After a twenty-day journey, the group finally arrived at Spirit City, the venue for the finals.
All the soldiers did not follow into Spirit City, but instead remained stationed Spirit City. Crown Prince Xue Qinghe led sixteen teams into Spirit City together.
Although Spirit City doesn't appear to be as large as Heaven Dou City, it is exceptionally magnificent.
The walls of Spirit City are eighty meters high and over thirty meters thick. In particular, its location is not like it was built directly on flat ground, but rather like a mountain that was leveled and built on top of it. In terms of its strategic importance, it probably far surpasses Heaven Dou City.
Moreover, unlike major cities, where ordinary cities use soldiers as patrol teams, Spirit City is entirely patrolled by Soul Master, all in uniform and looking exceptionally formidable. According to Yang Podi's own estimation, the patrolling soldiers are mainly Soul Ancestor, with some Soul King or Soul Emperor, and occasionally even Soul Saint.
Seeing the towering city, the sturdy defenses, and the formidable patrol team, Yang Podi couldn't help but exclaim, "The Spirit Hall truly lives up to its reputation as the holy land of Soul Master and the most powerful Soul Master organization on the entire continent. Its strength far exceeds my expectations."
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the hexagonal Spirit City was actually built around a hill, on which stood two striking buildings. The one halfway up the hill was the most magnificent; even from a distance, its columned structure and dome were clearly visible, its exterior covered in a golden material that shimmered in the sunlight. That must be the Pope's Palace, and also the so-called Elder Hall; these two halls controlled the development of the entire Spirit Hall.
To become an elder of the Spirit Hall, with very few exceptions, one must generally reach the level of Titled Douluo.
The other building is located atop the hill. It is much smaller than the Pope's Palace Pope's Palace, about a third the size. The architectural structure is somewhat similar, but the exterior is as white as jade. It is far less conspicuous than the Pope's Palace. According to Yang Podi's conjecture, that should be the so-called Douluo Hall, which may even include the entire Angel Temple and is the highest symbol of the entire Spirit Hall.
After entering Spirit City, the group found it less bustling than Heaven Dou City Spirit City, but the shops and people there were far from ordinary. The shops mainly sold items for Soul Master, including various types of Soul Tool, the corpses of Soul Beast, and even valuable parts of Soul Beast, such as rhinoceros horns and Soul Beast —virtually everything imaginable.
The pedestrians in Spirit City are mostly Soul Master; ordinary people are rarely seen.
Since entering Spirit City, his entire body, Martial Soul, and even soul seemed to have undergone a change. He seemed to have developed a reverence for the gods and a greater sense of piety. This was probably because the Divine Power of the Angel God enveloped the entire Spirit City. The Angel God's Divine Power seemed completely different from that of the Slaughter City. If the Slaughter City was filled with bloodshed and Slaughter intent, the Angel God's divine Divine Power seemed to possess a purifying power. Perhaps cultivating under the Angel Divine Power would make Soul Master's thoughts flow more smoothly and make them more open-minded.
Upon entering Spirit City, they were received by a cardinal, and under his guidance, the group of over two hundred people were accommodated in a large hotel.
After entering the restaurant, Grandpa Yang Wudi and Grandpa Niu Gao exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and then left together.
One of the purposes of their visit to Spirit City was to receive the Titled Douluo.
The two first arrived at the Pope's Palace, where they seemed to have a conversation with Pope Bibi Dong. Then, led by Bibi Dong, they went together to the Douluo Hall Douluo Hall to receive their investiture.
When the two returned to the hotel, they took Yang Podi, Niu Mang, and Dugu Bo directly into the room.
Yang Podi noticed that the two men seemed a bit off; they were much more serious than when they first arrived.
Yang Wudi and Niu Gao exchanged wry smiles, then each pulled out a golden book of investiture from their bodies, which also contained a Pope Token.
The golden book contains detailed information about two people, including their Martial Soul Power, but what on earth is this Pope Token? Normally, Pope Token decree wouldn't be issued when conferring a title to Titled Douluo.
According to the golden book, Grandpa Yang Wudi was titled Soul Breaking Douluo, and Grandpa Niu Gao was titled Plate Armor Douluo. One signifies powerful attack, and the other signifies plate armor-like defense.
Yang Wudi remained silent for a while before slowly speaking, "Normally, Pope Token are not issued, but Old Rhino and I are no longer part of the Upper Three Sects. We each have our own power and family. The Pope specially commissioned the forging of these two Pope Token, which can be considered a symbol of our respective power."
Yang Podi's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. "This Pope Bibi Dong is truly cunning. She wants to use a mere Pope Token to put us in the same precarious position as the Upper Three Sects. It can be considered a form of provocation."
"Grandpa, Grandpa, why didn't you two refuse?"
Yang Wudi shook his head. "Although this is a hot potato, we two have no choice but to accept it. Actually, this is also Bibi Dong testing our attitude. If we don't accept it, she might think we still have various connections with the Upper Three Sects. Taking this Pope Token is also a way of severing ties with the Clear Sky Sect."
Yang Podi thought for a moment before speaking, "Grandpa, maternal grandfather, it's not a big deal. We have our own plans anyway, as long as they don't conflict with our plans. Besides, nobody takes the Pope Token seriously anymore."
Grandpa Niu Gao nodded in agreement. " Old Goat and I think so too. Who cares about any stirring up trouble? We'll just stay far away and won't interfere in the messy affairs of the Clear Sky Sect and the Spirit Hall anymore."
After everyone arrived in Spirit City, they had three days of rest before the final competition was about to begin.
Teacher Li Xiang also explained the rules of the finals to everyone in detail, including some specific matters related to the finals.
The rules for the finals are simple: the first stage is entirely a knockout tournament, with winners advancing and losers being eliminated. The competition is very intense, with only one day of rest between each round.
The two empires plus the Spirit Hall comprised a total of thirty-three teams, including fifteen teams from the Star Luo Empire, sixteen teams from the Heaven Dou Empire, plus teams recommended by the Star Luo Empire and teams recommended by the Spirit Hall.
Two teams were guaranteed a spot, plus the winner of the Heaven Dou regional qualifying tournament. These three teams received a bye in the first round. The remaining thirty teams were drawn into one-on-one matches, eliminating half of them directly, leaving a total of eighteen teams advancing to the next round.
In the second round, the second-place team from the Heaven Dou region's qualifying tournament and the first-place team from the Star Luo Empire's qualifying tournament received byes, while the remaining teams continued to draw lots for one-on-one matches.
This brings the total number of teams advancing to the third round to ten.
The teams that received a bye in the third round were the second-place team from the Star Luo Empire's qualifying round and the third-place team from the Heaven Dou Empire's qualifying round. A total of six teams advanced to the fourth round.
If a team is eliminated early, all teams that have a bye will have their bye postponed.
In the fourth round, no teams received a bye; instead, they faced off in one-on-one matches to determine the final three.
After four rounds of elimination matches, three teams advanced to the fifth round.
After the fourth round, there will be a three-day rest period. In the fifth and final round, only three teams will remain. These three teams will first compete in a round-robin format, with each team fielding seven players to determine the team with the strongest individual skills. Then, the two losing teams will have a team battle, and the winner will challenge the winner of the previous individual competition to determine the final champion.
As the top team in the Heaven Dou Empire's qualifying tournament, Heaven Dou Second Team received a bye in the first round and could only officially play in the second round.
Yang Podi looked at everyone in the team, seemingly more serious than before. "As you all know, Grandpa Yang Wudi and Grandpa Niu Gao have just been conferred the title of Titled Douluo. From now on, at least on the surface, our family is a major force. I want to win the championship in the finals to celebrate for them."
"So I'll be playing from the very first game of the finals, but you can't let your guard down. This finals is a must-win situation."
"As you all probably already know, the reward for the grand finals champion is three Soul Bone. Let me conclude by saying that for the sake of the clan, I want the Soul Bone, but I want the championship even more, and I am determined to win it."
After hearing these words, everyone became much more serious. This Soul Master Tournament was no longer just about individuals, but also about the two major families.
In fact, Yang Podi didn't say it, but since they came into contact with those two Pope Token, the attitudes of the Breaking Clan and Defense Clan toward the Spirit Hall have become very clear, and even their attitudes toward the Upper Three Sects have become very clear. From now on, the two clans will be independent forces, no longer dependent on any sect, nor becoming subordinate forces of any sect.
For a major sect, winning the Soul Master Tournament is not only a declaration to the world, but also a demonstration of its future strength.
Moreover, since things have already come to this point, it's better to forge ahead than to continue retreating and enduring.
The first round of the finals was not particularly outstanding. Among the thirty teams, apart from Heaven Dou Team One, no team had more than four Soul Ancestor, and there were basically no Soul Master with Soul Power reaching level 45.
The Heaven Dou region also demonstrated its strength, with all four teams advancing to the next round, bringing smiles to the faces of the Heaven Dou Empire officials, led by Xue Qinghe.
The only slightly unexpected thing was that, just like in the original story, Godwind Academy and Blazing Fire Academy formed the so-called New Divine Wind Team.
But in Yang Podi's eyes, this so-called New Divine Wind Team was not good enough. The two teams together only had four Soul Ancestor, and Feng Xiaotian, who had the highest Soul Power, was only at level 44.
In the original story, they were dissatisfied with Tang San's Shrek Academy and felt that the combination of the two teams would give them a chance to win. However, given the current strength of the Heaven Dou Team One and Heaven Dou Second Team, even if the two teams combined, they probably wouldn't have much of a chance of winning. So what's the point of combining them?
In the second round of the competition, the Tian Dou Heaven Dou Second Team Heaven Dou Second Team was officially ready to take the stage. To everyone's surprise, the opponent they drew was the New Godwind team, which surprised everyone.
In a normal draw, it's rare for strong teams to meet so early, but this newly formed Divine Wind Team happens to be facing the favored Heaven Dou Second Team.
Yang Podi couldn't help but sneer: It seems that the Spirit Hall also wants to test my strength, otherwise they wouldn't have allowed the Godwind Academy Blazing Fire Academy to reunite. I just don't know if they have any other countermeasures after I've shown my strength.