The capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City.
The Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies is about to begin.
For the next period, all the Heaven Dou regional preliminary rounds will be held here.
The tournament format is not complicated.
Besides the three teams—the Spirit Hall team, the Heaven Dou Royal main team, and the Star Luo Royal main team—who are guaranteed a spot in the finals, the two empires are each divided into multiple regions to compete for fifteen final spots. Ultimately, thirty-three teams will gather in Spirit City to compete for the final championship.
On the Heaven Dou Empire side, including the surrounding kingdoms and duchies, there are five regions for the preliminary rounds. Because the Heaven Dou region is the core of the empire and has many advanced academies, it has more qualifying spots, with five teams advancing to the finals.
The preliminary rounds are team-based, ranked by winning points. The top five teams are guaranteed advancement.
Twenty-eight teams will compete in twenty-seven rounds of preliminary rounds, meaning a nearly month-long preliminary period—a true test. Twenty-seven consecutive days of competition would be enough to wear down teams with poor stamina.
At this moment, in the largest competition zone, Heaven Dou City was holding a grand opening ceremony.
As the grandest Soul Master Tournament in the Soul Master world, it attracted not only the attention of Soul Masters, but also the attention of every citizen of Heaven Dou City, from royalty and nobles to commoners, who treated this tournament as their most important festival.
The opening ceremony was held in the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Arena within Heaven Dou City.
As the main arena for the Heaven Dou division, the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Arena had suspended all Soul Battles a month prior for internal renovations. All the sub-areas within the Grand Soul Arena were combined with the main Soul Battle Center to form a massive competition venue.
Except for the VIP area remaining on the north side of the entire arena, the renovated Grand Soul Arena could accommodate 80,000 spectators simultaneously.
Early in the morning, before dawn, the renovated Heaven Dou Grand Soul Arena had already welcomed a huge number of spectators.
Meanwhile, many imperial nobles gathered outside, hoping for a chance to get to know the young talents of the empire.
In the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters are undoubtedly a scarce resource, and their numbers have never exceeded six figures.
The young Soul Masters participating in the Soul Master Competition are among the best, and these people naturally don't want to miss the opportunity; recruiting even one is always a good deal.
Furthermore, a full five thousand city defense troops have been mobilized to maintain order and prevent any riots.
However, all of this is irrelevant to Su Cheng.
At this time, his Royal Fighting Team Two had already entered the rest area to await the start of the competition. The main arena has a dedicated rest area for each participating academy, with over a thousand seats divided into sections for Soul Master students to rest and wait.
To be honest, it's no wonder Qin Ming didn't think highly of Su Cheng participating in the second team.
Apart from Su Cheng and Ning Rongrong, the rest of the team was indeed not up to par.
At a glance, not a single person had reached level forty or higher. Even Ning Rongrong was only level thirty-nine; it was uncertain whether she would have a chance to advance to Soul Master before the finals.
The Royal Fighting Team II had a considerable number of official members and substitutes, all there to coast to victory, and they were currently gathered in the back seats chatting idly.
Su Cheng didn't care, sitting alone in the front, observing the other teams.
Suddenly, his gaze paused, and he transmitted his thoughts telepathically, "Look over there."
Ah Yin was sitting next to Su Cheng.
She was currently in spirit form, and no one except Su Cheng could detect her presence.
Following Su Cheng's gaze, her eyes also fell on Tang San.
"He is..."
Su Cheng nodded almost imperceptibly, "He is Tang San."
"You said he is..." Ah Yin's voice trailed off, her expression complex.
"He is another soul," Su Cheng added directly, "You can't tell anything now, but when I fight him, you'll sense something is wrong with him."
There were too many people here, and teachers from various academies were present; releasing his domain would be too impolite.
When they faced each other later, as long as his domain was activated, Ah Yin, with her high compatibility with the domain, could easily detect the operation of the Mysterious Heaven Technique within Tang San's body with a little probing.
The truth will become clear then.
After Su Cheng finished speaking, he ignored Tang San.
His gaze shifted to Zhu Zhuqing, who was sitting silently in the corner, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
Seeing his silence, A Yin turned her head curiously.
After seeing Su Cheng's expression, she also turned her gaze and noticed Zhu Zhuqing sitting there with a gloomy face, and was slightly taken aback.
She glanced back at Su Cheng again, and then fell silent.
She rarely saw Su Cheng show such an expression.
Zhu Zhuqing's face was rather unpleasant at this moment.
The reason was simple: the Shrek team's uniform was really too bizarre.
The standard Shrek Academy uniform was a color between yellow and green, which, in the words of other students, was "poop green."
