Golden Iron Triangle, Preliminary Round Officially Begins

"First round of the Preliminary Round: Blazing Fire Academy versus Northern Star Academy."

Huo Wushuang looked at his teammates and asked, "Northern Star Academy? Who among you knows them?"

The Blazing Fire Academy members looked at one another. Then Huo Lie spoke up. "I know them. Northern Star Academy is located in the northern part of Heaven Dou City. It's a relatively ordinary advanced Soul Master Academy, nowhere near as good as our Blazing Fire Academy. Nothing to fear."

"It's just some obscure academy. No need to worry, everyone," Huo Lei said dismissively.

In his eyes, only Shrek Academy and Spirit Hall Academy were worthy opponents. The other academies were not worth mentioning at all.

After the host made several more announcements, the drawing of lots came to an end.

Salas's voice rang out through the amplifying Soul Tool. "There is absolutely no fraud in my draw. I swear upon the honor of Spirit Hall. At the same time, I hereby announce that any student from the Soul Master Academies present who enters the final championship will exceptionally be permitted by Spirit Hall to join the Spirit Temple directly."

The audience did not react much to those words, but the Soul Masters in the arena erupted into an uproar.

The Spirit Temple was the highest institution beneath the Papal Hall and Douluo Hall. For a Soul Master, entering the Spirit Temple was practically a shortcut to greater strength. Not only did it offer the best treatment and all manner of cultivation resources, but even the prestige of the Spirit Temple itself held an immense allure for Soul Masters.

Huo Lei stood among the team with a smile on his face. "Salas has quite the nerve, openly recruiting right in front of Emperor Xue Ye. Interesting."

Huo Wushuang spoke from beside him. "Father said the conflict between Spirit Hall and the Empire has been growing deeper and deeper. It seems that really is the case."

Jin Shan sat in the stands, a cold smile appearing on his face. "The Heaven Dou Empire really is weak. Some lousy Platinum Bishop actually dares to act so arrogantly before the ruler of an empire. Xue Ye is quite pathetic too!"

Lin Yin wore an inscrutable smile. "On the continent, strength is supreme. The strong make the rules, and the weak get bullied. The Heaven Dou Empire has no powerful figure like my lord to stand guard over it, so it is hardly surprising that others bully them."

The experienced host sensed the heavy atmosphere in the air and hurriedly announced the next procedure.

"The first match of the first round of the Preliminary Round will be Heaven Dou Royal Academy versus Shrek Academy. All participating academies, please leave the field. The two academies competing shortly, please make your preparations. The match will officially begin in half an hour."

Blazing Fire Academy and the other academies had no matches today. After leaving the field, they went straight out of the lounge and, under the staff's guidance, ascended the spectator stands specially prepared for contestants to watch the match.

The eight members of the Blazing Fire Academy Team arrived at the stands and met their supervising teacher, Xie Chong. Both sides greeted each other with smiles.

"Hello, Teacher Xie Chong."

Xie Chong smiled in response. "You're here! Which side do you favor in the match about to begin? The highly anticipated Heaven Dou Second Team, or the Shrek Academy everyone mocks?"

Huo Lie was the first to voice his opinion. "Shrek Academy has no reputation at all, yet they brought so many people just to compete. I think they're only here to broaden their horizons. They don't have any real strength."

The two brothers, Huo Yun and Huo Yu, nodded behind their masks in agreement.

Huo Lei naturally knew the final outcome, but he still pretended to seek advice. "Teacher Xie Chong, between Heaven Dou Second Team and Shrek Academy, which side do you favor?"

Xie Chong said, "To be honest, I don't know much about Shrek Academy. But when I registered you, I noticed someone. A bespectacled middle-aged man called himself Flender and registered under the name Shrek Academy. That reminded me of the Golden Iron Triangle I once heard about."

"The Golden Iron Triangle? Are they strong? How come we've never heard of them?" The two brothers from Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Chui and Huo Jun, asked in unison, their faces filled with confusion. The other team members also looked over curiously. Only Huo Lei remained calm.

Xie Chong's expression turned serious. "It's normal that you haven't heard of them. I only heard of them when I was young. Although I don't know them personally, I do know something about their names and titles. The Golden Iron Triangle consists of three people, two men and one woman. Their titles are the Flying Horn, the Slaughter Horn, and the Wisdom Horn. Flender, whom I met, is the one known as the Flying Horn. Their individual strength is not particularly outstanding, but they can form a three-person Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Its power is tremendous, allowing them to challenge opponents across major realms. Since Flender has appeared, the other two Horns are probably here as well. If that is the case, then Shrek's competing students should not be weak. If I had to decide who was superior, I would say Shrek Academy has a greater chance of winning."

The members of the Blazing Fire Academy Team looked at one another.

At that moment, Huo Lei spoke. "The unknown is what is truly frightening. Heaven Dou Second Team may look impressive, but I'm afraid they're only a hollow shell."

"We don't need to keep guessing. Once the two academies compete, the answer will naturally be revealed," Huo Wu said casually.

Xie Chong nodded with a smile, then reminded them, "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament lasts around two months in total. The Preliminary Round alone takes up half of the entire competition. This is a long battle, so you must prepare yourselves mentally."

By then, the arena had changed. The prepared fighting platform had already been completed. It was circular, ten meters high and thirty meters in diameter. Its area was quite spacious.

Half an hour passed quickly.

The host's voice rang out again as he loudly announced the names and Martial Souls of the competitors from Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Shrek Academy.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's entrance was met with cheers and applause. In contrast, Shrek Academy was greeted with jeers and mockery.

At that moment, the seven members of each academy team had already taken their positions. They stood facing one another, fully on guard.

Every member of the Blazing Fire Academy Team was brimming with energy in the stands as they studied the situation on the platform. Huo Lei's golden eyes swept across the stage, finally resting on Shrek Academy's seven members.

On Shrek's side, Dai Mubai, Tai Long, and Huang Yuan stood at the front. Tang San stood in the center, with Xiao Wu and Jing Ling on either side. Jiang Zhu stood at the very rear.

"Xiao Wu? Perfect. I can use her to test my Fiery Golden Eyes." Although Huo Lei knew Xiao Wu was a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit that had taken human form, he could not suppress his curiosity and still wanted to inspect her. He mobilized a trace of Soul Power into his eyes, and a faint golden glimmer immediately lit up deep within them.

"She really is a soul beast. Under the Fiery Golden Eyes, I can actually see Xiao Wu's true form." Huo Lei withdrew his power the instant he released it, afraid that someone might notice his actions. After all, there were many powerful Soul Masters present.

Huo Lei hurriedly shifted his gaze to the members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

On Heaven Dou Royal Academy's side, every one of them looked heroic and spirited, around twenty years old. Five of the men were tall and powerfully built. The five stood in a row at the front like a wall, shielding the man and woman behind them.

The referee walked near the members of both sides and shouted, "Salute!"

The referee continued, "The first match of the first round of the Preliminary Round officially begins."

At the referee's signal, the first Preliminary Round match, which marked the opening of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, officially began.