Seeded contestants

Spirit City held three great halls that symbolized the highest prestige of Spirit Hall: the Papal Hall, the Elder Hall, and Douluo Hall. The first two were halls of power, while the last was a hall of honor. Across the long centuries, the souls of deceased Titled Douluos would ultimately return to Douluo Hall, where later generations could gaze up at them in reverence and pay their respects.

The Elder Hall consisted of consecrated elders and ordinary elders. Almost all of them followed the adjudicating elder, Qian Daoliu. The Papal Hall, meanwhile, was headed by Her Holiness the Pope, Bibi Dong. Centered around Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong, Spirit Hall actually had two factions. In ordinary times, however, the struggles between them were not particularly apparent.

Su Chen looked up at the newly constructed building before him, reputed to be the grandest structure on the entire Douluo Continent-the Papal Hall. A Six-Winged Angel adorned its doors, wings spread as though ready to take flight. Every blade of grass and every tree, every brick and every tile exuded nobility and solemnity.

The Papal Hall's main chamber was enormous, capable of holding more than ten thousand people at once. Bibi Dong sat on a throne atop nine tiers of steps. Before her stood Su Chen, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.

Bibi Dong was waiting for someone. Before long, two boys and a girl walked in. Five middle-aged men led the way, two of whom were Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, whom Su Chen had met a few times. Spirit Hall had a strict hierarchy. Anyone qualified to walk shoulder to shoulder with Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had to be a Titled Douluo above level ninety.

"Your Holiness, the three seeded contestants have arrived!" Chrysanthemum Douluo bowed respectfully to Bibi Dong. The other three Titled Douluos and the three seeded contestants also bowed to the Pope.

"Mm." Bibi Dong nodded slightly.

A little while later, two more elderly men entered the Papal Hall, their auras no weaker than Chrysanthemum Douluo's.

"Demon Bear!"

"Crazy Blade!"

"We greet Your Holiness the Pope!"

Both elderly men were unmistakably Titled Douluos above level ninety.

"Elders, there is no need for such ceremony!"

Bibi Dong waved a hand with a smile. Her gaze settled on the two boys and the girl. These three were also people she had selected. "The seven of you, introduce yourselves!"

"My name is Li Kai. I'm a level thirty-three Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder, and my Martial Soul is the Black-Horned Mountain Boar!" introduced a somewhat dark-skinned boy with rugged features.

"My name is Zhang Ping. I'm a level thirty Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master, and my Martial Soul is the Golden-Waisted Flying Swallow!" introduced a blonde girl.

"My name is Zhang Yu. I'm a level twenty-nine support-system Tool Soul Master, and my Martial Soul is the Brilliant Gold Scepter!" introduced a boy with a square face.

"My name is Yan. I'm a level thirty-one Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder, and my Martial Soul is the Flame Lord!"

"My name is Xie Yue. I'm a level thirty-two Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder, and my Martial Soul is the Moon Blade!"

"My name is Hu Liena. I'm a level thirty-one Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder, and my Martial Soul is the Demon Fox!"

"My name is Su Chen. I'm a level forty Power Attack System Battle Soul... a level forty Power Attack System Battle Soul Master, and my Martial Soul is the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon!"

As for Sun Chuantao, whose Martial Soul was the Ring-Shaped Great Blade, he was absent because Su Chen had defeated and replaced him! Su Chen's Soul Power had reached level forty, but he had only two Soul Rings. Strictly speaking, he was not a Soul Ancestor, and under the Douluo ranking system, he could only be classified as a Battle Soul Master.

"How can someone with level forty Soul Power be a Battle Soul Master? He should be a Battle Soul Ancestor! Even if he hasn't obtained his fourth Soul Ring, he should still be a Battle Soul Elder!" asked a man with a knife scar on his face, puzzled.

"Crazy Blade, it's because he currently has only two Soul Rings," Chrysanthemum Douluo explained.

