Xue Ye's Reward, Yali's Arrival
There are quite a few Soul Master with noble titles in the Douluo Continent, most of which are granted by kingdoms and duchies. Obtaining a title granted by the Empire is quite difficult. Some Soul Master only possess the title but have no Fief or real power.
Salas looked grim. He didn't say anything more, but a sinister glint appeared in his eyes.
"It seems the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire have been locked in a power struggle for quite some time now, and this must be related to that woman Bibi Dong. If she hadn't given her permission, that old bastard Salas wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant." Huo Lei felt no goodwill towards the Platinum Bishop in front of him, and even felt some disgust.
"Ning Fengzhi is quite clever, standing aside happily, not helping anyone. He wanted to reap the benefits without lifting a finger, but the Spirit Hall doesn't tolerate your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect either." A thought flashed through Huo Lei's mind.
Xue Ye seemed oblivious to the grim expression on Platinum Bishop Salas's face, smiling as he said, "The upcoming Promotion Round will still be held in the Empire. However, the venue will change from the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena to the Royal Hunting Grounds. At that time, ten teams from various kingdoms and duchies, having qualified through the Preliminary Round, will come to compete against you in the Promotion Round. I hope that all five of your schools will rank highly in the Promotion Round, so that you will have an advantage when you participate in the Grand Finals."
"The Promotion Round is the best stage to showcase your individual strength! The top three students with the most wins in the Promotion Round will be provided with the Soul Beast needed for their next title upgrade by the Empire. You can choose the type of Soul Beast yourself; the Empire can guarantee all Soul Beast with a cultivation level of less than 30,000 years."
At this moment, Xue Ye's promise was even more enticing to the ten than the previous title. However, it held little appeal for Huo Lei, since he had a teacher who was Super Douluo, and could obtain any Soul Ring he desired with a mere word. But for the ten people beside him, it was of extraordinary significance. All ten of them were Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, and their next title upgrade would be at level fifty.
Each Soul Ring holds great significance for Soul Master. Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring is also the best choice for Soul Master's fifth Soul Ring.
A Soul Master with Martial Soul can attach nine Soul Rings. All nine Soul Rings are important, but a few are particularly crucial; if not attached properly, they can directly impact the upper limit of future cultivation. These are the First Soul Ring and fifth Soul Ring. For excellent Soul Master, a hundred-year Soul Ring for the First Soul Ring is naturally not a problem. However, many excellent Soul Master only attach a thousand-year purple Soul Ring for their fifth Soul Ring, and from that moment on, they gradually fall behind Soul Master with a ten-thousand-year fifth Soul Ring in terms of future achievements.
Seeing the growing fervor in the eyes of the eleven elites before him, Xue Ye smiled slightly. "The Promotion Round will be held in a month. I hope you can make further breakthroughs within this month. Alright, I won't say anything more. You children are all very intelligent, and I believe you will make wise choices."
After Xue Ye finished speaking, he glanced at the Platinum Bishop Salas, then turned and left, accompanied by high-ranking officials.
Salas's eyes flickered slightly, but his expression had already calmed down, revealing nothing.
"Although Xue Ye didn't say it explicitly, he hinted that we were being forced to choose a side. We had to choose between the Heaven Dou and the Spirit Hall. It seems that the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall have reached a point of no return." Huo Lei's eyes darted around.
The group from the Blazing Fire Academy walked out of the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena with smiles on their faces and headed straight for their hotel without stopping.
In the hotel lobby, Xie Chong couldn't hide his joy, his face beaming with smiles. "This time, our Blazing Fire Academy has truly had a glorious and fruitful year. We've gained honor, status, and money. Everyone has received a title, especially Huo Lei. He's so young to have earned the title of Earl of the Heaven Dou Empire. The Dean will be so happy he won't be able to sleep. Hahaha."
"We were able to get first place in the Preliminary Round thanks to Huo Lei. He not only defeated Shrek Academy, but also scared the other three elemental academies into forfeiting. It's really gratifying!" Huo Wu excitedly gestured with her hands.
Huo Wushuang took out a golden card, smiled at everyone, and said, "Brothers, we'll divide the 10,000 Gold Soul Coin we're rewarded with when we get back. We won't exchange them now. By the way, Teacher Xie Chong, when are we going back to the academy?"
Xie Chong pondered for a moment and then said, "Tomorrow! After we return to the academy, we must not slack off; we must continue to cultivate diligently and strive for good results in the Promotion Round."
Just then, Yali's voice rang out from outside the door. "Excuse me, fellow Lord Soul Master of the Blazing Fire Academy, I am Yali, the hotel's front desk manager. Someone wishes to see the Blazing Fire Academy's team leader and Huo Lei."
All eyes of the students from the Blazing Fire Academy turned to Xie Chong Huo Lei and Xie Chong, who exchanged bewildered Huo Lei.
"I'll go open the door." Huo Lei got up and walked towards the door.
Huo Lei the door and asked, "Manager Yali, who is looking for me and our team leader?"
When Yali saw that it was Huo Lei who opened the door, she immediately smiled broadly, a blush rising on her cheeks. "Huo Lei, hello, we meet again. Two officials from the Heaven Dou Empire are looking for you and your esteemed academy's supervising teacher. They are in the hotel. Would you please go and meet them? I'll show you the way."
Yali looked pleading at the end of her speech.
Huo Lei looked at Yali, "Doesn't this lady have a name? What does she look like?"
"This... I don't know. They all have cloaks covering their faces, and they have a very powerful aura. They must be powerful Soul Master. Judging from the voice of one of them, he is probably a middle-aged man." Yali's expression revealed nervousness.
"Who could it be?" A question flashed through Huo Lei's mind. He then said to Yali, "Wait a moment, we'll be right out."
Huo Lei turned around and closed the door, only to be met with puzzled looks from everyone.
Huo Lei made a helpless gesture. "Don't look at me, everyone. I don't know who contacted us either. Manager Yali only said that there are two officials from the Heaven Dou Empire who are currently in the hotel. She doesn't know anything else. Teacher Xie Chong, what do you think?"
Xie Chong pondered for a moment, then looked at Huo Lei, "Let's go meet them! Perhaps it's just some noble from Heaven Dou City trying to recruit you. Anyway, it's safe to assume nothing will happen inside the hotel."
"Lin Yin, come with us," Huo Lei called out.
Xie Chong looked at the other trainees and said, "Everyone, please rest in the living room for a bit. We'll go see what's going on."
Huo Lei, Xie Chong, and Lin Yin walked out of the room. Yali was overjoyed, but also a little doubtful. "Huo Lei, are you bringing a friend with you?"
Huo Lei's expression darkened. "Why not?"
Yali stammered, "Well... those two officials only said that you and the teacher in charge should go together, they didn't mention anyone else. If you bring one more person, I'm afraid..."
Before Yali could finish speaking, Huo Lei reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll take care of anything that happens to you. You don't need to be afraid."
Seeing Yali's fearful expression, Huo Lei became even more curious and developed a strong interest in the two officials of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Lead the way."
Hearing Huo Lei's urging, Yali quickly gestured for the three of them to follow her, "Please come with me."