Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

early morning.

The streets of Mingdu were already a strange sight. Soldiers clad in silver armor stood in two rows, stretching outwards from the entrance of the Mingyue Hotel, seemingly without end. This passageway was completely under martial law. Citizens were ordered to stay at least thirty meters away and were not allowed to approach.

The Shrek team had already finished getting ready early in the morning. Since it was the first match of the tournament, even though they had a bye, they still had to show their faces.

Under the strict protection of the soldiers, the 167 participating teams, totaling nearly 2,000 people, set off from Mingdu. The competition venue was located in the suburbs to the east of Mingdu, and could be seen in the distance from the buildings of Mingdu.

At this moment, the open suburbs were already packed with people. There were at least 30,000 soldiers maintaining order, dividing the crowd into sections and isolating them from the competition venue.

On the north side of the competition venue, there is a high platform, entirely constructed of metal, which looks capable of accommodating a thousand people, and the competition venue itself looks even more imposing.

The competition platform is ten meters high and over a hundred meters in diameter, estimated to be about 120 meters. The wide platform itself emits a silvery-white metallic luster. Around the competition venue, there seems to be a groove, and within that groove, a transparent light screen with a slight yellow tint rises into the sky.

There are more than one hundred such screens around the competition stage. The players' rest area is located on the east side of the competition stage and is mainly divided into two areas.

Near the competition stage was a covered walkway that could accommodate about twenty participating teams. The rest were just some outdoor chairs arranged in rows on both sides of the walkway towards the back.

After registering at the registration desk and presenting their competition documents, the Shrek Academy members were led to the bench area, which was in a very secluded corner.

It was already broad daylight. There were so many teams that it took almost half an hour just to get everyone seated. The clamor from the crowd in the distance was also constantly being heard.

Just then, a special group of soldiers, numbering about five hundred, was rapidly approaching from below the platform to the north. They moved forward without making a sound. Once they reached the platform, they immediately dispersed and surrounded it.

About fifty people stood still, and with a clanging sound, a series of soul-guided cannons appeared, their muzzles pointing outwards. The other guards also released different soul-guided devices, forming strange formations.

In the distance, a group of people arrived, escorted by the Royal Soul Master Corps, and came to the foot of the platform. The carriages and horses were pulling a dragon carriage, followed by guards and a large number of Sun Moon Empire officials.

The imperial carriage stopped in front of the platform. Two maids standing on it lifted the curtain, and then a wheelchair was pushed out. Sitting in the wheelchair was Xu Tianran. Pushing the wheelchair was Ju Zi, who was dressed in palace attire. Beside Ju Zi was another person, Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall.

"Greetings to the Regent. Greetings to the Regent's Consort." Apart from the Royal Soul Master Corps deployed for defense, all the officials present knelt down and paid their respects to Crown Prince Xu Tianran.

"Nana, can you tell what's wrong with him right now?" Ye Qi'an turned his head slightly and whispered to Gu Yuena beside him.

"The dragon core of the Purple Emperor Annihilation Dragon is on him, but the soul of the Purple Emperor Annihilation Dragon seems to still be dormant. If nothing goes wrong, that person can hold on for another ten years. After ten years, he will be just a puppet," Gu Yuena said calmly.

"Just as I expected, if I'm not mistaken, the Purple Emperor Secret Realm is also on him. The dragon bones of the Purple Emperor Annihilation Dragon can be used to forge a battle armor for you." Ye Qi'an nodded and said, his gaze fixed on Xu Tianran in the distance.

At this moment, Jing Hongchen and four other elders followed him onto the elevator. As the elevator rose, the people in the distance could see their young regent.

The officials, naturally, did not have the privilege of using the elevator, but instead ascended the platform by climbing the steps along one side of the dais.

Xu Tianran's arrival also means that this year's All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition is about to begin.

Ju Zi pushed Xu Tianran to the center of the stage. She did not sit down, but stood next to Xu Tianran.

Xu Tianran nodded to the orange.

Orange slowly stepped forward and came to the soul-guided megaphone that had been prepared in advance. Her voice quickly spread throughout the entire venue.

"Silence." A deep voice suddenly rang out, and a powerful aura instantly spread throughout the entire venue.

