However, Qian Xun'an merely glanced calmly at Shrek Academy. The next moment, an inexhaustible force surged toward them.
Whether it was their dean, Flender, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, or Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others, everyone from Shrek Academy could no longer withstand Qian Xun'an's pressure. One after another, they dropped to their knees.
Some of the Spirit Hall members, powerful Soul Douluos among them, had held out until the very end. But who was Qian Xun'an? He was a Limit Douluo.
He stared at them and said with a cold snort, "Will you still not submit?"
As he spoke, a terrifying pressure erupted from Qian Xun'an's body.
At that moment, they finally understood what a Limit Douluo was.
Despair rose in everyone's hearts.
It felt as though ants had come face-to-face with an elephant.
He was a being who stood entirely beyond them.
Now, beneath Qian Xun'an's formidable presence, almost no one dared move.
For the slightest movement would turn them to ash in an instant.
Invisible waves rippled outward.
Those who had already been unable to withstand the pressure convulsed all over. Then their legs gave way, and they collapsed onto the ground.
Next, countless Soul Masters could no longer endure Qian Xun'an's pressure. Their consciousness gradually faded, and they fell unconscious.
Some others suffered the pressure and began bleeding from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths.
"Gasp!"
Outside the plaza, countless spectators watched the scene and drew in sharp breaths, their faces filled with terror.
Everyone across the plaza had prostrated themselves on their knees. Except for the Titled Douluos seated in the VIP stands, everyone had knelt in submission to Qian Xun'an.
Qian Xun'an looked at them coldly, then gave a cold snort. "I don't care whether you disrespect me, Qian Xun'an, or our Spirit Hall. But remember this.
"Here in Spirit Hall, in front of me, Qian Xun'an, if you're a dragon, keep your head down; if you're a tiger, lie low. Keep a low profile, and you might live a little longer!"
Faced with Qian Xun'an's pressure, no one dared utter a word.
They knew all too well that if they said one more thing, they might explode and die the very next moment!
A Soul Douluo standing beside Qian Xun'an said, "Why haven't you all paid your respects to Lord Adjudicator?"
"Greetings, Lord Adjudicator!"
Their voices rang into the sky, coming from every direction. No one dared defy Qian Xun'an.
Only then did the pressure on them slowly fade. Qian Xun'an calmly looked down at the crowd and said, "All right, get up. The competition still has to continue, so I won't pursue this matter further.
"If anyone shows disrespect again, next time, I won't merely use pressure to intimidate you."
His words were perfectly calm, but carried an irresistible force.
His domineering presence left everyone in awe.
"Thank you, Lord Adjudicator, for your magnanimity. We will remember this."
Everyone called out respectfully.
Qian Xun'an gave a slight nod.
"Good. Then let the competition continue."
"Yes!" The instructors all nodded.
Watching this unfold from atop the tower, Bibi Dong's expression darkened. Her eyes gleamed with a chilling killing intent.
She had never imagined that Qian Xun'an would be so powerful. How much Soul Power must it have taken to make tens of thousands of people kneel beneath his pressure?
Even she would likely struggle to do that.
"Heh, Qian Xun'an really is formidable. He actually forced them into submission with his pressure," Chrysanthemum Douluo said at once beside Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong turned her icy gaze toward Qian Xun'an and snorted. "He merely forced them to submit out of fear. That kind of submission won't last."
Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately echoed her. "Your Holiness is right. Everyone in Spirit Hall knows what you've done for it. Your glorious presence has taken root throughout Spirit Hall.
"Spirit Hall—even the entire world—looks up to you. How could that unpopular Qian Xun'an possibly compete with you?!"
Bibi Dong gave a slight nod. "One day, I'll make Qian Xun'an pay dearly!"
Qian Xun'an gazed impassively down at the crowd, then announced, "Next, I declare that the ultimate victor will receive Spirit Hall's greatest reward."
As he spoke, Qian Xun'an waved his hand. Three points of light immediately expanded before the crowd, hovering in midair.
They were three different objects, each small and bone-shaped: a right arm bone, a skull, and a left leg bone.
They glimmered in fiery red, pale blue, and dark green.
Spirit Bones—three of them.
Even from the foot of Pope Mountain, their light was clearly visible. In an instant, the whole of Spirit City erupted into a frenzy.
Apart from those who had already known about the final reward, who could have guessed it would be three Spirit Bones? Their radiance alone made it clear that all three were of exceptional quality.
Even the people of Spirit Hall looked at them with greedy eyes.
