The Heaven Dou City auction was just a minor prelude to the All‑Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
As time progressed, the grand event—co-hosted by the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire royalty, with the Spirit Hall's assistance—finally arrived. This soul‑master spectacular was unprecedented in scale, bringing together the continent's brightest and most promising young talent.
Despite being officially labeled as "assisting," the Spirit Hall's growing influence made it appear more like the real organizer. Especially with the finals held in Spirit City, the Spirit Hall's central fortress, its dominance in the soul‑master world became unmistakably clear.
Tournament rules were strict yet fair:
Contestants must be under 25 years old.
Each match must field exactly seven team members—emphasizing both the strength of academies and the entertainment factor.
Though competitive, the event was meant to foster camaraderie and skill refinement—not to harm or kill opponents, reflecting both martial spirit and humanistic care.
The true goal wasn't just to crown a champion, but to identify and cultivate outstanding young soul masters—talents who would shape the future. As such, protecting participants was as important as fostering talent.
Raising a soul master takes time, effort, innate talent, and opportunity. With soul masters rare, everyone counts. Hence, the ban on killing or severe injury during the matches was also a form of protection.
Other rules included:
No substances (food or medicine) from non-food or non-healing soul masters—maintaining fairness while highlighting the importance of food and healer soul masters for support.
No external weapons beyond one's Martial Soul—they ensured battles remained about soul ability and true soul-power, preserving balance and meaning.
The Empire's prestige was reflected in the regional setup:
All advanced academies in the Heaven Dou Empire participated, grouped by region. Heaven Dou City itself and the empire's four kingdoms and one principality made six preliminary zones. Each zone had allocated slots for the main tournament, ensuring wide representation.
Heaven Dou City, with its numerous elite academies, naturally had more qualifying slots—an arrangement that highlighted imperial favor.
From preliminaries, thirty teams would advance to the finals. Before the grand finals, a Playoffs Round would determine their seeding, adding suspense and strategic importance.
Preliminaries: Group battles (round-robin), emphasizing teamwork and consistency.
Playoffs: 1-v-1 elimination, spotlighting individual talent under pressure.
This two-stage system balanced team coordination and personal prowess, allowing organizers—Spirit Hall and imperial VIPs—to spot exceptional young soul masters for recruitment and mentorship.
Final Tournament—The Face of Spirit Hall:
Ultimately, thirty-three teams would compete in Spirit City's knockout tournament. The extra slot was reserved for the Spirit Hall team itself, equal in status to the two Imperial Academy teams. This was a powerful symbol of Spirit Hall's prestige.
Although not officially an academy, the Spirit Hall had its training institution: the Spirit Hall Advanced Academy, cultivating top-tier soul masters. Their representative team was expected to be among the most formidable.