The moment the sound appeared, everyone felt a sudden darkness before their eyes, as if a dark cloud was pressing down on them. Even their breathing became rapid. All the discussions vanished instantly in the low voice. The hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the entire competition venue and spectator area became completely silent in an instant, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"The Dark Holy Dragon, Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao, he actually dares to show up. Ignorance is bliss." Ye Qi'an's gaze quickly locked onto Long Xiaoyao, his voice filled with disdain.

Only then did Ju Zi clear her throat, and her melodious voice was amplified and transmitted to everyone's ears through the soul-guided amplifier.

"Citizens of the Sun Moon Empire and guests from afar, on behalf of His Highness the Regent, I welcome you all. At the same time, on behalf of His Highness the Regent, I hereby declare: the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament now begins."

"Long live the Regent! Long live the Regent! Long live the Regent!" The people of the Sun Moon Empire knelt down in unison, paying their respects to the Regent who was about to ascend the throne as the new emperor.

Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair, still smiling, saying nothing, his calm gaze fixed on the competition stage below.

"My beloved ministers, please take your seats," Xu Tianran said calmly.

Hearing this, the ministers of the Sun Moon Empire dared to sit down. The person sitting on the other side of Regent Xu Tianran was not Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall, but a middle-aged man wearing a black robe with gold trim. Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall, sat on the other side of Ju Zi.

"Now, let's read out the competition rules." A loud voice rang out, followed by the reading of the rules for this year's competition, which were the same as those given to each team.

After the rules were read aloud, an elderly man walked to the megaphone in front of the podium and announced loudly: "The first match of the preliminary elimination rounds—Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy versus Dragon Slayer Sect. Both sides will send seven members to the waiting area."

The waiting area is located in front of the rest area of ​​the pavilion. It is a special area, but in reality, it is just seven chairs placed 20 meters apart.

The battle was rather dull, but it did give a great boost to the Sun Moon Empire. No wonder Shrek Academy got a bye in the first round. According to the rules of previous tournaments, the first match should have featured the previous champion team. Since Shrek Academy got a bye in the first round, the previous runner-up, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, naturally took the field.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy also became the first team to advance in the first round of this competition. They did not need to go through the team competition, but advanced successfully in the individual elimination round with Meng Hongchen defeating six opponents and scoring six points.

By eliminating their opponents directly in the individual elimination rounds, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's team points were also awarded according to the competition rules. Therefore, after the first round of eliminations, they accumulated eleven points.

The competition continued, and even in the knockout stage, there were more than eighty matches in the first round. The following matches were incredibly exciting. Because it was a knockout stage, every participating team did their best to compete, and there were even some fierce scenes. One after another, the participating teams advanced.

The morning matches continued until noon, with nine teams advancing and nine teams being eliminated, marking the end of their journey in this tournament. The afternoon matches were similar to the morning matches, continuing until evening. Including the nine matches from the morning, a total of twenty-six matches were played.

After the first day of competition, the atmosphere at Mingyue Hotel became noticeably tense. As the teams that hadn't yet competed watched the eliminated teams, some of whom had lost their matches or even had players killed, silently leave the hotel, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

While the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition can certainly bring fame, it could also be a place that devours lives.

The All-Continent Youth Soul Master Elite Tournament entered its second day, but the Shrek Academy team was absent. Even so, the tense atmosphere of the tournament was no less than that of the first day. After five matches, six people were seriously injured and two died, demonstrating the fierce competition among the teams.

While the Shrek Academy students were still being trained by Ye Xiyao, Ye Qi'an left the Mingyue Hotel alone. If he remembered correctly, in addition to the Soul Master Competition, there should also be an underground competition for Soul Masters.

Although Ye Qi'an is not a proper Soul Master, he is indeed a true Battle Armor Master. Now that he has inherited the legacy of Ilex, he can be said to have a mastery of creating Soul Tools.

At this moment, Ye Qi'an headed straight for the center of Mingdu City. However, before that, he had put on a simple disguise. Because of the use of necromancy, his originally bright golden hair had turned gray, and his eyes had lost their former luster.

