Spirit Hall's Heavenly Group Takes the Stage, the Pope's Majesty

The morning sunlight slanted through the windowpanes.

Xiao Wu rubbed her fluffy hair and groggily poked her head out from under the covers.

She patted her heavy, iron-like head, her small mouth so pouting it could hold an oil bottle.

"Ugh, I drifted off to sleep last night?"

Xiao Wu sniffed her delicate little nose, leaned over the pillow and sniffed, her eyes immediately filled with doubt.

"A-Qing, where's that grassy smell coming from on this bed? It smells pretty fresh..."

Lin Qingmo, who was tidying up the team's capes by the door, paused, raised his hand to touch his nose, and remained expressionless.

"You probably sleepwalked last night and mistook the carrot on the table for grass and ate it."

Lin Qingmo didn't even turn his head, casually tossing a set of exquisite team uniforms from the Imperial Fighting Team onto the bed.

"Hurry up and wash up."

"Today is not like those small-scale arenas in the outer city. The gates of the Central Great Soul Arena won't wait for slow-moving rabbits."

Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks, snorted, grabbed her team uniform, and muttered, "I'm not a slow rabbit!"

Watching Xiao Wu skip and hop into the bathroom, Lin Qingmo's lips curled into a slightly amused smile.

"Is the grassy smell a bit too strong? You'd have to ask Ah Yin about that," Lin Qingmo muttered to himself as he pushed open the door.

Outside the door, the members of the Imperial Fighting Team were already fully prepared and ready to go.

The Spirit City, the Central Great Soul Arena.

This is not the ordinary arena in the outer city that can only hold 10,000 people.

Instead, it is a magnificent building that resembles a giant beast coiled atop a mountain.

The more than 100,000 seats were completely full, and the cheers surged like waves.

In the VIP section, the royal families and nobles of the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire, were dressed in magnificent robes, each with a different expression.

Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was dressed in a white robe, with a feather fan and a turban. Standing beside him was Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

Sword Douluo crossed his arms, his eyes slightly closed, and the chilling sword intent emanating from him made no one dare to approach him easily within a ten-meter radius.

But in the shadows where the audience can't see it.

On the sorghum stalks of the dome, in the shadows of the pillars, and even on the highest points surrounding the entire Soul Fighting Arena, dozens of subtle yet extremely terrifying auras quietly lingered.

Those were secret sentries from the Spirit Hall.

Dozens of Soul Douluo, and even hidden Titled Douluo elders, have completely sealed off the entire airspace above the arena.

Not even a fly can fly out of the Spirit Hall without permission.

In the preparation area, at the seats of the Spirit Hall Platinum Team,

A slender yet tall figure stood at the back of the line.

She was shrouded in exquisite platinum armor, and wore a cold silver mask on her face, revealing only two clear, bright golden eyes that looked like sunlight.

It is Qian Renxue.

She stood there quietly, proud as a solitary lotus flower on a snow-capped mountain.

The moment the Imperial Fighting Team stepped into the preparation area, Qian Renxue's gaze swept over the throng of people and landed precisely on Lin Qingmo was walking at the very front.

Beneath the mask, a faint, playful smile curved her exquisitely beautiful face.

"Lin Qingmo... usually pretends to be calm and collected, as if he has a perfect plan."

Qian Renxue's slender fingers gently traced the hilt of the sword, a smirk playing on her lips. "I really want to see what kind of expression you'll have when you see 'me' on the field later."

Seemingly sensing the intensely penetrating gaze, Lin Qingmo slightly turned his head and looked in the direction of the Spirit Hall Team.

The two, separated by half the arena, suddenly clashed in the air.

Lin Qingmo blinked, showing no panic, but rather unusual calm.

Instead, he waved to the masked figure in a friendly manner, along with a bright, signature smile.

Qian Renxue's eye twitched slightly.

This guy... is still laughing?

"She's someone you can hate to the core no matter what."

Qian Renxue gave a soft snort and turned her head away, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

Just then, a resounding pronouncement, as powerful as a great bell, echoed throughout the entire Great Soul Arena via a special Soul Tool!

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Grand Finals—Begin!"

The referee's voice was highly persuasive, instantly igniting a frenzied atmosphere throughout the stadium.

"This year's finals will use a three-way tie-break format!"

Round 1: The three advancing teams will compete in individual battles to defend their titles!

"Each team of seven players will take turns competing in a series of matches. Only the two teams with the most cumulative wins will advance to the final team battle!"

"Round Two: The advancing teams will engage in a 7v7 unrestricted team battle. The winner will be the overall champion of the Continental Tournament!"

The referee abruptly swung down his flag, raising his voice. "Competition rules: Serious injury is allowed! Crippling is allowed! But directly killing the opponent is strictly prohibited!"

"A ten-layered Soul Power protective shield has been activated around the arena. Contestants, unleash your Berserk and power!"

"Permitting serious injury resulting in disability?"

In the Shrek Team's seats, Tang San clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

He subconsciously touched the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist, a cruel smile appearing on his lips.

"As long as I don't kill them... that means I have plenty of room to use my Hidden Weapon and poisons."

Tang San thought to himself, his gaze fixed on Lin Qingmo: "Imperial Fighting Team, Lin Qingmo... I will settle this score with interest!"

On the Imperial Fighting Team's side, Lin Qingmo only chuckled softly after hearing the rules.

"A-Qing, what are you laughing at?" Dugu Yan asked curiously as she leaned closer.

"Nothing."

Lin Qingmo patted his sleeves and said leisurely, "I just think that the rules set by the Spirit Hall are too considerate."

"Severe injury or disability isn't even against the rules? This is practically a graveyard made for people who are obsessed with using dirty tricks."

"!!!"

The sound waves in the sky suddenly stopped.

The next second, the entire Great Soul Arena fell into an eerie silence.

It's not that the hype has died down.

Instead, it was some kind of supreme pressure that poured down from the heavens, forcefully silencing the clamor of 100,000 people!

"Hold head high--!"

Accompanied by a long and solemn horn call, the two heavy, cold, and pure gold-plated giant doors of the Pope Palace at the highest point of the Central Great Soul Arena slowly opened to the sides with a suffocating creak.

Golden spots of sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the door.

Two columns of Temple Knight appeared, clad in heavy golden armor and wielding four-meter-long lances.

They walked in unison.

The armor clashed together, producing a cold, piercing metallic clang.

They then lined up on both sides.

A path leading to the Supreme God throne was forcibly paved out in the void.

A tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows behind the door.

Bibi Dong, Pope of the Spirit Hall.

She wore a gleaming gold Pope robe adorned with hundreds of dazzling gemstones.

The red, blue, and gold gemstones refracted a dazzling array of colors under the sunlight.

That flawless, stunningly beautiful face seemed devoid of any human emotion, displaying only an absolute indifference and nobility that looked down upon all living beings.

She wore Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown.

He held the two-meter-long Angel Scepter, a symbol of the highest power of the Spirit Hall.

Each time the Scepter tapped the ground, the air currents throughout the entire Great Soul Arena vibrated violently!

Behind her,

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan was dressed in a bright golden robe, surrounded by the fragrance of flowers;

Ghost Douluo's Gui Mei figure flickered, exuding a chilling aura;

Three Spirit Hall Elder, dressed in red robes adorned with gold and silver patterns, followed closely behind.

This represents the pinnacle of military power and authority across the entire continent.

They marched in unison, with an overwhelming solemnity and a sense of suffocation, step by step, to the highest Pope seat!