Mingdu, Sun Moon Grand Stadium.
The ring-shaped stands rose tier upon tier along the terrain. Gray stone formed thick, solid outer walls, and the soul guidance array patterns embedded between the stones shimmered with a faint silver glow.
Streams of people poured through the broad entrances on all sides, while staff moved back and forth inside, directing the crowds.
After word of the broadcast spread, spectators arrived in droves. Within just two hours, every tier of seating was packed, and the clamor surged back and forth beneath the dome.
The competitors' waiting room.
The tactical discussion inside had just concluded.
The team's captain, Ling Yao, came from a Soul Master clan renowned across the continent and possessed the supreme beast martial soul, the Darkness Sacred Dragon. For this challenge against Sun Moon Academy, Cai Yue'er, dean of the Shrek Outer Court, had personally named him captain.
The teacher leading the team spoke solemnly, brows slightly furrowed. "Once you're onstage, don't act viciously or pick fights. Follow our predetermined plan as closely as possible."
Ling Yao leaned loosely against his chair. His finely crafted clothes and accessories exuded the bearing of a great clan's scion.
He looked up at the teacher before him, a faint sneer tugging at his lips and defiance filling his eyes.
"Countless things can change in an arena fight. How could I let rigid tactics bind me? I'll decide for myself how to fight."
His voice was not heated, but his tone held an overbearing insistence that brooked no argument.
The other team members sat nearby in silence. No one stepped forward to interject and ease the tension, and the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
The door creaked open, and the director walked in.
"Come with me."
With that, he turned and walked out.
They rose