Promotion Round
Royal Hunting Grounds.
Fifteen teams from various principalities and the Heaven Dou Division, having qualified through the Qualifying Tournament, have gathered here.
The rules for the Promotion Rounds are completely different from those for the Qualifying Tournament.
The competition adopts a single-player round-robin format, with each academy sending out students for one-on-one battles. The winner continues to face the next opponent, while the loser is eliminated, until all seven members of one academy are eliminated.
This type of individual competition best demonstrates Soul Master's comprehensive combat skills, adaptability, and mental fortitude.
On the surface, the Promotion Rounds are for ranking, but in reality, they are for the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire Empires to secretly observe potential Soul Masters and prepare for future recruitment.
Outstanding young Soul Masters are the future pillars of the empire, the backbone of the army, and highly sought-after by various sects.
The Promotion Round has reached its fifth day.
After five days of competition, the Shrek Team was unstoppable.
The team gained a new Soul King and a new Soul Ancestor, in addition to Qin Ming's strategic deployment.
Tang San had even less chance to appear, because no team could defeat Shrek Academy until only one person remained.
He no longer needed to demonstrate anything; with Qian Renxue around, no one had a stronger backer than him.
After the match, Tang San walked towards the edge of the camp as usual.
Not far from the campsite, there is a small river with crystal-clear water and flowers and plants growing on both banks.
The area is lush with vegetation, which naturally enhances the cultivation of Plant-type Martial Souls. Tang San comes here to meditate every day.
Tang San arrived at the flat, large rock where he often sat.
The stone has already been taken.
A girl wearing a light blue dress sat barefoot on a rock, her fair feet immersed in the cool river water, her long, icy blue hair hanging over her shoulders.
She lowered her head, looking at her reflection in the water, lost in thought.
Shui Bing'er.
Tang San paused for a moment, then strode over and sat down on the rock next to her.
Are you here to cultivate as well?
His voice was casual and natural.
Shui Bing'er was slightly startled. She quickly put on her high heels, then turned her head and saw that it was Tang San. Her heart skipped a beat.
She subconsciously looked away, appearing somewhat uneasy.
"Yes," Shui Bing'er's voice was soft, "The water element here is abundant, making it a suitable place for my cultivation. It's very comfortable here. What about you?"
"Me too." Tang San smiled. "The vegetation here is lush and the moisture is plentiful, which is also very suitable for Plant-type Martial Souls."
"Now that you mention it, I feel like my Blue Silver Grass and your water element are a perfect match. Plants love water and light."
Tang San then added a sarcastic remark, though it was a bit awkward.
Shui Bing'er's lips curved into a slight smile, but she quickly suppressed it.
Her eyes darted away, but she took a deep breath and mustered her courage to ask, "May I ask how you were able to cultivate so quickly?"
Shui Bing'er's voice carried a hint of hesitation and sincerity, "I have never seen any other Soul Master reach this level at your age."
Looking at the shimmering waves on the river, Tang San said, "Actually, I mainly relied on some fortuitous encounters and received some help; it wasn't entirely due to my own efforts."
He paused, turned his head, and looked at Shui Bing'er. "Speaking of talent, your talent and hard work are the best I've ever seen. Not only do you possess a top-tier Ice Phoenix Martial Soul, but you've also managed to reach level forty-three at this age through sheer hard work. In this respect, I'm not as good as you."
When Tang San praised her like that, Shui Bing'er's fair face flushed slightly, and a hint of shyness and satisfaction flashed in her icy blue eyes.
She lowered her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, and her entire demeanor transformed from one of restraint and tension to one of relaxation and joy.
With no one else around to bother her, Shui Bing'er gradually relaxed and became more talkative.
The two discussed their views on cultivation, future development, and plans after the Soul Master Tournament.
The two talked for a long time.
Shui Bing'er gradually let go of her reserve and stopped avoiding Tang San's gaze, instead meeting his eyes openly.
Her voice was no longer harsh; it sounded like she was thoroughly enjoying her conversation with Tang San.
Until the clouds on the horizon were dyed into a magnificent sunset, the glow of the sunset was reflected on the river.
The two then got up and walked towards the camp.
One by one, the lights in the camp were turned on, and a dim yellow light shone through the gaps in the tents.
Shui Bing'er entered the Skywater Academy camp. Shui Yue'er was standing at the tent entrance, looking in the direction she came from.
"Sister, why did you and Tang San come back at the same time?"
Shui Yue'er's voice was full of mischief.
Shui Bing'er's face flushed slightly, a hint of nervousness crossing her heart. "We just happened to run into each other by the river, what's wrong?"
Looking at her sister's slightly reddened ears, Shui Yue'er sighed and said, "Sister, if you like them, just go and tell them. Look how well those three get along, I'm so envious."
Shui Bing'er shook her head, a bitter smile on her face, and did not answer.
The Promotion Rounds quickly came to their final day, Tang San had not made a single appearance so far.
The only thing that made Tang San feel that the past two weeks hadn't been wasted was that he would go to the river after each competition.
Shui Bing'er sometimes arrived earlier than him, and the two went from initial politeness to later speaking freely and joking with each other.
Neither of them took the initiative to reveal their feelings, but the ambiguous, unspoken atmosphere was more captivating than any confession.
Dugu Yan and the others saw through it but didn't say anything, appearing quite calm.
Xue Qinghe visited once during the journey. There were many experts present, so the two could not act too intimately. They simply addressed each other as brothers and shook hands.
The morning sun shone on the competition field of the Royal Hunting Grounds.
The stands were packed today, with Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, all in attendance.
The final match of the day was between the Godwind Academy and Shrek Academy.
After two weeks of Promotion Round, Shrek still maintains a perfect record.
Godwind Academy has only lost one game, to Blazing Fire.
The tone of this showdown was set long ago.
Tang San had already promised Feng Xiaotian that Douluo I him in the Promotion Round.
The coaches of both teams reached a consensus: the outcome would be decided in one battle.
After all, Godwind Academy was never confident of defeating Shrek Academy.
The two stood in the center of the Soul Fighting Platform. Feng Xiaotian clasped his hands in a fist salute, and Tang San also clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Godwind Academy, Feng Xiaotian, Level 44 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul Gale Twin-Headed Wolf."
"Shrek Academy, Tang San, Level 57 Control-type Battle Soul King, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass."
The referee raised his right hand high, then slammed it down. "The match begins!"
Feng Xiaotian's first, second, and Third Soul Rings lit up simultaneously.
He didn't test the waters, he held nothing back, he went all out from the start.
With the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf Martial Soul Possession, his body suddenly grew taller, and a pair of azure wind wings appeared on his back.
Skipping the initial probing, Feng Xiaotian directly unleashed his Self-Created Soul Skill, the Gale Demon Wolf Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes.
He concentrated his wind-attribute Soul Power into his wind wings and unleashed a series of rapid slashes, each one faster and heavier than the last.
Feng Xiaotian's figure transformed into a blue afterimage on the Soul Fighting Platform, and wind blades slashed towards Tang San from all directions.
The result is self-evident: although Feng Xiaotian's final strike had attack power close to that of Soul Emperor, it still could not break through Tang San's Blue Silver Vine defense.
After exhausting his Soul Power, Feng Xiaotian also conceded defeat.
The Promotion Rounds have now come to an end.
Three days later, the fifteen teams will regroup and head to Spirit City for the final Grand Finals.