Everyone cheered, their eyes fervent, their shouts deafening, echoing throughout Spirit City, the reverberations endless.
Afterward, all the competing academies knelt on one knee to show respect to the Supreme Pontiff, also because the Supreme Pontiff's status was equal to that of the emperors of the two great Empires.
He was also the person truly revered by Spirit Masters throughout the Douluo Continent; if one did not bow, they would naturally be condemned by thousands.
Qian Xunfeng scanned the crowd, intending to see if the Shrek Seven Devils, those stubborn bones, had knelt. He found that these stubborn bones had not knelt at all, standing out prominently among the kneeling crowd.
As for why, it was because the Shrek Seven Devils were too arrogant, somewhat unable to distinguish the situation.
Tang San considered himself the Reincarnation of a God King, the true heir of the Clear Sky Sect, and the future master of the Douluo World.
How could Spirit Hall, a defeated subordinate from his previous life, be worthy of having Tang God King kneel to him? So, he arrogantly raised his head, staring fearlessly at Qian Xunfeng.
A trace of anger surged in his heart; it was because of this unfamiliar Supreme Pontiff before him that his plan had fallen through. He truly had a death wish.
Another person who looked directly at Qian Xunfeng was Dai Mubai, the Reincarnation of the God of War, now the White Tiger Eunuch Dai Meibai.
Because he had witnessed Spirit Hall's defeat in his previous life, Dai Mubai still did not take Spirit Hall seriously; it was nothing more than a withered bone in a tomb.
Oscar and Ma Hongjun were Dai Mubai's lackeys. Seeing that Dai Mubai hadn't knelt, they naturally stood up as well, though they lacked the courage to raise their heads, their eyes flickering, clearly lacking confidence.
Feng Xiaotian was different; he was Tang San's number one lackey, his eyes incredibly wild, looking down on those kneeling around him.
Yu Tianheng's gaze was sinister because Qian Xunfeng had plundered their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, causing their resources to sharply decrease. But he only glanced, then somewhat timidly withdrew his gaze.
Xiao Fei hid behind Tang San, afraid of attracting attention, hunched over with her head lowered, terrified of being discovered.
For a moment, everyone's eyes in the arena gathered on the Shrek Seven Devils, their gazes filled with anger.
They were clearly very displeased with the Shrek Seven Devils' behavior. Where did these youngsters come from, to be so disrespectful to the Supreme Pontiff?
Ning Fengzhi on the stage watched them for a few moments, his eyes playfully observing Qian Xunfeng. He wanted to see how Qian Xunfeng would handle the situation.
After all, for a Supreme Pontiff to personally punish a junior would be beneath his status, and if he didn't care, it would damage Spirit Hall's reputation.
Qian Xunfeng also looked over, then at the indignant spectators around him, very satisfied with everyone's reaction.
He said indifferently, "Rise."
This showed that their Spirit Hall's status as the Holy Land of the Spirit Master's world was unshakeable. As for the Shrek Seven Devils, those clowns, there would naturally be special people to torment them.
Among the Spirit Hall Seven Shimmer Battle Team, the Qian family's three prodigies were looking at the Shrek Seven Devils below with ill intent.
Their eyes were filled with disgust. Qian Renchuan was particularly displeased with Tang San and the others' actions, his brows furrowed, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Who was his father? The Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, the leader of the Spirit Master's world, and the most powerful Supreme Pontiff in Spirit Hall's history, possessing great wisdom, guiding Spirit Hall's development.
Yet, these worthless things, the Shrek Seven Devils, dared to disrespect his beloved father. This was nothing short of looking down on Spirit Hall and looking down on his father.
As Qian Xunfeng's son, even if his father was magnanimous and didn't bother, he, as his son, had to make the Shrek Seven Devils understand the rules.
A group of social parasites with hearts higher than the heavens and lives thinner than paper, greedy, finding joy in suffering, ignorant of proper etiquette, inherently evil, disrespecting the Supreme Pontiff—they all had a death wish.
