Aside from the Clear Sky Sect, which had burst onto the scene and stunned the entire audience,
the three veteran Sects—the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Tianlong Gate, and the Aojian Sect—also displayed power that could not be underestimated in this tournament, becoming forces that could not be ignored on the field.
However, compared to the Clear Sky Sect, the combat power of these three Sects undoubtedly had a very clear gap.
At its root, this was because each of the three teams was led by only a single Spirit Emperor-level expert, and their overall high-level combat power was far inferior to that of the Clear Sky Sect.
Even so, in terms of ranking among the one hundred and eighty participating teams, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Tianlong Gate, and the Aojian Sect still firmly occupied positions in the first tier.
After all, in this tournament, the core combat power of the vast majority of teams was only at the Spirit Ancestor or Spirit King level.
Having a Spirit Emperor to oversee them was already at the top level.
Combined with the Legacy accumulated over many years, mature team tactics, and the seamless cooperation between team members, it was enough for the three major Sects to go far in the subsequent matches.
They also became the forces with the most hope of breaking into the top three of the tournament, alongside the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Shrek Academy, and the Clear Sky Sect.
As one of the top support system Sects on the continent, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was led by only one Spirit Emperor.
However, the Sect's unique Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit was considered the ultimate among support system Spirits.
It could significantly increase the various attributes of teammates, allowing the team's overall combat power to achieve a qualitative leap.
Tianlong Gate and the Aojian Sect, on the other hand, were typical attack system Sects.
One excelled with the overbearing impact of Dragon-type Spirits, while the other was known for the sharp and fierce edge of sword-type Spirits.
Both teams were extremely outstanding in both single-target attacks and team battles.
With the presence of Spirit Emperor experts to anchor them, they both secured victories in the first round of the knockout stage with clean and decisive performances, encountering few obstacles.
And beyond these veteran Sects that were household names in the Spirit Master's world and had remained prosperous through the passage of time...
...a dark horse had also emerged in this tournament.
A previously unknown Sect had actually displayed terrifying strength in the knockout stage, enough to shake the tournament's landscape, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
This Sect was the Mingluo Sect.
The Mingluo Sect was originally just an inconspicuous second-rate Sect within the Star Luo Empire, with almost no reputation in the Spirit Master's world.
The Mingluo Sect rarely participated in the disputes of major forces on a daily basis, remaining in a semi-secluded state.
Had it not been for their participation this time, many top forces might not have even known of the Sect's existence.
According to the tournament rules, many strong teams would be equipped with reserve members to prevent situations where injuries or loss of combat power occurred during matches.
However, the Mingluo Sect's lineup was exactly the same as the Clear Sky Sect's.
The entire team had only seven regular members, with no reserve members arranged.
What seemed like a thin lineup erupted with power that left people dumbfounded.
The strength of this team showed no trace of the weakness associated with a second-rate Sect; instead, it seemed unfathomable in every aspect.
All seven members of the team used Spirits with the Dark attribute; their aura was cold and obscure, and their bodies were surrounded by a thick, eerie black mist.
At first glance, they bore a high degree of similarity to the Evil Spirits that the world feared.
Just releasing their Spirit auras made the audience around the field feel a chill in their hearts, subconsciously generating resistance and fear.
However, the Mingluo Sect was originally based within the Star Luo Empire, having been rooted in its remote regions.
Their Spirit Cultivate path was naturally inclined toward the dark lineage and was not an Acquired mutation into an Evil Spirit.
Regarding this point, the Star Luo Empire officials had long ago conducted detailed inspections and records on them.
Therefore, even though the Spirits of the Mingluo Sect members looked eerie and gloomy, they completely met the tournament's participation standards and smoothly passed the initial qualification audit.
But even if their Spirits were compliant, the strength the Mingluo Sect displayed far exceeded everyone's expectations, even reaching a shocking level.
This unknown second-rate Sect team actually possessed a combat power configuration identical to that of the deep-rooted Clear Sky Sect.
The team also had three Spirit Emperor-level experts, and the remaining four members without exception had all reached the Five-ring Spirit King level.
The same minimalist seven-person lineup, the same top-tier configuration of three Spirit Emperors and four Spirit Kings.
