Opening Ceremony

"Xiao Hongchen, I know you're eager to try, but there's one thing I need to remind you: Shrek Academy has always been the champion team of the Soul Fighting Tournament!"

Elder Ma looked at Xiao Hongchen with a stern tone, then looked around at everyone and gave them instructions.

"None of you can afford to be careless. Customizing ten Rare Metal, even if you only get one spot in the end, will be enough to raise your strength by a whole level. Take Ma Rulong as an example, with a suitable piece of Spiritual Metal, he can at least make and easily use Level 7 Soul Tool!"

The creation itself isn't the problem. If they really push themselves to the limit, all the Soul Engineer geniuses present can create Soul Tool that are beyond their level. After all, it's only a matter of a fifth-tier Soul Master creating Level 6 Soul Tool, and a sixth-tier Soul Master creating Level 7 Soul Tool.

If you keep at it, you'll eventually make one or two pieces.

However, whether or not it can be used is another question.

Soul Tool are made for Soul Engineer to use, not to be used as decorations.

"I even custom-made a Level 7 Soul Tool for him, with power comparable to Level 8 Soul Tool."

"Want this spot? If you do, don't make a mistake. There are ten custom spots for the champion. Whoever performs well in the battle will definitely get one. But if you're the runner-up, there are only three spots. How are you going to divide them?"

"After the collision of the two continents, thousands of years have passed, and the Soul Fighting Tournament, held every five years, has been held hundreds of times. We have never been able to win the championship, so don't think that just because you are the chosen ones, you can definitely defeat Shrek."

"I demand that you give me 120% effort and take this competition seriously!"

Elder Ma's words silenced everyone.

He no longer Xiao Hongchen.

In hundreds of major competitions, the Sun Moon Empire has never won a championship.

Elder Ma's words weighed heavily on everyone's mind.

Shrek is not to be underestimated.

Su Ming was well aware of the quality of this year's Shrek. To be honest, if he hadn't been there, a fully-fledged Shrek Team would have definitely won the championship.

The Shrek Team attends a small Auction every day, only to leave disappointed.

There were no auctions Spiritual Metal.

The Blacksmith Association seemed to have suddenly lost interest in money, failing to seize the opportunity to auction Spiritual Metal before the competition.

"Everyone, get some rest. We have an Exhibition Match at tomorrow's opening ceremony."

Today, Star Luo City is different from others. As the first rays of sunlight shine into Star Luo City, this capital of the empire exudes a solemn atmosphere.

All streets around Star Luo Square were blocked off by soldiers. Thousands of soldiers were also stationed around the Star Luo Royal Hotel, where members of various teams were being housed. The road leading to Star Luo Square was only open to participating teams to ensure the smooth running of the competition.

The arena used for this Soul Fighting Tournament was built in front of the imperial city gate, so that the Star Luo Emperor could watch the battle from a high vantage point on the city wall, which not only provided the best view but also ensured his safety.

The arena is 100 meters wide and 5 meters high, surrounded by 108 metal pillars. Each pillar is not just for decoration, but a real Defensive Soul Tool. Once the competition begins, the 108 Soul Master will control it to form a protective shield that prevents all Soul Skill from leaking out, so as to avoid damaging the imperial city or harming innocent people.

The imperial city is located on the north side, facing south. A luxurious rest area has been built on the west side of the competition platform for the participating teams to use.

The other two sides are for the spectators. This plaza, thanks to the Star Luo Empire's meticulous planning, is large enough to accommodate 200,000 spectators. Of course, watching the competition isn't free. A regular seat costs two Gold Soul Coin, and the closer to the arena, the more expensive it is. The closest row costs one hundred Gold Soul Coin per person to enter.

The most outrageous thing is that in order to save space and allow more people to watch, the Star Luo Empire officially limited the space for each audience member, so they could only stand and watch, even the richest seats inside.

When the Sun Moon Royal Team entered the arena and saw the situation on the audience's side in the preparation area, Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but question it.

"Wouldn't it be easier to manage if we arranged some seats? One person per seat wouldn't waste much space. The Star Luo Empire is really obsessed with money. Besides, I see Star Luo City has a stadium, so we wouldn't need to build seats if we arranged it there."

If it were held in Mingdu, it would attract at least a million viewers. Seating arrangements and Soul Tool Screen would also be provided, so even those who couldn't get a seat could watch the live broadcast in various squares throughout Mingdu.

Elder Ma glanced at the audience, not really caring about such things.

The competition is the most important thing.

"Quiet!"

A tremendous sound resounded throughout the square, and all the soldiers around the square raised their spears. A chilling aura filled the square, and the once noisy square instantly fell silent.

"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"

Xu Jiawei appeared on the city wall, with the Empress and civil and military officials lined up beside him.

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament is the most important event in the Soul Master World of the Douluo Continent. This year, it's our Star Luo Empire's turn to host it, and I'm very pleased. Here, on behalf of..."

After some pleasantries, Xu Jiawei got down to business.

"Before the competition begins, I'd like to explain the competition process to the participating teams."

"The first round of the preliminary round is an elimination tournament, where the loser is eliminated immediately. It is expected to be completed within three days. After that, the teams will be divided into groups for Round-Robin Tournament, followed by Round-Robin Tournament Promotion Tournament and the final."

"As is customary, the Star Luo Empire will award the champion of this competition with three Soul Bone and one million Gold Soul Coin. I have already selected ten Soul Bone from the treasury, and the winning team can choose three of them as a reward."

"Furthermore, this Soul Fighting Tournament is different from previous ones. We have received sponsorship from the Blacksmith Association, and the top three finishers will receive additional rewards."

Xu Jiawei paused for a moment after saying this.

He looked down at the imperial city and saw many puzzled gazes.

"The champion will receive ten custom-made Spiritual Metal, the runner-up three, and the third-place winner one. The Blacksmith Association guarantees that the custom-made Spiritual Metal will be completed within one year and will be of the highest quality Thousand Forgings First Grade!"

I genuinely didn't know; I was completely baffled.

Those who knew about Spiritual Metal were now filled with fervor.

Indeed, most people are unaware of the Spiritual Metal.

Su Ming had anticipated this.

After this competition, news of Spiritual Metal will officially spread throughout the continent, no longer limited to the high-ranking officials of various forces.

"Thanks to the Blacksmith Association for their sponsorship, in addition to an Exhibition Match between the Shrek Academy and a randomly selected lucky team, there will also be a Forging demonstration at the opening ceremony of this competition."

Forging demonstration?

At this time, the atmosphere in the square was still somber.

The audience simply doesn't understand what's so interesting about Forging.