"
A droplet of water landed on Chu Yang's face. Puzzled, he looked up as a second and third droplet followed in quick succession.
Rain began to fall inside the arena. Bean-sized raindrops pelted Chu Yang's body—a torrential downpour had inexplicably started within the arena. Soon, Chu Yang was drenched from head to toe. The sword curtain surrounding him could block Soul Skills but not the rain. His expression twisted in fear—why was there both mist and rain? Just what kind of Martial Soul did his opponent possess?
He tried to move, only to freeze in horror as he discovered a layer of solid ice encasing his feet, knees, and arms. He was stunned.
While other arenas showcased thrilling battles with dazzling Soul Skills on full display, Arena Twelve stood out starkly—completely white. Yet, no spectators paid it any attention, not out of disinterest, but simply because it seemed dull.
As the white mist gradually dissipated, the referee of Arena Twelve rushed onto the platform. He found the young swordsman from the Chu family, wielder of the Nine Calamities Sword Martial Soul, frozen into an ice sculpture. Were it not for the faint movement in his eyes, the referee might have thought him dead.
The referee turned to Jing Shaoyu, who stood with an air of effortless calm, offering a polite smile.
"Referee, may we announce the results now?" he said.
The referee nodded silently before declaring, "Contestant One-Two-Three is the winner."
Jing Shaoyu stepped off the arena with composed ease. By now, Arena Twelve was covered in a thick layer of ice—every corner without exception—leaving onlookers who noticed it wide-eyed in shock.
They were desperate to uncover just what had transpired in Arena Twelve.
Meanwhile, Jing Shaoyu had already made his way to Gu Yue, Na'er, and Wu Siduo. None of the three girls had their first-round matches scheduled for today, so they had specifically waited for him by Arena Twelve. Xu Xiaoyan, Ye Xinglan, and Mo Hentian, however, did have their first matches today.
"Brother, it looked like you won so effortlessly," Na'er remarked in admiration. "Was it the Ice Concealment Art?"
"And the Water Shriek Art," Jing Shaoyu replied with a smile.
"I see," Wu Siduo nodded, pondering how she might counter such an attack if she were to face it.
"Let's go find Xiaoyan," Jing Shaoyu said.
Having stepped into the Soul King realm, some of the authority belonging to the Lord of Nature had gradually awakened within him. He could now interfere with or even alter the weather within a certain area—Fireblast Art for sunny days, Water Shriek Art for rainy days, ice elements for snowy days, and Wind Binding Art for overcast skies.
This match had merely been a small test of his abilities. He believed that as his strength grew, he would eventually be able to control the entire world's weather system.
After Jing Shaoyu left, Chu Yang was freed from the ice with the referee's help. Shivering uncontrollably, he felt not only the cold in his body but also the chill in his heart. Heavens, are you really toying with me like this? How unfair is this?!
Chu Yang was utterly devastated. He had never imagined that his second Soul Master Tournament would end in the first round of the preliminaries—again. He hadn't even made it to the second round. He didn't dare think about the ridicule he'd face when he returned home.
The light in the young man's eyes gradually dimmed.
His heart was dead. Just let everything end...
By the time Jing Shaoyu and the others found Xu Xiaoyan, her match had just concluded. The young girl had effortlessly defeated her opponent, who only had three soul rings, thanks to the absolute control of her Star Staff Martial Soul and her long-range soul tool weapon.
Xu Xiaoyan came skipping toward Jing Shaoyu, her cheerful voice reaching them before she did. "Shaoyu-gege, was I amazing?"
"Of course you were," Jing Shaoyu replied with a doting smile.
"Hehe!" The praised girl giggled and instinctively reached out to hug Jing Shaoyu's arm, only to freeze under the intense stares of two pairs of eyes. Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand and awkwardly shuffled over to Wu Siduo's side.
Only then did Gu Yue and Na'er retract their satisfied gazes. Their fiercely possessive expressions made Jing Shaoyu shake his head helplessly.
He shifted the topic. "Xinglan and Xiaomo's matches haven't started yet, right?"
"Xinglan's match is the third one, so it should be soon. Xiaomo's is a bit later—the fifth match," Xu Xiaoyan answered.
"Then let's go find Xinglan first," Jing Shaoyu said.
"Alright," the four girls replied in unison.
Jing Shaoyu's first-round match hadn't caused much of a stir. In fact, very few people had paid attention to it—no one wanted to watch a screen filled with nothing but white mist. The broadcast ratings for the match were pitifully low, and for good reason. How could such a dull match attract any viewers?
The white mist of Ice Concealment Art could even block soul tool surveillance, so the broadcast of Arena Twelve showed nothing but drifting white fog and the sound of drizzling rain. Beyond that, not a single sound could be heard.
The first round of the individual competition took three days to conclude. Naturally, all seven members of Jing Shaoyu's group advanced to the second round. Their first-round opponents had been pathetically weak—ironically, Jing Shaoyu's opponent, the so-called "Nine Calamities Sword" Chu Yang, had been the strongest among them.
This just went to show that while the number of participating Soul Masters was vast, the quality varied greatly.
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After the first round of the Continental Youth Elite Soul Master Tournament's individual competition concluded, the first rounds of the doubles and team competitions began.
In the morning, Jing Shaoyu woke up in Ye Xinglan's room. After they freshened up together, they joined the others for breakfast.
At the table, Jing Shaoyu mentioned the preliminary rounds of the doubles matches that day, encouraging the six girls to do their best while subtly observing their reactions.
Xu Xiaoyan and Wu Siduo both wore confident smiles, exuding an air of certainty. Ye Xinglan and Mo Hentian also nodded with full confidence. However, the reactions of Gu Yue and Na'er—the two Jing Shaoyu was most interested in—were far more intriguing.
Both girls glanced at each other first, then at Jing Shaoyu, before lowering their heads and focusing silently on their breakfast.
"Why aren't you two saying anything?" Jing Shaoyu asked with an amused smile, looking at Gu Yue and Na'er.
"What is there to say?" Gu Yue shot him a sidelong glance, her voice tinged with a hint of complaint.
"I'm just a little worried that you two might start fighting each other before even dealing with your opponents on the stage," Jing Shaoyu teased, his lips curling into a smirk.
"That won't happen, Brother," Na'er said sweetly, her beautiful eyes glinting as she looked at Gu Yue. "We've already made up, right, Sis~ter~ Gu~ Yue~?"
Gu Yue stiffened for a moment before raising her head and forcing a stiff smile. "That's right, Lit~tle~ Sis~ter~ Na~'er~."
The peculiar interaction between the two girls drew the attention of everyone at the table. Xu Xiaoyan's face was filled with shock.
"Am I dreaming?" she exclaimed. "Maomao, pinch my cheek, quick!"
"Alright," Wu Siduo nodded and reached out.
"Ow! That hurts!" Xu Xiaoyan yelped, then glared at Wu Siduo with a pout. "Maomao, I said pinch, not claw! That really hurt!"
"I didn't even use much force," Wu Siduo replied innocently.
The others couldn't help but glance at her slender, delicate hands—each adorned with long nails.
"I think this is your own fault, Xiaoyan," Ye Xinglan commented matter-of-factly.
"Mm-hmm!" Mo Hentian nodded in agreement.
"Waaah, I'm upset," Xu Xiaoyan puffed her cheeks and looked pitifully at Jing Shaoyu, her big, watery eyes pleading for comfort.
"Let me rub it for you," Jing Shaoyu chuckled helplessly, standing up and walking over to the girl. He gently massaged her plump cheeks.
Xu Xiaoyan immediately brightened up, flashing a triumphant look at the others.
After breakfast, the seven of them left the hotel and headed straight for the Star Luo Grand Stadium.
At the entrance, they spotted Wu Zhangkong, who also noticed them. However, he had no intention of speaking to them—merely nodding in acknowledgment before walking toward the VIP spectator seats reserved for the Douluo delegation by the tournament committee.
As their instructor, Wu Zhangkong perfectly embodied the concept of "hands-off" leadership. From the start of the tournament until now, he hadn't shown up once, let alone provided any strategic guidance for Jing Shaoyu and the others. His approach was simple: trust the students to handle things themselves.
Today, all three of Shrek Academy's doubles teams were competing in the first round of the preliminary matches, which was why they even saw Wu Zhangkong at the stadium. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered showing up—let alone coming to watch.
Entering the competition venue, no one paid them much attention. Though they were all wearing Shrek Academy uniforms at the moment, the academy wasn't particularly well-known on the Star Luo Continent. Most people had only vaguely heard of its existence but knew little about it, let alone recognized their uniforms.
At most, a few frivolous individuals mocked their uniforms for being ugly.
The seven of them found a row of empty seats in the contestants' waiting area and sat down, immediately beginning quiet discussions. Over half the seats in the waiting area were already occupied, with more contestants steadily arriving.
Looking around, the vast majority of participants were clearly over eighteen. Some appeared excited, eager to jump into action, while others seemed nervous, clenching their fists to psych themselves or their teammates up. A few remained composed, meditating quietly as they awaited the competition.
From these outward displays, one could make preliminary judgments about the contestants' strength and caliber.
The duos' matches were also assigned via lottery based on registration numbers. Gu Yue and Na'er were Team 110, Xu Xiaoyan and Wu Siduo were Team 111, while Ye Xinglan and Mo Hentian were Team 112. On the waiting area's large screen, they saw their respective opponents. Fortunately, none of them were pitted against each other—otherwise, it would've been a disastrous start.
In reality, the probability of three consecutive numbers clashing was extremely low. Combined with deliberate adjustments
by the tournament committee, it was nearly impossible for their three teams to face off.
Xu Xiaoyan and Wu Siduo's "Royal Remnants" duo would compete first, followed by Gu Yue and Na'er's "Double Victory" team, with Ye Xinglan and Mo Hentian's "Celestial Star" pair going last.