Chen Jin remained calm and shifted his gaze away without a trace, showing nothing unusual.
His gaze continued sweeping over the major teams' preparation areas.
At last, it settled on the Heaven Dou Royal Academy delegation.
Among the team members dressed in ornate gold-and-blue uniforms, one alluring figure stood out.
She was a woman with short purple hair.
The woman looked languid as she half-reclined against her chair, exuding a seductive air.
Her tight, dark green leather outfit outlined her curves.
Her long, straight legs appeared and disappeared beneath the hem of her skirt, radiating wildness and allure.
Dugu Yan.
Chen Jin narrowed his eyes, having guessed the woman's identity.
Since Dugu Yan was here, her grandfather, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, whose poison reigned supreme beneath the heavens, must also be in Heaven Dou City.
Thinking of Dugu Bo, Chen Jin's thoughts drifted toward that treasure land deep within Sunset Forest.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
It was sacred ground where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered, home to countless peerless immortal herbs capable of transforming Soul Masters down to their very bones.
In the original story's course, all these rare treasures had fallen into Tang San's lap.
With nothing more than a few honeyed words and his so-called detoxification method, Tang San had plundered the treasury Dugu Bo had guarded his entire life.
Now that Chen Jin had come here, such an opportunity could never fall into Tang San's hands again.
Chen Jin gathered his thoughts, the light in his eyes gradually fading as he regained his calm.
As the final participating team finished entering.
The atmosphere throughout the Great Soul Arena reached its peak.
An enormous golden screen lit up in midair, halos of light weaving through the space. From the Amplifying Soul Tool at the center of the Great Soul Arena came the host's high, rousing voice:
"The first match of the Heaven Dou Division preliminaries of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!"
"The Blazing Fire Academy team versus the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team!"
Carried by Soul Power, the ringing voice reached every corner of the Soul Fighting Arena.
As his words fell, the spectators in the stands froze for a moment, then erupted into cheers and shouts that toppled mountains and overturned seas.
"Heavens! A match this explosive right from the start!"
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy against Blazing Fire Academy-this is a clash of titans!"
"A collision of this caliber right out of the gate! Coming to this tournament was worth it!"
Chatter and screams swept through the venue like a tsunami.
Under the spectators' feverish gazes, Chen Jin remained composed and strode toward the center of the stage first.
His white clothes shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, Huo Chen, and the other Blazing Fire Academy members followed behind Chen Jin with solemn expressions.
On the other side of the stage, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team also stepped up, led by a tall young man.
The young man was powerfully built, with a resolute face and faint flashes of blue lightning in his eyes.
The genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianheng.
Both sides came to a stop at the center of the spacious stage, dozens of meters apart.
Invisible fluctuations of Soul Power began colliding in the air, stirring up gusts of wind.
The host's voice rang out overhead again, introducing the identities and strengths of the contestants on both sides in turn.
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy captain, Yu Tianheng, rank forty-three Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor! Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
Thunderous applause immediately rose from the stands.
A Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor paired with the world's foremost Beast Martial Soul-such strength placed him among the finest of the younger generation.
Next, the host's gaze fell on Chen Jin at the very front of the Blazing Fire Academy team.
"Blazing Fire Academy team captain, Chen Jin..."
"Rank thirty-seven Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder! Martial Soul: Nine-Heaven Divine Phoenix!"
When the words "rank thirty-seven Soul Elder" reached everyone's ears clearly.
The bustling Great Soul Arena fell eerily silent for a moment.
Then waves of doubt and clamor that toppled mountains and overturned seas engulfed the entire stage.
"What? A rank thirty-seven Soul Elder?"
"Did I hear that right? Blazing Fire Academy's captain is only a Soul Elder?"
"Have those arrogant people at Blazing Fire Academy run out of talent? They actually made someone in the thirties their captain?"
"Don't tell me he got in through connections?"
Gazes filled with suspicion and scrutiny all stabbed toward Chen Jin.
In the Shrek Academy area.
Ma Hongjun could not help laughing mockingly, his face full of gloating.
Dai Mubai also breathed a sigh of relief, much of the gloom on his face dispersing into derision.
Rank thirty-seven.
In the end, he was only a Soul Elder.
Before Soul Ancestors like them, who were about to break through rank forty, he was not worth mentioning.
At the center of the stage.
Yu Tianheng's brows knitted tightly, his handsome face filled with confusion.
His gaze passed over Chen Jin at the forefront and landed on Huo Wushuang behind him.
"Huo Wushuang, what exactly is going on?"
Yu Tianheng's voice was low, yet clearly audible through the vibrations of his Soul Power. "Since when has your Blazing Fire Academy fallen so far that it needs a rank thirty-seven Soul Elder as captain?"
"Why aren't you the captain?"
In Yu Tianheng's eyes, Huo Wushuang was a long-established genius of Blazing Fire Academy whose Soul Power had surpassed rank forty long ago.
No matter what, the captain's position should have belonged to Huo Wushuang.
Facing Yu Tianheng's questioning, Huo Wushuang remained calm, showing neither anger nor embarrassment as he answered frankly:
"Because I'm not as good as Chen Jin."
Those few simple words exploded like thunder beside Yu Tianheng's ears.
Yu Tianheng's pupils abruptly contracted, his face filled with astonishment.
"You're not as good as Chen Jin?"
"Huo Wushuang, you're a Soul Ancestor above rank forty, and Chen Jin is only rank thirty-seven. You're actually admitting yourself that you're inferior to a Soul Elder?"
Yu Tianheng found it absurd.
Ranks were rigid in the Soul Master World, with even a single rank forming a vast gulf, let alone the gap between a Soul Ancestor and a Soul Elder.
Huo Wushuang nodded earnestly, offering no further explanation. "On the stage, strength speaks."
Huo Wushuang took a step back, yielding the stage to Chen Jin at the forefront.
Watching this, Yu Tianheng took a deep breath and suppressed his shock and confusion.
"Fine. Since your Blazing Fire Academy has made this decision, prove it with strength. On this stage, the strong reign supreme in the end."
His words fell.
Yu Tianheng suddenly stepped forward.
Boom!
Violent blue lightning abruptly erupted from Yu Tianheng's body, turning into lightning serpents that roamed around him. A scorched smell filled the air.
Under the spectators' gazes.
Two yellow, two purple.
Four dazzling Soul Rings spiraled up from beneath Yu Tianheng's feet, circling his muscular body.
The formidable pressure of a Soul Ancestor, accompanied by the thunderous might of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, enveloped the entire stage.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
"So this is the might of the world's foremost Beast Martial Soul!"
The sight ignited the spectators in the stands, drawing cheers that toppled mountains and overturned seas.
"Yu Tianheng truly deserves to be called a supreme genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"So young, and he's already a rank forty-four Battle Soul Ancestor!"
"Talent like that comes once in a century!"
"I heard the Heaven Dou Team originally had a guaranteed place, but because of some unexpected circumstances, they chose to compete to gain experience. Until they face Spirit Hall, they'll probably be crushing everyone on an entirely different level!"
Exclamations rose one after another.
Awed gazes converged on the heir to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
In one corner of the stands, several older Soul Masters shook their heads repeatedly:
"Blazing Fire Academy may be a long-established powerhouse too, but they have absolutely no chance of winning this match. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team's lineup is simply too strong."
Before you continue