Without hesitation, Ye Qi'an chose the Xi Shui Alliance, the strongest of the three underground forces, but which was subtly restrained by the other two.

The preliminary round of the Xishui Alliance was held at a high-end hotel in the city center, the Qingse Hotel, a hotel with a very distinctive name. It was only one kilometer away from the Mingyue Hotel and only two kilometers away from the Sun and Moon Empire Palace, in an absolutely prime location.

On the surface, Qingse Hotel doesn't appear to be as large as Mingyue Hotel, with only five floors above ground. However, those who know it well understand that its true strength lies underground. At the hotel's main entrance, four burly men, each over two meters tall and dressed in tight black outfits, stand guard, coldly scrutinizing the passing crowds.

Before Ye Qi'an even got close, a burly man in black came up to him and blocked his way with a wave of his hand.

"The hotel is closed to the public for the next few days. Please leave."

Ye Qi'an stared coldly at the burly man in black and said, "I'm here to participate in the Mingdu Soul Instructor Elite Competition."

The burly man in black paused for a moment, his expression softening noticeably. Soul Masters held a far higher status in the Sun Moon Empire than in other countries. Offending a Soul Master, even if they were not of high rank, was never a wise choice.

"Please wait a moment." The burly man in black became even more respectful. After giving Ye Qi'an a simple bow, he strode towards the entrance of the Qingse Hotel. He exchanged a few words with his companion at the door and then quickly entered the hotel.

Not long after, a middle-aged man dressed in an elegant white robe walked out of the Qingse Hotel.

Upon seeing Ye Qi'an standing outside the hotel, he quickly stepped forward, beaming, and said, "Distinguished guest, please follow me." As he spoke, he gestured for him to come.

Ye Qi'an nodded slightly and walked into the hotel.

The interior of the Qingse Hotel was indeed very simple and unassuming, with a very basic layout. It was impossible to tell that this was the number one underground force in Mingdu, or that it was a very important stronghold of the Xishui Alliance.

Upon entering the hotel, the middle-aged man stopped and asked, "May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"

"Ye Liuyun." Ye Qi'an's voice was very hoarse, and of course, this name was chosen casually.

"Mr. Ye, the qualifying rounds won't start for a few more days. I'll register you now. Before that, could you please demonstrate your identity as a Soul Master...?"

Before the middle-aged man could finish speaking, Ye Qi'an slightly raised his right hand. The middle-aged man only felt a blur before his eyes, and a long sword appeared in Ye Qi'an's right hand. The light suddenly shone brightly, and the incomparably sharp sword energy instantly soared into the sky, emitting a sharp whistle in the air.

Cold sweat instantly streamed down the middle-aged man's forehead. He quickly said, "Mr. Ye, calm down. It's confirmed, completely confirmed."

"Excuse me, how many people are there from the Xishui Alliance in this competition?" Ye Qi'an asked.

"We have a total of 263 Soul Masters participating. If you're included, that makes 264," the middle-aged man said, wiping away his cold sweat, and handed Ye Qi'an his participation certificate.

Ye Qi'an nodded slightly, turned around and walked outside. On the way back, his disguise slowly fell away, and he soon returned to the Mingyue Hotel.

The first round of elimination matches for the Soul Master Elite Tournament ended two days later, with half of the 167 participating teams being eliminated, and the Mingyue Hotel immediately appeared much emptier.

All teams that passed the first round of the competition also had their accommodations adjusted. Of the 167 participating teams, only half remained. Shrek Academy did not participate in the first round.

The knockout stage has entered its second round. Because the first round took too long, there was no rest time for the second round. The draw for the second round took place after the matches ended yesterday.

The Tang Sect's competition will take place tomorrow, while Shrek Academy will be the first to take the stage today. As a legendary team in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, countless people are eagerly awaiting their performance.

After the first round of competition, 56 of the remaining 84 teams came from sects, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total, which shows how powerful the sects are.

However, some established academies and strong teams have also emerged, such as Star Luo National Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Upon re-entering the competition venue's rest area, the entire area suddenly became spacious, and the seats were rearranged. The Tang Clan, who had scored a perfect 12 points in the first round, were directly led to the shaded area.

.........

(End of this chapter)