Chapter 80 The Tournament Begins.
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight pierced Xingluo City, the capital of the Xingluo Empire exuded a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
On the streets, pedestrians bustled about, and merchants had already set up their stalls, their dazzling array of goods attracting passersby. Shouts and bargaining filled the air, creating a lively symphony.
Only the streets surrounding Xingluo Square were completely sealed off by soldiers in gleaming armor, especially near the Xinghuang Grand Hotel, where thousands of soldiers were stationed. The streets leading to Xingluo Square from there were completely under martial law.
Only participating teams from various academies exiting the Xinghuang Grand Hotel were allowed to pass.
The arena for this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was not built in the center of Xingluo Square, but in front of the main gate of the imperial city. This way, His Majesty the Emperor of the Xingluo Empire and his civil and military officials could directly observe the battle from the city walls, enjoying the best view and complete security.
The entire arena was 100 meters long and wide, and 5 meters high. There are 108 metal pillars surrounding the arena. These are not decorations, but actual protective soul tools. Once the competition begins, 108 soul masters will be in charge of protecting the arena. These metal pillars will form a protective shield to prevent any soul skills from leaking out, thus avoiding damage to the imperial city or harm to innocent people.
The construction of this arena alone cost a fortune, and mobilizing 108 soul masters to serve the competition for more than a month requires national-level resources.
At this moment, Star Luo Square is deserted. Apart from the soldiers in the distance, the square is empty.
Only the noise coming from outside Star Luo Square reveals the prosperity of this city.
Iron fences stand in rows on the square. These iron fences, about 1.5 meters high, do not obstruct the view of most people, but divide the square into different areas. There are different entrances and exits for both spectators and those leaving. This makes it much easier for the soldiers to maintain order. The number of people that each area can accommodate is also clearly limited.
The imperial city is located on the north side, facing south, while a luxurious rest area has been built on the west side of the competition arena, specifically for the participating teams from each academy. However, the rest area can only accommodate about seventy academies. Clearly, no seats have been prepared for academies eliminated in the first round. This can be considered a way to avoid waste, and it also further motivates the participating students.
Since the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament adopted its current format, aside from the final competition, the most exciting part is actually this first round of elimination matches, its brilliance and even brutality far surpassing the later round-robin tournaments.
The round-robin tournament allows for tactical arrangements and even tactical failures. But this first round is a direct elimination tournament; the loser is eliminated, and every participating academy must pass this hurdle. Even the perennial champions, Shrek Academy, are no exception. While the tournament offers byes by drawing lots, no academy can directly enjoy the privilege of a bye.
Early in the morning, the team leaders from each academy arrived at the imperial city to draw lots using the competition number they received during registration. At this time, the drawing ceremony was complete. Officials in the Star Luo Empire had already tallied the draw results. Once the competition order was announced, the final preparations for the grand competition were complete.
The sun slowly rose from the east, bringing warmth to Star Luo City, located in the central part of the continent.
On the city wall, a middle-aged man in a bright yellow robe and an eight-treasure purple-gold crown stood with his hands behind his back. His position was the very center of the main gate, the best vantage point for watching the competition below.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman in magnificent palace attire, respectfully and gently accompanying him. A few steps behind were the civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire.
At that moment, people began entering from all directions of Star Luo Square, flowing into the arena like long dragons under the guidance of soldiers.
The Star Luo Empire adopted a policy of treating all spectators equally; those with money might get a better seat, but everyone else had to stand. There were no seats available. This was to accommodate as many people as possible.
As the audience entered, all the contestants were already standing in the contestant area, awaiting the start of the competition.
Wu Xuan and his group stood in the first row of all the academy contestants, wearing the green uniforms that Shrek Academy had inherited for ten thousand years, yet no academy objected—this was the prestige of the continent's number one academy.
However, the contestants from the academies standing behind couldn't help but show some surprise when they saw Shrek Academy's lineup.
