At this moment, the announcer asked again, "Lord Ning, as the strongest support soul master on the continent, on behalf of the audience here today, which team among the twenty-eight participating in the Tian Dou City division preliminaries do you favor the most?"
The phrase "strongest support soul master on the continent" was a well-placed compliment that secretly pleased Ning Fengzhi.
He wasn't unfamiliar with flattery, but being praised like this in front of more than eighty thousand people—even as the head of a sect—made Ning Fengzhi feel quite smug.
After all, in life, people pursue fame and fortune. For someone like Ning Fengzhi, who already had wealth and power, fame held even greater importance.
Young man, you speak well and have potential—I see great things for you!
Ning Fengzhi maintained his faint smile: "Aside from the seeded team that directly enters the finals—the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy—I also favor another team among these twenty-eight.
In my opinion, they not only have the strength to pass through the preliminaries but also stand a good chance of winning the championship of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!"
As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi subtly glanced at the Lan Ba Academy team, where his precious daughter Ning Rongrong and Chu Chengzhou were standing.
There was no other reason—Ning Fengzhi had received accurate intelligence that when Chu Chengzhou advanced to become a Soul Ancestor, he acquired a Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear summon.
And with the terrifying strength of such a super spirit beast—even if it only displayed two or three thousand years' worth of power—it would be more than enough to dominate the tournament, where the highest-ranked participants barely reached the initial Soul King level.
"Oh?" The announcer exclaimed in surprise. "May I ask which team has caught Lord Ning's attention?"
Ning Fengzhi chuckled and shook his head. "Forgive me for keeping it a mystery—I cannot reveal it just yet. However, I believe that the champion of this tournament will undoubtedly belong to the empire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Salas, seated to the left of Emperor Xue Ye, opened his slightly cloudy eyes. His expression remained calm, but inwardly, he sneered at Ning Fengzhi's "grandiose claims."
As the Platinum Bishop of the Holy Spirit Hall and the head of the Tian Dou Holy Spirit Temple, Salas was undoubtedly part of the upper echelons of the Holy Spirit Hall. He was well aware of the strength of their own Holy Spirit Hall team in this year's Soul Master Tournament.
Direct disciples of the Pope, Hu Liena, along with the young geniuses Xie Yue and Yan—collectively known as the "Golden Generation" of the Holy Spirit Hall—all possessed Soul King-level strength. How could the mediocre teams of the Tian Dou Empire possibly win the championship?
Ning Fengzhi must be dreaming!
At this point, the audience began buzzing with speculation about which team Ning Fengzhi favored.
However, one thing was certain: Ning Fengzhi definitely wasn't referring to the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy.
The reserve team consisted of members left over after the main team picked their roster. It made no sense for the leftovers to surpass the main team. But with twenty-eight teams participating in the preliminaries, guessing which team Ning Fengzhi had in mind wasn't easy.
After Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat, the announcer smiled and said, "Unfortunately, we couldn't extract any information from Lord Ning about his favored team.
Next, let us invite Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Holy Spirit Hall and head of the Tian Dou Holy Spirit Temple, to conduct the first round of preliminary match draws.
Once the draw is complete, the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy will compete against their drawn opponent in the first match, which will also be the only match of the day."
Platinum Bishop Salas slowly stood up and, escorted by palace maids, walked to the side of the announcer to begin the draw.
"Preliminary Round 1: Oakland Academy vs. Flame Glory Academy."
"..."
"Preliminary Round 1: Tian Dou Imperial Academy vs. Tian Shui Academy."
"..."
"Preliminary Round 1: Lan Ba Academy vs. Blazing Fire Academy."
"..."
When the results of the first round of draws were announced, the audience erupted into lively discussions.
Tian Dou Imperial Academy would face one of the Five Elements Academies, Tian Shui Academy, right off the bat. If it were the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy facing Tian Shui Academy, it would've been an exciting matchup.
Based on past performances in the Soul Master Tournament, the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy generally outclassed the Five Elements Academies.
After all, Tian Dou Imperial Academy boasted the strongest faculty among all advanced soul master academies in the Tian Dou Empire and enjoyed the backing of the imperial government, making it more attractive to talented soul masters compared to Tian Shui Academy.
However, the current matchup involved only the reserve team. Whether it was Emperor Xue Ye sitting in the first row of the VIP section, Prince Xue Xing overseeing Tian Dou Imperial Academy matters from the second row, or the three council members of Tian Dou Imperial Academy seated nearby, all shared a pessimistic outlook for the reserve team.
There was no helping it. While the main team was decent, the reserve team's strength was questionable—they simply couldn't compare to the consistently strong Tian Shui Academy team that had reached the finals in previous tournaments.