"Level forty Soul Power, but only two Soul Rings? Could he have had Innate Full Soul Power at level forty?" Crazy Blade Douluo asked in astonishment. Chrysanthemum Douluo, however, remained silent. His gaze shifted to Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong clearly did not want to reveal too much about Su Chen and did not answer Crazy Blade Douluo's question. "The seven of you will represent Spirit Hall in the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament three years from now. You have three years left to prepare. During those three years, as seeded contestants, you will receive one-on-one training from the elders. I hope you will work hard to complete your missions and earn merit for Spirit Hall. Those who perform outstandingly may receive a Purple Merit Badge from me personally."

A Purple Merit Badge!

Su Chen's heart stirred. He knew fifty thousand years into the past and fifty thousand years into the future. He knew that Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, who stood beside him, would be awarded Purple Merit Badges by Bibi Dong three years later. They would be known as Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.

Unlike Shrek Academy, Spirit Hall trained its seeded contestants one-on-one. Each Titled Douluo was responsible for teaching one seeded contestant. Such treatment was beyond anything Shrek Academy could offer. Moreover, whenever a seeded contestant's cultivation reached a bottleneck, the Titled Douluo responsible for them was obligated to help them hunt a suitable Soul Beast.

With such excellent resources, there was good reason Spirit Hall had continued to hold the championship title.

Innate Full Soul Power was actually not uncommon on the Douluo Continent. All students had to undergo six years of systematic study and then distinguish themselves in the interschool tournament before they could qualify for Spirit Hall's focused, one-on-one training.

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope!"

Su Chen, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan, Zhang Ping, Xu Yu, and Li Kai all bowed to Bibi Dong.

Su Chen turned his head to look at those beside him. Having distinguished themselves among tens of thousands of students, their faces brimmed with confidence. It was not only these future contestants representing Spirit Hall; the Titled Douluos, and even Bibi Dong herself, wore the same confident expressions. To them, the championship three years later would be theirs for the taking. Bibi Dong had even staked three Soul Bones on it.

Yet they did not know that someone with cheats had already appeared on the Douluo Continent. If they were not careful, Spirit Hall would take a spectacular tumble.

"Su Chen, do you have something to say?" Bibi Dong asked, noticing his hesitation.

"Yes, Teacher. I'm curious. How do you intend to train the seven of us?" Su Chen asked.

"You will travel beyond Spirit Hall, complete its missions, and grow through battle!" Bibi Dong answered simply.

"Teacher, I suggest that we train according to your method for the next two years. In the final year, all seven of us must come together. The Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament is not a contest of individual strength, but of the strength of a seven-person team. We should use that year to improve everyone's coordination in battle," Su Chen suggested.

Knowing the next fifty thousand years well, Su Chen knew that poor coordination was the weakness of Spirit Hall's seven contestants. Shrek Academy had exploited that weakness to defeat Spirit Hall and claim the championship.

"Very well. We'll do as you suggest!" Bibi Dong agreed without hesitation. Next came the arrangements for one-on-one protection and training. Demon Bear Douluo chose Yan, while Crazy Blade Douluo chose Xie Yue. Hu Liena and Su Chen were placed under the protection of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo respectively. As for their training, Bibi Dong would personally oversee it.

"All right. If there is nothing else, go and rest! Starting tomorrow, each of you will have your own training assignments!" Bibi Dong waved a hand.

The six elders present all bowed to Bibi Dong, then turned to leave the exalted hall.

"Elder Ju, please stay!" Su Chen suddenly said.

Hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stopped. His close buddy, Ghost Douluo, also halted. Bibi Dong looked at Su Chen curiously. Every word Su Chen spoke was a pearl, immensely useful to Spirit Hall's development. Had he asked Chrysanthemum Douluo to stay because he had another good suggestion?

Only after everyone else had left did Su Chen speak. "Teacher, in Holy Soul Village, where I was born, a child awakened the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. Did you know about this?"

"What? The Clear Sky Hammer?"

Bibi Dong's expression turned to shock. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo reacted the same way.