The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament

The summer sun slowly rose from the east, and a faint white glow began to spread across the vast blue sky.

Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City.

Dawn had only just broken, yet the streets were already packed with surging crowds. Countless people streamed toward the Great Soul Arena, and the fervent atmosphere and excited masses made today seem even more important than a festival.

And that was more or less the truth, because today marked the official opening of the once-every-five-years Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. On a continent where Soul Masters were the mainstream, the status of the Soul Master Elite Tournament went without saying.

There was a common saying on the continent: the prosperity of a Great Soul Arena revealed a nation's strength, while the brilliance of an academy tournament revealed that nation's future.

The Soul Master Tournament was not held solely within the Heaven Dou Empire. The words "Continental" alone made its scope clear.

The tournament was divided into several regions. Aside from the northern and southern hegemons, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, the duchies and kingdoms affiliated with the two empires each formed their own regions. In the end, the finest teams would advance to Spirit City, the sacred land of Soul Masters, for the finals.

The crowds surged through the streets, but they naturally were not going to attend the opening ceremony. Although the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena was one of the continent's finest, it could not possibly accommodate so many people.

Only nobles, wealthy merchants, and Soul Masters could enter the Great Soul Arena to watch the opening ceremony. Very few commoners had the chance to get in. Forget whether they could even buy tickets—the exorbitant price alone was enough to make them give up.

But that