Gathering for the Finals, Spirit City!

The bet between Jingwei and Huo Wu was made fifteen days ago. The bet was to have Crimson Kite participate in the competition, but Jingwei did not go back to bother her. She only waited until the preliminary rounds were over before going back to check on the situation.

Jingwei made the bet on her own initiative. If Crimson Kite finds out, she will definitely give her a severe scolding. The closer it gets to the end of the preliminaries, the more uneasy she feels.

Just like the uncle said, Jingwei is not good at lying, especially when facing Crimson Kite, she dares not lie.

And so, with such trepidation, the preliminary rounds came to an end.

The current rankings of each college team are as follows:

Thunder Academy, 26 wins in 27 matches

Godwind Academy, 26 wins in 27 battles

Shrek Academy: 24 wins and 1 draw in 27 matches

Blazing Fire Academy, 24 wins in 27 battles

Skywater Academy, 23 wins and 1 draw in 27 matches.

Since Shrek's last match was against the Skywater Academy, and the final result was that both sides exhausted their Soul Power, if we really want to find out the reason, we can only say that Shrek was blinded by victory!

This situation arose because they underestimated their opponent.

Based on this calculation, the teams that can advance from the Heaven Dou Division are: Thunder Academy, Godwind Academy, Shrek Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, and Skywater Academy.

There is still a month before the qualifying rounds begin, which is just enough time for them to adjust their mindset in order to better face the qualifying rounds.

Jingwei returned to the Star Dou Great Forest to see Crimson Kite, while the Shrek group had to face the Master's hellish training and Liu Erlong's frenzied sparring. It was more than just a miserable experience, especially for the four who joined later.

It was an unbearable ordeal.

As the saying goes, after hardship comes happiness, and the benefits that will be gained in the end are foreseeable. With one day left before the start of the qualifying rounds, the competition venue has been moved from the Heavenly Battle Arena to the Imperial Enclosure, where the venue has become much more spacious.

Outside the Heaven Dou Empire's hunting grounds, the Shrek Academy group stopped. Everyone, including Tang San, looked at Flender with hesitant eyes. In the end, Tang San spoke first.

"Dean Flanders, are we really going to submit Fu Hua's name?"

"Of course, she's still a member of the Shrek Academy no matter what, and she's also in this competition, so how can we just let her coast to the finals?" Flender said.

"But if she doesn't come back before the match, won't we lose a round outright?" Oscar said.

"That girl Jingwei said she'd come back, of course she will! Don't you all believe her?" Flender said angrily.

"It's not that we don't believe in her, but we want to ensure a perfect outcome. Besides, keeping Fu Hua hidden until the very end will be a huge advantage for us in the finals," Ma Hongjun advised.

"Bullshit! Did you guys not even read the rules properly? Your performance in the qualifying rounds directly affects your chances in the finals!"

"Even so..." Ma Hongjun said hesitantly.

In the end, it was the Master who spoke up and dispelled everyone's doubts.

"Alright, let's leave Fu Hua's name on the list for now. Since Jingwei said she'll be back soon, let's just wait. Besides, even if Fu Hua loses her match because no one is willing to fight, it won't affect Shrek's overall points."

The thirty teams participating in the qualifying rounds were divided into two countries to compete. The fifteen teams from the Heaven Dou Empire quickly completed their registration and entered the Heaven Dou Hunting Grounds to prepare.

There will be no opening ceremony; the competition will begin directly tomorrow. A total of fifteen teams will participate in the qualifying rounds, playing fourteen rounds of round-robin matches, one round per day, with one team having a bye each day. Each team will play seven matches, and the final rankings will be determined by points.

Before the qualifying rounds began, Jingwei had already returned. When she saw Flender, Master, and others, she once again turned her face away guiltily.

"Jingwei, didn't you say Fu Hua would be back today? Why haven't I seen her?" Flender asked, his expression unreadable.

"Uh! Well... there was a bit of an accident on the way, and Lady Crimson Kite asked me to come and meet you first," Jingwei, her face slightly flushed.

Flender narrowed his eyes, his expression cunning and gloomy.

"Oh! Perfect timing! I've already given her name. If she hasn't arrived yet..."

"... If that's what happened?" Jingwei swallowed hard.

"You should take the lead!"

"Oh!"

Jingwei was secretly pleased; thankfully, no one said anything about taking away her snacks.

"By the way, starting this month and continuing until the finals, your allowance is confiscated."

"Ah?"

Jingwei cried. Wasn't it said that snacks couldn't be taken away? If Lord Crimson Kite came back for the finals, she would have even fewer snacks to eat.

The qualifying matches did not stop because of Jingwei's frustration. Although there were no spectators, some nobles and high-ranking officials of the empire were still watching the matches.

Whether it's a duchy or a kingdom, everyone wants to showcase their strength to win the attention of Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Emperor. Not only can they gain official titles and ranks, but they can also obtain more resources. Why not?

Before the match began, the Master called the group to his side and announced the order of appearance for the participants.

First Xiao Wu, followed by Tang San and Dai Mubai. To be on the safe side, Master put Fu Hua's name last. Although the qualifying rounds involved fifteen teams, their strengths varied greatly. If we were to talk about the best, it would only be the Soul Master from the Five Elemental Academies.

The first three are enough to handle it. If that doesn't work and we really have to use Fu Hua, then we can only use Flender's method and have Jingwei take her place. Although there is a big difference in their physiques, their faces are the same, and with some disguise, they can still fool each other.

