The participating teams from Blazing Wind Academy and Glazed Academy slowly walked onto the competition stage.
Since both teams had previously participated in matches and had students at the Soul Ancestor level, the cheers from the audience were quite loud.
The two team captains, Huo Wushuang and Ning Rongrong, stepped forward.
"Blazing Wind Team captain, Huo Wushuang. Martial Soul: Blazing Tyrant Dragon. Level 44 Battle Soul Ancestor."
"Glazed Team captain, Ning Rongrong. Martial Soul: Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda. I'm just an ordinary support-type Soul Master, so my exact level doesn't really matter."
"Uh…" Huo Wushuang's expression froze.
Was this some kind of provocation?
The Soul Master tournament didn't have any special rule requiring participants to announce their levels. However, it was customary for one side to reciprocate if the other took the initiative to share their information as a sign of respect.
"Contestant Ning Rongrong, have we met before?" Huo Wushuang asked tentatively.
"Huh? That's not a good way to hit on someone! Even if you say that, I can't just ask Glazed Academy to go easy on you. That's way too obvious—I might end up kneeling on a washboard when I get back." Ning Rongrong's tone was indifferent.
Huo Wushuang: "…"
Why did this girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan have such a mischievous personality?
At the referee's signal, both sides retreated to their respective positions.
The match was about to begin.
But compared to the match itself—
What Ning Rongrong had just said was broadcasted live to the entire audience.
The story of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Eight Treasure Glazed Pagoda hadn't been officially publicized, but powerful clans and sects with influence were already aware of it.
Ning Fengzhi, an 89th-ranked Soul Douluo, had already upgraded his Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda to an Eight Treasure Glazed Pagoda. There was even a chance that he might break through to the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda in his lifetime.
But now, what had this girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan just said on stage?
Her Martial Soul was a Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda?
Didn't that mean the 89th-level bottleneck no longer applied to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? That the title of Titled Douluo was now within reach?
Even if the girl competing on stage hadn't fully reached the level of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, what about her descendants?
One child per year—no, even one every two years—would firmly secure the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's position as the undisputed number one support-type sect in the world!
Those clans and sects with access to intelligence knew that Ning Fengzhi's daughter, whom he had hidden away like a treasure, had awakened her Martial Soul with innate full soul power.
As long as she didn't die prematurely, she was practically guaranteed to become a Titled Douluo. And with the addition of the Nine Heart Begonia, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had become even more unshakable.
"Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda?"
What the hell!
Had the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan grown even bigger and stronger?
In the exclusive lounge of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen had originally been berating his academy's students over their loss to Shrek Academy that morning.
Hearing that Glazed Academy had another match in the afternoon, and that their opponent was supposedly quite strong, he had stayed behind quietly to observe Glazed Academy's strength.
But then—
"Ning Fengzhi, you old fox." Yu Yuanzhen's face darkened dangerously as he stared at the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda emblem on the chest of Glazed Academy's uniform through the soul tool screen.
Though the emblem was small and hard to make out clearly at a glance…
What the hell kind of "Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda" emblem was that?
That was unmistakably a Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda!
In other words, Ning Fengzhi no longer intended to hide it.
No wonder that scheming old fox Ning Fengzhi hadn't bothered to rename his sect all this time. Turns out, he thought the Eight Treasure Glazed Pagoda wasn't impressive enough!
"Hmph! So the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan now stands on equal footing with Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Clan, and no longer needs to hide, is that it?"
Yu Yuanzhen's chest heaved violently, while Yu Tianxin and the others beside him trembled, not daring to speak.
"To think… to think the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had been hiding a Soul Master like this all along."
Compared to Yu Yuanzhen, the sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, who was so furious he could barely breathe—
Inside Shrek Academy's lounge, Grandmaster's eyes were filled with shock.
"No wonder Ning Fengzhi bypassed his two elder brothers and directly designated Ning Rongrong as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's young sect master."
Though this had only been a signal—even after so many years, it had never been officially confirmed—it was practically a done deal.
"Xiao San, Glazed Academy may be a formidable opponent for Shrek Academy. You must all carefully observe this battle."
"Blazing Wind Academy isn't weak. Perhaps we'll get to see a glimpse of Glazed Academy's true strength."
"Grandmaster, so what if it's a Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda?" Dai Mubai's expression was full of arrogance, his demeanor even more domineering after his time in Slaughter City.
"Even if it's a Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, it's still just an amplification-type Martial Soul. Right now, there's no difference between it and the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda."
"Heh, but that pink-haired girl is quite pretty."
Dai Mubai stroked his chin, his lips curling into a roguish smirk.
Beside him, Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, her arms crossed and her aura colder than ever before.
Her demeanor had grown even more aloof since entering Slaughter City.
However, while Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak, Ma Hongjun was quick to chime in.
"As expected of Boss Dai! Whether in Slaughter City or here, your taste never fails to impress me."
"If you two want to die, go ahead and try something." Tang Xiao's voice was icy. "Ning Rongrong is Ning Fengzhi's daughter and most likely the next sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
"Aside from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, she also has a teacher who is a Limit Douluo capable of suppressing Qian Daoliu."
"If you don't want to die, keep your thoughts to yourselves."
How could they even think of such things?
Acting recklessly in Slaughter City was one thing—it was that kind of place, after all.
But honestly, Tang Xiao deeply regretted the fact that the Ancestor had allowed these two into Slaughter City. Their desires had been amplified to an outrageous degree. Even Dai Mubai, as a prince…
However, what was strange was that Zhu Zhuqing of the Zhu Clan hadn't stopped them. That was truly unexpected.
Aside from Zhu Zhuqing, the one called Oscar was relatively well-behaved.
An innate full soul power support-type Soul Master, his personality was decent aside from his occasional bravado.
The Clear Sky Clan, having recently re-emerged into the world, was in desperate need of support-type Soul Masters. They could continue observing him—if he proved useful, they could recruit him into the clan. After all, Oscar's background was clean.
But Zhu Zhuqing… was a bit different.
For some reason, Tang Xiao sensed an aura similar to the Ancestor's from her. It was probably just his imagination.
Hearing about Ning Rongrong's background and connections, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai immediately deflated.
Tang Xiao was relieved. It was better to nip their arrogance in the bud before they offended someone they shouldn't.
With a sigh, Tang Xiao turned his attention back to the soul tool screen broadcasting the match.
By now, the battle between Glazed Academy and Blazing Wind Academy had already begun, with both sides releasing their Martial Souls and revealing their soul power levels.
If Blazing Wind's team was surprising for having all members at the Soul Ancestor level, then Glazed Academy's team was downright shocking.
This was the second time the audience had seen a team that exceeded the usual standards of the Soul Master tournament—the first being Shrek Academy's Tang Long of the Clear Sky Clan.
Watching the screen, Tang Xiao's expression also shifted to one of astonishment.
"Glazed Academy actually has a Soul King?"
The youthful face of their opponent suggested they were several years younger than Tang Long.