Within seven days, all participating teams had gathered in Spirit City.
At this moment, inside the Spirit Arena of Spirit City.
Because everyone in Spirit City was a Spirit Master, the Spirit Arena was also different from those in the other two Empires.
The most obvious feeling was its sheer size; the venue alone spanned five hundred meters from east to west, and the Spirit Arena stage was a square platform two hundred meters long and wide.
Originally, the material for the stage was hard granite, with fine iron enclosing its perimeter, leaving only some gaps to aid in thermal expansion and contraction.
Normally, even a Spirit Saint could only leave some uneven pits on the stage, which was more than enough for the regular competitions where few students were Spirit Kings.
However, the number of contestants in this competition far exceeded previous ones, so Qian Xunfeng specifically added a layer of divine force to the stage.
Below the Title Douluo rank, there was no possibility of damage.
Moreover, to ensure the comfort of the participating teams during their rest, in addition to setting up resting areas within the Spirit Arena, there were also entertainment and relaxation venues outside the Spirit Arena.
To guarantee the safety of the contestants, a medical team consisting of six healing Spirit Douluo and over twenty healing Spirit Saints was also provided.
Early in the morning, the streets near the Spirit Arena in Spirit City were bustling with people.
After all, the semifinals and finals were incomparable to the preliminary and advancement rounds held by the other two Empires.
These were genuine clashes of champions, and even the ticket prices were more than double those of the Heaven Dou matches.
Inside Spirit Hall.
Dugu Yan and others had already found Qian Renchuan and the Spirit Hall Seven Shimmer Battle Team members early on.
"Little sister, did you miss your big brother?"
Seeing Dugu Yan, Dugu Qiubai laughed heartily, scratched his blue-gray hair somewhat lazily, and approached them.
"Who would miss a scoundrel like you?"
Dugu Yan casually glanced at Dugu Qiubai's lazy demeanor, wondering how Tian Yue could have fallen for such a lazy bum like her brother.
As Dugu Yan and Dugu Qiubai bickered, Xiao Wu tiptoed over to Qian Renchuan.
Her eyes seemed to speak as she looked at Qian Renchuan and sweetly asked, "Chuan Ge, did you miss Xiao Wu?"
"Naturally, I did."
Qian Renchuan took Xiao Wu's hand and slowly left, returning to his Saint's palace, as he and Xiao Wu were more introverted and couldn't fully relax in front of others.
However, compared to the warm reunion scene in Spirit Hall, Shrek Academy seemed to be facing a formidable enemy.
Because Qian Xunfeng, to put pressure on Shrek, spread the news that Qian Renchuan, Yan, Xie Yue, Dugu Qiubai, and Tian Yue were part of the Spirit Hall Seven Shimmer Battle Team.
This news caused Shrek Academy to panic, as they had been tormented by these four individuals in rotation.
Not long ago, they had been taught a lesson by Yan and Xie Yue, and Tang San had almost been burned to death.
Dai Mubai also recounted how Tian Yue had brutally beaten him in the past, though he concealed the news of Xiao Bai being utterly defeated.
"Three Spirit Saints and two Spirit Emperors, with two others whose cultivation is unknown but certainly not low, very likely Spirit Emperors or even another Spirit Saint."
Yu Xiaogang's expression was solemn, then he scanned the dispirited Shrek Seven Devils and calmly stated, "However, we are not without a chance to win."
He then confidently declared, "Their strength is indeed formidable, but powerful people have one flaw: they are arrogant and easily fall into traps."
"And we can use this to our advantage. We'll first use provocation to eliminate one of their Spirit Saints, but this will depend on whether Little San can do it."
After Yu Xiaogang finished speaking, his eyes turned to Tang San, the only Spirit Saint among the Shrek Seven Devils.
"Yes, I'll target Yin and first. His Spirit is the same as mine, likely a Blue Silver King, but now, my Spirit can easily suppress him."
Tang San's mouth curved into a smirk, his aura expanding, and a Dragon King's presence instantly filled the entire room.
If it were before, he might genuinely not have been confident in confronting the Spirit Hall Seven Shimmer Battle Team, but now, he possessed the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
Although he didn't know why Xue Xing only asked for three hundred million gold coins to sell him this national treasure, since he had it, he couldn't be bothered to think too much about it.
However, while Tang San was happy, Xue Xing was even more ecstatic. The genuine Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was long gone; the current one was merely a replica spirit tool.
But since the item had been given, Xue Xing wouldn't renege. After all, the money he received, Xue Xing had already donated to Spirit Hall, leaving only fifty million for himself to cultivate his Spirit Master army.
Seeing Tang San so confident, Yu Xiaogang also relaxed. Whether he could become a renowned teacher depended on this Soul Master Competition.
The next morning, the competition roster was officially confirmed. Due to changes in the competition rules, the number of participating teams decreased from thirty-three to nineteen.
Since these were the semifinals and finals, the advancement method would no longer be based on win-loss rankings but would instead adopt an elimination system.
In the semifinals, excluding the three teams directly participating in the finals, the remaining sixteen teams would compete over three days.
The first day would see sixteen teams reduced to eight, the second day eight to four, and the third day four to two, with the final two teams advancing to the finals.
They would then compete against the seeded teams from the two great Empires and Spirit Hall in the finals. Teams that lost in the first round of the finals could enter the loser's bracket, and the winners could be revived to participate again.
The ultimate victor would be the champion of this All-Continent Soul Master Competition.
Moreover, this competition was personally overseen by Qian Xunfeng, the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, which filled all Spirit Masters with yearning.
At this moment, all participants were present. Tang San also led the Shrek Seven Devils to the Spirit Arena, awaiting the referee's announcement.
However, Tang San was brimming with confidence. He had recently created a batch of extremely concealed Hidden Weapons, capable of harming without a trace, and with the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, even a confident Spirit Douluo couldn't defeat him.
But in his daze, the referee's voice suddenly rang out.
The surrounding audience stirred, and then they heard the referee's voice echoing throughout the Spirit Arena.
"Next, we invite His Holiness, the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, the Holy Land of the Spirit Master's world, to personally preside over the entire competition."
As soon as the words fell, Qian Xunfeng, wearing a platinum Supreme Pontiff's robe embroidered with golden angel patterns, appeared.
In his hand was the Supreme Pontiff's Scepter, adorned with gems and topped with an angel sculpture, gleaming brightly under the sunlight.
Qian Xunfeng's expression was calm, wearing the Supreme Pontiff's crown, as if possessing an inherent magic, and the surroundings were silent.
He then arrived at the head seat of the VIP section, followed closely by the two Douluo, Ju and Gui, and then important figures from the Upper Three Sects.
Especially Tang Xiao, Qian Xunfeng, for the sake of entertainment, directly had Tang Xiao represent the Clear Sky Sect, which was in seclusion, to attend.
And fearing there wouldn't be enough entertainment later, if Tang Xiao was instantly killed by Tang Hao, he even used divine force to strengthen Tang Xiao.
After all, it would be more fun if they fought.
"This Supreme Pontiff announces that this All-Continent Soul Master Competition now begins!"
Immediately, cheers erupted.
All the Spirit Masters present stood up, their expressions fervent, waving their hands, and shouting loudly:
"Long live His Majesty the Supreme Pontiff! Long live! Long live!"
"Long live! Long live!"