Douluo Continent: I, Long Aotian, will not be a supporting character.

The semi-finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament are finally about to begin.

From the moment the quarterfinals ended, queues began forming outside Star Luo Square. Some had even been waiting for three days and three nights, all to witness the grand spectacle of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament nearing its finals. Perhaps this would be a momentous event they would talk about for the rest of their lives.

The four teams in the semifinals represent two major schools of thought on the continent: Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Shrek is an insurmountable peak for traditional soul master academies, while Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is another insurmountable peak for soul master academies.

There are also the Imperial Academy and the Star Luo Royal Academy, two academies that respectively represent the highest educational standards of the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

It is foreseeable how exciting the battles between these four academies will be.

At this moment, Shrek Academy, Di'ao Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy, and Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Master Academy have all entered the arena.

For these four teams, each team has at most two more matches remaining. The decisive moment is approaching, and so is the time for them to fight with all their might.

The rest area has been renovated and now only has four areas, with each team being quite far apart from the others.

Occasionally, a glance would spark a fire between the four teams. While their fighting spirit was high, the atmosphere in the rest area became solemn, tense, and even somewhat deadly.

Just fifteen minutes before the competition began, a ten-meter-wide red carpet was laid out from the direction of the imperial city gate all the way to the front of the arena. Ten minutes before the start of the competition, the imperial palace gates swung open. His Majesty the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, surrounded by palace guards, strode out and headed straight for the arena.

"Long live! Long live! Long live!" All the soldiers responsible for maintaining order raised their weapons and shouted "Long live!"

The people immediately noticed the emperor's appearance and shouted "Long live the emperor!"

The members of the four teams all stood up and paid their respects to His Majesty the Emperor.

Beside the emperor of the Star Luo Empire stood four elderly men, forming a square, with the emperor at the center. Behind them followed only twenty guards. It didn't seem extravagant.

However, the members of each participating team knew perfectly well that this escort team was extremely prestigious. Those four old men were likely all titled Douluo-level powerhouses revered by the Star Luo Empire.

The 108 Soul Masters responsible for protecting the Battle Arena simultaneously bowed to the Emperor, but not kneeling. According to the regulations of the Star Luo Empire, royal Soul Masters with four or higher Soul Rings were not required to kneel.

Surrounded by four titled Douluo, His Majesty the Emperor ascended the arena, facing the direction of Star Luo Square, and said with a smile, "My people, rise."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

A cheer erupted in Xingluo Square, showing how much the emperor was loved by his people.

The Emperor of the Star Luo Empire did not try to stop the commotion, but simply watched the commoners in the distance with a calm gaze and a smile. Only when the square gradually quieted down did he smile and say, "The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is a grand event held every five years on our Douluo Continent. It is a great honor for me that this year's tournament is being held in our country. First, I would like to thank the more than one hundred academy teams from various countries. It is they who have presented us with one wonderful match after another, allowing us to witness the rapid development of the continent's soul master and soul master professions. They have also given me the opportunity to share in the joy with my people."

Emperor Xingluo smiled and paused for a moment before continuing, "Everyone who has made it to the semi-finals is a prodigy of our time. To ensure the safety of both teams in the semi-finals and the finals, I have decided that in every match to come, the Imperial Guardian Douluo will serve as the referee and preside over the game. Today's first match will be presided over by Senior Huang Jinxu, whose title is Heavenly Fiend."

For the ordinary spectators, His Majesty the Emperor's introduction would only elicit cheers. But the four participating teams in the audience were all taken aback.

Long Aotian knew that the Heavenly Fiend Douluo's martial soul was extremely special, taking a star from the sky as his martial soul. The reason he was said to bring misfortune to his mother, father, and relatives was because his martial soul was the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star, specifically designed to bring misfortune to family. Therefore, he was destined to live a lonely life, similar to Dugu Yuan's previous situation.

The Heavenly Fiend Douluo stepped onto the Soul Battle Stage and announced: "Emperor Academia, Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Semifinals, First Match, Team Battle, Teams from both sides, enter the arena."

The rules for the semi-finals are slightly different from those for the quarter-finals. The semi-finals do not require a draw to determine the competition mode. Instead, the two modes of battle are directly determined: team battles and individual elimination matches. Both teams must win both matches to advance. If each team wins one match, then a tiebreaker match must be added using the "two-two-three" strategy.

In the individual elimination rounds following the team battle, both sides have one opportunity to substitute their players.

On the Di'ao Academy side, after discussions with the two team leaders, Jun Moxiao and Mu Yu Chengfeng, and the regular team and reserve team, it was decided that the team members to participate in the team battle would be Jiang Peng, Shi Kun, Wei Huang, Ye Bilin, Hua Qinglian, Long Aotian, and Jin Ni.

As for the individual elimination rounds that will follow, we'll see how things go after the team battles.

Long Aotian and his seven companions, along with seven members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, simultaneously ascended the Soul Battle Arena.

The seven members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, based on information gathered from previous matches, were led by their captain, Ma Rulong. Closely following Ma Rulong were the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen. Next were four Level 5 Soul Masters: Mika, Xiao Xiafeng, Chen Fei, and Lin Xi.

Tian Sha Douluo said, "Both of you are free to use your skills during the match. The safety of both teams is the responsibility of this referee. If I discover that one side is in danger of death, I will intervene in the match, and the person who is rescued will be eliminated. However, because the situation in the match is unpredictable, I cannot guarantee the absolute safety of both teams. I hope both of you will exercise restraint during the match. Now, both sides, prepare yourselves. In one minute, I will announce the start of the match."

A minute passed quickly.

"The match begins!"

The stern and emotionless voice of Huang Jinxu, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo, resounded throughout the entire Star Luo Square via his amplified soul tool. His timing soul tool operated with precision, giving neither side even a second of extra preparation time.