Fierce Battle

After another day of rest, the six competing teams arrived at the arena. Given the current situation, practically every team hoped to draw the Longkui Academy Team; drawing them clearly meant advancing into the top three. As a result, Dean Huo Tianchen returned to their quarters looking somewhat frustrated.

Huo Tianchen looked at everyone's anxious expressions and said, "Our luck isn't very good. The draw results are out. We drew the Star Luo Royal Academy Team. The Martial Soul Hall Team will face the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team, while the Shrek Academy Team will face the Longkui Academy Team."

Huo Wu said domineeringly, "Isn't it just the Star Luo Royal Academy Team? Our goal is the championship. Sooner or later, we'll have to defeat the Star Luo Royal Academy Team."

Xiaofei found it rather strange. Wasn't it supposed to be the Shrek Academy Team against the Star Luo Royal Academy Team in the original story? Why had it become Blazing Academy now? Was it because of my arrival? Or some other reason?

The Martial Soul Hall Team's match against the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team was held first. Yan took the lead and directly used his Fifth Soul Skill, Flying Sand Blazing Flames. A wide expanse of flying sand and flames instantly appeared across the ground. Dugu Yan's poisonous mist was affected as well and gradually dispersed. Yan and Yu Tianheng clashed, with Yu Tianheng clearly at a disadvantage, while the others also began fighting. Xie Yue and Hu Liena activated their Demon Charm, instantly spreading a large crimson mist over the arena. Waves of screams came from within the red mist. Then the mist dispersed, and every member of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team was already on the ground. It was another swift battle. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team had almost no ability to fight back, and the entire stadium erupted in cheers.

The Martial Soul Hall Team could be said to have defeated their opponents without any effort. Next up were the Shrek Academy Team and the Longkui Academy Team.

As expected, Shrek Academy easily defeated Longkui Academy. Tang San did not even use his Clear Sky Hammer. He used the Blue Silver Grass's Meteor Hammer Entanglement to fight several attacking members. The Shrek members appeared extremely agile, rotating positions at incredible speed, while Ma Hongjun provided fiery support from the sky. Ning Rongrong stood at the rear, directing a massive Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda and continuously releasing buffs on her teammates.

Xiaofei carefully observed the Shrek Team. Up to this point, Shrek's hidden strength mainly included Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Hell White Tiger; Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage; and the Seven-in-One Martial Soul Fusion Skill. However, their strength was clearly lower than in the original story. He did not know whether Tang San could withstand the Seven-in-One Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Next came the day's focal battle: the Blazing Academy Team against the Star Luo Royal Academy Team.

Blazing Academy adopted the same tactics, but just as Xiaofei flew into the sky and prepared to release his Second Soul Skill, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun had already activated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Hell White Tiger, and charged directly at Xiaofei. If Xiaofei released a large-scale skill, the Hell White Tiger would endure Huoyu's attack and strike Xiaofei down, aiming to eliminate him in a single blow.

However, to everyone's surprise, Xiaofei still activated Sparks Like Rain. This time, though, all the feathers did not scatter. Instead, they gathered together to form a giant sword, stabbing with all its force at the oncoming Hell White Tiger. It somewhat resembled Sword Douluo's Myriad Swords Returning to Ancestor. The Hell White Tiger met the giant sword in midair, letting out continuous shrill roars. Meanwhile, the other Blazing Academy members followed their usual tactics and rushed toward the remaining members of the Star Luo Royal Academy Team. They particularly targeted Star Luo's support member, preventing him from assisting the Hell White Tiger.

With a mournful howl, the Hell White Tiger fell from the sky and separated back into Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun. Both were already unconscious on the ground, covered in blood and clearly badly injured. Elsewhere on the battlefield, the other members of the Star Luo Royal Academy Team were eliminated one after another.

Just like that, the Blazing Academy Team claimed another victory and entered the top three, while the Star Luo Royal Academy Team was eliminated.

The entire audience was dumbfounded. Wang Xiaofei's Second Soul Skill actually had such a variation, and it seemed incredibly dangerous, with extremely powerful single-target damage. The Shrek Academy Team swallowed nervously. They had originally intended to use the same tactic, but the even stronger Hell White Tiger had been defeated in one strike. This would be difficult now.

Sword Douluo, standing beside Ning Fengzhi, nodded and said, "That boy has a great talent for swordsmanship. It's a pity his Martial Soul isn't a sword. Otherwise, I would want to take him as my disciple."

Thus, the fourth round ended. Everyone could rest for three days and wait for the final fifth round, the true finals.

