The next day, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament officially began, and the first round of preliminaries kicked off across the continent.
On the first day of the preliminaries, Emperor Xue Ye personally arrived, and Ning Fengzhi was also present.
"First match of the preliminaries: Canghui Academy versus Purple Star Academy."
"First match of the preliminaries: Shrek Academy versus Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."
"..."
"First match of the preliminaries: Wuji Academy versus Auckland Academy."
"..."
Match announcements were broadcast over the loudspeakers, listing the participating academies in the first round.
This time, the drawing of lots was once again conducted by Spirit Hall's Platinum Bishop, Salas.
As the draw concluded, Bishop Salas's eyes swept across the room like a hawk, sharp and penetrating. It felt as if even the air trembled under his gaze. His voice was calm and steady, yet it carried an overwhelming authority that filled every corner of the hall.
"I assure you that this draw was conducted with absolute fairness. I swear on the highest honor of Spirit Hall: every lot drawn represents a decision of fate — impartial and just."
He paused slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting into a faint smile before he slowly spoke again, this time announcing a shocking piece of news.
"At the same time, I solemnly declare: any soul master academy student who manages to stand out and reach the grand finals will be granted special permission to directly join the Spirit Temple, enjoying the top-tier training resources and honors available there."
The moment he finished, the entire hall erupted into an uproar. Shock and disbelief appeared on everyone's faces.
The Spirit Temple — the core institution of Spirit Hall — was the holy land of all soul masters. For someone to directly enter its highest-level structure meant gaining a shortcut on the path to becoming truly powerful. It was the dream of countless soul masters.
And this wasn't an exaggeration. Spirit Hall was a vast organization with a tightly layered structure:
The Pope's Hall was the most magnificent building on the continent, and the main reason Spirit City was seen as sacred ground for soul masters.
Above it was the Worship Hall, where only soul masters who had reached the Titled Douluo level could enter. It was the final destination for all elite soul masters registered with Spirit Hall — a place all soul masters longed to reach.
The Douluo Hall was Spirit Hall's highest sanctum. Only deceased Titled Douluo could enter it — essentially a mausoleum. During major festivals, even the Pope would visit its gates to offer tribute, but no one — not even the Pope—could enter it while alive.
Between these two was the Elder Hall, the true center of power in Spirit Hall, responsible for critical decisions. Even the Pope had only three votes during deliberations. If all elders passed a resolution, they could even depose the Pope. The Elder Hall was composed entirely of Titled Douluo — over twenty in total — including seven level 96 elders known as the Worships, led by the Grand Worship, Qian Daoliu.
The Spirit Temple was Spirit Hall's highest institution outside Spirit City. Only the capitals of the two great empires had one.
The Main Halls were found in large cities, usually accompanied by major spirit battle arenas.
Sub Halls existed in mid-sized cities.
Finally, Branch Halls were located in every city across both the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. These were landmark buildings responsible for the local spirit's awakening and management.
Salas's open attempt to recruit Heaven Dou Empire's top soul master talents caused Emperor Xue Ye's expression to darken instantly. Even Ning Fengzhi hadn't expected Salas to go that far.
But neither could publicly object — doing so would mean falling into Salas's trap.
"Thank you to the Spirit Hall official for overseeing the draw. Now, we will begin the first match of the first round: Heaven Dou Imperial Academy versus Shrek Academy. Contestants, please enter the arena."
Soon, both teams entered.
As always, Shrek Academy made their flashy appearance, wearing bright green robes with little advertisements stuck to their backs.
Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, despite their loss the previous day, regained their arrogance when they saw their opponents were a bunch of rustic bumpkins. They flaunted their elegance and mocked Shrek's tacky appearance.
"What a small world," Dai Mubai muttered, feeling irritated as he looked at the opposing team. Their flamboyant, effeminate behavior made his stomach turn.
"Hah! Look who it is. So, you country bumpkins realized you couldn't make it at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and scurried off? At least you had some self-awareness. Bumpkins like you don't deserve to step foot in a noble academy like ours," sneered the vice-captain of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, eyes full of disdain.
Dai Mubai raised one finger.
"One minute," he said flatly.
Right then, the seven from Shrek tore off their green robes, revealing elegant, finely-made uniforms underneath.
The moment the refined outfits were revealed, the audience was stunned. Maybe the ugly look before made the new look seem even more dazzling.
"Looks like Shrek Academy is eager to get started. I now declare: the match begins!"
"Fourth soul skill: Blue Silver Bind!"
Tang San activated his fourth soul skill, instantly unleashing a powerful binding force. The opponent was tightly restrained, unable to move. The sharp barbs on the vines continued to slice into their bodies, causing sustained and dangerous damage.
The Heaven Dou team was completely immobilized, and Dai Mubai's team charged in without hesitation.
One minute later, the vice-captain of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy looked exactly like he had the day before — bruised and beaten. They'd been thoroughly crushed.
"That's the Evil-Eyed White Tiger," Emperor Xue Ye said as he recognized Dai Mubai's martial soul. The royal families of the two empires had been rivals for years and were very familiar with each other's spirits.
"Two Soul Elders..." Ning Fengzhi's eyes narrowed slightly, deep in thought.
Tang San's soul power had reached level 41, while Dai Mubai was already at level 42. Even without the help of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Tang San had still managed to find other valuable resources. Although not as rare as immortal-grade herbs, they still gave Shrek Academy a decent power boost.
Most impressive of all was Tang San's fourth soul ring — not only had it reached the thousand-year level, it had reached an astonishing eight thousand years, well beyond the usual limit.
"Congratulations to Shrek Academy for winning the match!"
"Next, let us begin the second match of the first round: Wuji Academy versus Auckland Academy. Contestants, please enter the arena."
"Let's go! It's our turn!" said Yun Yibai, rising to his feet.
"Huh? Boss, are you going in yourself?" Oscar asked in surprise, eyes wide.
"Just barely made it in time."