The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi placed all his hopes in Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.
As the continent's foremost support sect, most members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were support Soul Masters.
They could be useful in team battles, but sending support Soul Masters into individual matches was just offering them up to be slaughtered.
Fortunately, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect still had Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, two pillars that could hold the sect steady.
Ning Fengzhi believed that if Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo entered the Arena Tournament, they would surely achieve excellent results.
One specialized in offense and the other in defense, and both were immensely powerful.
It was precisely thanks to Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could hold its place among the Upper Three Sects.
Otherwise, what right would a sect full of support Soul Masters have to rank among the Upper Three Sects?
Without formidable strength, even if Ning Fengzhi was a brilliant businessman and the sect had plenty of support Soul Masters, they could only be suppressed by other forces.
"I hope I'll be the one to kick off the first battle."
"My Seven Kill Sword hasn't had a proper, satisfying battle in years."
Sword Douluo's eyes gleamed, and his voice was full of confidence.
At that, Bone Douluo immediately started arguing with him.
"If you ask me, I should be the one to fight the first battle."
"My Bone Dragon is far more powerful than your Seven Kill Sword."
Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo had spent their whole lives loving and fighting each other.
He naturally wasn't going to let Sword Douluo steal the spotlight.
Sword Douluo was instantly displeased.
The two often sparred with each other.
Their strength could be said to be evenly matched.
There was no such thing as Bone Douluo's Bone Dragon being more powerful than the Seven Kill Sword.
In an instant, the two were at each other's throats, neither willing to back down.
Watching them, Ning Fengzhi could only shake his head helplessly.
He had seen this happen plenty of times over the years.
Whenever the two started bickering, all he could do was stand quietly by and watch.
There was no helping it. Ning Fengzhi had to call them both "Uncle." How could he possibly interfere in their love-hate relationship?
The Clear Sky Sect...
Tang Xiao and a group of elders gathered in the council hall.
"Everyone, our chance to restore the Clear Sky Sect to glory has come."
Tang Xiao's voice brimmed with excitement.
If the Clear Sky Sect could obtain a god's inheritance and raise a god of its own, they would no longer need to fear Spirit Hall.
Nor would they have to act according to Spirit Hall's whims.
Back then, because of the grudge between Tang Hao and Qian Xunji, the dignified number-one sect under heaven had been forced to withdraw from the world.
It was a wound in the heart of every member of the Clear Sky Sect.
They had once enjoyed such glory.
Under Tang Chen's leadership, the Clear Sky Sect had even been able to stand toe to toe with Spirit Hall.
But ever since Tang Chen disappeared, the Clear Sky Sect had gone steadily downhill.
The dignified number-one sect under heaven could now only skulk in seclusion.
As the sect's current leader, Tang Xiao felt deeply bitter about it.
He had always wanted to lead the Clear Sky Sect back to greatness.
And now, the opportunity had arrived.
The Clear Sky Sect had to seize it.
The Five Great Elders unanimously agreed with Tang Xiao.
The Clear Sky Sect had been in hiding for so long. It was time to fight for this opportunity.
"Pass down the order. Every member of the Clear Sky Sect is to train an extra ten hours each day."
"If anyone enters the Arena Tournament and tarnishes the Clear Sky Sect's name, don't blame us for showing no mercy and expelling them from the sect."
Tang Xiao and the Five Great Elders issued strict orders.
They hoped every member of the Clear Sky Sect would train hard.
Every bit of added strength meant a better chance of victory.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Yuanzhen reacted just like the leaders of the other forces.
He was also rallying every Soul Master in the clan to strive for this opportunity.
The leaders of the Upper Three Sects were all ambitious people.
To put it simply, they were bursting with ambition.
If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could produce a god, then the Douluo Continent would no longer be a stage where Spirit Hall stood alone.
His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would finally get a seat at the table.
Yu Yuanzhen had long wanted to take the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan another step forward.
Unfortunately, the clan's development had reached a bottleneck.
Apart from him, a single Titled Douluo holding up the entire clan, there wasn't a second Soul Master capable of shouldering the burden.
Even more humiliating was the fact that he, Yu Yuanzhen, had fathered a good-for-nothing.
Whenever he thought of Yu Xiaogang, who had been expelled from the clan, Yu Yuanzhen's head began to ache.
As a direct descendant of the strongest Beast Martial Soul clan, Yu Xiaogang didn't have to awaken the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul—but he shouldn't have awakened a pig that could only fart, either.
If Yu Xiaogang hadn't been such a hopeless failure,
Yu Yuanzhen wouldn't have let his own son be expelled from the clan in front of everyone.
It could be said that Yu Yuanzhen was worried about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's future.
If he died, and the clan lost the support of a Titled Douluo,
the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would likely fall out of the Upper Three Sects in an instant.
The sects of the Lower Four Sects had always kept a covetous eye on them.
The Elephant Armor Sect in particular had always wanted to join the Upper Three Sects.
Unfortunately, because Huyan Zhen wasn't a Titled Douluo, he had never managed to achieve his ambition.
If the Elephant Armor Sect saw the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan show a weakness, it would definitely kick them while they were down.
And seize their place.
Therefore, if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wanted to avoid being replaced—and even advance further—
it had to win more Arena Tournament matches and earn more rewards.
By then, even if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder with Spirit Hall,
it could at least take the Clear Sky Sect's place as the new number-one sect under heaven.
At the thought of all this, Yu Yuanzhen felt his blood stir.
He wished he could go to the arena right now and show off his awe-inspiring might.
If he could lead the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to greater heights,
his achievements would surpass those of every ancestor before him, and his descendants would sing his praises for a thousand, ten thousand years.
Soon...
Amid the anticipation of the various forces, the contestant list for the first Arena Tournament match was released.
[The contestants for the first individual battle have been randomly matched!]
[Two contestants have been successfully selected.]
[Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu VS Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Leader, Ye Xishui.]
With the contestants for the first Arena Tournament match confirmed,
the entire continent erupted in another wave of astonishment.
First of all, there was Su Yu.
Su Yu had never expected the first Arena Tournament match to be this explosive.
Who was Qian Daoliu?
He was a revered authority in the Soul Master World.
Why had the Clear Sky Sect backed down and gone into hiding when faced with Spirit Hall?
Wasn't it because of Qian Daoliu?
Qian Daoliu's strength had reached the demigod level.
He was a man who had indisputably reached the pinnacle of the Soul Master world.
One step further, and he would become a legendary god.
In all the world, there was only one Soul Master who could stand against Qian Daoliu: Tang Chen.
Of course, Bo Saixi counted as well.
But few people knew of her existence.
As a result, Qian Daoliu's standing in the Soul Master World was such that no one dared provoke him.
Over the years, countless Soul Masters who had tried to challenge Qian Daoliu had died.
Even Sword Douluo's father had paid for challenging Qian Daoliu with his life.
It was no exaggeration to say that Qian Daoliu had only ever lost twice in his life.
Once, he had lost to Tang Chen by a narrow margin.
The other time, he had lost to Bo Saixi out at sea.
Of course, with the power of the ocean at her disposal, even Tang Chen couldn't defeat Bo Saixi.
So, strictly speaking, Qian Daoliu had truly been defeated by only one opponent: Tang Chen.
His loss to Bo Saixi had been because she held the geographical advantage.
If she came to land, the water in Bo Saixi's strength would drain away considerably.