Heaven Dou Royal Academy Surrenders
Facing Tang Sect Academy's absolutely stacked lineup, Heaven Dou Royal Academy's team leader, Qin Ming, had no choice but to announce—
"Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team, forfeits."
Across the arena—
Ma Hongjun's expression flickered, shifting between loneliness, unwillingness, disappointment, and regret…
A storm of emotions.
In the end, all he could do was let out a frustrated, impotent roar before storming off.
Up in the audience, Flender sighed silently.
—If only things had gone differently back then…
—All of this glory would have belonged to Shrek.
The referee quickly snapped back to reality and announced—
"Victory goes to Tang Sect Academy!"
"Next teams, please enter the arena!"
Nobody Dares Challenge Tang Sect Academy
After watching Heaven Dou Royal Academy suffer this fate—
Who in their right mind would still challenge Tang Sect Academy?
Anyone who encountered them immediately forfeited.
—If nobody could beat them, then there was nothing shameful about surrendering.
The once highly anticipated matches became strangely silent and uneventful.
In the end, after a series of mediocre fights among the remaining teams, the final rankings were decided—
1️⃣ 1st Place – Tang Sect Academy (unsurprising and undisputed)
2️⃣ 2nd Place – Heaven Dou Royal Academy (surprisingly resilient, despite their defeat)
3️⃣ 3rd Place – Divine Wind Academy (respectable performance, but far behind the top two)
4️⃣ 4th Place – Blazing Academy (barely making it in)
5️⃣ 5th Place – Elephant Armor Academy (dead last, but still in the finals)
In the original timeline, Tianshui Academy should have made it, but with Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er gone, their chances were completely crushed.
As for Thunderclap Academy, they had a hard-fought battle against Heaven Dou Royal Academy but ultimately lost by a narrow margin.
After a brief encouraging speech, Xue Ye the Great got straight to the point—
"Previously, Tang Sect Academy was not fully present, so some rewards were not distributed."
"You are all invaluable talents of our empire."
"The captains and vice-captains of each team shall be granted the title of Viscount."
"All other members shall be granted the title of Baron."
"Upon graduation, you will all receive your own territories."
The five teams collectively gasped in shock.
—Wait… We're all becoming nobles?!
—This has NEVER happened before!
Yu Xiaogang's Objection
"Your Majesty!" Yu Xiaogang frowned.
"Isn't this… inappropriate? There has never been such a precedent. And isn't this rank a little too high?"
—He barely stopped himself from outright saying, "Spirit Hall wants these people too!"
But—
Did Xue Ye the Great look like someone who'd let Spirit Hall interfere in his imperial affairs?
The Emperor Strikes Back
"Platinum Bishop Yu!" Xue Ye the Great's voice turned cold.
"Noble titles within the empire are an internal matter. They have nothing to do with Spirit Hall!"
Then, turning back to the assembled teams, he sweetened the deal even further—
"If any of you manage to win the final championship—"
"Your entire team's noble rank will be increased by one tier!"
"Your academy will receive the title of 'Royal Academy' and receive direct imperial funding!"
"Additionally, during the tournament, if any team members require soul rings under 30,000 years, the empire will provide them directly."
After that last sentence, Xue Ye the Great's gaze lingered on Tang Sect Academy.
Down below, Tai Long and his team finally understood.
—This reward was clearly meant for them.
But they didn't dare accept it without permission.
—They were Tang Sect members.
—Only Tang Lan could decide if they should take it.
Tang Lan's response?
—Why wouldn't I milk this for all it's worth?
He stood up immediately and said—
"Then, on behalf of my disciples, I thank Your Majesty."
"I've already selected suitable soul beasts for Jiang Zhu and the others. I will provide a list with their ages later."
Then, his tone shifted—
"However…"
"Are you absolutely sure about this reward?"
"If the winning team gets another noble rank increase, have you really thought this through?"
Xue Ye the Great froze.
Then it hit him—
—Tang Sect Academy's first team is captained by Tang Lan himself!
—And Tang Lan is already a duke under the title 'King Lan Hao'!
If his noble rank increased again…
…Was he supposed to make him emperor or something?!