Shrek Academy only sent eleven people this time, which was already surprising, but judging by their ages, only four were around twenty years old, and the rest were very young, conservatively estimated to be no more than fifteen. Was this the lineup Shrek Academy was sending this year?
Even so, most of the other academies were secretly praying that they wouldn't run into Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
For so many years, the top two academies had consistently won the championship and runner-up positions, and the other academies had pretty much gotten used to it.
By this time, the sun was high in the sky.
"Silence!" A tremendous voice suddenly resounded throughout the entire arena. Upon hearing this, all the soldiers stood at attention, raising their spears high. Instantly, a chilling atmosphere filled the air. The previously noisy Star Luo Square fell silent.
"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"
"Whoosh—" The masses immediately knelt down in large numbers. The sight of hundreds of thousands of people performing the same synchronized action was truly magnificent.
The soldiers knelt on one knee, while all participating academies had been specifically instructed beforehand that they were not required to kneel, but they were required to bow ninety degrees to show their respect for the Emperor.
"Rise, my lords." The Star Luo Emperor's voice was amplified and amplified by the soul-guided amplification device. The masses then rose, and the students from the participating academies straightened their backs. All eyes were fixed on the city walls directly ahead.
The Star Luo Emperor, accompanied by his Empress and civil and military officials, had arrived at the forefront of the city walls, surveying his subjects with a gentle yet authoritative gaze.
"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is the most important event in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent. I am very pleased that this year it is being held in our Star Luo Empire. Here, on behalf of the Star Luo Empire, I welcome the representatives from various academies, led by Shrek Academy. I hope you will demonstrate your true prowess in the competition over the next month."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The leaders and students of the 133 academies bowed again.
The Star Luo Emperor smiled and nodded in their direction.
"Very well, I hereby declare the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament officially open." With the Star Luo Emperor's resounding announcement, the curtain was raised on this grand event.
"Long live! Long live! Long live!" the people shouted in unison. Their emotions were instantly stirred.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom..." The booming of cannons echoed from the city walls. It continued for 108 shots before stopping. Star Luo Square had become a sea of excitement and cheers.
The Star Luo Emperor led his officials back slightly. Seats had already been arranged, and he and the Empress took their seats, waving to the Prime Minister beside him. The Prime Minister immediately understood and gave the order to begin the competition.
The previously loud voice rang out again, "According to the rules of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, the first round will be an elimination tournament. This year, a total of 133 advanced soul master and soul master academies have registered for the tournament. One academy has been drawn, and one will receive a bye in the first round. A total of 66 matches will be played. The first round is an elimination tournament. The loser will be immediately eliminated from the tournament. Now, the first match will begin immediately. The two sides are the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy team from the Douling Empire, and the Shrek Academy team, the continent's number one academy, with countless honors and having won almost every tournament championship in the past thousand years."
Upon the announcer's announcement, the atmosphere in the entire Star Luo Square instantly reached its peak.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
The shouts of Shrek Academy echoed throughout almost every corner of the square. Faced with this situation, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, and the others were dumbfounded. This was the first time they had encountered such a situation, and their faces paled.
Wu Xuan remained calmly seated, seemingly unaffected by the surrounding commotion.
"Don't panic, everyone. This is the glory of Shrek Academy. And it will soon be your glory. We faced a similar situation in the last competition. I can tell you that our opponents will be ten times more nervous and panicked than we are, because we are Shrek Academy," Dai Yueheng's voice reached the ears of every reserve team member.
Even Wang Yan, the team leader, was experiencing this for the first time! Only Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and Chen Zifeng had faced this situation before when representing Shrek Academy as the reserve team in the previous competition. Therefore, Dai Yueheng's words carried the most weight.
Chen Zifeng immediately chimed in, "Dai Yueheng is right. These cheers are for Shrek Academy, and for us too. This is our honor. Go on stage and prove to everyone your strength, prove the power of Shrek Academy. Go, face these supporters with your best spirit!"
Just then, the tournament host's voice rang out, "Let's first invite the team members from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy to the stage."
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