The Tournament Begins, Shrek vs. Royal Fight Team Two

The capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City.

The Continental Elite Tournament of the Advanced Spirit Master Academy is about to begin.

For the next period of time, all the preliminary rounds of the Heaven Dou Division will be held here.

The format of the Spirit Master Competition is not complicated.

Besides the three teams —the Spirit Hall Team, the Heaven Dou Royal Main Team, and the Star Luo Royal Main Team— that were guaranteed a spot in the finals, the Two Empires were divided into multiple divisions to compete for fifteen final spots. Ultimately, thirty-three teams will gather in Spirit City to compete for the championship.

In the Heaven Dou Empire, including the surrounding kingdoms and duchies, the competition is divided into five regions for preliminary rounds. Because the Heaven Dou Division is the core of the empire and has a large number of advanced academies, it has more qualifying teams, and five teams will advance to the finals.

The preliminary rounds are team-based, with teams ranked by winning points. The top five teams in points are guaranteed to advance.

The 28 teams will compete in 27 rounds of qualifying matches, which means the qualifying period will last for nearly a month, and this is also a test. Twenty-seven consecutive days of competition is enough to wear down teams with poor endurance.

At this moment, Heaven Dou City, the largest competition area, is holding a grand opening ceremony.

As the grandest Spirit Master Competition in the Soul Master World, it attracts not only the attention of Soul Master, but also the attention of every citizen of Heaven Dou City, from royalty and nobles to commoners. They regard this tournament as the grandest festival.

The opening ceremony was held in the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena in Heaven Dou City.

As the main arena for the Heaven Dou division, the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena suspended all Soul Fighting matches a month ago for internal renovations. All the sub-arenas within the Great Soul Arena were merged with the main Soul Fighting Center to form a massive competition venue.

In addition to the VIP area remaining on the north side of the entire competition venue, the renovated Great Soul Arena can accommodate 80,000 spectators at the same time.

Before dawn, the renovated Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena had already welcomed a huge number of spectators.

Meanwhile, a number of imperial nobles were gathered outside, hoping to get to know the young talents of the empire first.

In the Douluo Continent, Soul Master are undoubtedly a scarce resource, and their numbers have never exceeded six figures.

The young Soul Master who can participate in the Spirit Master Competition are among the best, and these people naturally don't want to miss the opportunity. Recruiting as many as they can is always a good thing.

In addition, a full 5,000 city defense troops were mobilized to maintain order and prevent riots from occurring as much as possible.

However, none of these things concern Su Cheng.

At this time, the Royal Fight Team Two, which he led, had already entered the rest area to wait for the match to begin. The main arena had a rest area specifically provided for each participating academy, with over a thousand seats divided into sections for each Soul Master student to rest and wait.

To be honest, it's no wonder that Qin Ming didn't think highly of Su Cheng joining the second team.

Apart from Su Cheng and Ning Rongrong, the rest of the team is indeed not up to par.

At a glance, not a single person had reached level 40 or higher in cultivation. Even Ning Rongrong was only level 39; it was uncertain whether she would have a chance to advance to Soul Ancestor before the finals.

The Royal Fight Team Two had a considerable number of official members and substitutes, all of whom were there to expect an easy win. They were gathered in the back seats chatting idly.

Su Cheng didn't care about this and sat alone in front, looking around at the other teams.

At that moment, his gaze suddenly paused, and he transmitted his Spiritual Power, saying, "Look over there."

Ah Yin sat next to Su Cheng.

She appeared in Spirit Body form at this moment, and apart from Su Cheng, no one else could detect her presence.

Following Su Cheng's gaze, her eyes also fell on Tang San.

"He is..."

Su Cheng nodded almost imperceptibly. "He is Tang San."

"You said he is..." Ah Yin's voice trailed off, her expression complicated.

"He is another soul," Su Cheng added directly. "You can't tell anything yet, but when I fight him, you'll be able to sense that something is wrong with him."

There are too many people here, and teachers from various colleges are also present. Releasing your domain here would be very impolite.

When they finally meet, as long as the domain is covered, given Ah Yin's compatibility with the domain, she can easily detect the operation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill within Tang San's body with a little exploration.

The truth will become clear in due time.

After Su Cheng finished speaking, he ignored Tang San.

His gaze shifted to Zhu Zhuqing, who was sitting silently in the corner, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing his silence, Ah Yin turned her head to look at him, somewhat puzzled.

Upon seeing Su Cheng's expression, Su Cheng turned his gaze and noticed Zhu Zhuqing sitting there with a gloomy face, and was slightly taken aback.

He glanced back at Su Cheng again, then fell silent.

She rarely saw Su Cheng show such an expression.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression was rather unpleasant at this moment.

The reason is simple: Shrek Team's outfits are just too bizarre.

The standard Shrek Academy uniform is a color between yellow and green, which, in the words of other students, is "poop green".

However, for this college competition, Dean Flender specially ordered a new set of school uniforms for them.

In addition to the poop-green color, each person also has a Shrek pattern on their chest that almost covers their entire chest. This pattern is a vibrant, bright green.

That's not all. What's even more outrageous is that behind each person, there are six large, brightly colored characters embroidered in red thread. "Seeking Sponsorship." Below these six characters is a line of smaller print. "Please contact Mr. Flender, Dean of the Shrek Academy, for a face-to-face discussion regarding advertising fees."

But she didn't want to argue with Flender over such trivial matters, so she could only sit in the corner and try to minimize her presence.

At that moment, she seemed to sense something and keenly raised her head.

She immediately noticed Su Cheng, who was sitting comfortably in the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team area in the distance, casting a mocking glance at her. She couldn't help but grit her teeth inwardly.

He muttered a curse under his breath, "Damn it."

It's unclear whether these words were directed at Flender or Su Cheng.

Not long after, staff members from the competition entered the rest area and organized the students who had arrived to enter the venue.

With the home team providing a guaranteed pass, Su Cheng's Heaven Dou Team Two was the first team to enter the arena.

The stands, large enough to accommodate 80,000 spectators, were entirely decorated with a silver backdrop. Although it was morning, the surrounding area was illuminated by specialized Soul Tool lighting, giving it a luxurious and grand feel.

Surrounding the huge, open plaza were countless spectators shouting and cheering. Directly in front of the central area stood a grandstand with a golden backdrop, behind which was the renovated VIP area.

The spacious venue has a diameter of over 150 meters, with a designated waiting area for the teams in the center. Each academy is introduced by a master of ceremonies on the stage upon their entry.

"The first team to enter is the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team, with a total of sixteen students participating. Their slogan is 'Friendship first, competition second.' As expected of representatives of the Royal Team, their slogan is indeed quite grand. I hope they can fully demonstrate their strength and not easily hold back for the sake of friendship."

"..."

Su Cheng ignored the cheers and applause, and glanced towards the VIP area.

The man in the center of the first row, dressed in a golden-red imperial robe and wearing Golden Diamond Sky-Shining Crown, with a face as Gu Yue and a somewhat aged appearance, was none other than Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Emperor.

To his left sat the Platinum Bishop Salas, the representative of the Martial Soul Temple of Heaven Dou City. He was completely covered in a crimson robe, wearing a five-pointed platinum crown, his eyes slightly closed, appearing indifferent to the grand spectacle around him.

To the emperor's right sat Ning Fengzhi, an old acquaintance of Su Cheng and the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Today, he wore a white robe and Seven Treasure Purple-Gold Crown, a symbol of his status. As one of the top three sect leaders among the Seven Great Sects, he was fully qualified to sit in this position.

Noticing Su Cheng's gaze, Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly to him and then smiled at Ning Rongrong, who was standing behind him.

There were only three of them in the first row of the VIP section.

Prince Xue Xing, along with the three members of the teaching committee from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, were all seated in the second row of the VIP section.

With the Shrek Academy team standing at the back of the academy formation, all participating academy teams had finally entered the arena.

Afterwards, the emperor's and Ning Fengzhi's speeches were nothing more than old clichés and ended quickly without taking much time. However, Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, surprisingly expressed his optimism about the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team, which was somewhat unexpected.

But upon closer reflection, it's not entirely unexpected.

After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has always Open Card supported the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, and it's understandable that they would say such a thing, given that their only daughter is studying at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Then, Platinum Bishop Salas of Platinum slowly rose to his feet. Led by a court lady, he walked to the master of ceremonies and began the drawing of lots. He remained silent, handing over each pair drawn to the master of ceremonies for announcement.

"In the first round of the qualifiers, Canghui Academy will face off against the Purple Star Academy."

"In the first round of the qualifiers, Oakland Academy will face Flame Radiance Academy."

"..."

"In the first round of the preliminary rounds, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will face Shrek Academy."

"..."

The Shrek Academy students hadn't paid much attention to the matchups of the other academies. However, when they heard that their first-round opponent was actually the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team 2, the expressions on their faces couldn't help but twist slightly.

To be precise, it's rather ugly.

Besides Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu, who all came from the Blue Tyrant Academy, Dai Mubai and the others unanimously thought of the Soul Master who possessed the Sword Martial Soul.

Immediately, boos and jeers erupted, with many spectators shouting the word "cheating."

In their view, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team 2 was clearly picking on an easy target. The Shrek Academy's attire didn't resemble a Soul Master team at all; instead, they looked more like a group of clowns.

After the draw, the Platinum Bishop Salas swept his gaze across the entire hall and said calmly, "My draw was absolutely genuine, and I swear on the honor of the Spirit Hall. At the same time, I hereby announce that any student from the participating Soul Master Academy present who is able to enter the final competition will be exceptionally granted direct entry into the Martial Soul Temple by the Spirit Hall."

