Heaven Dou City Division!

Heaven Dou City was even more prosperous than Li Long had imagined.

He set out from Spirit City and traveled northeast along the official road for several days, arriving at the city gates on the evening before the Heaven Dou Division preliminaries began.

The city walls were far taller than those of Notting City, and the gate passage was wide enough for three carriages to pass through side by side. Even at dusk, the stream of people entering the city remained unbroken. Merchants, travelers, and young soul masters in academy uniforms of every color mingled through the crowd, making the entire gate area resemble a pot of boiling soup.

Li Long found an inn near the arena. After setting down his luggage, he went out and strolled along the main street.

Flags for the tournament preliminaries hung from the lampposts along the road, while match brackets and schedules were posted on the walls every few steps.

Most passersby discussed the matches beginning tomorrow—which teams were favored, which contestants had recently performed well—and scattered bits of information drifted through the streets.

Early the next morning, Li Long followed the crowd into the Heaven Dou Division preliminary arena.

The venue was an open-air circular structure, several times larger than the plaza at the entrance to Notting City's Soul Hunting Forest. The stands were packed, with at least two or three thousand spectators at a rough glance.

The competitors gathered in groups in the waiting area on one side of the arena, dressed in their respective academy uniforms and insignia.

Li Long found a seat midway up the stands with an unobstructed view.

His gaze swept over the colors and patterns of the uniforms in the waiting area as he identified them one by one: Skywater Academy in blue, Blazing Fire Academy in