"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—"
At Star Luo Square,
a full 108 ceremonial cannons thundered in unison.
Once the ceremony was over,
in the distance,
Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei stood atop the towering imperial palace, dressed in magnificent ceremonial robes, his expression solemn and dignified. The empress and his ministers surrounded him.
His deep voice carried across Star Luo City through the Amplifying Soul Tool.
His brief address was simple, but rousing: welcome to the grand event held once every twenty years in the Star Luo Empire!
When he finished,
"I hereby announce—"
Xu Jiawei's voice rang out, impassioned and powerful. "The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament is officially underway!"
"Oh—!!!"
Cheers surged like a tide, almost becoming tangible waves among the crowd,
rolling and crashing,
making Star Luo Square tremble.
Though it was called a square, it was actually a massive circular Soul Fighting Arena, built much like the Colosseum in Rome, only more than ten times larger.
Giant gray-white stones formed the outer walls, which sloped inward step by step. The petal-shaped stands could hold tens of thousands of spectators at once.
"Star Luo! Star Luo! Star Luo!"
"Dou Ling—! Dou Ling—!"
"Shrek! Shrek!"
Amid the shouts, the name of the Sun Moon Empire could also be heard faintly, though only just.
You had to listen carefully to catch it.
The white-bearded prime minister stepped forward to make the announcement on behalf of Emperor Xu Jiawei. "According to the rules of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, the first round will be an elimination round. There are 133 advanced Soul Master and Soul Engineer academies, and a total of 66 matches will be held. One academy will receive a bye."
"Now, the opening match is about to begin. The first team