Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 43 Winning Hearts and Minds is Paramount

After Wang Yan explained the competition rules in detail and in a clear and organized manner, Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena walked side by side back to their room.

The supreme glory that Shrek Academy carries is, in the depths of their hearts, not as significant as others imagine.

For Ye Qi'an, this was at most a trivial and insignificant embellishment in his life experience; for Gu Yuena, it was even more insignificant, and such a competition was optional.

After closing the door, Gu Yuena gazed at Ye Qi'an with her beautiful eyes and said, "Qi'an, I can sense some strange fluctuations in your spiritual sea. Will this have any adverse effects on you?"

"It's not really an impact; on the contrary, it might even be a great help to us." At that moment, Ye Qi'an told Gu Yuena his views and insights about the seal within him without reservation.

"What he said is absolutely right. The number of spiritual objects on the Douluo Continent is ultimately limited. According to the method he proposed, opening a gap and allowing you to gradually accept the bloodline power sealed by each seal, as well as part of the Golden Dragon King's cultivation, is indeed a feasible strategy. In this way, you can naturally and smoothly unseal the seals." Gu Yuena nodded slightly and said with a serious expression.

"His consciousness hasn't fully recovered yet, so the conditions aren't right for him to implement that method. Saying more would be pointless. You have to be strong yourself to succeed. Let's focus on our cultivation." Ye Qi'an shook his head helplessly.

"Hmm." Gu Yuena responded softly, then slowly sat down opposite Ye Qi'an. The two pressed their palms together and began to circulate the power of the Dragon God, focusing wholeheartedly on their cultivation.

While the two were completely immersed in their cultivation, almost all the participating academies were simultaneously and enthusiastically carrying out mobilization work. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, which shared a floor with Shrek Academy, was no exception.

In almost every major competition, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy could only come in second place, so the treatment they received at the Star Emperor Hotel was almost the same as that of Shrek Academy.

Their goal remained unwavering: to seize first place and claim the top spot. However, their luck was truly terrible. They originally had a chance to win the crown, but Huo Yuhao's sudden emergence, with his astonishing talent and extraordinary strength, ruthlessly shattered their hopes of victory. And this time, their hopes were even slimmer, because Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, both Dragon Kings, were participating.

Inside the conference room of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, two sprightly, piercing old men sat upright at the head of the table, with fourteen students seated neatly on either side. The students on the left were noticeably older, while those on the right were slightly younger. Clearly, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had sent an experienced, battle-hardened regular team and a reserve team meticulously prepared for five years from now.

At dawn, when the first rays of dazzling sunlight pierced into Star Luo City like golden arrows, the capital of the Star Luo Empire instantly exuded an aura of solemnity, sanctity, and inviolability.

All the streets around Xingluo Square were completely sealed off by soldiers in bright armor and looking very smart. In particular, there were thousands of soldiers stationed near the Xinghuang Hotel. The streets leading to Xingluo Square from there were completely closed off, and only the participating teams from various colleges who came out of the Xinghuang Hotel could pass through without hindrance.

The arena used for this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was not built in the usual central location of Star Luo Square, but rather in the vast, open space in front of the main gate of the Imperial City. The arena itself measures 100 meters in length and width, and is 5 meters high. Surrounding the arena are 108 gleaming, dazzling metal pillars. Don't mistake these for simple decorations; they are actually powerful and high-performance protective soul tools.

The construction of this magnificent and imposing competition stage alone cost a huge amount of money. In addition, mobilizing 108 Soul Masters to serve the competition for more than a month, it would have been very difficult to complete such a massive and arduous project without the strong support of a national-level government.

At this moment, Xingluo Square was empty and desolate. Apart from the soldiers standing in neat rows in the distance, the square was filled with iron fences. These iron fences, which were about 1.5 meters high, were arranged in a neat and orderly manner. They did not obstruct the view of most people, but cleverly divided the square into different areas.