If this weren't Pope Hall, and if Qian Xun'an's presence weren't keeping them in check, someone would surely have already given in to their greed and rushed forward to seize them.
These were Spirit Bones! The most precious things a Soul Master could obtain—treasures that could only be chanced upon, never sought.
Spirit Bones came in different ranks, and their quality was crucial. The higher the level of the Spirit Beast that produced one, the greater its effect. External Soul Bones were the exception.
External Soul Bones were the rarest of all, and their potential for growth made them the most precious type. Within the entire system, they ranked just below Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings.
There were six ordinary Spirit Bones: the head, torso, and four limbs.
Of the six types, the torso was the most precious, followed by the head, then the right arm, left arm, left leg, and right leg, in that order.
Even Spirit Bones of the same quality differed in value depending on where they were located.
These three Spirit Bones had clearly come from Spirit Beasts over ten thousand years old.
To a Soul Master, they were the finest treasures imaginable.
The Soul Douluo standing behind Qian Xun'an stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice. "The three Spirit Bones are the Wisdom Skull of Mental Cohesion, the Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm, and the Swift Wind Left Leg.
"All three came from Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. The Wisdom Skull of Mental Cohesion, in particular, came from a Spirit Beast over fifty thousand years old.
"It was obtained by the previous His Holiness the Pope, who slew the beast himself. It is one of the finest Spirit Bones, surpassed only by External Soul Bones and top-grade Spirit Bones produced by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts."
No matter their rank, Soul Masters couldn't look at a Spirit Bone without their eyes lighting up with greed—let alone three of them.
A fierce fighting spirit surged from the twenty-one Soul Masters in the competition almost at once.
The Soul Douluo continued, "This morning, each of your three teams will send seven members into an individual elimination round. The team with the most members remaining will have the advantage.
"Tomorrow, they will advance straight to the championship match. The other two teams will compete this afternoon for the other place in the final. You may now send out your first contestant."
Like the promotion tournament, this was an individual elimination round, but with all three teams competing together. Though it wouldn't decide the championship, it was still just as important.
Winning would not only mean advancing to the top two; it would also let the team conserve its strength and enter tomorrow's showdown well-rested.
A row of gilded chairs had been placed in front of Pope Hall. Qian Xun'an sat down calmly to watch the competition.
The three academies each sent out their first contestant. Godwind Academy had chosen Huo Wushuang, the former captain of Blazing Academy. Spirit Hall Academy sent out a Soul Master at the fortieth level or above.
As for Shrek Academy, the first contestant Grandmaster chose was not one of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Two of the Shrek Seven Devils were support Soul Masters, so they naturally couldn't participate in this kind of individual competition. Yet the first contestant Grandmaster selected wasn't Tai Long, the strongest among their substitutes. It was Jing Ling, an Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master who hadn't yet reached level forty.
The three contestants drew lots to determine which two academies would face each other first. The winner would then continue, and the rounds would proceed in the same way.
Shrek Academy was extraordinarily lucky: Jing Ling drew a bye right away.
Drawing a bye in the first round meant Shrek Academy's contestant could go on later. Not only could the team conserve its strength during the first round, but it could also get a better look at the earlier contestants' abilities. It was unquestionably the best draw.
But then something unexpected happened. After the draw, when Huo Wushuang and the contestant from the Spirit Hall Academy Team walked to the center of the arena,
the Spirit Hall Academy Team's contestant suddenly turned around, bowed toward Qian Xun'an, and said, "I forfeit this match."
Qian Xun'an didn't speak. He merely nodded slightly.
Just then, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, who had been sitting with the Shrek Seven Devils, immediately stood up.
"Please hold the match for a moment."
Qian Xun'an looked calmly toward Grandmaster.
Grandmaster gave a cold laugh. "My reason is that Shrek Academy is withdrawing from the first half of the finals and willingly entering this afternoon's loser's bracket match."
If the Spirit Hall Academy Team contestant's sudden forfeit had still been understandable, Grandmaster's announcement that Shrek Academy was withdrawing from the individual competition left the whole arena stunned.
Even everyone among the Shrek Seven Devils except Tang San looked shocked and confused.
Clearly, they hadn't known beforehand that Grandmaster would make this decision.
Qian Xun'an looked calmly at Yu Xiaogang. He knew exactly what Grandmaster was planning.
Spirit Hall was the strongest. In a competition of individual matches like this, Shrek Academy had no chance of winning.
So they might as well forfeit outright, conserve their strength, and advance from the loser's bracket.
Before you continue