Luckily, Tang Lan had brought it up first, giving Xue Ye a way out.
"That was indeed an oversight on my part."
Xue Ye the Great smoothly adjusted—
"If Tang Sect Academy wins the final championship, then the Lan Hao King's territory will be doubled."
"Everything except for the roads leading to Star Dou Forest will belong to you."
Tang Lan's eyes lit up.
—What a deal!
To others, territory near Star Dou Forest was a disaster waiting to happen.
But to Tang Lan—
—That land was priceless.
—As long as Spirit Transmission Tower remained, soul beasts would never become a threat to his territory.
"Then I'll thank Your Majesty in advance." Tang Lan grinned.
"This noble rank, the land, and the championship—Tang Sect Academy will take it all!"
Yu Xiaogang's Final Humiliation
After delivering his triumphant declaration, Tang Lan casually glanced at Yu Xiaogang.
With a smirk, he asked—
"Platinum Grand~Bishop, I assume I can accept these rewards on behalf of the Tang Sect, yes?"
His tone seemed respectful, but the mockery was unmistakable.
Yu Xiaogang's face twitched.
With no comeback to offer, he could only fling his sleeves angrily and leave.
—He simply had no face left to stay.
"Ah! Wait!" Tang Lan called out playfully—
"Platinum Grand~Bishop, don't leave! The real show is just about to start! You're supposed to be hosting it, after all!"
Yu Xiaogang stumbled slightly, then sped up his departure.
Xue Ye the Great burst into hearty laughter.
—No wonder Tang Lan was destined to become a god. The man truly had no fear.
"Alright," Tang Lan announced, rising from his seat.
"Now that the annoying fly is gone, it's time for the real show."
"Your Majesty, just sit back and enjoy."
Xue Ye the Great adjusted his posture, his face full of anticipation.
"Then I shall see for myself whether Sect Master Tang can truly make history again!"
Tang Lan smiled confidently.
Then, he looked down at the arena.
High above, Bai He activated his martial soul, flying into the air while holding a communication soul tool.
At the same time—
Throughout every city in the Heaven Dou Empire, massive screens flickered to life.
—These screens had been constructed by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at Tang Lan's request.
On the screens—
A new figure appeared.
Dou Dou stepped out from the contestant tunnel, leading a large group of Tang Sect disciples.
Each disciple had a six-year-old child by their side.
Then—
"Beep beep beep!"
"Beep beep beep!"
"Beep beep beep!"
Across the empire, countless communication soul tools began chiming all at once.
Everyone who owned one received a live broadcast notification titled—
[Tang Sect Creates History Once More!]
In the center of the frame, Tang Lan turned toward Bai He's camera, flashing a professional smile.
"Citizens of the Douluo Continent, let's start with a little appetizer."
"Today, we have gathered 100 six-year-old children. Most of them are descendants of the Four Great Single-Attribute Clans, while a few are relatives of Tang Sect disciples or orphans taken in by the Tang Sect Academy."
"After nearly two years of training, these children have already mastered basic soul power circulation.
"Even before awakening their martial souls, they are capable of manipulating and cultivating soul power."
Tang Lan paused deliberately.
Silence.
Then—
Even Xue Ye the Great and Ning Fengzhi couldn't contain themselves.
They shot to their feet in shock!
What?!
Children who haven't awakened their martial souls… can already control and cultivate soul power?!
Impossible!
Not even the oldest and most powerful families or Spirit Hall had ever accomplished such a feat.
But Tang Lan had?
And as for whether he was lying…
—Forget his title as a Tang Master, which carried unquestionable authority.
—With this being a live broadcast to the entire continent, there was no way he would risk making a claim that could be so easily disproven.
So—
If every other possibility was ruled out, then the only remaining answer was—
It was all true!
Xue Ye the Great's voice trembled.
Tang Lan stepped aside.
Bai He instinctively zoomed in on the emperor's stunned face.
Tang Lan, still smiling, spoke—
"Since His Majesty is interested, why don't we turn this into a game?"
He then pointed to the 100 children standing below.
And with one final, shocking statement—
(End of Chapter)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have already finished douluo 1 arc and even quite a great deal of douluo 2 arc