End of the Preliminary Round, Award Ceremony
The Ice Phoenix, gliding down from the sky, paused for a moment. Shui Bing'er's angry voice came from within the blue light, "Are you courting death? Get back now, I'm losing control."
"Come on!" Tang San roared, and eight ferocious purplish-black spears burst forth from his back. Each spear shimmered with alternating blue and red light.
The eight sharp spikes appeared instantly, quickly piercing the ground and lifting Tang San's body sideways.
"Tang San is using the Eight Spider Lances, External Soul Bone. How audacious!" Huo Lei muttered to himself.
The Ice Phoenix descended from the sky, unleashing a torrent of immense energy.
At this moment, the Eight Spider Lances suddenly bent and then sprang up, propelling Tang San's body into the air like a cannonball, heading straight for the Ice Phoenix.
The entire arena was Ice Seal, instantly covered in a layer of blue light. The next moment, with a deafening roar, the entire arena collapsed.
The remaining members of the Skywater Academy on the arena also jumped off the stage before the energy arrived.
When Tang San descended from the sky, the Eight Spider Lances had already been quietly put away.
"Tang San is quite cunning. He retracted the Eight Spider Lances so quickly; he didn't want anyone to see it," Huo Lei thought to himself.
The entire massive Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena was covered with a thin layer of frost.
The chill emanating from the air caused the audience's surprised expressions to freeze.
Amidst the ruins of the arena, Shui Bing'er, supported by Xue Wu, stood there with difficulty, staring blankly at Tang San descending from the sky.
Both girls were deathly pale, their Soul Power depleted, making it difficult for them to even stand.
After Tang San landed on the ruins, he walked towards them step by step and stopped three meters away from the two women.
The two appeared to be communicating face-to-face, but their voices were very soft. Huo Lei didn't use his Soul Power to listen, nor did he need to, because he knew they were definitely discussing who would win or lose.
At this moment, the referee had already walked towards Tang San and Shui Bing'er.
"Is your match over?"
Tang San and Shui Bing'er nodded simultaneously and said in unison, "I lost."
"You guys..." the referee asked, looking puzzled.
Tang San spoke first, saying, "Let's call this a draw. Both of us have exhausted our Soul Power and cannot continue the match."
The referee nodded and announced, "The match between the Shrek Academy and Skywater Academy ends in a draw."
As soon as the results were announced, disappointment and complaints arose throughout the venue, with most people criticizing Shrek Academy. In particular, the questioning of why Shrek Academy did not send its full strength team spread to every corner.
Huo Wu complained, "Ugh! This is so boring, we played for ages and ended in a draw."
"In this final match, it doesn't really matter who wins or loses; a draw would be fine too. What do you think, Huo Lei?" Huo Wushuang asked Huo Lei after replying to Huo Wu.
Huo Lei smiled slightly, "That doesn't matter, as long as our Blazing Fire Academy is number one."
"I wonder if there's any extra reward for first place in the Preliminary Round? I didn't ask Teacher Xie Chong beforehand." Huo Wushuang's eyes were full of anticipation.
Huo Wu said, "We'll find out soon enough."
The Blazing Fire Academy Team left the competition stage chatting and laughing.
The Heaven Dou City Preliminary Round have all concluded. As per procedure, an awards ceremony will be held soon to award the top five teams in the Preliminary Round with qualification certificates for the next Promotion Round.
Because the main arena was damaged in a previous competition, the process was simplified. Other academies that did not advance will no longer participate in the final ceremony. Only the top five from the Preliminary Round will go to the VIP stage to receive their qualification certificates.
The ceremony was straightforward: the captains and vice-captains of the top five teams went to the stage to receive their awards, as announced by the host. But it was precisely this simple procedure that presented a challenge for the Blazing Fire Academy.
Huo Wushuang looked at Huo Lei and said, "Huo Lei, why don't you go to receive the award with Huo Wu?"
Huo Lei declined, saying, "Brother, you're the captain, and sister is the vice-captain. Wouldn't it be perfect for the two of you to go?"
Huo Wu politely declined, saying, "Huo Lei, you and my brother go together, I won't go."
While the three were still declining each other's invitations, the captains and vice-captains of the other college teams had all arrived at the podium.
"Blazing Fire Academy's Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, Huo Lei, all three of you, come up here," Xue Ye's voice rang out.
Upon hearing Xue Ye's words, the three smiled and stopped worrying, walking together onto the platform.
The host on the stage announced the rankings of the top five: first place Blazing Fire Academy, second place Godwind Academy, third place Thunderclap Academy, fourth place Shrek Academy, and fifth place Skywater Academy.
The announcer's voice rang out again. "Next, His Majesty, Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, and Bishop Salas Platinum Bishop will personally present the qualification certificates and prize money to the five teams that have entered the Promotion Round."
The qualification certificate is a handwritten note. The top five academies receive the same prize money. Each team receives a reward of 10,000 Gold Soul Coin awarded by the Heaven Dou Empire. In the Grand Finals, the prizes for the top three teams will be provided by the Spirit Hall.
After the awards were presented, the host handed the floor to the most distinguished person present, Xue Ye.
Xue Ye's gaze lingered on Huo Lei for a moment before turning to the representatives of the other academies. During this time, he also glanced at Tang San. Then, with a smile, he said, "First of all, I wish to congratulate you all."
"You have successfully qualified for the upcoming Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies. As the supreme ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, I am proud of you. You are all the hope for the future of the empire. As the captains and vice-captains of your respective teams, your strength has played a crucial role in the competition. Therefore, I have decided to confer upon you ten the title of Viscount. As for Huo Lei, I will bestow a special title upon him. Huo Lei is a twin martial soul possessor and the only Soul King in this preliminary round. Therefore, I have decided to confer upon Huo Lei the title of Earl. The other participating students from your five academies will be conferred the title of Baron. After you graduate, the doors of the Imperial Family will be open to you at any time. Your fiefdoms will be allocated uniformly after your graduation."
When the ten people on the stage heard that Huo Lei had been conferred the title of Earl, almost all of them showed envy, but there was no jealousy in their eyes, because strength was the best proof. Only Tang San remained calm.
"Your Majesty, isn't this inappropriate?" Salas suddenly interjected from the side.
Xue Ye glanced at Salas indifferently. "Is there something wrong?"
Salas said, "There's no precedent for awarding titles in previous competitions. Besides, isn't the title too high?"
The system of nobility is the same in the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, with five ranks from highest to lowest: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.
"Your Platinum Bishop, the bestowal of titles is an internal matter of the Empire, and has nothing to do with the Spirit Hall. Nor is it related to this competition. I merely admire these children. They represent the Heaven Dou Empire in this Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. Here, I also want to make a promise to you. If any of your teams achieves final victory, the entire team's title will be elevated by one level, and the academy's name will be prefixed with 'Royal,' receiving financial support from the Empire."
"Emperor Xue Ye is quite good; he knows how to cherish talent. He directly granted me the title of Earl. Earl's Fief is not small; it's at least a medium-sized city. If I win this competition, according to Xue Ye's promise, I will directly become Marquis, which is equivalent to a regional governor. Of course, this is nothing to me, but it's very important to everyone at the Blazing Fire Academy. It's a pity that Xue Ye is too old. If he were younger, it would be great to become sworn brothers with him." Huo Lei was in high spirits and had great approval of the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire.