Continental Soul Duel Tournament Opens

Two and a half months later.

The major advanced soul master academies all set out, traveling thousands of miles to Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire, gathering on this battlefield where a pinnacle showdown was about to erupt.

All participating teams were accommodated at the city's premier Star Emperor Grand Hotel.

On the day the tournament opened, the sky had only just begun to brighten when the entire city of Star Luo City was already under strict guard.

Every major and minor street around Star Luo Square had been sealed off. Within a thousand meters of the Star Emperor Grand Hotel in particular, armored soldiers stood in grim formations, and a murderous atmosphere permeated the area.

Over a thousand fully armed imperial soldiers guarded the area in layers, standing in orderly ranks.

The exclusive passage leading directly from the hotel's main entrance to the imperial city arena had been placed under complete lockdown. Ordinary pedestrians, carriages, and horses were forbidden from passing through; only the participating teams from the various academies were permitted entry.

The core venue for this tournament had been established directly before the southern main gate of the Star Luo imperial city, a location deliberately chosen by the Star Luo Imperial House.

It allowed Emperor Xu Jiawei, along with the entire court of civil and military officials, to sit atop the towering imperial city walls and overlook every detail of the competition.

The majestic imperial city stood to the north, facing south with overwhelming grandeur.

To the west of the arena, an opulent and exquisite cluster of VIP rest areas had been erected, furnished with velvet carpets, spiritual fruits, and fine tea for the participating academy members to rest and await their turns.

The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament had a brutal format. Aside from the highly anticipated final, the most thrilling and unpredictable stage was the first-round elimination matches.

Each match decided victory or defeat. The losers were eliminated immediately and sent home at once, with no chance at revival and no room for remedy.

As dawn broke, the teachers leading each academy had already arrived at the imperial city. Holding the participation jade tokens distributed before the tournament, they entered the inner hall one by one to complete the drawing ceremony.

In less than half an hour, the drawing process was complete. Officials from the Star Luo Empire's Ministry of Rites methodically tallied, verified, and arranged the matchups before posting them for public display. Everything proceeded in perfect order.

Atop the towering imperial city walls, the imperial banners snapped in the wind.

Xu Jiawei stood at the center of the walls with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the entire arena and square below, his expression calm and imposing.

A minister stepped forward with a bow, lowered his head, and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, the venue is ready. They may enter."

Xu Jiawei gave a slight nod and smiled. "Issue the order. Let them enter in an orderly manner."

"This minister obeys!"

The minister bowed as he accepted the order, then turned and hurried down from the walls to relay the imperial decree.

As the command was issued, the sealed entrances to the square slowly opened.

The citizens of Star Luo City, who had long been waiting outside, formed several long lines under the orderly guidance of the soldiers and streamed into the spectator area.

The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's team also entered the players' designated waiting area in formation under Old Ma's lead.

Lu Yuan, Xiao Xiao, and Gu Qiu'er stood among the Sun Moon Team's ranks near the very front, where they had an excellent view of the entire arena and could clearly see the Shrek Academy members ahead of them.

Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Ma Rulong, and the other core members of the Sun Moon Team instinctively turned their gazes toward Shrek Academy's team in front of them.

When they saw Wang Dong'er, Huo Yuhao, and the others, they were instantly stunned.

In previous tournaments, Shrek's members had always been top geniuses with composed temperaments and profound Soul Power, exuding a chilling presence and terrifying strength.

But the Shrek team before them today was completely different.

More than half of the team consisted of youthful faces still untouched by maturity. Their frames were slender, and the Soul Power fluctuations around them were unremarkable.

They were far less intimidating than Shrek teams of previous years. Even several of their core members did not appear to possess top-tier cultivation.

Questions immediately arose in Xiao Hongchen's mind.

Where was Shrek's main force?

Seeing this, Lu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, the Supreme Elder was as reliably consistent as ever!

By midmorning, the golden sun hung high in the sky.

Everyone had taken their places. The arena fell completely silent, and countless eyes focused on the imperial city walls and the central stage.

Xu Jiawei announced in a resounding voice, "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament officially begins!"

The moment the declaration fell, earth-shaking cheers and applause erupted across the venue.

According to the drawing order, the first elimination match of the tournament began immediately.

Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy of the Dou Ling Empire versus Shrek Academy!

Under the gaze of the entire crowd, Shrek's seven members slowly stepped onto the stage.

At the front were Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and He Caitou. Following behind them were Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er. At the rear of the team stood a young girl with delicate features and a few scattered freckles across her cheeks.

Lu Yuan's gaze swept over the girl. After a brief thought, he instantly guessed her identity.

She was most likely Ning Tian of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Originally, Xiao Xiao had been the most outstanding member of Shrek's new generation, but now Xiao Xiao had already been lured away by him.

Shrek had chosen Ning Tian, who possessed top-tier support abilities, to fill the gap. It was the best they could manage, using her to hold up the team's support position.

On the stage, battle was about to begin at any moment.

Every member of Tianling Academy was focused and on guard, poised for action as they stared vigilantly at the Shrek members. None of them dared underestimate the reputation of the continent's number one academy.

But at the instant the battle bell rang, Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. Soul Power surged through him as he instantly activated his Second Soul Skill!

Blood-red light rose from beneath his feet. One ring, two rings, three rings...

A full six Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings circled around him, slowly rotating!

The dazzling blood-red light of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings filled the air, and their pressure instantly swept across the entire stage.

The pupils of Tianling Academy's seven members contracted violently. Their minds went blank, and their faces were filled with terror and disbelief.

Through the overwhelming intimidation of the simulated Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, Huo Yuhao directly shattered Tianling Academy's will to fight.

This gave Shrek Academy a triumphant opening victory.

The referee declared, "Shrek Academy wins!!"

In just a few breaths, the first match ended hastily, yet its result shocked the entire venue.

The audience below erupted into an uproar, with gasps ringing out throughout the stands.

Everyone stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao on the stage, their hearts filled with shock.

Xiao Hongchen abruptly rose to his feet. His pupils constricted as he cried out in disbelief.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Six Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings—this completely defies all reason!"

Meng Hongchen, Ma Rulong, and the others wore grave expressions, their hearts roiling like stormy seas.

Were people on the Douluo Continent all this monstrous?

First there had been Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao, and now another person with six Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings had appeared?!

On the stage, Huo Yuhao, who had become famous in a single battle, wore a cool expression as he led the Shrek members toward the players' rest area.

As they passed the Sun Moon Team's waiting area, laughter rang out.

Leaning against the railing, Lu Yuan lightly waved at the approaching Huo Yuhao and gave an honest smile. "Hi! Long time no see, little brother."

Beside him, Xiao Xiao blinked her clear eyes. She had met Huo Yuhao once before, but she did not understand why Lu Yuan had taken the initiative to greet someone from Shrek.