After struggling through the crowd, having their identities checked and verified by tournament officials, and entering the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, the Shrek Seven Devils Team finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yet their expressions hardly improved. Helplessness and bitterness still covered their faces.
Today marked the opening ceremony of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, as well as its first day of competition. Besides the ceremony, there would be one match-an exhibition of sorts, but also an official tournament match.
For this match, Heaven Dou Royal Academy's secondary team, or Team Two, would draw an opponent for a team Soul Fight to begin the first round of the round-robin tournament.
An opening ceremony alone obviously could not satisfy the audience. At most, it was a little extra; what truly interested them was the team Soul Fight afterward.
Failing to satisfy the spectators might well stir public outrage. After all, tickets were so expensive that a mere opening ceremony certainly would not be enough.
The Shrek Seven Devils Team now occupied Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team Two's slot, so naturally they had to fight. There was no escaping this humiliation.
That was why their spirits were so low. Their shit-green team uniforms were simply too bizarre. No matter how thick their skins were, they could not help feeling mortified.
Fortunately, participating in the team Soul Fight offered one benefit that could provide some consolation.
The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament actually offered prize money. Spirit Hall, which initiated and organized the tournament, provided these generous, straightforward rewards, funded by the Martial Soul Hall Pan-Continent Trade Alliance's title sponsorship-
Every victory in the preliminary tournament earned five hundred Gold Soul Coins, while advancing to the qualifying tournament brought an additional three thousand Gold Soul Coins.
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