The teams that advanced into the finals were the Martial Soul Hall Team, the Blazing Team, and the Shrek Team. The popularity of all three teams instantly reached its peak. Up to now, Blazing Academy seemed not to have revealed much. Wang Xiaofei had only used one Soul Skill, Huo Wu had not used her Ring Fusion, and everyone else had released no more than three Soul Skills. Naturally, the Shrek Team was relatively less popular. Many people doubted whether they truly possessed the strength to enter the top three. But their luck had been good; after all, they had kept drawing weak teams.

Three days later, before the Papal Palace.

Early in the morning, the three teams that had entered the final top-three competition were already standing quietly before the Papal Palace. All twenty-one finalists stood silently in the square, waiting for the final moment to arrive.

A group emerged from the side entrance of the Papal Palace. Twelve red-robed bishops, whose status was second only to the platinum bishops, slowly approached. They walked all the way to the entrance of the Papal Palace and stood on either side, six on each side. The leader called out loudly, "His Majesty the Pope has arrived."

"Long live the Pope! Long live the Pope! Long live the Pope!" The enormous palace doors slowly opened, and the six emblems upon the doors gradually shifted away from their tracks. Dressed from head to toe in a brilliant golden gown, wearing a purple-gold crown and holding a scepter, Bibi Dong emerged first from the Papal Palace with a solemn expression. Her entire being carried an illusory quality.

Every member of Spirit Hall immediately dropped to one knee. "Greetings, Your Holiness, the Pope." The atmosphere of that instant was impossible to describe.

At this moment, only the seven members of Shrek Academy had not knelt on the platform. Even the seven members of Blazing Academy were already kneeling on one knee.

Bibi Dong's gaze fell directly upon those seven young people. Every member of Spirit Hall glared angrily at the Shrek Seven Devils.

"How bold! You dare show disrespect to His Holiness!" The red-robed bishop who had announced her arrival shouted furiously. Bibi Dong's gaze had already become calm. She raised a hand, and the red-robed bishop immediately closed his mouth, his face filled with reverence.

A faint smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face as she gazed at Tang San. "Are you Tang San, the disciple of Grandmaster?" Tang San was startled. He had not expected this exceptionally beautiful Pope to know his teacher as well. "Yes, Your Holiness, the Pope." His answer was neither humble nor arrogant. Bibi Dong nodded at Tang San. "Very good. You truly have some of your teacher's bearing from back then."

"Rise." Only then did everyone kneeling on the ground stand up. Because of the Pope's inquiry toward Tang San and her words of approval, the gazes they directed at the Shrek Seven Devils were no longer quite so angry.

Wang Xiaofei watched the Pope and the Shrek group with a speechless expression. If he had dared not kneel, his legs would probably have been broken. Yet the Shrek people got away with it without any consequences.

A faint smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face as her gaze swept from left to right across all twenty-one young Soul Masters competing in the top-three finals. "I see hope in all of you. Before the Papal Palace, I hope to see all of your talent and strength. The final victor will receive Spirit Hall's greatest reward."

As she spoke, she lightly waved the scepter in her hand. No one could see how she did it, but three points of light instantly expanded before Bibi Dong and floated in midair. They were three different items, all small in size and shaped like bones: a right arm bone, a skull, and a left leg bone. They shimmered with fiery red, pale blue, and dark green light respectively. Soul Bones—those were three Soul Bones. Even from the foot of Papal Mountain, the radiance of the three Soul Bones could be seen clearly. In an instant, all of Spirit City was thrown into an uproar.

Ghost Douluo Guimei, standing behind the Pope, said in his low voice, "The three Soul Bones are the Skull of Wisdom for Spirit Condensation, the Right Arm of Flames for Explosive Burning, and the Left Leg of Wind Chasing for Rapid Advance. All three Soul Bones came from Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Among them, the Skull of Wisdom for Spirit Condensation came from a Soul Beast over fifty thousand years old. It was personally obtained by the previous Pope after slaying it. It is a top-grade Soul Bone, second only to External Soul Bones and the supreme Soul Bones produced by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts."

The Pope said calmly, "There can only ever be one victor, and the same is true of the champion. Therefore, these three Soul Bones will all belong to the final champion team. I hope the three academies that have entered the top three will give their all and earn this honor."

The Pope continued, "This morning, your three teams will each send out seven members for an individual elimination match. The final remaining team will gain the advantage and advance directly into tomorrow's championship battle. The two losing teams will fight this afternoon for the other finals spot. You may now send out your first competitors."

With that, the grand finals began.

Author's note: This section was written very well in the original work. No matter how I rewrote it, it would be about the same, so I simply referenced the original.