"The city ahead is Spirit City. All teams, withdraw your Martial Souls and submit to inspection!"
The gate knight's shout carried down the line of carriages.
Tang San opened his eyes and pushed open the carriage window.
The walls rose eighty meters high. Six Martial Soul emblems were carved above the main gate, and the Angel Statue within the city towered over the buildings, standing at the center of everyone's view.
Ma Hongjun craned his neck and stared for a long while.
"It's that tall? You can see it from outside the city?"
Oscar rubbed his aching neck.
"Spirit Hall wants it to be the first thing people see when they enter. Of course they built it high."
"Don't gossip."
Flender lowered the carriage curtain.
"This isn't Heaven Dou City. Don't cause trouble."
Tang San did not look at the statue again.
The golden petals in the canyon remained fresh in his memory. The more imposing the walls, the more keenly he felt the power Spirit Hall commanded.
That power had tried to kill him.
Then he would defeat the Spirit Hall Team in the finals and make the Pope hand over the championship prize herself.
"Identification token."
The Soul Master guarding the gate came up to the carriage.
Flender handed over their competition documents. The man checked them several times, then looked up at Tang San.
"Release your Martial Soul."
"Entry inspection requires us to release our Martial Souls?"
"Not the others. You."
Dai Mubai took half a step forward.
"That isn't in Spirit Hall's tournament rules."
The knights guarding the gate gripped their weapons.
Tang San raised a hand to stop Dai Mubai. Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palm, and four Soul Rings—two yellow, one purple, one black—rose with it.
The gatekeeper stared at the black Soul