As time went by, the preliminary rounds of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament came to an end, followed by the qualifying rounds.
The crystal chandeliers on the dome of the Heaven Dou Grand Arena reflected dazzling light, and the cheers from the opening ceremony of the qualifying rounds surged like waves, impacting every corner.
As the host made an exciting announcement, the teams from various academies who had qualified through the preliminary rounds filed in on the red carpet. Thunder Academy's blue outfits and Godwind Academy's silver-gray uniforms took turns appearing under the spotlight, and the cheers from the audience rose and fell.
Yu Tianheng leaned lazily against the carved soft chair in the VIP room, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest. Dugu Yan nestled quietly in his arms. Yu Tianheng was squinting as he watched the two teams clumsily probing each other on the field— Skywater Academy's water-type Soul Skill were easily neutralized by the Elephant Armor Academy's heavy defense, and the situation became deadlocked.
"Is this the level of the qualifying rounds?" Yu Tianheng scoffed. "It's like children playing house, utterly boring, it makes me want to doze off."
Yu Feng scratched the back of his head and chimed in, "Captain, you can't say that. I actually think they're quite formidable. You think their strength is average and their fights are uneventful because you're too strong."
The others nodded in agreement.
A sudden, deafening roar erupted from the arena. Yu Tianheng's gaze was drawn to it, where he saw Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu from the Skywater Academy forming hand seals and unleashing their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, " Ice and Snow Drifting."
The Soul Skill unleashed by the Elephant Armor Team members collided with a deafening roar. Even so, this brief moment of brilliance failed to capture Yu Tianheng's attention.
"I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." Yu Tianheng stood up, straightened his clothes, and prepared to depart.
"You continue to observe and gain experience."
After saying that, Yu Tianheng got up and left, shutting out the noise outside, leaving only the sound of his footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor.
After leaving the Heavenly Battle Arena, Yu Tianheng planned to find a quiet place to cultivate martial arts or take a nap.
Because of the start of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, the usually bustling Heaven Dou Street was rather deserted, with few pedestrians.
Yu Tianheng knew that all these people had gone to watch the battle.
Just as he was about to turn into the inn, a dark figure flashed past at the alley entrance. Yu Tianheng frowned; he smelled blood on the person—he had killed someone.
Confident in his martial prowess and finding himself utterly bored with nothing else to do, Yu Tianheng decided to chase after them to see what was going on.
After turning three streets, the stench of rotting blood suddenly assaulted his nostrils. Yu Tianheng abruptly stopped, only to see an elderly man dressed in white disposing of the corpse of a contestant. A dagger was embedded in the man's chest, and his hands were gripping the hilt of the dagger tightly, suggesting suicide.
Yu Tianheng watched this scene from the shadows.
"This person is wearing what appears to be the uniform of the Canghui Academy."
Suddenly, a person came to Yu Tianheng's mind.
That Shi Nian!
Shi Nian is a teacher and team leader of the Canghui Academy in " Douluo Continent ". His Martial Soul is Remnant Dream, and he is a level 72 Soul Saint. He is vindictive, ruthless and unscrupulous, and often uses insidious and cunning means to achieve his goals.
The Martial Soul Remnant Dream of that Shi Nian was extremely unique, capable of creating a realistic illusion that could trap opponents within it, plunging them into the scenes they feared or desired most, thus rendering them unable to resist.
During the Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academy, because Shrek Academy and Canghui Academy had a grudge, Shi Nian was worried that Canghui Academy would be no match for the Shrek Academy in the competition, so he attempted to eliminate Tang San, a core member of the Shrek Academy, during the competition.
He used his Martial Soul advantage to lure Tang San into an illusion, intending to kill Tang San silently within it.
But what Shi Nian never expected was that Tang San had cultivated the Tang Sect Secret Arts, the Purple Demon Eye, giving him mental strength far exceeding that of ordinary people and making him extremely resistant to illusions.
Tang San not only quickly saw through Shi Nian's illusion, but also turned the tables on him. Taking advantage of Shi Nian's momentary lapse in vigilance, Tang San used the Yama's Invitation, a top-tier Hidden Weapon forged from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, to ambush and successfully kill him. After Shi Nian's death, a precious Head Soul Bone fell out and was obtained by Tang San.
It seems he's resorting to his old tricks again, attempting to secretly eliminate participating students to gain an advantage for his team.
That's truly despicable and shameless!
Shi Nian leisurely wiped the dagger with a blood-stained handkerchief, he suddenly felt a chill run down the back of his neck. Sensing someone watching him, his pupils contracted sharply. He threw the dagger into the shadows behind him and shouted sharply, "You coward, show yourself!"
In the shadows, Yu Tianheng raised his hand and caught the flying dagger, then slowly stepped forward.
" Shi Nian, you're in quite a mood," Yu Tianheng's voice was as cold as ice. " The Soul Master Tournament has only just begun, and you're already in such a hurry to eliminate your opponents?"
Shi Nian slowly turned his head, his gaze turning cold as he looked at Yu Tianheng, a sinister smile appearing on his face, "I wondered who it was, but it turns out to be Yu Tianheng, the captain of the Imperial Fighting Team."
Looking at Yu Tianheng in front of Shi Nian, Shi Nian quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He knew that Yu Tianheng, as one of the best young members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, was not only the captain of the Imperial Fighting Team, but also the direct successor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and had a special status and powerful background in the Soul Master World.
As one of the Upper Three Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is very powerful. If he rashly tries to kill Yu Tianheng, he will definitely provoke a crazy retaliation from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and then he will probably have nowhere to escape.
However, if he didn't take action, Yu Tianheng would definitely not let it go after witnessing him kill other contestants. A ruthless glint flashed in Shi Nian's eyes as he thought: Although Yu Tianheng is exceptionally talented and has already become Soul King at such a young age, as a level 72 Soul Saint, if he goes all out, he might be able to quickly defeat him.
If you do it cleanly and efficiently, and leave quietly before others notice, you might be able to escape the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's pursuit.
The thought arose, and the thought of killing him Shi Nian took hold.
He forced a fake smile and said, " Young Master Yu, it's a misunderstanding. This was just an accident. These people intended to harm me; I was merely acting in self-defense."
"Really?" Yu Tianheng was taken aback.
Just then, Shi Nian seized the opportunity and immediately launched Soul Skill attack on Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng immediately fell into a hallucination.
"You come from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and are even the young patriarch. Your background is quite formidable. I have no intention of harming you, after all, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is simply too powerful, with Titled Douluo in charge. To mess with you would cause endless trouble."
"It's a pity you saw something you shouldn't have, but don't blame me for that!"
A strange purple mist rose around Shi Nian, and his Sixth Soul Ring lit up for the first time.
Seeing Yu Tianheng's dazed expression, Shi Nian laughed loudly, "What one-in-a-million genius? He still fell into my hands."
"Today, I want to experience what it feels like to brutally kill a genius!"