The next day, in Spirit City, at the Great Soul Arena.
Today's main Spirit Fighting Arena did not have separate arenas as is customary.
The entire site was transformed into a unique giant circular platform, 200 meters in diameter.
The entire body is made of obsidian, with a golden halo projected by a Soul Tool inlaid around the edge.
A buffer zone of more than 100 meters separates the entire arena from the audience seating.
The stands were already packed.
Before dawn, people came to reserve seats, and the passageway was crowded with Soul Master, nobles, and merchant representatives from all over the continent.
The number of the Spirit Hall maintaining order was three times greater than usual, and the Platinum Bishop was present at the VIP section on the east side.
Today is the final of the All-Continent Elite Tournament for Advanced Soul Master Academy.
Pope Bibi Dong sat in the very center of the VIP section on the east side, the purple gemstone on Pope crown reflecting a cold, prismatic light under the sacred fire in the dome.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo stood on the left and right respectively.
Ning Fengzhi sat to her left, his cane resting on his knees, his expression calm.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood to his right, his gaze fixed on the exit of the contestants' passage.
Xue Qinghe sat beside Ning Fengzhi; her position had been carefully arranged.
They weren't exactly close to the Pope, and both of them tacitly understood this.
Only the hand resting on the armrest, slightly clenched, hinted at an inner turmoil.
Poison Douluo Dugu Bo did not take a seat.
He stood in the highest corridor of the VIP section, overlooking the entire arena.
From this vantage point, you can clearly see both sides' formations, starting moves, Soul Ring Configuration, and the trajectory of their first wave of Soul Skill.
In a corner of the stands, a man in black robes leaned against a stone pillar in the last row.
The hood covered most of his face, revealing only a section of his stubble-covered chin.
Nobody noticed him. And nobody could notice him if he didn't want to be noticed.
The other two sides consisted of team leaders and teacher representatives from various competitions.
The most complicated one is a short-haired guy from the Shrek area—yes, it's Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.
He looked at Pope Bibi Dong on the platform with a complicated expression, still lost in thought...
Her right arm was grabbed tightly, and then she looked defiantly at the stage; it was Liu Erlong.
Unbeknownst to them, four eyes were also staring intently at the woman in black robes who was holding Yu Xiaogang's arm.
The highest hall of the Soul Master World, today, belongs to only two teams.
The emcee's voice came from the Amplifying Soul Tool in the center of the dome, sounding more formal than at any other competition.
"In the qualifiers, they crushed Spirit Wind Academy with their decisive power, resetting the record for the fastest team battle in this competition."
"From the Heaven Dou Empire — Shrek Academy!"
The seven Shrek members emerged from the west passage.
Leading the way was Dai Mubai, the phantom of his White Tiger Martial Soul faintly visible behind him.
Then came Tang San, dressed in black with black hair, his steps steady and light.
Xiao Wu followed half a step behind him.
Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, Ma Hongjun entered in turn.
"In the semifinals, they used their Holy Light Domain to decisively defeat the Spirit Hall Golden Generation."
With a formidable lineup of three Soul King and four Soul Ancestor, they became the top seed in this tournament.
From the Heaven Dou Empire — Heaven Dou Royal Academy!
Chen Jieqi walked at the very front.
Her long, silvery-white hair was bathed in a pale golden glow from the sacred fire atop the dome, and the mark between her brows shimmered slightly.
Dugu Yan was to the left rear, and the phantom of the Single-Horned Golden Flood Dragon appeared and disappeared behind her.
Yu Tianheng stood to the right rear, his body crackling with blue lightning, ready to unleash his power. He was declaring to the entire audience: there's no need to hold back today.
The Shi Mo Shi Mo walked side by side, their shields yet to be raised.
But their breathing was completely synchronized, a tacit understanding ingrained in their bones from hundreds and thousands of practice sessions.
Osler and the Empress of the Yu Feng Palace.
From the very first second they appeared, their eyes were fixed on the back row of the opposing team.
The two stood in the center of the ring.
The referee was replaced by the Platinum Bishop, the most senior referee in this tournament. He walked to the center of the ring and glanced at both captains.
"The finals have no time limit, and no one may die without cause."
The match ends when one side is completely incapacitated or voluntarily surrenders.
He paused.
"Both captains salute."
Chen Jieqi and Tang San faced each other.
This is the first time the two have stood this close since the semi-finals.
Tang San's eyes are very flat.
It wasn't coldness, nor anger; it was the kind of "equal" state where all variables had been calculated and the game was just waiting to begin.
Chen Jieqi didn't speak. He just stared into those eyes, as if looking through ice into a dark river.
"That look in your eyes," Tang San said softly.
"You looked at me the same way three days ago in the audience."
"I remember you nodded at me," Chen Jieqi said.
"It's a marker."
"I know."
"Do you know what's standing in front of you today?"
Chen Jieqi did not answer. But the mark between his eyebrows flashed silently for a moment.
Tang San saw it, then he raised his left hand, and Soul Ring appeared one after another at his feet, one purple and three black.
Until the fifth Soul Ring lit up.
It's not purple, it's not black. It's dark red.
It was as red as congealed blood, like the only ember still burning in the abyss.
The sacred flames on the dome seemed to dim for a moment before that dark red light, as if ordinary fire had encountered a more ancient Core Flame.
The entire room fell silent.
Inside the stadium with a capacity of 100,000, all sounds—exclamations, discussions, even breathing—seemed to be crushed by that dark red light.
In the VIP section, Ning Fengzhi he gripped his cane.
He didn't look at the Soul Ring; he looked into Tang San's eyes.
There was no pride or boasting in those eyes, only a desire to inform.
Xue Qinghe's gaze fell on the dark red color, then shifted to Chen Jieqi.
She tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest.
Just a quick glance, as if confirming something.
Bibi Dong remained motionless in the VIP section.
Her purple eyes reflected that dark red light.
His fingertips gently caressed the head of the Pope's Scepter, his face expressionless.
But the brilliance of the amethyst at the top of the scepter dimmed silently for a moment beneath her fingertips.
That's not the color of Soul Ring, that's "rank".
She possesses the Divine Slaughter's Domain and is intimately familiar with killing intent.
But this power is different; it wasn't obtained through hunting.
This is the concept of killing itself, forged and imprinted on the soul.
And it is using its color to tell everyone present:
Standing before you is not just a level 53 Soul King.
It is something that is emerging from its cocoon, something that is not yet complete.
Then, the Rakshasa Divine Sense within her body stirred slightly.
It wasn't a warning, it wasn't an attack, it was a retreat.
It was like a shadow encountering deeper darkness. She felt it.
But she didn't let anyone notice; she simply tightened her grip on the scepter a little more than before.
In the Shrek Zone, Yu Xiaogang stood motionless by the fence.
When the dark red Soul Ring lit up, Liu Erlong felt his arm stiffen slightly.
"What's wrong?" she asked in a low voice.
His pupils were contracting violently.
"No... it's impossible..." he uttered hoarse syllables, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"His fifth Soul Ring," Yu Xiaogang, his voice so soft that only Liu Erlong could hear it.
"It wasn't obtained in the Star Dou Great Forest."
While the Grandmaster was on the verge of self-collapse.
The man in the black robe in that corner of the audience moved.
His head, which had been hanging low, slowly rose. In the shadow of the hood,
Those bloodshot eyes were exposed to the dim light for the first time.
It's so similar... it's too similar.
Like Ah Yin, who was willing to fight against the world for love, and like myself, who was willing to destroy myself for hatred.
He had warned his mistress countless times to be steady and to follow the path of the Clear Sky Sect.
But now, the step that the mistress has taken is even more resolute and terrifying than what he did back then.
He thought he was his son's support, only to realize at this moment that the dark red light had also shut him out as a father.
" Xiaogang..." Flender looked at the Grandmaster with concern, only to find that the Grandmaster had lost his mind.
He knew that even if Shrek won the championship today, the once spirited Tang San...
It probably perished along with that dark red light.
Tang San lowered his right hand.
The crimson Soul Ring's light did not diminish; it hovered beneath his feet like a heart that did not beat.
"Let's begin," he said.
The two turned around at the same time and walked back to their respective teams.
The referee raised his right hand and took a deep breath.
"The match begins!"