Spirit City, Grand Finals Opening Ceremony.
The morning sun pierced through the clouds and shone on the Great Soul Arena in the center of Spirit City.
This colossal building, capable of accommodating 100,000 spectators, is perfectly circular, with its bluestone walls reaching 30 meters high and its dome supported by 36 white jade pillars.
Each pillar is carved with images of Angel God miracles—creation, judgment, and redemption—and glows with a warm golden light in the morning.
In the center of the arena, the main Soul Fighting Arena is crafted from a single piece of obsidian, with sides measuring fifty meters.
At each of the four corners stands an Angel Statue with six wings outstretched and holding an eternally burning holy fire in its palm.
The wind blew in through the opening in the dome, causing the four sacred flames to flicker slightly, casting shimmering spots of light on the stone surface.
The stands were already packed.
Local nobles of Spirit City, delegations from the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, and representatives from various sects.
The circular stands were packed with Soul Master who had traveled from all over the mainland.
In the front row of VIP seats sat the elders of the Spirit Hall, representatives of the Seven Great Sects, and Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Today, Xue Qinghe wore a moon-white brocade robe, her jade crown was tied high, and her expression was calm.
Her gaze swept across the entrance passage, lingering for a moment on the silver-white figure in the Huangdou Academy's team, before casually looking away.
No one noticed that her hand clenched slightly inside her sleeve, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Three chimes came from the direction of the Pope's Palace.
The deep, resonant chimes seemed like an invisible hand, gradually silencing the clamor of the entire hall.
The audience rose to their feet, their eyes fixed on the main entrance of the Pope's Palace.
Two gilded gates, each ten meters high, slowly opened, and a tall, slender figure stepped out from inside.
Bibi Dong.
She wore Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown, a Pope robe, and held a scepter inlaid with a Martial Soul crystal.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful yet aloof, showing no signs of age, except for a pair of deep purple eyes that were as unfathomable as a cold pool.
The air seemed to freeze wherever she went.
She ascended the Pope platform, overlooking the entire arena. Her voice echoed throughout the entire Great Soul Arena, not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.
"The Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academy, Grand Finals--"
The scepter tapped gently on the stone platform.
"Opening ceremony."
The cheers exploded like thunder, and the thirty-six white jade pillars of the dome lit up simultaneously.
Angel Holy Light emanated from the pillars and converged at the center of the dome to form a colossal phantom of a Six-Winged Angel.
With its six wings spread, holy light rained down upon every spectator and every young Soul Master about to step onto the arena.
The opening ceremony proceeded according to schedule—college students entered, referees took their oaths, and the competition schedule was announced.
The emcee's voice echoed under the dome:
"A total of 32 teams have qualified for this finals."
After three rounds of elimination, the final four will be determined, advancing to the semifinals and finals.
The first round of elimination matches will be held today, consisting of sixteen matches in total, eight in the morning and eight in the afternoon.
Huangdou Academy was scheduled for the third match in the morning, against a team from the Balak Kingdom, all of whom were Soul Ancestor and had performed well in the preliminary rounds.
Shrek Academy was scheduled for the last match of the morning, against the Spirit Wind Academy from the Heavenly Spirit Kingdom —another team comprised entirely of Soul Ancestor.
Captain Spirit Shadow is a level 45 control-type Battle Soul Ancestor, whose " Wind Binding Technique " was undefeated in the preliminaries.
Chen Jieqi stood at the very front of the Huangdou team, his long silver-white hair reflecting a faint golden glow from the holy light of the dome.
He held the competition schedule in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the five words " Shrek Academy," then folded it up and put it into his Soul Tool.
Dugu Yan stood beside him, arms crossed:
Are you going to play in our match?
"No," Chen Jieqi said.
Dugu Yan wasn't surprised; she simply snorted.
Yu Tianheng peeked out from behind. "Captain Chen, when are you planning to go up?"
Chen Jieqi did not answer.
His gaze swept across the crowd and landed in the direction of Shrek's rest area.
Tang San was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He hadn't summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, but a faint chill emanated from him.
Compared to when he was in Suotuo City, he was thinner, his cheekbones were more prominent, and his eye sockets were slightly sunken.
But those eyes were brighter than ever—not bright, but coldly bright, like moonlight shining on ice.
"When needed," Chen Jieqi said.
Yu Tianheng glanced at him in the direction of his gaze, but didn't ask any more questions.
