The Tournament Begins

Early morning.

The All-Continent Soul Master Academy Tournament finally opened amid everyone's anticipation.

Before dawn had even broken, Star Luo City was already bustling. Many had stayed awake through the night, waiting in excitement.

The streets around Star Luo Square had long been sealed off at every intersection by brightly armored soldiers. Roadblocks, barricades, and sentry posts stood in layer upon layer. Armed guards were stationed every few steps, their eyes sweeping vigilantly over the crowd. The main street leading from Star Emperor Hotel to Star Luo Square had been isolated as a dedicated passage, open only to competing teams wearing their academy uniforms. Citizens crowded behind the fences on both sides, craning their necks and pointing as they discussed which teams looked imposing and whose academy uniforms were the finest.

The competition platform for this All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament had not been built in the center of Star Luo Square, but before the main gates of the imperial city. This allowed the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire and his civil and military officials to watch from atop the city walls, looking down from above. Not only did they have the best view, but their safety was assured as well.

The entire competition platform measured one hundred meters in both length and width and stood five meters high. It was constructed entirely from hard grayish-white stone, its edges polished smooth and even. One hundred and eight metal pillars stood around it, each as thick as a bowl's rim, their surfaces covered in dense Soul Guidance patterns. These pillars were defensive Soul Guidance Devices. Once the matches began, one hundred and eight Soul Masters would activate them simultaneously, forming a transparent barrier around the platform to contain all soul skills within and prevent them from damaging the imperial city or harming innocent bystanders.

The construction of this competition platform alone had cost an enormous sum. Add to that the deployment of one hundred and eight Soul Masters to serve the tournament for over a month, and it was truly difficult without the resources of a nation.

At this moment, Star Luo Square was completely empty. Aside from the troops in the distance, there was not a soul in the square.

Iron fences stood all around the square. At roughly one and a half meters tall, they did not obstruct most people's view, yet divided the square into separate sections.

The audience had different entrances and exits for entering and leaving. This made it much easier for those responsible for maintaining order, and each section had a clear limit on the number of people it could hold.

A luxurious rest area had also been set up on the western side of the competition platform, specifically for the contestants from the various academies.

However, the rest area could only accommodate about seventy students. Clearly, there were no seats prepared for those eliminated in the first round. Therefore, anyone wishing to enter the academy-exclusive rest area could only do so by advancing through the elimination rounds and entering the round-robin stage.

As soon as dawn broke, the teachers leading the various academies had already brought their contestants before the imperial city.

Shrek Academy stood in the first position without question. Wang Yan, as the leading teacher, stood at the very front, the team members occupied the middle, and Yan Jingzhe followed leisurely at the very back of the group.

As the perennial runner-up, Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy naturally stood second in line, behind Shrek Academy.

Once all the academies had taken their positions, the leading teachers from each academy stepped forward to draw lots.

Before long, the drawing was complete. Officials from the Star Luo Empire naturally tallied the results. Once the match order was determined, the final preparations for the early stages of the tournament would be complete.

The sun rose halfway into the sky, its golden light spreading across the entire square. On the imperial city walls, a figure in a bright yellow robe appeared at the central position. He wore an Eight-Treasure Purple-Gold Crown and looked to be a little over forty. His face was square and upright, while his brows carried the steady bearing of one long accustomed to a position of power. Standing with his hands behind his back, he looked down at the square below and the enormous competition platform.

The Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiawei.

An elderly man dressed in a crimson civil official's robe swiftly ascended the city walls from the side. He stopped beside the emperor and bowed respectfully. The embroidered python pattern on his robes revealed his identity: the empire's prime minister, a man beneath only one and above tens of thousands.

"Prime Minister, how are the arrangements?" the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire asked with a smile.

The prime minister replied respectfully, "Everything has been arranged. The drawing has concluded, and the match order has been finalized. Order outside is well maintained. The public may now be admitted."

The Star Luo Emperor nodded with a smile. "Good. Convey my order. Begin admitting people through all entrances. Control the pace and maintain order. If any area under someone's responsibility has a problem, punish them severely."

"Yes." The prime minister first backed away several steps before turning and leaving.

Moments later, citizens began entering Star Luo Square from every direction. Guided by the soldiers, they converged into the square like long, winding dragons.

Watching the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament was not free. The daily admission fee was not particularly expensive, only two Gold Soul Coins. However, although Star Luo Square strictly controlled the number of entrants, it could still accommodate more than two hundred thousand spectators at once. Two Gold Soul Coins was merely the base price. The closer an area was to the competition platform, the more expensive admission became. In the viewing area closest to the platform, each person had to pay one hundred Gold Soul Coins to enter.

To commoners, this was a huge sum of money. To merchants and nobles, however, it was nothing much.

The Star Luo Empire treated all spectators equally. Having money only meant standing closer to the front; everyone received the same treatment. They could only watch while standing, without even a seat, so that more people could be accommodated.

From admission fees alone, the Star Luo Empire could earn roughly two million Gold Soul Coins each day. Over a month, that amounted to sixty million Gold Soul Coins. Even after deducting military expenses and other investments, the empire could still make a substantial profit. This was one reason why the four great empires were so willing to host the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. After all, Star Luo City's annual tax revenue was only around that amount!

As the audience entered, Shrek Academy also arrived at the contestants' area and took their places.

Today, everyone from Shrek Academy wore the traditional dark-green Shrek uniforms. This was Shrek Academy's standard color, and their position was in the front row among all the academies. Not a single academy objected. This was the honor Shrek Academy had accumulated through its strength over thousands of years.

Quite a few academies were secretly praying that they would not encounter a powerhouse like Shrek Academy or Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy in the very first round. Otherwise, it would practically be an announcement of their elimination.

On the high platform.

"Good. I hereby declare the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament officially begun." The Star Luo Emperor's loud declaration raised the curtain on this grand event.

The square instantly erupted. Cheers, shouts, and applause blended together like boiling water bursting from beneath a lifted lid. Some raised flags over their heads and waved them desperately. Some pulled out prepared streamers from their pockets and tossed them into the air. Some jumped in place, shouting the names of academies no one knew. The roar of two hundred thousand people layered together, making everyone's ears ring.