However, for this academy competition, Dean Flander specially ordered a new uniform for them.
In addition to poop green, each person had a Shrek monster pattern on their chest that almost covered the entire front, and this pattern was a bright, vivid emerald green.
That wasn't all; what was even more outrageous was that behind each person were six large, bold characters embroidered in red thread: "Seeking Title Sponsorship." Below these six characters was a smaller line: "Advertising fees should be discussed in person with Mr. Flander, Dean of Shrek Academy."
However, she didn't want to argue with Flander over such trivial matters, so she simply sat in a corner, trying to minimize her presence.
At this moment, she seemed to sense something and keenly looked up.
She instantly noticed Su Cheng, sitting comfortably in the Heaven Dou Royal Team area, casting a mocking glance at her. She couldn't help but grit her teeth inwardly,
muttering a curse: "Damn it."
It was unclear whether she was cursing Flander or Su Cheng.
Not long after, tournament staff entered the rest area to organize the assembled students to enter.
With the home team providing a guaranteed entry, Su Cheng's Heaven Dou Second Team was the first team to enter.
The stands, large enough to hold 80,000 spectators, were entirely decorated with a silver backdrop. Although it was morning, the surrounding area was illuminated by special soul-guided lighting, giving it a luxurious and grand feel.
Surrounding the vast and open plaza were countless cheering spectators. At the very front of the central arena stood a golden-background platform, behind which lay the renovated VIP area. The
expansive arena, exceeding 150 meters in diameter, had a designated waiting area for the participating teams in the center. Each academy's entrance was greeted by a master of ceremonies on the platform.
"The first to enter is the team from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, with sixteen students participating. Their slogan is 'Friendship First, Competition Second.' As expected of representatives of the Royal Academy, their slogan is indeed quite grand. We hope they will fully demonstrate their strength and not easily hold back for the sake of friendship."
"..."
Su Cheng ignored the cheers and glanced towards the VIP platform.
In the center of the first row sat a man in a golden-red imperial robe, wearing a golden diamond crown, his face as round as the moon, though his appearance was somewhat aged—it was Emperor Xue Ye of Heaven Dou.
To his left sat the representative of the Heaven Dou City Martial Soul Temple, Platinum Bishop Salas. He was completely clad in a crimson ceremonial robe, a five-pointed platinum crown atop his head, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly indifferent to the grand spectacle around him.
To the emperor's right sat an old acquaintance of Su Cheng's, Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Today, he wore a white robe and a seven-treasure purple-gold crown, a symbol of his status. As one of the top three sect leaders of the seven major sects, he was fully qualified to sit in this position.
Noticing Su Cheng's gaze, Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly to him and then smiled gently at Ning Rongrong standing behind him.
Only the three of them occupied the first row of the VIP section.
Prince Xue Xing, along with the three members of the teaching committee from the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, were all seated in the second row of the VIP section.
As the Shrek Academy team stood at the back of the academy formation, all participating academy teams had finally entered the arena.
The Emperor and Ning Fengzhi's speeches were nothing new and quickly concluded. However, it was somewhat surprising that Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, openly expressed his favor towards the Heaven Dou Royal Team.
But upon reflection, it made sense.
After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had always openly supported the Heaven Dou Royal Family, and it was rumored that his only daughter attended the Heaven Dou Royal Academy; such a statement was to be expected.
Following this, Platinum Bishop Salas slowly rose. Led by a palace maid, he walked to the master of ceremonies and began the draw. He remained silent, letting the master of ceremonies announce each pair drawn.
"First round of the preliminaries: Canghui Academy vs. Zixing Academy."
"First round of the preliminaries: Auckland Academy vs. Flame Radiance Academy."
"..."
"First round of the preliminaries: Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Shrek Academy."
"..."
The Shrek Academy team hadn't paid much attention to the other academy pairings. However, when they heard that their first-round opponent was none other than the second team of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the expressions on everyone's faces twisted slightly.
To be precise, they turned ugly.
Apart from the four from Blue Tyrant Academy—Tyrone, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu—Dai Mubai and the others unanimously thought of the Soul Master with the Sword Martial Soul.
Immediately, boos and jeers erupted, with many spectators shouting "cheating!"
In their eyes, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team was clearly picking on an easy target; Shrek Academy's attire didn't resemble a Soul Master team at all, but rather a group of clowns.
After the draw, the Platinum Bishop Salas swept his gaze across the entire arena and said calmly, "This draw was absolutely truthful; I swear on the honor of the Spirit Hall. Furthermore, I hereby announce that any student from the participating Spirit Master academies present who reaches the final competition will be exceptionally granted direct entry into the Spirit Temple."