The third match this morning was between the Huangdou Academy and Barak Team.
Chen Jieqi didn't even go on stage; he sat in the rest area, his teacup resting on the armrest, steaming hot.
Dugu Yan led the team, Yu Tianheng was the main attacker, and Shi Mo Shi Mo were the double shields to cover the rear.
Less than three minutes into the match, Barak's defense was torn apart by Yu Tianheng's claw.
Dugu Yan's spikes blocked their retreat, while Yu Feng and Osler attacked from both flanks.
Ye Lingling didn't even need to provide any treatment— Huangdou won the match with zero damage.
The audience was still reeling from the overwhelming victory in the Huangdou when the emcee's voice rang out again.
"The last match of the morning— Shrek Academy versus Spirit Wind Academy!"
The murmurs in the stands suddenly grew louder.
" Shrek? That's the team that almost lost in the qualifiers?"
I heard they only have three Soul Ancestor, the remaining four are Soul Elder."
" Soul Elder fighting Soul Ancestor? Isn't that just handing it over?"
"Moreover, Lingfeng's captain, Spirit Shadow, is a level 45 control-type character Wind Binding Technique has no blind spots throughout the entire field."
Even if that Shrek kid with the hammer is good at smashing, he still has to be able to hit someone.
A chorus of voices surged into the arena. The seven Shrek players emerged from the tunnel.
Dai Mubai walked at the front, his steps steady.
Xiao Wu followed behind him, her long scorpion braid swaying back and forth.
Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun walked out in turn, with Ning Rongrong following at the back of the line, holding the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hand.
She looked towards a certain direction in the stands—her father, Ning Fengzhi, sat in the VIP section, his cane resting on his lap, and nodded slightly to her.
Tang San walked at the back of the group.
Dressed in black, with her long hair tied back, she held her left hand loosely, the Clear Sky Hammer yet to be summoned.
His footsteps were very light, making almost no sound on the bluestone ground.
As he walked through the passageway, he passed the Huangdou Rest Area.
Chen Jieqi held his teacup, not looking at him. He didn't look at Chen Jieqi either.
There was a moment of silence between them.
Then Tang San continued walking and stepped onto the arena.
The emcee announced that both parties had released their Martial Soul.
The seven students from the Spirit Wind Academy all had four Soul Ring —two yellow and two purple—shining simultaneously; they were all Soul Ancestor.
Captain Spirit Shadow's Martial Soul, Wind Spirit, manifested as a semi-transparent cyan whirlwind.
It spun in her palm, making a sharp, whistling sound.
A gasp of amazement rose from the stands—all Soul Ancestor, perfectly assembled.
The Shrek Seven Devils released their Martial Soul one by one.
Dai Mubai, White Tiger, two yellow and two purple.
Xiao Wu, Soft Bone Rabbit, has two yellow and two purple plumage.
Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar each have two yellow and one purple medals.
Ning Rongrong, Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, two yellow and one purple.
Finally, there's Tang San.
The Clear Sky Hammer materialized in his left hand, its body as black as ink.
Four Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet—one purple and three black.
In the stands, the scattered murmurs were abruptly cut off, as if someone had grabbed everyone by the throat.
The first purple ring, followed by the second, third, and fourth rings, each lasting for millennia.
This configuration goes against the norm in the Soul Master World.
Spirit Shadow's gaze lingered on Tang San's Soul Ring for two seconds before shifting away.
She is also Soul Ancestor in the Fourth Ring.
No matter how amazing the Soul Ring Configuration, the level difference is what it is—level 49 versus level 45.
She possesses Wind Binding Technique, has teammates, and a complete tactical system.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
She turned her gaze away and looked at Dai Mubai.
"The captain of Shrek?" Her voice was clear and crisp, without sarcasm, only scrutiny.
"Yes," Dai Mubai said in a deep voice.
"You are very strong," Spirit Shadow said.
"I watched the qualifiers. But your weaknesses are also obvious—your back row is too fragile and not high enough in rank."
Once the front line is breached, the support and food-type units will be exposed, and the game will collapse within three seconds.
Dai Mubai remained silent.
"I will not show any mercy."
Spirit Shadow raised her hand, and the wind spirit in her palm suddenly accelerated its rotation, sending out cyan wind blades from the vortex.
A visible whirlwind shield formed around her.
"The match begins."