Women Outnumber Men

On Douluo Continent, polygamy was not uncommon.

Martial Soul inheritance was of vital importance. To ensure the continuation of a family's bloodline and Martial Soul, many families encouraged their descendants to have more children.

Take Duke White Tiger Dai Hao of the Star Luo Empire, for example. Even though he was known as one of the more principled nobles of the Star Luo Empire, there was more than one woman by his side.

If even the White Tiger Duke was like this, there was no need to mention the other nobles.

After all, if a family had too few descendants, an accident could easily result in their bloodline dying out.

Look at the Star Crown Sect of the current Star Luo imperial family. There were fewer than three holders of the powerful Star Crown Martial Soul in total. Should anything happen, this powerful Star Crown Martial Soul could very well be lost forever. That was absolutely unacceptable to families and sects that valued inheritance.

"It's good that you can see it that way." Keqing nodded and turned to leave.

She understood that, with Lu Jingming's abilities and charm, many companions would surely appear by his side in the future, and they would most likely be girls.

After spending a long time together, sparks were bound to fly.

Rather than cause herself needless worry later, it was better to prepare herself from the start.

Zhang Lexuan truly was open-minded about this, and it also made Keqing understand why Lu Jingming liked her so much.

How could anyone not love a girl who was so understanding and wholly devoted to Lu Jingming?

The 2023 All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament was about to begin in grand fashion in Heaven Dou City.

The tournament would be held at Heaven Dou City's most magnificent venue, the Tiandou Grand Soul Fighting Arena.

As an important property of the Heavenly Soul Royal Family, this Spirit Fighting Arena had lost much of its former bustling splendor under the influence of the Simulated Universe. Yet its immense scale remained astonishing. Its spacious grounds could easily accommodate one hundred thousand spectators.

With such uniquely favorable conditions, this year's Soul Master Competition had naturally been set here.

The Tiandou Grand Soul Fighting Arena stood at the heart of Heaven Dou City, adjacent to the imperial palace. After the passage of countless years, it exuded the ancient, weighty charm of classical architecture.

Legend had it that the First Generation Shrek Seven Devils had once taken the stage here to compete in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament. Their legendary tale had added another touch of legend to this ancient Spirit Fighting Arena.

As melodious music began to play and hymns echoed through every corner of the city, resonant bells rang across the entire capital.

At the same time, Soul Power fireworks in the shape of snow lotuses, symbolizing the Heaven Dou Empire, rose from the top of the imperial palace. Their dazzling light illuminated the whole sky.

Amid the roaring cheers of one hundred thousand spectators, one hundred and thirty Soul Master Academy teams from every region of Douluo Continent appeared one after another.

Once all the Soul Master Academy teams had taken the field, the reigning emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, a Titled Douluo standing at the pinnacle of power on Douluo Continent, steadily walked onto the high platform.

Every step he took seemed to carry boundless majesty and authority, instantly silencing the entire venue.

His Majesty the Heavenly Soul Emperor delivered his speech. It was nothing more than the usual encouragement and praise, yet it ignited the audience's passion, and cheers and shouts surged forth once more like a landslide and tsunami.

Amid the fervent atmosphere, His Majesty the Emperor solemnly announced that the 2023 All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament had officially begun!

According to the tournament's established rules, the honor of opening the competition had always belonged to the champions of the previous All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament.

And over the course of ten thousand years, the championship throne had almost never fallen into other hands. It had always been firmly held by Shrek Academy.

"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"

The deafening chants rolled through the Spirit Fighting Arena like rumbling thunder, wave after wave of sound seeming ready to pierce the heavens.

From those frenzied cries alone, one could deeply feel Shrek Academy's towering prestige across Douluo Continent, as well as its fans' near-mad devotion.

"This popularity is simply terrifying!" Keqing was somewhat stunned. The passionate scene, the fanatical expressions and excited faces of the audience, reminded her of the moment Rex Lapis appeared at the Rite of Descension.

"After all, it's the number-one academy on the continent, having occupied the championship seat for over two thousand tournaments across ten thousand years. This level of popularity is only natural."

Lu Jingming gave a slight shrug, his voice carrying a trace of emotion.

To be honest, he was also full of doubts. He could not understand why, over such a long span of time, after a tournament held every five years had been conducted more than two thousand times, not a single other academy had ever claimed the championship.

According to his speculation, Shrek Academy's Golden Tree had certainly played a crucial role in this.

After all, geniuses who could reach the Soul Emperor level before turning twenty were already exceedingly rare on Douluo Continent. Every one of them possessed the potential to challenge the Titled Douluo realm.

Yet Shrek Academy's Golden Tree could help inner academy disciples who were already extraordinarily talented greatly raise their Soul Power Level. This undoubtedly ensured that Shrek Academy could field Soul Emperor-level prodigies in every tournament, laying the foundation for its championship victories.

When their luck was especially good, the competing team would even have more than one Soul Emperor-level expert.

Take this tournament, for instance. Shrek Academy's gentle and refined Han Ruoruo, along with the fiery and outgoing Wu Ming, had both reached the Soul Emperor realm. Han Ruoruo in particular possessed a rather high Soul Power Level and was at least a high-level Soul Emperor.

According to information Lu Jingming had obtained from Xu Jiujiu, no one from this year's Star Luo Royal Academy had reached the Soul Emperor level. The same was true of Dou Ling Royal Academy.

In the entire tournament, only DiAo Academy of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy of the Sun Moon Empire had Soul Emperor-level experts leading their teams.

However, even so, their chances of defeating Shrek Academy remained slim.

Unless something unexpected happened, the championship of this tournament would once again fall into Shrek Academy's hands. DiAo Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy would most likely only be able to battle fiercely for second place.

As Han Ruoruo led Shrek Academy's members onto the Spirit Fighting stage, the cheers throughout the venue instantly surged to their peak, and the fervent atmosphere reached its boiling point.

Only then did Lu Jingming notice that this year's Shrek Seven Devils had far more women than men. Of the seven, only two were boys, while the rest were girls. Moreover, the strongest among them were Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, two beauties with entirely different styles.

Lu Jingming's expression turned somewhat strange. If he had not unexpectedly snatched Zhang Lexuan away, wouldn't this year's Shrek Seven Devils have become a lineup of six girls and one boy?

But then he thought of himself. According to his plans, when the next 2024 All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament came around, his teammates would most likely be six girls. That would be the true case of women outnumbering men.