The audience didn't react much to these words, but the Soul Master in the arena were in an uproar.

What kind of existence is the Martial Soul Temple?

It is the highest location of the Spirit Hall after the Pope's Palace and the Douluo Hall. Only the capitals of the Two Empires on the entire continent each have one.

The Pope's Palace is the exclusive domain of the Pope, while the Douluo Hall is a symbolic entity. Therefore, the Martial Soul Temple is actually the highest-ranking institution within the Spirit Hall.

For a Soul Master, being able to directly enter the Martial Soul Temple is a shortcut to improving their strength.

Not only does it offer the best treatment, but it also boasts various cultivation methods and the prestige of the Martial Soul Temple, all of which are extremely attractive to ordinary Soul Master.

Upon hearing the words of the Platinum Bishop, Xue Ye's expression visibly darkened. Ning Fengzhi, standing beside him, gently shook his head at the emperor, which eased his expression slightly.

Su Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.

Has the conflict between the Spirit Hall and the Empire escalated to this point? It's practically coming out into the open.

However, these things had little to do with him. He came to the second team to participate in the preliminary rounds only to learn about the Five Element Academy.

"Alright, the first match of the first round of the preliminary rounds will now be between the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Shrek Academy. All participating academies, please leave the stage. The two academies that will be playing later, please prepare yourselves. The match will officially begin in half an hour."

"Xiao San, should we bring in the substitutes?" Dai Mubai looked at Tang San beside him, his expression somewhat solemn.

The pressure that person put on him was immense.

Because they didn't consume the immortal Immortal Herb, the current substitutes are Ma Hongjun, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Yun Qiu, the support-type Soul Master they recruited earlier.

Tang San remained silent for a long time after hearing this, then prepared to shake his head and refuse.

Their goal is to reach the finals. There are five spots in the Heaven Dou Division, and even if they lose the first match, it won't affect their chances of winning points later.

Moreover, his strength is different now than before, and there is also the extremely strong Zhu Zhuqing in the team, so at least he will not be suppressed without any chance to fight back.

Their advantage lies in their team strength. No matter how strong Su Cheng is, can he suppress all seven of them by himself?

Because of Su Cheng, Shrek Academy had conducted some research on the Royal Fight Team Two in advance and knew that apart from Su Cheng and Ning Rongrong, the others in the team were not considered strong.

At this moment, Tang San suddenly noticed Xiao Wu's pale face beside him, and his heart tightened.

He stopped shaking his head and said resolutely, "No substitutes, we'll field our strongest lineup!"

Since Yu Xiaogang gave him full command authority, he had the right to lead the team to fight with all his might.

Teacher, please let me be willful just this once, for Xiao Wu's sake.

I must help Xiao Wu break free from her inner demons.

Otherwise, it would have a huge impact on her future.

Zhu Zhuqing, who was standing at the back of the line, overheard their conversation and chuckled to herself.

But he didn't say much.

Dai Mubai nodded upon hearing this, "Xiao San, you should arrange the tactics."

Although the strongest member of the Shrek Academy Team right now is undoubtedly Zhu Zhuqing, whose Soul Power has reached level 46.

However, as the core of the team's battle, the command still rests in the hands of Tang San control-type Soul Master.

However, the reason why this was possible was because Zhu Zhuqing always maintained an indifferent attitude towards it.

She had little interest in team command and even disregarded team combat.

Unless the team has a chance to defeat Su Cheng.

But...

She glanced at the Shrek Team members and shook her head inwardly.

It's simply impossible.

The preparation time passed quickly, the lights went out, and the two teams slowly entered the field amidst loud shouts.

The site has now changed.

In the short span of half an hour, the arena that had been prepared was set up.

The circular arena is ten meters high and over thirty meters in diameter, covering a considerable area. When the preliminary rounds begin tomorrow, five arenas will be set up simultaneously to facilitate the competition.

The preliminary rounds will take up half of the entire Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. The subsequent Promotion Tournament and the finals will be held at the Spirit Hall headquarters, in the large square in the Pope's Palace Spirit City.

Su Cheng led the sixteen members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team 2 to stand in a row in the center of the arena, facing the members of the Shrek Academy Team.

"Captain, what do you mean?" Someone in the second team looked at Su Cheng, who was standing at the front, and asked in a low voice.

"Just watch."

The profound meaning of Great Extinction that he had comprehended in the Blue Silver Grass Forest had been transformed into a sword technique.

We're currently looking for a candidate to try out, and the Shrek Team might be a great option.

"Both parties bow to each other, and non-participants step down from the ring."

After the ceremony, the extra team members left the ring, leaving only the seven members from each team who participated in the first round of the preliminary competition.

I've written 10,000 chapters a day, and I still owe 7 chapters.