These words didn't elicit much reaction from the audience, but the Spirit Masters in the arena erupted in an uproar.
What was the Spirit Temple?
It was the highest-ranking institution within the Spirit Hall, second only to the Papal Palace and the Douluo Palace. Only the capitals of the two great empires each possessed one.
The Papal Palace was exclusively for the Pope, and the Douluo Palace was purely symbolic. Therefore, the Spirit Temple was effectively the highest-ranking institution within the Spirit Hall.
Direct entry into the Spirit Temple was a shortcut to increasing a Spirit Master's strength.
It offered the best treatment, various training methods, and the prestige of the Spirit Temple—all incredibly attractive to ordinary Spirit Masters.
Hearing the words of the Platinum Bishop, Emperor Xueye's face darkened noticeably. Ning Fengzhi, standing beside him, gently shook his head at the emperor, which eased his expression slightly.
Su Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.
Had the conflict between the Spirit Hall and the Empire escalated to this extent? It was practically out in the open.
However, these matters were not of much concern to him. He had come to the second team to participate in the preliminary rounds only to understand the situation of the Five Elements Academy.
"Alright, the first match of the first round of the preliminary rounds will be between the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Shrek Academy. All participating academies, please leave. The two academies that will be playing later, please prepare yourselves. The match will officially begin in half an hour."
"Xiao San, should we bring in the substitutes?" Dai Mubai looked at Tang San beside him, his expression somewhat solemn.
The pressure that person had brought him was simply too great.
Because they hadn't consumed the immortal herbs, the current substitutes were Ma Hongjun, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and the support-type Soul Master Yun Qiu, whom they had previously recruited.
Tang San remained silent for a long while after hearing this, then prepared to shake his head in refusal.
Their goal was to enter the finals; the Heaven Dou region had five spots, and even if they lost the first match, it wouldn't affect their subsequent points competition.
Besides, his strength was different now, and the team had the extremely strong Zhu Zhuqing, so at least they wouldn't be completely suppressed.
Their advantage lay in their team strength; no matter how strong Su Cheng was, could he suppress all seven of them by himself?
Because of Su Cheng, Shrek Academy had also conducted some research on the Royal Fighting Team 2 beforehand, knowing that apart from Su Cheng and Ning Rongrong, the others in this team weren't particularly strong.
At this moment, Tang San suddenly noticed Xiao Wu's pale face beside him, and his heart tightened.
He stopped shaking his head and resolutely said, "No substitutes, let's go with the strongest lineup!"
Since Yu Xiaogang had given him full command, he had the right to lead the team to fight with all their might.
Teacher, for Xiao Wu's sake, please let me be willful this once.
I must help Xiao Wu shatter her inner demons.
Otherwise, the impact on her future would be too great.
Standing at the back of the team, Zhu Zhuqing overheard their conversation and chuckled inwardly,
but said nothing.
Dai Mubai nodded, "Xiao San, you arrange the tactics."
Although the strongest member of the Shrek Academy team was undoubtedly Zhu Zhuqing, whose soul power had reached level 46,
the core of the team's battle still rested with the control-type soul master Tang San.
However, this was because Zhu Zhuqing had always maintained an indifferent attitude.
She had little interest in team command and even disregarded team combat.
Unless the team could defeat Su Cheng.
But…
she glanced at the Shrek team members and shook her head inwardly.
It was simply impossible.
The preparation time quickly passed, the lights went out, and the two teams slowly entered the arena amidst loud shouts.
The arena had changed.
In the short half-hour that had just passed, the prepared arena had been erected.
The circular arena was ten meters high and over thirty meters in diameter, covering a considerable area. When the preliminary rounds truly begin tomorrow, five arenas will be set up simultaneously for the competition.
These preliminary rounds will occupy half of the entire Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. The subsequent qualifying rounds and finals will all take place at the Spirit Hall headquarters, in the large square in front of the Pope's Hall in Spirit City.
Su Cheng led the sixteen members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team, standing in a row in the center of the arena, facing the Shrek Academy team.
"Captain, what do you say?" Someone from the second team looked at Su Cheng, who was standing at the front, and asked in a low voice.
"Just watch."
The Great Annihilation Intent he had comprehended in the Blue Silver Grass Forest had already been transformed into a sword technique.
Now he was just lacking an opponent to test his skills on, and the Shrek Academy team might be a very good choice.
"Both sides bow, and non-participants step down from the arena."
After bowing, the extra team members stepped down from the arena, leaving only the seven members from each team participating in the first round of the preliminaries.
10,000 words a day, 7 chapters still owed.
...
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