After Qian Xunfeng returned to his seat, the host of the competition came onto the stage and announced the list of first-round matchups.
"Blazing Academy versus Shenfeng Academy."
"Tianshui Academy versus Longkui Academy."
The final result announced by the referee caused the Shrek Seven Devils to collectively erupt in fury!
"Shrek Seven Devils versus Heaven Dou Royal Team One."
Familiar opponents, familiar pattern, familiar crushing defeat in the first match.
At this moment, some spectators on the stage who knew the news also had strange expressions. These Shrek Seven Devils truly had a grudge with Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
How could they always meet in the first round? Wasn't this just getting eliminated at the start?
Moreover, there were no revival matches in the semifinals; elimination meant direct disqualification.
However, no one cared; they all looked happily in the direction of the Shrek Seven Devils. Having disrespected the Supreme Pontiff just now, it seemed retribution had arrived.
Below the stage, Tang San and the others were utterly enraged. What kind of competition was this? Was there still any fun to be had? There was definitely foul play!
He immediately stormed onto the stage, disregarding others' gazes, and shouted with an impassioned expression, "I want to report, there's foul play, blatant foul play!"
"Spirit Hall is deliberately targeting us, the Shrek Seven Devils."
After speaking, his eyes looked towards Qian Xunfeng at the head seat. Before he could say more, he was instantly suppressed in place.
"Disrupting the order of the competition, one warning. Another instance will result in direct disqualification from the competition."
Before Tang San could say anything else, the referee, who was already annoyed by the Shrek Seven Devils' previous disrespect towards the Supreme Pontiff, immediately released eight spirit rings and directly knocked Tang San down.
Tang San, due to his Physique, was knocked unconscious by a single slap.
The surrounding spectators also watched coldly. Spirit Hall was the Holy Land for Spirit Masters, and the Shrek Seven Devils' disrespect towards the Supreme Pontiff had been witnessed by everyone.
To Qian Xunfeng's fanatical followers, this was akin to disrespecting the Supreme Pontiff in a church, treating the church as a joke, and believers as trash. It was simply unforgivable.
"Where are your academy's teachers? Hurry and take him away."
The referee looked towards Shrek Academy's resting area.
"Flender, you go."
Yu Xiaogang cautiously glanced at Qian Xunfeng on the stage, feeling a tremor in his heart. He dared not go out, fearing he would be beaten to death by random sticks.
He could only let Flender go.
"Now, the first round of the competition begins. Please, Blazing Academy and Shenfeng Academy, come to the stage."
As Tang San was dragged away like a dead dog, the competition continued.
...
Inside the Shrek resting room.
Tang San slowly awoke from his coma, his face somewhat grim. He turned to look at his teammates, who were sighing by his side.
"What do we do! What do we do!"
Yu Xiaogang was burning with anxiety. How could they be eliminated right after entering the semifinals? His Grandmaster dream hadn't even begun, was it already over?
Looking at his brainless, panicking teammates, Tang San lay weakly on the bed. This wasn't right.
Shouldn't he, in this life, sweep through the World, establish the Tang Sect, control the Douluo Continent, rule the God Realm, and become Tang God King revered by countless Worlds?
But what was happening now? Why was he repeatedly suffering setbacks? It shouldn't be like this, he shouldn't be like this.
Tang San's eyes were somewhat gloomy, and a negative aura emanated from his entire body, warning people to stay away. That momentum even surpassed the dark shadows in Oscar and Ma Hongjun's spiritual seas.
However, after sulking for a morning, the referee's voice came from outside.
"Next up is Heaven Dou Royal Team One versus Shrek Academy. Both teams, please come to the stage."
As the voice fell, the Shrek Seven Devils' faces turned ashen. Repeated defeats left them with no Battle Intent.
At this moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Tang San's mind, and he shouted:
"Hey! I have a plan!"