Amidst countless celebratory cheers, the sun had already risen high in the sky.
The once empty Star Luo Plaza was now packed with people.
Fortunately, the iron fences divided the area into sections, and the soldiers maintained order, preventing it from becoming too chaotic.
Seeing that the time was about right, Xu Jiawei nodded to his men behind him.
"Quiet!"
A huge sound suddenly echoed throughout the entire stadium.
Upon hearing this sound, all the soldiers stood at attention, the clatter of their armor echoing through the sky.
Instantly, a chilling aura filled the entire area, and the once bustling Star Luo Plaza fell silent.
Xu Jiawei, positioned atop the city wall, had his voice amplified by the Soul Tool in front of him.
After a short speech, and sensing his sister's annoyed gaze behind him, Xu Jiawei finally got to the point.
With the Star Luo Emperor's resounding announcement, the curtain was raised on this grand event. "Very well, I hereby declare the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament officially open."
Boom, boom, boom...
The booming sound of cannons then rang out, and after all 108 cannon shots were fired, Star Luo Plaza was once again filled with excited shouts.
Xu Jiawei smiled and nodded to the host, who immediately went to the center of the venue.
"According to the competition rules of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, the first round will be an elimination tournament. A total of 133 advanced Soul Master and Soul Engineer academies have registered for this tournament..."
Finally, the host shouted, "The first match is about to begin! The two teams are the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy from the Dou Ling Empire, and the Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent, with countless honors and having won almost every major competition in the past thousand years!"
The host instantly ignited the emotions of the audience, and the atmosphere in the entire venue reached its peak.
" Shrek! Shrek!..."
The chants of the Shrek Academy from the crowd echoed almost every corner of the arena.
On the high platform, Xu Jiujiu excitedly stood up and looked in the direction of Shrek.
Faced with this scene, and experiencing such a large-scale event for the first time, Wu Feng and Ning Tian's faces turned pale with tension.
As for Dai Yueheng and the others, they had already experienced this kind of thing as reserve team members, so they were in a stable state of mind. Gongyang Mo even waved to the audience and interacted with them.
As for Huo Yuhao and the others, their faces showed no unusual emotion regarding this matter.
Ma Xiaotao looked at the two girls and said softly, "Don't be nervous, junior girls. Enjoy the honor of Shrek. Shrek will need you in the future."
"And remember, we Shrek are champions. The pressure should be on our opponents, not us."
With Ma Xiaotao's comfort, the two women felt much less nervous. Looking at the cheering audience around them, they enjoyed the unparalleled sense of glory.
And their expressions improved somewhat after realizing they didn't need to play.
Looking at the jubilant scene around her, Zhou Yi waved to the people in the inner courtyard and said loudly, "Alright, kids, remember to hold back your strength. Keep your trump cards to yourself. It's just a mere elimination round; you don't need to make a big fuss, do you?"
" Teacher Zhou, don't worry about what you're saying," Gongyang Mo said with a smile, covering his mouth.
Ling Luochеn and Xi Xi rolled their eyes without any politeness and said, "Don't worry, Teacher Zhou, if he dares to use more than two Soul Skill, if the other side doesn't knock him off the stage, we'll knock him off too."
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Immediately, the atmosphere among everyone relaxed considerably, and the tension of the competition vanished completely.
Just then, the tournament host's voice rang out. "Let's first welcome the team members from the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy to the stage."
Next, a group of young players with bitter expressions emerged from a position further back in the opponents' area.
When they walked from the players' area onto the competition field, it was obvious that their steps were somewhat unsteady.
Ma Xiaotao covered her mouth and chuckled, pointing at her opponent in the distance, and whispered, "Junior girls, do you see that? This is the most powerful weapon in Shrek Glory: pressure. That invisible pressure is the most deadly, and it's one of the reasons why your opponent is likely to make many mistakes. Observe carefully, such opportunities don't come often."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng both felt that Ma Xiaotao was a very caring older sister, and they were both on high alert as they watched her slowly walk into the competition venue.
"Now, please welcome the Shrek Academy team, the eternal number one, the number one academy on the continent, the undisputed king among academies."
The host's booming voice, Amplifying Soul Tool, soared into the sky, instantly transforming Star Luo Plaza into a sea of cheers solely for Shrek Academy.
Even Xu Jiawei, the emperor of the Star Luo Empire, was infected by the atmosphere and couldn't help but stand up, his face showing excitement.
In that instant, his thoughts were in turmoil, memories driving him to recall those years...
"Hmph, why isn't Yuhao playing? Honestly, the Shrek people have no taste."
Xu Jiujiu complaints immediately pulled him back to reality. Looking at Xu Jiujiu's angry expression, he, as her older brother, could only smile helplessly.
He then comforted her, saying, "Jiu-mei, you're all still young. By the next competition, Yuhao will be a regular member. You can be the first to cheer him on then."
"Hmph, Yuhao is very strong. Even if everyone here were combined, they couldn't beat him alone."
"Okay, okay..."
Xu Jiawei took Xu Jiujiu's words as a joke. A child who was only Xu Jiujiu over ten years old could only reach the highest level of the fourth ring.
Then, he slowly turned his gaze to the competition stage.
A faint flame flickered in Ma Xiaotao's hands as she proudly raised her head. As her hands collided, a phoenix cry resounded from within her body.
With each step taken, an invisible aura enveloped the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy.
Dai Yueheng nodded to Xu Jiawei on the platform, shook his hand vigorously, and walked forward with a determined look in his eyes.
The others also waved enthusiastically to the audience and followed Ma Xiaotao's footsteps.
Gongyang Mo was the most flamboyant; waving wasn't enough, he even winked at the girls in the audience.
If Chen Zifeng hadn't pulled him back, he probably would have gone even further.
Among the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team, Xiao Hongchen narrowed his eyes, staring intently in the direction of the Shrek Academy. He wanted to see if Shrek truly deserved the title of the Monster Academy.
Meng Hongchen, who was yawning out of boredom, casually glanced in the direction of Shrek, but her gaze suddenly stopped when it landed on the Shrek contestant area.
She rubbed her eyes hard, her gaze reflecting the dark shadow behind her.
Meng Hongchen stared at him, murmuring, "He looks so much like him... so much like him..."
When the shadowy figure turned around, revealing a youthful and handsome face, Meng Hongchen blushed and immediately dismissed her thoughts.
No matter how strong Shrek Academy's reserve team is, how could they possibly be as powerful as that man?
Huo Yuhao yawned, feeling rather unimpressed by the lively scene.
In the instant he turned his head, he saw Meng Hongchen looking at him.
Looking at that flushed face, Huo Yuhao wondered, "Does this girl know me?...?"
Upon closer inspection, however, she found it somewhat familiar, as if she had indeed seen it somewhere before.