Of course, for Chu Chengzhou and the others, who their opponents would be in the first round of matches was irrelevant. They were more focused on their own match tomorrow and began sizing up the Blazing Fire Academy team, which stood one row away from them.
Once the first round of draws concluded, Salas swept his gaze across the arena and calmly stated, "I swear upon the honor of the Holy Spirit Hall that this draw was entirely fair! Furthermore, I hereby announce that any soul master academy participants who reach the finals will be granted direct entry into the Holy Spirit Temple."
With that, Salas sat back down, unperturbed.
For Salas, few among the numerous participants deserved his attention, and those who did were likely from major factions—people who wouldn't join the Holy Spirit Hall anyway. Still, he made the announcement.
It wasn't solely to recruit talented soul masters for the Holy Spirit Hall; it was also meant to irritate Emperor Xue Ye.
"Direct entry into the Holy Spirit Temple?"
The audience didn't react much, but many of the participating soul masters were in an uproar.
Within the hierarchy of the Holy Spirit Hall, the Holy Spirit Temple ranked just below the Pope's Hall, the Douluo Hall, and the Elder Hall. Across the entire continent, there were only two Holy Spirit Temples—one in each imperial capital.
The Pope's Hall was exclusive to the Pope, while the Douluo Hall held symbolic significance. Thus, the Holy Spirit Temples in the two imperial capitals were effectively the highest-ranking institutions within the Holy Spirit Hall.
Gaining direct entry into the Holy Spirit Temple was a shortcut to advancement for soul masters without influential backgrounds.
The generous benefits and prestigious reputation of the Holy Spirit Temple were highly appealing to ordinary soul masters.
Of course, what ordinary soul masters didn't know was that within the Holy Spirit Hall, there were two higher-ranking institutions above the Pope's Hall: the Elder Hall and the Offering Hall.
But these had nothing to do with ordinary soul masters. Members of the Elder Hall required soul power levels of at least nine rings (Title Douluo), and the elder offerings in the Offering Hall needed soul power levels of at least 96 (a Super Douluo).
Seeing Salas dare to poach talent right in front of him, Emperor Xue Ye's expression immediately darkened. This was outright disrespect toward him, the Emperor of Tian Dou!
If it weren't for the Holy Spirit Hall's immense power—controlling over half of the continent's soul masters and boasting numerous Title Douluos—even combined with the Tian Dou Empire and its ally, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, they wouldn't stand a chance. Otherwise, Emperor Xue Ye would've made sure Salas understood why flowers were so red!
"The first match of the preliminary round will be between Tian Dou Imperial Academy and Tian Shui Academy. All participating academy teams should leave the arena. The two teams competing in this match should prepare, as the match will officially begin in half an hour!"
Sensing the tense atmosphere between Emperor Xue Ye and Platinum Bishop Salas, the perceptive announcer quickly shifted the topic.
In the Grand Arena, on the stands specially prepared for participants:
"Brother Chu, our opponent tomorrow is the Blazing Fire Academy team. What's the plan?"
Glancing at a fiery red-haired girl wearing a short red skirt and exuding a voluptuous aura from the Blazing Fire Academy team, Ma Hongjun swallowed and asked Chu Chengzhou.
"You want to play?"
Chu Chengzhou casually glanced at Ma Hongjun.
"Hehe, Brother Chu, I'm still single. You've got to give me more chances to showcase myself!"
Ma Hongjun shamelessly declared.
The Soul Master Tournament was a stage for genius soul masters from various academies to display their abilities. But in Ma Hongjun's eyes, it was also an opportunity to impress female participants from other academies.
Though Ma Hongjun was a bit overweight, he wasn't ugly. Occasionally, he might come off as a bit lewd or mischievous...
Ma Hongjun believed his conditions weren't bad. A Level 39 Soul Elder at just 14 years old—how many genius soul masters on the continent could achieve that?
Moreover, beautiful appearances were common, but an interesting soul was rare. With his entertaining personality, Ma Hongjun considered himself one in a million.
Upon hearing this, the others turned their attention to Chu Chengzhou.
Since they were participating in the Soul Master Tournament, they naturally wanted to maximize their exposure.
After scanning the group and pondering for a moment, Chu Chengzhou looked at Tai Long and the other three substitutes. "You're probably aware of our team's strength. The average opponents we'll face in the preliminaries are weaker than those in the later rounds. Tai Long, Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan—I plan to have you participate in all the preliminary matches. What do you think?"
Chu Chengzhou's meaning was clear: the preliminary opponents were weaker, so three main players would accompany the four substitutes throughout the matches.
In subsequent knockout rounds and finals, barring unexpected situations, only the main players would take the field.
"Thank you, Captain! I have no objections!"
Tai Long understood the implication behind Chu Chengzhou's words and nodded gratefully.
Jiang Zhu and the other two also nodded in agreement.
