The defeat of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's reserve team didn't alter Emperor Xue Ye's expression much, but the sharp glint in his eyes betrayed the turbulence beneath his calm surface.
Compared to the restrained emperor, Prince Xue Xing lacked the same composure. He was both furious and fearful—furious at Spirit Hall's provocation, and fearful of Xue Ye's dissatisfaction with him.
His title as prince existed only because he was young and posed no real threat to Xue Ye's reign. Most of the elder princes from his generation had long been purged by the emperor.
In the rear, the elite aristocrats and high-ranking officials were equally enraged. Their interests were closely tied to the empire, and Salas's public provocation was effectively a direct threat to their collective authority.
Only Ning Fengzhi remained expressionless. His only stake in the Heaven Dou Empire was tied to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. As long as the prince's succession remained secure, his own Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's interests would be safeguarded. To him, everyone else in the court was merely for appearances.
In contrast to Heaven Dou's gloomy atmosphere, Salas was visibly pleased.
"This humble one has numerous duties and won't delay His Majesty further with celebrations."
"Farewell."
"Hahaha—hahaha!"
Salas's open laughter as he departed was utterly unrestrained.
"Your Majesty, that Salas from Spirit Hall is far too arrogant!" Prince Xue Xing glared hatefully at Salas's retreating.
Emperor Xue Ye narrowed his eyes and coldly snorted:
"Hmph!"
"Y-Your Majesty!" Prince Xue Xing instantly knelt, pale and terrified.
"Xue Xing… is this the so-called genius you so proudly recommended to me?" The emperor's voice was soft, but the chill behind his words sent a wave of unease through everyone nearby.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Xue Xing bowed low, trembling.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi intervened:
"Prince Xue Xing has long served the Empire with loyalty. Elephant Armor Academy is known for its incredible defense and even has Soul Ancestors on the team. Your Majesty, perhaps the prince should not be judged too harshly."
Xue Ye waved his hand.
"I know what my brother is capable of. Very well, you may rise."
From behind the emperor, Meng Shenji—chief of the Royal Academy's teaching board—spoke hesitantly.
"Your Majesty… I…"
"Dean Meng, if you have something to say, speak freely."
Meng Shenji stood and cupped his fists respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I must admit that the Royal Academy's reserve team could have been stronger… But I was incapable. I failed to retain certain promising talents."
"Dean Meng has long contributed to our Empire's prosperity. You should not speak so harshly of yourself," Xue Ye replied kindly. "Pray tell, who were these talents?"
"They were none other than the students of Shrek Academy, who just entered the arena earlier."
"Hah!" Prince Xue Xing sneered. "Surely you're joking. Those country bumpkins in their ridiculous outfits? What talent could they possibly have?"
"One of them, despite only being a level 32 Soul Master with a Blue Silver Grass martial spirit, managed to withstand my level 45 pressure. That same student also possesses an external soul bone. If Your Highness calls that a waste of talent… then I don't know what genius means anymore."
"Oh?" Emperor Xue Ye raised an eyebrow. "Then why did such a person leave the Royal Academy?"
"Because of my incompetence. I was unable to retain him for the Empire," Meng Shenji said with shame.
Ning Fengzhi added:
"Indeed, that young man is a rare gem. As it happens, he is also my daughter's teammate."
"Haha, now I'm looking forward to the upcoming matches!" the emperor chuckled.
Ning Fengzhi and the emperor continued to discuss Tang San—the genius in question.
Thanks to his daughter Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi had already obtained some of Tang San's hidden weapons, which greatly improved the survivability of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's core disciples. He held a decent opinion of Tang San—but only to a reasonable extent.
Back at Wujie Academy's hotel, the team gathered for their post-opening discussion.
"Now that the tournament's officially begun…" Feng Xiaotian stretched lazily on the sofa. "Every time I think about this year's championship reward, I still find it hard to believe."
"Right?" said Oscar, clearly excited. "Even though the news has been out for a while, it still blows my mind: three soul bones as the championship prize! That's completely unprecedented!"
"And not just any soul bones," he continued, "they're from the legendary Blood River Treasury! Even most high-level soul masters don't have a single soul bone in their lifetime."
But Dugu Yan cooled their excitement:
"Don't celebrate just yet. Spirit Hall wouldn't offer something like three soul bones unless they were confident that they wouldn't lose them."
"Big Sis Yan, that's only because they haven't met Boss Yibai, you, and Brother Feng yet," Oscar countered. "If Spirit Hall knew the true power of our team's top three, I doubt they'd be so smug about this reward."
"With Boss Feng's real combat strength, we effectively have three Soul King-level combatants."
"Plus me, Yang Tai, Niu Tian, and Ye Lingling—that's four powerful Soul Ancestors to back them up! This is probably the most stacked team in the tournament."
Yun Yibai listened quietly. He agreed their team was powerful—but also knew that Spirit Hall's main team might be stronger.
Aside from their three Soul Kings, the remaining four members of Spirit Hall's "Golden Generation" were all above level 45 Soul Ancestors.
Yun Yibai was confident he could 1v2, but he also understood a hard truth: while their lineup was powerful, two of their seven were support-type soul masters.
Oscar, while useful, was mostly a survival and supply unit. Ye Lingling was a pure healer.
Worse still, when it came to poison, Dugu Yan's techniques—while excellent—might be ineffective in the finals.
After all, the world's deadliest toxins didn't belong to Dugu Bo. That title likely went to Bibi Dong, Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff, whose twin martial spirits were Death Spider Emperor and Devouring Spider Emperor.
If Bibi Dong became aware of Dugu Yan's threat, she'd find ways to neutralize her poison—if not completely, then at least enough to reduce its impact.
By then, Dugu Yan might only be able to hold off one Soul King at best.
And as for fairness? That notion was irrelevant. Spirit Hall made the rules.
Niu Tian would have to serve as their frontline tank.
Which meant Feng Xiaotian and Yang Tai would need to face off against three Rank 48+ Spirit Hall Soul Ancestors.
And Spirit Hall's support-type member, Hu Liena, wielded a spirit-type martial spirit, which could seriously disrupt their lineup.
This will be a hard battle, Yun Yibai thought to himself. Hard—but not unwinnable.
He had his eyes set on the championship's head soul bone.
This year's championship prizes were three soul bones:
🧠 The Wisdom Skull of Mental Condensation – 60,000 years (headbone, enhances spiritual power)
🔥 The Explosive Right Arm Bone of Blazing Flame – 20,000 years (boosts attack strength)
💨 The Gale Left Leg Bone of Swift Pursuit – 30,000 years (speed enhancement)
All three were custom-matched to the Golden Generation members of Spirit Hall.
But Yun Yibai wasn't about to let that stop him.