The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is the grandest competition in the Soul Master World, initiated and hosted by the royal families of the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, and co-organized by Martial Soul Hall.
Because there are so many participating academies—nearly a hundred advanced soul master academies from the two empires—the first round of the tournament, the preliminaries, is divided into regional zones based on the academies' locations. Through a process of selecting the best from the best, thirty teams are chosen to advance to the Finals.
On the Heaven Dou Empire side, due to the four kingdoms and one duchy under its jurisdiction, the territory is divided into six competition zones. All advanced soul master academies under the Heaven Dou Empire are assigned to the Heaven Dou Division to participate in the preliminary rounds.
The main venue for the Heaven Dou Division preliminaries is none other than the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
To host the tournament, the arena has been closed for a month for internal renovations. All the sub-arenas within the Great Soul Arena have been merged with the main soul fighting center to form an incredibly massive competition venue. Excluding the VIP area reserved on the north side, the renovated Great Soul Arena can accommodate eighty thousand spectators simultaneously.
The first round of the tournament is the preliminaries, which utilize a single round-robin format based on team battles. Each preliminary zone selects the teams with the highest winning points to advance to the Promotion Tournament. The Heaven Dou Division has five slots for advancement.
The second round of the tournament is the Promotion Tournament. This is a ranking competition that determines the order of appearance in the Finals; no teams are eliminated here. The format requires each team to send out seven members for 1v1 duels. The winner stays on the field, and the loser sends out another person, continuing until one side has all seven members eliminated.
Two days later, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament officially begins.
At dawn, before the sky had even brightened, the Heaven Dou Division venue had already welcomed a massive crowd. By the time Yun Ming and his group arrived, they saw that one-third of Heaven Dou City, centered around the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, was so crowded that the streets were practically empty elsewhere. To maintain order, Heaven Dou City mobilized five thousand City Defense Army soldiers to keep the peace.
From this, one can see just how much of an attraction this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament holds for the people.
Seeing such a bustling scene, Oscar couldn't help but exclaim.
"So many people!"
Although the others didn't speak, their emotions were much the same; they were all somewhat shocked by the sea of people at the scene, and the pressure that had been dispelled by Yun Ming over the past two days began to rise again.
Seeing the group's reaction, Yun Ming smiled slightly without saying a word. Appropriate pressure is more conducive to their performance, and such a grand stage is also a form of mental training for them.
Yun Ming led the way into the crowd. Once they entered, the Empire Team immediately received extra attention. There was no other reason than the fact that their appearance and attire were truly a feast for the eyes.
Needless to say, Yun Ming, Oscar, Dugu Yan, and Ning Rongrong were absolute beauties and handsome men. The remaining members were also well above average, including the most robust Niu Bi, whose thick eyebrows and square face gave him a heroic and imposing appearance.
On top of that, they were now wearing gorgeous team uniforms with a pure white base, inlaid with dazzling gold thread at the edges, featuring angel wings on the back, and a sword and shield badge pinned to their chests. The purity and nobility inherent in the clothing elevated everyone's already outstanding looks and temperament to another level.
This was specially designed by Grandmaster Yu at the request of Qian Renxue; the white base with gold trim and dual wings perfectly matched the Angel, while also serving as a disguise for the Swan.
Passersby on the roadside were stunned by the Empire Team, whispering to one another.
"What academy is that? They are way too easy on the eyes! Are they here to participate in the Soul Master Academy Competition too?"
"A sword and shield badge? I don't think I've ever seen that before!"
"..."
Some infatuated men and women were instantly smitten by the group's looks. They didn't care if they were strong or not, as long as they were handsome and beautiful. Some even boldly called out to the group.
"Handsome little brother, can you tell me your name? (To Yun Ming)"
"Young master, which house are you from? This miss wants to marry into your family! (To Oscar)"
"..."
"Goddess, could you please step on me and trample me ruthlessly? (To Dugu Yan)"
Yun Ming and the Empire Team: "..."
If not for Ning Rongrong holding her back, Dugu Yan, upon hearing this, would have almost obliged him—though she would have added some poison.
The four of them basically received such calls, some normal and some abnormal. Aside from words, one or two people even took action. For example, just as Yun Ming passed by a bright and beautiful woman, she quietly stuffed a note into his hand.
Yun Ming was a bit puzzled, but when he opened it, his mouth twitched uncontrollably. It read: 'Linquan Hotel, 7th floor, Room 707'.
Soul Power surged in Yun Ming's hand, instantly shattering the note into dust. He couldn't let the others behind him see this; otherwise, if they reported him, a certain little vinegar jar would surely take the opportunity to lecture him.
In addition to the attention from the onlookers, the Empire Team also caught the eyes of several other participating teams. In particular, the team at the very back, dressed in indigo uniforms, had a lead teacher and a soul master who were glaring hatefully at Yun Ming, who was leading the Empire group.
Yun Ming felt the hostile gaze from behind and looked back. Upon discovering the long-absent Grandmaster Yu and Tang God King, he smiled and waved a greeting.
Seeing his mortal enemy—the man who forced his father to his death, killed his aunt, caused him severe injury, and nearly cost him his life—actually daring to greet them, Tang God King was so furious that he gnashed his teeth, his eyes turning red.
Beside Tang San, Xiao Wu, seeing Tang San's state, spoke with a mix of heartache and hatred.
"Third Brother, don't worry."
"This time, isn't that bastard participating too? We will definitely have a chance to avenge you, Uncle, and Aunt."
The meaning behind Xiao Wu's words was clear; she was urging Tang San to ignore the competition rules and launch a lethal attack while the intensity of the combat was restricted on the field.
Hearing Xiao Wu's suggestion, Tang San was tempted, but he couldn't. His father was no longer by his side; if he killed Yun Ming on the field, he would inevitably be killed by the Breaking Clan off the field. If that happened, he would never be able to avenge the deep-seated grudges against the Breaking Clan and Martial Soul Hall.
However, Tang San didn't refuse immediately, which led Yu Xiaogang to mistakenly believe that Tang San was truly tempted.
That wouldn't do! Even though he also hated Yun Ming for ruining his reputation in the Heaven Dou Soul Master World twice, he couldn't let Tang San commit such a foul and be disqualified by the Competition Organizing Committee. Otherwise, how could he prove his own talent? With a righteous air, as if he were doing it for Tang San's own good, Yu Xiaogang said:
"Little San, you must not be impulsive."
"With your talent, you will surely be able to deal with Yun Ming easily in the future. If you act now, it will inevitably lead to a frantic retaliation from those behind him."
"Not only would your life be in jeopardy and your future bleak, but your other enemies—the Breaking Clan and Martial Soul Hall—would all be able to get away scot-free!"
Tang San looked at his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, suppressing his anger on the surface and respectfully agreeing. But in the depths of his eyes, there was indifference and mockery. Yu Xiaogang wasn't wrong, but he had only hesitated for a moment; was Yu Xiaogang being too impatient?
After seeing Yu Xiaogang's theories refuted by Yun Ming twice, leaving him speechless, and watching him ignore the truth about his Blue Silver Grass Spirit to maintain his reputation, only to be exposed after faking a faint on stage, Tang San had already begun to take off his rose-colored glasses when looking at Yu Xiaogang. What he saw instead was a complete mess.
After responding, Tang San turned his head to look at the blurry back that was about to disappear from his sight, his heart screaming in hysteria.
'Yun Ming, just you wait!'
'Even if I can't kill you this time, I will extract every bit of the pain you've caused me from your body!!!'
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader