137 Chapter 137: The Competition Begins, Shrek versus Royal Academy Team Two
In the capital of the Tian Dou Empire, Tian Dou City.
The Elite Soul Master Academy Competition for the entire continent is about to begin.
For the next period of time, all the Tian Dou district qualifiers will take place here.
The format of the Soul Master Competition is not overly complicated.
Apart from the three spots guaranteed for the final by the Martial Soul Temple team, the Tian Dou Royal main team, and the Star Luo Royal main team, each of the two empires is divided into multiple districts to compete for fifteen final spots. In the end, thirty-three teams will gather in the Soul City for the ultimate championship battle.
On the side of the Tian Dou Empire, including surrounding kingdoms and duchies, it is divided into five districts for the qualifiers. Because the Tian Dou district is the core of the empire and has more advanced academies, there are more spots available, with five teams advancing to the finals.
The qualifying stage is a team battle, ranked by winning points, with the top five teams earning qualification to advance.
Twenty-eight teams will compete in twenty-seven rounds of qualifiers, meaning nearly a month of qualifying time, which is also a test. Twenty-seven days of continuous competition is enough to exhaust teams with poor endurance.
At this moment, as the largest district, Tian Dou City is holding a grand opening ceremony.
As the grandest event in the Soul Master world, it attracts not only the attention of Soul Masters, but also the entire populace of Tian Dou City, from the royalty and nobility to the commoners, who all consider this competition the grandest festival.
The opening ceremony is held in the Tian Dou Great Soul Arena within Tian Dou City.
As the main arena of the Tian Dou district, the Tian Dou Great Soul Arena ceased all soul fights a month ago for internal renovations. All the sub-arenas within the Great Soul Arena were merged with the main arena to form an immense competition venue.
Apart from the VIP area remaining on the north side of the entire venue, the renovated Great Soul Arena can now accommodate eighty thousand spectators simultaneously.
Early in the morning before dawn, the renovated Tian Dou Great Soul Arena had already attracted a large number of spectators.
At the same time, there were also many imperial aristocrats gathered outside, hoping to have the opportunity to get to know the young talents of the empire ahead of time.
In the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters are undoubtedly scarce resources, never exceeding six figures.
The young Soul Masters participating in the Soul Master Competition are among the elite, naturally unwilling to miss the opportunity. Recruiting one is always worthwhile.
In addition, five thousand city defense soldiers were mobilized to maintain order in the city, trying to prevent any disturbances from occurring.
But none of these matters concerned Su Cheng.
At this moment, the Royal Academy Team Two led by him had already entered the rest area, waiting for the competition to begin. The main arena has dedicated rest areas provided for each participating academy, with seats for thousands of people, divided into various zones for the convenience of the soul master students to rest and wait.
To be honest, it's no wonder Qin Ming didn't have much confidence in Su Cheng joining Team Two.
Except for Su Cheng and Ning Rongrong, the other members of the team indeed couldn't measure up.
At first glance, not a single person had reached Level 40 in cultivation. Even Ning Rongrong, who was at Level 39, might not have a chance to advance to Rank 4 Spirit Master before the finals.
The official members and substitutes of Royal Academy Team Two were quite numerous, all just waiting to win easily. At this moment, they gathered in the back seats, chatting casually.
Su Cheng didn't care about this either, sitting alone in the front and looking around at the other teams.
At this moment, his gaze suddenly paused, and he mentally transmitted, "Look over there."
Ah Yin was sitting beside Su Cheng.
She appeared in her spiritual form at this moment, invisible to anyone except Su Cheng.
Following Su Cheng's gaze, her eyes also fell on Tang San.
"He's..." Su Cheng nodded subtly, "He's Tang San."
"You mean he's..." Ah Yin's voice gradually trailed off, her expression complicated.
"He's another soul." Su Cheng added directly, "It's not obvious yet, but when I fight him, you'll feel something wrong with him."
There were too many people here, and it would be impolite to release one's domain.
Later, when they face off, as long as he covers with his domain, with Ah Yin's affinity with the domain, she would be able to sense the operation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill within Tang San.
By then, the truth would be obvious at a glance.
After Su Cheng finished speaking, he no longer paid attention to Tang San.
Turning his gaze, he looked at Zhu Zhuqing, who was sitting silently in the corner, and couldn't help but suppress a chuckle.
Ah Yin, seeing him silent, tilted her head in curiosity.
Seeing Su Cheng's expression, she also followed his line of sight and noticed Zhu Zhuqing sitting there with a gloomy face, slightly stunned.
She turned her head back to look at Su Cheng, then fell silent.
She rarely saw Su Cheng show this expression.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's expression was somewhat ugly.
The reason was simple, the uniforms of the Shrek team were just too outrageous.
The standard Shrek Academy uniform was a color between yellow and green, described by other students as a vomit green.
However, for this academy competition, Dean Flender specially ordered them a new set of uniforms.
Apart from the vomit green color, each person also had a monstrous Shrek pattern occupying almost the entire chest, in a vivid green color.
That's not all, on the back of each person, there were six brightly embroidered red characters, "Seeking Sponsorship Advertisements". Below the six characters, there was a line of small print, "Advertising fees, please contact Dean Flender of Shrek Academy for an interview."
She didn't want to argue with Flender too much over such trivial matters, so she could only sit in the corner and try to reduce her presence as much as possible.
At this moment, she seemed to sense something and raised her head sharply.
Then she instantly noticed Su Cheng sitting in the distance, throwing mocking glances at her, couldn't help but grind her teeth in frustration.
She cursed softly, "Damn it."
It was unclear whether she was cursing Flender or Su Cheng.
Not long after, staff members of the competition entered the rest area and organized the students who were already assembled to enter the arena.
The first team to enter the arena was the Tian Dou Royal Academy's second team, escorted by the host team.
The stands, capable of accommodating eighty thousand spectators, were all decorated with a silver theme. Although it was morning, specialized soul guide illuminations hung around, giving the surroundings a luxurious yet grand atmosphere.
Around the vast and open square were countless cheering spectators. In the center of the field, there was a golden-themed podium, behind which was the renovated VIP area.
The spacious field had a diameter of over one hundred and fifty meters, with a dedicated waiting area for the teams in the center. Each academy's entrance was accompanied by a special announcer on the podium.
"The first to enter is the participating team from the Tian Dou Royal Academy, with a total of sixteen students. Their slogan is 'friendship first, competition second.' They truly live up to the representation of the royal team, with a slogan that is quite grand. Let's hope they can fully demonstrate their strength and not easily give in for the sake of friendship."
...
Su Cheng glanced towards the direction of the VIP podium, paying no attention to the cheering and applause.
In the center of the first row sat a person dressed in a golden-red imperial robe, adorned with a diamond-studded crown, with a dignified yet somewhat aged appearance. He was none other than the Emperor of Tian Dou, Emperor Xue Ye.
On his left sat the representative of the Tian Dou City Martial Soul Temple, Archbishop Salas. He was dressed in a crimson robe, adorned with a pentagonal white gold crown, with his eyes slightly closed, showing a somewhat indifferent demeanor to the surrounding excitement.
On the right side of the Emperor sat Su Cheng's old acquaintance, the Lord of the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect, Ning Fengzhi. He wore a white robe today, with a seven-colored golden crown symbolizing his status. As one of the top three sect masters of the Seven Great Sects, he was fully qualified to sit in this position.
After noticing Suo Cheng's gaze, Ning Fengzhi nodded gently in acknowledgment and smiled slightly towards Ning Rongrong, who was standing behind him.
Only the three of them sat in the first row of the VIP podium.
Prince Xue, as well as the three academic commissioners of the Tian Dou Royal Academy, were all seated in the second row of the VIP area.
...
With the arrival of the Shrek Academy team at the back of the formation, all the participating academy teams had finally entered the arena.
Afterwards, the Emperor and Ning Fengzhi gave their speeches, which were nothing more than the usual formalities and ended quickly. Surprisingly, Sect Master Ning Fengzhi openly expressed his support for the Tian Dou Royal Academy team, which was a bit surprising.
...
Then, Archbishop Salas slowly stood up. Led by palace maids, he walked to the side of the emcee and began the draw. He did not speak, but each time he drew a pair of opponents, he handed it to the emcee to announce.
"The first round of the preliminaries, the Blue Sun Academy vs. the Purple Star Academy."
"The first round of the preliminaries, the Oakland Academy vs. the Flame Radiance Academy."
...
"The first round of the preliminaries, the Tian Dou Royal Academy vs. the Shrek Academy."
...
The Shrek Academy team members did not pay much attention to the matchups of the other academies. However, when they heard that their first-round opponent was the second team from the Tian Dou Royal Academy, the expressions on their faces couldn't help but twist slightly.
To be precise, they looked somewhat ugly.
Except for the four members from the Blue Tyrant Academy—Tang San, Xiao Wu, Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jang Zhu—all thought of the soul master with the sword martial soul.
For a moment, there was a continuous booing, with many spectators shouting "cheating."
In their view, the Tian Dou Royal Academy's second team clearly chose an easy target. The attire of the Shrek Academy team didn't look like a team of soul masters at all; rather, it looked more like a group of clowns.
...
As the draw ended, Archbishop Salas glanced across the entire venue and said calmly, "The draw is absolutely fair. I swear by the honor of the Martial Soul Temple. At the same time, I announce here that any participating student from the academies present, who can enter the final competition, will be allowed by the Martial Soul Temple to directly join the Martial Soul Temple."
With these words, the audience had no strong reaction, but the soul masters in the arena were in an uproar.
What is the Martial Soul Temple?
It's the highest institution in the Martial Soul Hall, next only to the Spirit Palace and the Hall of Douluo. Each of the two major empires' capitals has one.
The Spirit Palace is exclusively for the Pope, and the Hall of Douluo is a symbolic existence. Therefore, the Martial Soul Temple is the highest institution in the Martial Soul Hall.
Being able to enter the Martial Soul Temple directly is a shortcut to strength for a soul master.
There, not only will they receive the best treatment, but they will also have access to various cultivation methods and the honor of the Martial Soul Temple, all of which are extremely attractive to ordinary soul masters.
After hearing the words of Archbishop Salas, Emperor Xue Ye's face noticeably darkened. Ning Fengzhi, beside him, gently shook his head at the emperor, which somewhat eased his complexion.
Suo Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.
Has the conflict between the Martial Soul Hall and the Empire escalated to such an extent? It's almost going to be brought out into the open.
But these things have little to do with him. He came to the second team to participate in the preliminary round just to understand the situation of the Five Elements Academy.
"Well, now we are about to start the first round of the preliminaries. The first match will be between the Tian Dou Royal Academy and the Shrek Academy. All participating academies, retreat from the stage. The two teams preparing for the match, please get ready. The match will officially begin in half an hour."
"Little San, do we need to use substitutes?" Dai Mubai looked at Tang San beside him, his expression somewhat solemn.
That person brought too much pressure on him.
Because they hadn't taken the Fairy Herb, the substitutes now were Ma Hongjun, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and the four auxiliary soul masters they had recruited earlier: Yun Qiu.
Tang San remained silent for a moment, preparing to shake his head and refuse.
Their goal was to reach the finals. There were five spots in the Tian Dou competition area; even if they lost the first match, it wouldn't affect the subsequent points competition.
Moreover, with his current strength, they still had Zhu Zhuqing in the team, who was exceptionally strong. Could Su Cheng really suppress all seven of them alone?
Because of Su Cheng, Shrek Academy had also conducted some investigations into the situation of the Imperial Dou team. They knew that apart from Su Cheng and Ning Rongrong, the other members of the team were not strong.
At this moment, however, Tang San suddenly noticed Xiao Wu's pale face beside him, and his heart couldn't help but tighten. Tang San knew Xiao Wu's determination.
Xiao Wu bit her lower lip, her eyes firm. Even though she was the youngest among the team members, she was still a spirit master. She wouldn't embarrass herself. Especially after she had seen the unbearable pressure on Tang San's face. She couldn't let Tang San worry about her.
Tang San's heart softened. He turned his gaze towards the referee's seat.
The referee for this competition was the one who announced the draw earlier. Seeing Tang San's gaze, he nodded slightly to indicate that it was possible to substitute.
He stopped the motion of shaking his head and said decisively, "Let's not use substitutes; let's go with our strongest lineup!"
Since Yu Xiaogang had given him full command, he had the authority to lead the team to take risks.
'Teacher, let me be wilful this time for Xiao Wu's sake. I must help Xiao Wu overcome her inner demons. Otherwise, it will have a significant impact on her future.'
Zhu Zhuqing, who was standing behind the team, heard their conversation and sneered inwardly.
But she didn't say much.
Dai Mubai nodded in response to Tang San's decision. "Little San, you arrange the tactics."
Although Zhu Zhuqing was undoubtedly the strongest member of the Shrek Academy team now, the core of team combat and command still rested in the hands of Tang San, the control-type soul master.
However, the reason why he could still have such authority was also because Zhu Zhuqing maintained an indifferent attitude towards it all.
She wasn't interested in team command, and she didn't even care about team combat.
Unless the team could win against Su Cheng through teamwork.
But...
She glanced around at the various members of the Shrek team and shook her head inwardly.
It's simply not possible.
The preparation time quickly passed, and the lights on the stage faded away. The two teams entered the stage amidst loud cheers.
At this point, the venue had already undergone changes.
In just half an hour, the ready-made stage had been fully constructed.
The circular stage was ten meters high and had a diameter of over thirty meters, making it quite spacious. When the preliminary matches truly began tomorrow, five stages would be set up simultaneously to facilitate the matches.
Su Cheng led the Tian Dou Royal Academy's second team, consisting of sixteen members, to line up in the center of the stage, facing off against the Shrek Academy team members on the opposite side.
"Captain, what's the plan?" someone within the second team looked towards Su Cheng, asking softly.
"Just watch them," Su Cheng replied.
The profound understanding of the Great Annihilation Intent he had gained in the Spirit Forest had already been condensed into a sword technique.
Now he just needed a sparring partner, and the Shrek team might be an excellent choice.
"After the formalities, non-participating personnel, please leave the stage."
After the formalities were completed, the extra team members left the stage, leaving only the seven members from each team participating in this first round of the preliminaries.
