Qian Xun'an immediately glanced at the teacher who had spoken disrespectfully to him earlier.
The teacher was instantly overcome with fear and fell to his knees. "Spare me, Lord Adjudicator! Please spare me! I have a foul mouth. I spoke out of turn to Lord Adjudicator without thinking.
"My lord, I didn't know any better. Please forgive me this once."
Qian Xun'an raised his eyes slightly but didn't answer the teacher. He simply turned and walked away with a calm expression.
At that moment, the teacher finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected Lord Adjudicator to be so magnanimous as to let him off.
His heart was filled with relief at his good fortune.
Just then, he suddenly felt excruciating pain throughout his body. His face and body twisted out of shape.
The next moment, his body exploded with a deafening crash, spraying blood everywhere...
The teacher had been a Soul Saint, yet Qian Xun'an had merely glanced at him, and he had burst into a cloud of blood.
At that moment, everyone at Spirit Hall Academy—students below, the other teachers, even the dean—stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Some of the younger students were so frightened that they burst into tears.
The dean was prostrate on the ground, trembling all over with fear.
He knew how serious the situation was. If he didn't do as Qian Xun'an asked, he might be the next to die.
He immediately stood up and shouted, "You good-for-nothings! Hurry up and pick the strongest team!"
For the finals of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Spirit City had specially set aside a venue.
The venue stood in the very center of Spirit City. The enormous arena was a full hundred meters in diameter and had been constructed entirely of granite.
The vast competition platform had also been reinforced with a massive number of Soul Tools to prevent damage. According to Spirit Hall, it could withstand any attack from a Soul Master below the Soul Emperor level without being damaged.
The Pope Hall stood directly in front of the arena. The hill where it was located was less than a thousand meters away.
Spirit Hall had already announced that the final three teams would compete in front of the Pope Hall.
When the time came, the Pope would appear in person and crown the eventual champion.
For any Soul Master, this was an honor beyond compare.
Early that morning, staff from Spirit Hall led all the participating academies to the venue. Each academy had its own designated rest area.
The rest areas surrounded the arena. On the side opposite the Pope Hall was the VIP judging stand, where representatives from the two empires had gathered to watch the matches, along with people from Spirit Hall.
Thirty-three teams were competing in the finals. Three were seeded teams, selected by the two empires and Spirit Hall.
The finals consisted of only five rounds.
In the first round, the three seeded teams received byes. The remaining thirty teams competed for fifteen spots in the next round, with the losers eliminated immediately.
In the second round, two teams received byes, while the remaining sixteen fought for eight spots in the third round.
In the third round, one team received a bye. The remaining ten competed for five spots, joining them in the fourth round.
There were no byes in the fourth round. The teams competed until only three remained.
In the fifth and final round, only three teams would compete. First, each team would field seven members in a round-robin elimination format like the promotion tournament, determining which team had the strongest individual fighters.
Then the two losing teams would face off in a team battle. The winner would challenge the victors of the individual matches to determine the final champion.
Qian Xun'an hadn't appeared at any of the earlier matches.
He had simply been watching Shrek Academy from the sidelines.
Shrek Academy had received byes in the first two rounds and gone straight to the third. In other words, Shrek Academy had advanced directly into the top ten.
As for Spirit Hall Academy, it had selected a new lineup. The three members of the Golden Generation hadn't even needed to fight in the earlier matches to secure victory.
When the third round came, Qian Xun'an checked the draw.
Spirit Hall Academy would face Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Shrek Academy would face Star Luo Royal Academy.
Since Qian Renxue had told him that Shrek Academy was powerful, Qian Xun'an had begun paying attention to them as well.
He watched the match casually.
The seven members of Star Luo Academy released their Soul Power at once. In an instant, two yellow and two purple Soul Rings appeared around each of them.
Star Luo Academy Team had no fewer than six Soul Ancestors.
But they were only Soul Ancestors, which wasn't enough to draw much of Qian Xun'an's attention.
As for Shrek Academy, all seven released their Martial Souls. Each had two yellow and two purple Soul Rings, and all were Soul Ancestors.
"Oh? They're merely Soul Ancestors. Why is Xiao Xue so interested in them?"
Qian Xun'an was puzzled. He wanted to see whether Tang Hao's son could give him even a little reason to look forward to the match.