What was a substitute? Replacing main players unable to compete due to unforeseen circumstances—that was a substitute.
They had witnessed Chu Chengzhou and the others' strength firsthand. Originally, they thought that as substitutes, they were merely filling roles since Chu Chengzhou's seven-member team was overwhelmingly strong and unlikely to need substitutes.
But to their surprise, Captain Chu Chengzhou decided to let them participate in all the preliminary matches—essentially granting them the treatment of main players.
Though this privilege was limited to the preliminaries, it was more than enough for them.
As Chu Chengzhou had pointed out, the opponents in later knockout rounds and finals would undoubtedly be stronger. With their soul power levels below four rings, having them compete then would only drag the team down.
"Brother, what about the remaining three spots?"
Seeing that four of the seven spots for tomorrow's match against Blazing Fire Academy were already decided, Xiao Wu, who loved to join in the fun, grew anxious.
"The Five Elements Academy teams aren't weak. As captain, I need to give everyone opportunities to shine while ensuring we don't fail. So I'll take one spot, and the remaining two will be decided by drawing lots among the six of you!
Whoever gets picked plays, and those who don't shouldn't worry—they'll get priority in the next draw. We'll rotate like this."
Chu Chengzhou spoke fairly.
"This isn't fair! Why do you get to play every time?"
Hearing Chu Chengzhou's seemingly fair statement, Ning Rongrong voiced her dissatisfaction.
"Rongrong, I'm the captain!"
Chu Chengzhou waved his hand dismissively, leaving no room for argument.
The half-hour preparation time passed quickly.
Accompanied by lights from soul-guided devices mounted on high platforms on both sides of the Grand Arena, golden beams illuminated the entrances of all members of Tian Dou Imperial Academy's reserve team and the Tian Shui Academy team.
Meanwhile, the announcer on the VIP platform loudly introduced the names of the competitors and their respective martial souls.
Regardless of their actual strength, the participants certainly looked impressive.
The reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy wore light gold uniforms embroidered with the characters "Tian Dou" on the left chest and a pattern of seven silver stars representing the Tian Dou Empire on their backs. Each member radiated confidence and brilliance under the soul-guided lights, resembling small golden suns that captured the audience's attention.
The Tian Shui Academy team was even more striking. Their turquoise short-skirt uniforms, long legs, and blue stockings attracted countless gazes from the audience.
Judging by the cheers, the popularity of the Tian Shui Academy team far exceeded that of the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy. Even the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy likely couldn't match their appeal.
It was no wonder—after all, the Tian Shui Academy team consisted entirely of charming young women.
At this moment, significant changes had occurred on the competition grounds.
In just half an hour, a fully prepared arena had been constructed.
The arena was ten meters high, circular in shape, with a diameter exceeding thirty meters—an expansive area.
Of course, this was just one arena. To speed up the tournament schedule, starting tomorrow, five arenas would be set up simultaneously during the preliminaries.
The twenty-eight teams would undergo a total of twenty-seven rounds of preliminary matches. Each team would face twenty-seven opponents, earning one point for a win and none for a loss. After twenty-eight rounds, the top five teams with the most points would advance to the knockout stage.
"Huh? Little Ao, isn't that your unrelated blood brother? I remember he was part of the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy. Why is he on the reserve team now?"
On the stands, Ma Hongjun, who had been lecherously eyeing the girls of the Tian Shui team, suddenly pointed to a handsome young soul master leading the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy and curiously asked Oscar beside him.
"Fatty, I've already told you that although Oslo sounds similar to my name, Oscar, he's not my brother from another mother!"
Oscar complained discontentedly.
"Oslo of the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy?"
Hearing this, Chu Chengzhou—who had been secretly holding Ning Rongrong's hand while flirting with Xiao Wu—paused and turned his gaze toward the arena.
By now, under the referee's instructions, the extra members of both the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy and the Tian Shui Academy team had exited the arena. Only seven members from each team remained, releasing their martial souls and soul rings.
The first match of the preliminary round of the Soul Master Tournament was about to begin.
Leading the Tian Shui Academy team was Shui Bing'er, who possessed the Ice Phoenix martial soul.
Leading the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy was Oslo, an agile attack-type soul master with the Ghost Leopard martial soul.
Looking at the four soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—emanating from Oslo, Chu Chengzhou frowned slightly.
He vaguely remembered that in the original storyline, whether in the Suotuo City Grand Arena or during the Soul Master Tournament, the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy always consisted of the same seven members without any personnel changes.
So the question arose: why had Oslo, who had already advanced to a Soul Ancestor, left the main team for the less promising reserve team?
"Could it be that he was pushed out?"
Chu Chengzhou wondered silently.
If Oslo had been pushed out of the main team, it was undoubtedly due to inferior strength.