The competition proceeded quickly. Once a gap in strength appeared between the Soul Master, the outcome was often decided in an instant. Whoever had stronger Soul Skill and higher Soul Power Level would naturally have a higher chance of winning. Those who possessed Spirit Bone were extremely rare.

In a one-on-one match, there is no possibility of using Martial Soul Fusion Skill; everything depends on one's own strength.

The process was quick, and everything went as Jingwei had predicted. Shrek was able to make it to the finals without her intervention, which made her secretly relieved, but also made her heart jump.

You should know that when Shrek Academy clashed with the Blazing Fire Academy again, Huo Wu's gaze was so intense that she wanted to devour him whole.

Before the match, she confidently told Huo Wu that she would call Crimson Kite Yuan to compete against her, but...

Hiding discreetly behind the other six members of the Shrek Team, Jingwei tried her best not to pay attention to their gaze.

As a result, Crimson Kite did not appear until the end of the qualifying rounds. Not only Huo Wu was Huo Wu, but Flender was also fuming. His gloomy eyes seemed to want to pierce through Jingwei.

Even though Shrek emerged victorious with a 14-game winning streak in the qualifying rounds, it couldn't stop his worries at this moment.

What kind of injury could have caused Fu Hua to need two whole months to recover?

It was still the Star Dou Great Forest. Crimson Kite opened her eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, her aura surged, her Soul Power surged, her injuries had healed, and her Divine Body had evolved further, her Soul Power had reached level fifty-nine.

It's said that increasing Soul Power after level 50 is extremely difficult, but this theory doesn't seem to apply to her. Every time she passes a level, Crimson Kite's Soul Power skyrockets like a rocket, going from one level to another.

Now, she is about to face the level 60 mark and gain a new Soul Ring.

At the beginning, Crimson Kite's Soul Power growth was terrifying, but after passing through the Taixu Realm, she seemed to have undergone another kind of advancement, and her speed of absorbing Soul Power became even faster.

As a result, Crimson Kite had to stop at a certain level to consolidate her strength, but relying solely on meditation to consolidate her strength was far too inefficient. It seemed that she would have to go to the National Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament next.

Regardless of whether there was a trap set by the Spirit Hall, she needed a real battle to quickly solidify her cultivation level.

"Jingwei said that the final match will be held in Spirit City, which is the territory of the Spirit Hall."

Crimson Kite pondered for a moment. As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." If she wanted to get the answer, she had to confront the Spirit Hall head-on, which was unavoidable.

She got up and gently tidied herself up. Because of her Divine Body, even after sitting in meditation for two months, she remained spotless, with rosy eyes and white hair, looking exceptionally beautiful.

"It's time to go."

After the qualifying rounds came the finals, which were held in Spirit City. Originally, the finals were not to be held in Spirit City, but for some reason, Spirit Hall suddenly made a change and moved the finals to the main city of the Spirit Hall.

This city belongs almost entirely to the Spirit Hall. It is located at the border of two great empires, neither of which has any ownership of it. Most importantly, one of the two most prestigious halls of the Spirit Hall, the Pope's Palace, is located in Spirit City.

This newly built Pope's Palace is said to be the most magnificent building in the entire Douluo Continent. It is because of this newly built Pope's Palace that Spirit City has become a holy land for all Soul Master and a place that Spirit Hall has set up for itself like a capital city.

The journey from Heaven Dou City to Spirit City takes about twenty days. The finals are not very long because it is a knockout tournament with a total of thirty-three teams, and the winner will be decided in less than ten days.

The Spirit Hall attached great importance to this final. During the qualifying rounds, Spirit City had already set aside a special place as the venue for the final of this continent-wide elite competition of advanced Soul Master Academy.

At the same time, Spirit City issued a decree that during the start of the competition, no one other than Soul Master was allowed to enter and watch the matches, not even nobles. This added a touch of mystery to the final competition.

The common people would not feel dissatisfied with such a decree from the Spirit Hall. After all, Soul Master were a high and mighty existence in the eyes of the common people, and the Spirit Hall was a temple and holy land in their hearts. Who would dare to say anything about a decree personally issued by His Holiness the Pope?

Three days later, a total of fifteen teams, along with their teachers and five hundred Royal Knights soldiers, a group of over a thousand people, set off for the venue of the finals— Spirit City.

Although each academy operates independently, they all represent the Heaven Dou Empire. Compared to the previous preliminary and qualifying rounds, the tension has lessened considerably, especially among the academies with closer ties, which are now working together.

Shrek Academy remains the most popular, but those less powerful academies are unwilling to approach them.

The Four Elements Academy, perhaps due to its defeat in the qualifying rounds, has become much more low-key. To allow the participating team members to rest better, the Heaven Dou Empire specially commissioned fifteen luxurious giant carriages for them to ride and rest.

These carriages even utilize some basic Soul Tool technology, providing excellent shock absorption and a very stable ride.

Jingwei lay down on one of the small sofas, looking completely relaxed, showing none of the anxiety she had shown a few days ago. This surprised the Shrek group, who couldn't help but feel ashamed of this ever-changing character.

Just a few days ago, they seemed panicked, but after today, they immediately became relaxed.

Shouldn't we say that Jingwei truly lives up to her Jingwei?

P. S.: I don't even know what to say anymore, um! Anyway, just cause trouble!