The imperial city is located on the north side, facing south, while a luxurious and comfortable rest area has been carefully built on the west side of the competition stage, specially provided for the participating team members from various colleges.

The round-robin tournament allows for flexible and diverse tactical arrangements, and even the strategic choice to lose. However, the first round is a brutal and direct elimination tournament. Once you lose, you are eliminated. Every participating college must successfully pass this crucial and fate-determining hurdle.

Early in the morning, the teachers leading the teams from each college arrived at the capital city and, using the competition number plates they received during registration, conducted the lottery in an orderly and efficient manner.

On the city wall of the imperial city, a middle-aged man in a bright yellow robe and wearing an eight-treasure purple-gold crown stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree. His position was the very center of the main gate of the imperial city, an excellent vantage point for watching the competition below.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman in magnificent palace attire, respectfully and gently accompanying him. A few steps behind were the civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire, each with a solemn and dignified expression.

"Your Majesty." An elderly man dressed in a bright red civil official's robe stepped forward quickly, came to the man's side, and bowed respectfully. From the python pattern embroidered on his robe, it could be seen that this elderly man was of extremely high status, a true minister.

"Prime Minister, how are the arrangements going?" His Majesty the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire asked with a kind and gentle smile and a calm tone.

The Prime Minister respectfully stated, "Everything has been arranged perfectly and flawlessly. The draw is complete, and the order of the matches has been properly arranged. The surrounding area is orderly. The public can now enter."

The Emperor of Xingluo smiled and nodded, saying, "Very well, issue my order: begin allowing people to enter at each checkpoint, control the speed of entry, and ensure order is maintained. Any local problems will be severely punished."

As the audience entered the venue one after another, Ye Qi'an and his group had already arrived at the contestants' area and taken their positions. All the Shrek Academy students were wearing traditional dark green school uniforms, and they were standing in the first row of all the academies. No academy objected to this.

Looking at his bright green school uniform, Ye Qi'an felt a real sense of disgust. He wasn't the only one who felt this way; Gu Yuena felt the same way. Although there was no obvious change in her purple eyes, Ye Qi'an could still see the strong sense of disgust in them.

The contestants from the academies standing at the back couldn't help but show some surprise when they saw Shrek Academy's lineup. There were only twelve people, and most of them looked to be well past twenty years old.

For most academies, they were secretly praying that they wouldn't encounter powerful opponents like Shrek Academy or Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy in the first round. Otherwise, it would practically mean they were eliminated.

The team members from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy stood behind Shrek Academy. The youngest members of Shrek Academy were Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and Wang Dong. Even the usually arrogant Xiao Hongchen was filled with doubt. What exactly was Shrek Academy trying to do by sending out such a lineup?

It took nearly half an hour for the audience to enter, and the once empty and deserted Xingluo Square was now packed with people and bustling with activity.

"Silence!" A loud and clear voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire venue.

Upon hearing this sound, all the soldiers stood at attention, and the previously noisy Xingluo Square immediately fell silent.

"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived."

"Whoosh—" The crowd immediately knelt down in large numbers.

The soldiers knelt on one knee, while all participating academies had been given prior notice that they were permitted not to kneel, but to bow at a 90-degree angle to show respect to the emperor.

However, the pride inherent in Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, belonging to the Dragon God, wouldn't allow them to do that. Emperors? Did they even deserve it? Under heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king.

"All of you may rise." The voice of the Star Luo Empire Emperor was amplified and transmitted through the amplified soul guide device.

The crowd rose to their feet, and the students from the participating academies straightened their backs. All eyes were fixed on the city walls of the imperial city directly ahead.

Emperor Xingluo led his officials to step back slightly. The seats had already been arranged, and he and the Empress took their seats. He waved to the Prime Minister beside him, who immediately understood and gave the order to his subordinates to begin the competition.

The loud voice rang out again: "According to the rules of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, the first round will be an elimination tournament..."