After all, the Tian Dou Empire hadn't won the championship of the Soul Master Tournament for several sessions. In Emperor Xue Ye's eyes, the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy was the empire's best hope for regaining face against the Star Luo Empire and the Holy Spirit Hall.
The only way to become a member of the main team was through sheer strength—defeating one of the existing members and ensuring that one's martial soul type wouldn't negatively impact the team's overall performance, allowing the team to function at a higher level.
Other than that, connections and favors wouldn't work.
After pondering for a long while, Chu Chengzhou gave up trying to figure it out due to lack of information.
After all, the strength of the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy was such that even the Star Luo Imperial Academy team, with their Spirit Fusion Technique: Ghostly White Tiger, might not be able to defeat them. Such strength wasn't worth wasting brain cells over.
Unless the =Spirit Hall sent Qian Renxue to compete, the championship of this Soul Master Tournament was firmly in Chu Chengzhou's grasp!
The match between the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy and the Tian Shui Academy team officially began.
But it ended just as quickly.
As expected, the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy suffered a crushing defeat, even with Oslo at the Soul Ancestor.
The difference was that in the original storyline, the reserve team lost to Shrek Academy in the opening match, whereas now they lost to the Tian Shui Academy team.
The leader of the Tian Shui Academy team, Shui Bing'er, unleashed a group-wide freezing soul skill right at the start, instantly freezing four members of the reserve team, including their captain Oslo. Following that, a barrage of soul skills from the adorable girls wiped the floor with them. Within half a minute, the battle was decisively over.
"Preliminary Round 1, Match 1: Tian Dou Imperial Academy vs. Tian Shui Academy. Tian Shui Academy wins!"
The referee, who had just taken a sip of water and barely sat down, re-entered the arena to announce the result.
Immediately, cheers erupted from the audience.
"Little Ao, I think I'm in love!"
On the stands, Ma Hongjun turned to Oscar and said.
Voiceover: Spring has arrived, and everything is coming back to life. It's the season when animals reproduce.
"??? "
Oscar looked utterly confused.
"Little Ao, do you believe in love at first sight?"
Staring at Shui Bing'er, who smiled joyfully after the victory, Ma Hongjun said dreamily.
An Ice Phoenix martial soul, eh? Doesn't that pair perfectly with my Magma Fire Phoenix?
"Fatty, wake up! Stop dreaming! And what you're experiencing isn't love at first sight—it's lust!"
Chu Chengzhou bluntly shot him down.
Shui Bing'er of the Tian Shui Academy team had both talent and beauty, qualifying as one of the rare high-quality girls on the continent.
If Ma Hongjun had good character, it might've made for a heartwarming story.
But alas, Ma Hongjun wasn't handsome, so his first impression was doomed to be poor.
Once someone investigated his background—oh boy, the "Prince of Brothels"? A bad impression would only worsen.
Any decent girl wouldn't give Ma Hongjun a chance.
Even if Ma Hongjun sincerely wanted to change his past ways, he wouldn't get the opportunity.
Men being lustful wasn't wrong, but for a lustful man to attract a high-quality girl, besides having ability, the most important prerequisite was to be handsome!
Take me, Chu Chengzhou, for example!
"Brother Chu, I'm serious!"
Ma Hongjun said solemnly.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
Oh no, another big simp was about to emerge on the continent!
There was only one match today. After Tian Shui Academy's victory, the participating teams gradually left the stands.
In the departure corridor, Chu Chengzhou's group happened to encounter the dejected members of the reserve team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy as they left the arena.
To be honest, for the reserve team, losing one match wasn't a big deal.
Based on past performances in the Soul Master Tournament, the strength of the Five Elements Academy teams ranked just below the main team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy, and they usually secured five spots in the Tian Dou division preliminaries. Moreover, the reserve team consisted of leftover members from the main team selection—it was normal for them to lose to the Tian Shui Academy team.
However, encountering such a tough opponent right at the start and suffering a setback undoubtedly affected their mood.
"Oslo, wait a moment!"
Chu Chengzhou called out to the dispirited Oslo.
"Huh... Aren't you from Shrek Academy?"
Hearing someone call his name, Oslo quickly turned around. After recognizing Chu Chengzhou and his group, he recalled them after a moment's thought.
Though more than a year had passed since that humiliating duel at Shrek Academy, Oslo's memory of the defeat was vivid.
"It's us, but now we're part of Lan Ba Academy! By the way, I have a question—weren't you part of the main team? Why are you on the reserve team now?"
Chu Chengzhou nodded and asked curiously.
Though Chu Chengzhou felt his question might rub salt in the wound, he wasn't close friends with Oslo, so asking wasn't a big deal.
Hearing this, Oslo's lips twitched involuntarily.
The past was painful to recall. Was it really okay for you to ask so bluntly?
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