One was one of the original Upper Three Sects, which had been secluded for ten thousand years and possessed a deep Legacy.
The other was an unknown, small second-rate Sect.
The extreme contrast between the two caused the Mingluo Sect to instantly become the focus of conversation for the entire tournament after finishing the first round of the knockout stage and easily defeating their opponents.
Inside and outside the arena, and in the rest areas of various major forces, everyone was discussing this strange team.
Even though the Clear Sky Sect had been in seclusion for many years, it was still one of the Upper Three Sects that had awed the continent ten thousand years ago, passing down the world's number one Tool Spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer.
The Clear Sky Sect's Family Bloodline and Sect Legacy were right there.
Even after not appearing for many years, presenting a lineup of three Spirit Emperors, while extremely shocking and far exceeding expectations, was still something people could begrudgingly accept deep down.
After all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse; the Clear Sky Sect's Legacy was inherently incomparable to that of ordinary Sects.
But what about the Mingluo Sect?
How could a nameless, mediocre second-rate Sect produce a top-tier lineup identical to the Clear Sky Sect's?
How could they Cultivate three young Spirit Emperors and four young Spirit Kings?
Such a combat power configuration was not something a second-rate Sect, or even a first-rate Sect on the continent, could necessarily produce easily.
This completely defied the common sense of Spirit Master Cultivate and was even less consistent with the strength level of a second-rate Sect.
Anyone with a sound mind could already see the obvious problem within this unreasonable display of strength.
On the field, the Spirit Masters of various forces and the audience below began to discuss privately one after another.
Everyone had reason to suspect that the original Mingluo Sect might have long since ceased to exist.
The team currently representing the Mingluo Sect was simply being impersonated.
As for exactly who would impersonate them to compete...
...combining their cold and eerie dark Spirits with the dense evil aura they emitted, the answer was almost obvious.
Other than the Evil Soul Masters, whom everyone on the continent sought to eliminate, no one could think of any other possibility.
After all, Evil Soul Masters had always been skilled at hiding their tracks, habitually used strange dark Spirits, and acted in mysterious and unpredictable ways, stopping at nothing to achieve their goals.
Impersonating an inconspicuous second-rate Sect to compete was completely in line with their style of operation.
For a time, rumors inside and outside the arena that the Mingluo Sect was being impersonated by Evil Soul Masters flew everywhere, spreading more and more intensely.
Many participating Sects even directly raised questions to the Star Luo Empire officials, demanding that the tournament organizing committee immediately investigate the Mingluo Sect's identity.
To prevent Evil Soul Masters from infiltrating the tournament and endangering the safety of other participating Spirit Masters.
But what felt even more strange was that even as public opinion reached such a fever pitch...
...and even as voices of doubt and petitions rose one after another...
...the Star Luo Empire officials still did not take any action.
They neither dispatched personnel to verify the Mingluo Sect's identity nor provided any explanation for the external rumors.
They even took the initiative to speak out, stopping the various participating forces and the audience from speculating wildly and spreading false statements.
They demanded that everyone follow the tournament rules and focus on the matches themselves.
Although the Star Luo Empire officials did not openly step forward to prove the Mingluo Sect's identity, nor did they explicitly endorse their eligibility to compete...
...such actions already clearly represented the official stance.
...such actions already clearly represented the official stance.
They tacitly accepted the Mingluo Sect's existence, had no intention of pursuing the doubts about their identity, and certainly did not allow others to interfere too much.
Faced with the Star Luo Empire officials' clear attitude of protection, the various participating forces, despite being filled with confusion and suspicion, did not dare to say anything more publicly.
After all, the Star Luo Empire was the host country of the tournament and held the power of control; with its immense strength, ordinary Sects were simply unable to contend with it.
Furthermore, many forces had a mindset of just watching the spectacle, feeling that as long as the matches were exciting and they could see top-tier power clashes, it was enough.
As for whether the Mingluo Sect really consisted of Evil Soul Masters, it didn't have much to do with them.
Over time, the discussions gradually died down, and everyone tacitly suppressed their doubts in their hearts, continuing to follow the subsequent matches.