The moment the host announced the start of the competition, the atmosphere at Xingluo Square reached its peak.

"Shrek, Shrek, Shrek..." The shouts of Shrek Academy echoed in almost every corner of the square.

Faced with such a lively scene, the seven members of Shrek Academy's reserve team were somewhat dumbfounded. Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena were alright; one was the ruler of soul beasts, and the other was a transmigrator. They remained calm in the face of this not-so-huge scene. Ma Xiaotao and the other two were even more unfazed, having participated in the previous session and already adapted to it.

Just then, the host's voice rang out: "Let's first invite the team members from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy to the stage."

In the back of the players' area, a group of pale-faced young players walked out. When they left the players' area, they even looked unsteady and unsteady on their feet.

Wang Yan said in a low voice, "Ye Qi'an, you will be in charge of commanding the battle after you go on stage."

"Okay, then let's follow my arrangements. For the first match, we'll only have four people: Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Gu Yuena, and me," Ye Qi'an nodded and said.

"Just the four of you?" Wang Yan said in shock.

Ye Qi'an replied firmly, "Don't worry, if it weren't for the sake of my plan, I would have gone alone. If the four of us go, it's only to win their hearts. As for losing? With Nana and me here, they can't win."

Looking at Ye Qi'an's confident gaze, Wang Yan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Huo Yuhao was still somewhat dazed when he heard Ye Qi'an's talk about winning hearts and minds, and suddenly felt as if he had been enlightened.

After whispering a few words in Huo Yuhao's ear, Ye Qi'an turned around.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. He had to admit that Ye Qi'an was quite cunning. He had originally planned to simulate six 100,000-year spirit rings, but Ye Qi'an was even more ruthless and directly simulated eight spirit rings.

"Alright, the team members from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy have made their appearance. At this moment that everyone is watching with bated breath, let's now welcome the Shrek Academy team, the number one academy on the continent and the true king among academies."

The host's loud and passionate voice pierced the clouds, and the Star Luo Square instantly turned into a sea of ​​cheers for Shrek Academy. Even the Star Luo Emperor, who was sitting on the city wall watching the battle, couldn't help but stand up, his face showing excitement.

Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena walked calmly toward the competition stage, with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong following behind them.

The two sides gathered at opposite corners of the playing area, facing each other from a distance.

When the students of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy saw that Shrek Academy had only sent four people, they were also stunned. This was an elimination tournament! Weren't they afraid?

Everyone watching the game had the same question, including all the participating academies. Even the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was dumbfounded, knowing that there was no second chance in the elimination rounds.

Emperor Xingluo asked in confusion, "What is Shrek Academy trying to do? Why didn't they send their main force?"

A competition is a competition. No matter how many people have doubts, the competition will continue. The referee sent by the Star Luo Empire has taken his place and gestured for both sides to step forward.

Students from both academies quickly gathered in the center of the field.

The referee said in a deep voice, "First round, elimination round, team battle. Both sides may use most soul tools in the competition. However, if one side concedes during the battle, the other side may not continue to attack. Soul masters cannot use high-damage equipment such as fixed soul tools in combat. Do you all understand?"

"Mm." Ye Qi'an nodded in response.

The captain of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy also agreed. Looking at the cold and sharp eyes of Ye Qian and Gu Yuena, the students of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy felt even more uneasy.

The referee nodded and said, "Alright, both sides step back to the sides of the arena. The match will begin on my command. No one may release their Martial Soul before I announce the start. Otherwise, they will be disqualified."

Soon, both sides reached the edge of the field. The referee, who was standing in the center of the field, slowly raised his right hand. As soon as the referee raised his hand, the players from both sides immediately took their positions.

At the same time, all 108 Star Luo Empire Soul Masters who were already prepared below the stage pressed down on the metal pillars in front of them. When all 108 beams of light gathered together, a layer of white light curtain was immediately swept down, enveloping the entire arena.

.........

(End of this chapter)