Empire, Sect, Spirit Hall

Quan Yi stared at the emperor of Heaven Dou, but he saw Xue Ye's forced smile.

Despite it being such a celebratory day, the emperor was not entirely happy.

Fortunately, he didn't show it very obviously.

However, this is understandable, since most of the participating academies present do not have a direct connection with the Heaven Dou Empire.

Apart from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the advancement of other academies does not bring any substantial benefit to the empire.

In the end, Xue Ye still wanted to encourage all participating Spirit Master to give full play to their strength and achieve good results in the name of the Emperor and the Empire.

Following His Majesty the Emperor, the Master of Ceremonies invited Ning Fengzhi to deliver a speech.

Quan Yi was also extremely curious about the number one Support System Soul Master in the Spirit Master World.

Ning Fengzhi's speech was nothing new.

The Spirit Master is the noblest profession, and Spirit Master's growth requires numerous trials and tribulations.

However, at the end of his speech, Ning Fengzhi emphasized the importance of the empire.

"I hope you can bring glory to the empire and the academy."

The Empire needs you.

It was this statement that made Emperor Xue Ye reveal a more genuine smile.

Ning Fengzhi's speech was very interesting. As one of the Seven Great Sects independent of the empire, he actually publicly supported the Royal Family and the Heaven Dou Empire.

Logically speaking, this should not be in the interests of the sect.

The stronger the Royal Family, the narrower the living space of the sects will be, and the greater the constraints they will face.

However, it seems that the Heaven Dou Royal Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now have a deeper connection.

"Sect Master Ning, you are the strongest Support System Soul Master. I would like to ask which of the twenty-eight teams participating in this Preliminary Competition you favor the most?"

When asked the question by the Master of Ceremonies, Ning Fengzhi slightly suppressed his smile and thought for a moment.

"This year's participating teams are truly a hidden force. In addition to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Main Team, many other academies have emerged as dark horses. To be honest, this has greatly overturned my expectations."

However, I can say with certainty that the champion team of this year's Continent Soul Master Tournament is very likely to emerge from the Empire.

In fact, Ning Fengzhi had a preferred team before the competition, but after seeing the prowess of the Blazing Fire Academy and Godwind Academy, his choice wavered.

However, regardless of the outcome, the overall quality of the Heaven Dou Empire this time is very high, and they have a real chance of winning the championship.

"Although it is somewhat regrettable, we can indeed understand the dilemma that Sect Master Ning cannot easily make a choice."

However, this also means that the level of teams participating from the Empire this year is very high, which may be a happy problem for us.

The Master of Ceremonies subtly boasted about the strength of Heaven Dou, and then invited the Platinum Bishop Salas to draw lots for the first round of the Preliminary Competition.

Salas acted very arrogantly, having the emcee relay the Master of Ceremonies every time a pair was drawn.

Today is the opening ceremony; only one match will be played in the first round of the Preliminary Competition.

That was an exhibition match between the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Sub-team and their vice-captains.

The match-up lists have begun to be announced.

The name of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy appeared prominently in the third group.

"In the first round of the Preliminary Competition, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will face Shrek Academy."

As soon as the draw results were announced, boos erupted throughout the arena.

"Cheating, cheating, cheating."

It's no wonder these viewers are making a fuss; Shrek Academy has left such a negative impression on the audience that it's clearly picking on the weak.

Salas ignored them and continued drawing lots at a steady pace.

The name of the Blazing Fire Academy appears very late in the list.

Their opposing academy is called the Fire Star Academy.

Judging from the name, you can guess that this academy is the same as Blazing Fire Academy, and is a team of Spirit Master composed of Fire-attribute Spirit Master.

However, in terms of overall quality and strength, the academy is completely inferior to the powerful Blazing Fire Academy.

It can be said that this academy is a lower-level alternative to the Blazing Fire Academy.

Upon hearing that they would be facing an academy, Quan Yi neither sad nor happy; it made no difference to him who the opponent was.

However, when their pairing was announced, a sigh of regret echoed throughout the stadium.

This is a battle with an even clearer outcome than the one between Heaven Dou and Shrek.

The difference in skill level is too obvious, which will only evoke pity from the audience.

The Fire Star Academy students, who were at the back, also accepted their unfortunate fate with long faces.

The draw ended quickly.

Salas, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.

He first swore an oath on the honor of the Spirit Hall, assuring everyone that the lottery draw was absolutely genuine.

Immediately afterwards, he actually stood in front of the Heaven Dou Emperor and openly tried to undermine the Soul Master Academy.

"All participants who make it to the Finals will be exceptionally allowed to join the Spirit Hall Martial Soul Holy Hall."

This statement held immense Gravity for the vast majority of Spirit Master present.

There are only two Martial Soul Holy Hall on the entire continent. Being able to enter one is equivalent to a student being admitted to Qingbei in the original world.

For Spirit Master, not only can they receive the highest level of treatment and training support, but they can also gain honor.

Salas's words immediately stirred the hearts of the Spirit Master present.

Quan Yi immediately noticed Xue Ye's reaction.

Clearly, such a disregard for the Royal Family caused Xue Ye's expression to darken.

However, Ning Fengzhi gently shook his head, signaling Xue Ye to be patient.

Through the subtle reactions of these three parties, Quan Yi seemed to see a microcosm of the situation on the mainland.

The three people at the very front of the VIP seats represent the Empire, the Sect, and the Spirit Hall, respectively.

Salas's actions show that the conflict between the Spirit Hall and the Empire has escalated to an irreconcilable level.

He didn't even bother to make any attempt to conceal it in public, openly recruiting outstanding Spirit Master.

Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi's reactions made Quan Yi realize that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect seemed to have chosen the Empire over the Spirit Hall.

The sects and the Royal Family don't get along very well. From the Royal Family's perspective, it's natural to be unhappy to see powerful, uncontrollable forces within their territory.

From the perspective of the sect, while maintaining independence and autonomy, the existence of the Royal Family can sometimes become a limitation.

However, the fact that two forces that don't get along well can bring each other together shows just how great a threat the Spirit Hall poses to them.

An otherwise routine opening ceremony allowed Quan Yi to witness many interesting scenes.

It's fortunate that he was there; otherwise, we might not have noticed this subtle change.

A storm is brewing.

Upon seeing this opening ceremony, Quan Yi had this feeling.

What he feared might be closer than he imagined.

"The first match of the first round of the Preliminary Competition is between the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Shrek Academy."

Please leave the venue, other colleges. The competition will officially begin in half an hour.

Apart from the two opposing teams, the other academies were directed to a special stands for the players, with the Blazing Fire Academy naturally positioned at the forefront with the best view.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

In the open space, a towering cylinder with a diameter of over thirty meters and a height of ten meters stands tall.

This is the dedicated arena for the Preliminary Competition.