The moment the gates of the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena opened, the noise inside exploded outward.
Tens of thousands of people shouted at once. Cheers, applause, and chants supporting the academies all tangled together, shaking their ears numb.
Ma Hongjun froze at the entrance for two seconds, then blurted out, "Holy shit, how the fuck are there this many people?"
Oscar looked up at the densely packed stands, tier stacked upon tier with no end in sight. "Thinking back, those fights we had in the Great Soul Arena were basically village brawls compared to this."
But the more Ling Yun looked, the more excited he became. If he beat someone into the ground here today, tens of thousands of people would witness it.
"Nice place." Ling Yun grinned. "At least I won't have to worry about having no audience when I beat someone up today."
Dai Mubai had been about to give him a few words, but as his gaze swept ahead, the smile slowly disappeared from his face.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team happened to emerge from another competitors' passage.
With their gold-and-white uniforms, their academy insignia, and cheers from the crowd noticeably louder than those for Blue Tyrant Academy, they walked as though they wanted to carve "I'm from the fucking royal academy" across their foreheads.
The moment Ma Hongjun saw them, his temper flared. "Fuck, when I found out yesterday that we'd face them in the first match, I almost couldn't sleep last night. Finally, here they are."
Dai Mubai said nothing, but his eyes had already turned cold.
When Shrek had gone to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Prince Xue Xing had brought his men and thrown them out without mercy. None of them had forgotten that debt.
Ling Yun patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder. "Lose the corpse face. We're not here to reminisce today. We're here to collect."
At those words, Dai Mubai actually smiled.
"Fine. Let's collect."
Tang San had been standing at the back the whole time, his expression barely changing.
Of course he remembered what had happened at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but something else concerned him more right now.
The lineup for the first match.
Yesterday, Ling Yun had made it perfectly clear that, as captain, he would have the final say over who competed and who didn't.
Today was their first battle in the Soul Master Tournament, and their opponents were the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team. No matter how he looked at it, this was the perfect opportunity to prove himself.
Tang San was even looking forward to it a little. He wanted to see whether Ling Yun could keep having everything go his way here as he had at the academy. Just as everyone entered Blue Tyrant Academy's rest area, Flender took out the lineup sheet.
"You all found out who we're facing yesterday, so I'll skip the bullshit. Ling Yun, who are you taking into the first match?"
Tang San immediately raised his head.
Yu Xiaogang also looked over.
Ling Yun didn't even think about it. "Me, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu. Those seven."
The rest area fell silent for a moment.
Ma Hongjun was the first to gape. "Wait, I'm not going?"
"What the hell are you rushing for?" Ling Yun glanced at him. "If we throw in everyone who can fight just for a second team, what the fuck will we have left to keep under wraps? You, Zhu Zhuqing, Rongrong, and Oscar can sit this one out."
Once Ma Hongjun heard that he wasn't the only one, he immediately felt much better. "All right, then. Hit them hard later. Give them a few extra kicks for me."
The one who truly said nothing was Tang San.
He glanced at Tai Long and the others, his expression darkening little by little.
Ling Yun would rather bring Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu than use him.
Tang San finally spoke. "Why am I not on the list?"
Ling Yun looked up. "Because you're not needed."
That short answer turned Tang San's expression completely cold.
"No matter how weak they are, they're still the royal academy's second team. And with this many people watching the first match, you think a control-type Soul Master isn't needed?"
"Don't gild your own face." Ling Yun set the lineup sheet straight onto the table. "I said we don't need you for this match, not that control types are useless."
Yu Xiaogang couldn't hold back. "You haven't even seen their actual tactics or how their Soul Skills work together, yet you dare decide that San is useless? Ling Yun, underestimating your enemy isn't confidence. It's stupidity!"
Ling Yun turned to look at him. "Grandmaster, after getting beaten that badly, how did your mouth recover so quickly?"
Yu Xiaogang's face instantly turned thunderous.
Ling Yun gave him no chance to keep spewing. "I'll say it again. I decide the lineup, and if we lose, it's on me. If you really think the Heaven Dou Second Team is so fucking amazing, then open your eyes down there and watch how I fight."
Tang San stared at Ling Yun for several seconds without arguing further. Instead, the fire inside him burned even hotter. He wasn't going to use me?
Fine. Then I'll sit down there and watch.
If Ling Yun really can beat the Heaven Dou Second Team into the ground, I'll have nothing to say.
But if anything went wrong along the way, he would make everyone understand just how stupid it was to bench the core control-type fighter. If he won't use me, let's see who laughs last.
Before long, the announcer's voice rang out again.
The opening ceremony officially began.
The academies entered one after another. When Blue Tyrant Academy's turn came, the reaction from the stands was noticeably weaker.
Some people even shouted outright, "Where did Blue Tyrant Academy come from?"
"Facing the royal academy's second team in their very first match? Talk about rotten luck!"
"I bet it'll be over in ten minutes!"
"Ten minutes? The royal academy needs ten minutes to beat a team like this?"
Voices rained down from every direction.
Tai Long's face darkened as he listened. "These dumb fucks sure know how to run their mouths."
Huang Yuan was also holding back his anger. "Let's see if they're still that loud after the match."
Ling Yun, on the other hand, only smiled more happily. "Don't rush. Let them shout a little longer. The louder they cheer, the sweeter it'll sound when they shut up."
Only when they stepped out of the passage did the true impact hit them head-on.
Tens of thousands of eyes turned toward the arena at once. The tremendous cheers slammed into their faces like a wall. Overhead, chants supporting the royal academy filled the air. Almost no one believed Blue Tyrant could win.
Meanwhile, Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, Salas, and the others were all seated in the VIP section.
When Ning Fengzhi saw Ning Rongrong, he merely smiled faintly. Then his gaze settled on Ling Yun, who was walking at the very front.
He had come today precisely to see how much this young man really had up his sleeve.
On the other side, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team also emerged.
The two sides met face-to-face for the first time below the competition platform.
The young man leading the Heaven Dou Second Team swept his gaze over the seven on Ling Yun's side. When he saw Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and the others, his expression became distinctly odd.
"That's it?"
The people beside him laughed outright.
"Is Blue Tyrant Academy really that short on people? You're sending out trash like this for the opening match?"
Tai Long's eyes instantly reddened. "Who the fuck are you calling trash?"
He was just about to step forward when Ling Yun raised a hand to stop him.
Seeing that, the Heaven Dou Second Team members laughed even harder.
"At least your captain knows his place. Keep your people in line. Same goes once we're onstage. Struggle a little less, and it'll be easier for everyone."
Another even lifted his chin toward the stands. "There are so many people watching. We'd feel bad if we made your defeat too ugly."
Ling Yun wasn't angry after hearing them out. He simply looked them over one by one, then smiled. "Finished?"
The Heaven Dou Second Team's captain raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Good, as long as you're finished." Ling Yun flexed his wrist. "I stopped Tai Long just now, but not because I was afraid he'd hit you."
The smiles on their faces slowly faded.
Ling Yun jerked his chin toward the competition platform, which had already lit up. "Mostly because beating you up now wouldn't count toward the result. Wait a few more minutes. The second the referee says start-I'll make sure the seven of you don't even have time to shout that you surrender."
Before you continue