The match began. Shrek Academy struggled, but Tang San wielded his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with remarkable skill, gradually turning the tide in Shrek Academy's favor.
"That Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul must be the Blue Silver Emperor."
Watching Tang San use his Blue Silver Grass to employ all kinds of control techniques, Qian Xun'an couldn't help frowning.
"The Blue Silver Emperor is said to be an undying Spirit Beast. It possesses terrifying healing and regenerative abilities. This boy uses the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul entirely for control. What a waste."
Qian Xun'an spoke calmly.
In the end, Shrek Academy used a Martial Soul Fusion Skill on the competition platform and defeated Star Luo Royal Academy.
Qian Xun'an watched Shrek Academy calmly and said, "Although Shrek Academy isn't quite as formidable as I expected, they're certainly worth keeping an eye on."
Next came Spirit Hall Academy's match.
The Spirit Hall Academy Team wore white uniforms, pure white from head to toe, embroidered with six emblems symbolizing Spirit Hall.
The three people in front each wore a purple, book-shaped badge on the left side of their chest. It was a symbol of their honor.
Xie Yue stepped onto the field, then glanced at Yan and Hu Liena. "We have to give it our all this time and show the Hall Master of Judgment what we're really capable of!"
The three nodded.
Then Xie Yue and the other two at the front released their Martial Souls. Each was surrounded by five Soul Rings: two yellow, two purple, and one black. Their Soul Ring configurations were optimal.
The immense pressure from the three of them immediately dampened Yu Tianheng's imposing air.
The first member of the Spirit Hall Academy Team to move wasn't Xie Yue, the captain at the front. It was his younger sister, Hu Liena.
With a light, graceful step, Hu Liena seemed to turn once and was suddenly at the front of the formation. A faint smile appeared on her face. As she released her Martial Soul, she seemed to grow more beautiful, and a fluffy tail sprouted from her back.
A strange sight followed. The five Soul Rings around Hu Liena flashed in an orderly sequence: first the black fifth Soul Ring, then the fourth, third, and second, until finally the yellow first Soul Ring.
Each time a Soul Ring pulsed, the red light around her grew stronger. Behind her, Xie Yue also moved.
Xie Yue wielded not one Moon Blade, but two. Both were blood-red curved blades, shaped like crescent moons, and he held one in each hand at the center.
As he moved, he spread his arms wide and hurled himself backward, straight at his younger sister.
A red curtain of light suddenly appeared and spread. The instant Xie Yue and Hu Liena collided, the light enveloped them both.
At the same time, the red light burst outward like an expanding sphere, covering nearly half the competition platform. It naturally engulfed all seven opponents across from them.
The other five members of the Spirit Hall Academy Team, including Yan, seemed to have no intention of joining the fight. Yan even took several steps back to stand with the rest of his teammates.
The red light flickered. The two figures became one: a person with long, flowing hair, whose gender was impossible to discern.
Their hair had turned red. The figure formed by Xie Yue and Hu Liena began to dance silently. The two Moon Blades had grown twice as large, and they sliced through the air with a rainbow-like gleam.
That was their Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Yao Mei.
The red light suddenly thickened, and an immense wave of energy burst forth. From outside, it was impossible to see what was happening within.
Muffled groans kept coming from behind the red barrier. One figure after another was hurled out.
Before long, all seven members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team had been tossed out.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team—defeated!
After watching Spirit Hall Academy's performance, Qian Xun'an shook his head. "So arrogant. They show their trump card to everyone right from the start?
"Utterly foolish!
"It seems I'll have to keep a move in reserve if Spirit Hall Academy is to win the tournament."
The third round ended, leaving only six teams in the entire tournament. Two of the three seeded teams had been eliminated in today's matches.
Only one seeded team remained: Spirit Hall Academy Team.
There was no doubt that Spirit Hall Academy Team was the strongest of the six remaining teams. Shrek Academy Team and Godwind Academy Team were close behind.
The six remaining teams drew lots to determine their opponents.
The three clearly stronger teams—Spirit Hall Academy Team, Shrek Academy Team, and Godwind Academy Team—didn't draw one of the other two teams. Each of the three powerhouse teams was matched with a comparatively weaker opponent.
As a result, the fourth round ended without any suspense. The final three were exactly the strongest teams. At this point, the final showdown was about to begin.
All three teams remained in nearly full fighting condition.
Before you continue