Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

Beneath the Ming capital, turbulent undercurrents surge.

During the Soul Master Competition, the Black Market Arena Tournament, organized by the three underground giants of the Sun Moon Empire, was in full swing.

There are no referees here, only life and death, and the stakes are not gold coins, but rare metals worth a fortune.

The Xishui Alliance, the Pingfan Alliance, and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce stand as a three-way rivalry.

The Xishui Alliance, backed by the Holy Spirit Cult and the royal family, has a deeply entrenched power base; the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, with its military background, monopolizes assassins and arms; only the Pingfan Alliance, though in charge of the decadent and prosperous Mingdu, faces the most difficult situation in the winter of rare metals due to the lack of support from the nobles behind it.

In recent years, the four great empires have obtained a stable and massive supply of rare metals from the three major soul beast settlements through the Spirit Pagoda.

With the black market's exorbitant profits cut in half, if the three major players still want to get involved in this business, they can only scavenge for scraps left by the authorities.

As for venturing deep into the settlements of the soul beasts? That would be tantamount to courting death.

Inside the VIP box, the lighting was dim, with only the light from the central soul-guided screen shimmering.

Shangguan Weier, the leader of the Ordinary Alliance, wore a dark red dress and tapped her fingertips lightly on the table. Her gaze fell on the fierce arena below through the one-way glass.

She knew that in this turbulent time, if the Ordinary Alliance did not find a backer, it would be swallowed up by the other two forces.

"With the rise of the Spirit Pagoda and the Beast God's decree, the path of the Soul Spirit is now set in stone." Shangguan Wei'er withdrew her gaze, looked at Zi Ji beside her, and smiled calculatingly. "The Xi Shui Alliance has the foundation of evil soul masters, so the Spirit Pagoda will never accept them; the Ao Du Chamber of Commerce has the military behind it, so there's no need for them to bow down. This is the opportunity for the Ordinary Alliance—we need to go ashore and clean up our act."

Zi Ji nodded slightly: "Alliance Leader Shangguan is wise. By joining the Spirit Pagoda, those shady 'businesses' must be cut off, but the Spirit Pagoda will protect your alliance."

"Of course, but it will take some time to clear out the assets. I hope Elder Huo will be lenient." Shangguan Wei'er said with a smile, then changed the subject and affectionately took the arm of a blonde girl next to her. "Look, Xiao Yezi is back. She has only been with the Spirit Pagoda for a few years, but she is already a Level 6 Soul Master. She is only one step away from becoming a Soul Saint. It is a sure thing that she will pass this selection competition."

The one being called Little Leaf was Ye Guyi. Her body stiffened slightly, clearly not used to Shangguan Wei'er's sudden intimacy, and she called out softly, "Aunt Wei."

Shangguan Wei'er released her grip, her languid expression instantly vanishing, replaced by the solemnity of someone in a superior position: "Gu Yi, the Ordinary Alliance is about to be reborn. Once the dust settles, the position of the new alliance leader should be yours."

Ye Guyi looked up in astonishment: "Aunt Wei, this..."

"What, you find it troublesome?" Shangguan Wei'er teased, but there was no hint of jest in her eyes. "Then don't forget to take care of me in my old age."

Before she finished speaking, Zi Ji had already stepped forward, and an ancient scroll of parchment in her hand unfurled out of thin air.

The runes on it flowed, exuding a faint aura of the undead—it was a contract personally drafted by Elex, the master of the Spirit Tower, whose seal flickered in the light.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shangguan Weier took the specially made soul guide pen, signed her name, then bit her fingertip, and a drop of bright red blood fell onto the signature.

A flash of blood, and the contract is formed, inviolable.

"Elder Huo, from now on, Sun and Moon will have one more branch of the Spirit Transmission Tower, while underground, there will be one less Ordinary Alliance." Shangguan Wei'er's smile was profound, as if she could already see the Ordinary Alliance's transformed future.

The third round of elimination matches is a crucial one.

Representatives from the 42 strong teams that emerged from the second round gathered on the stage to fight for the 32 tickets to the round-robin tournament.

The winners advance directly, while the losers also have a chance to squeeze into the spot based on their points. The competition is more intense than ever before.

As the absolute core of the host team, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team enjoys a unique intelligence advantage.

Xiao Hongchen stood on the stage with his hands behind his back, drawing lots with high spirits and his usual confident smile.

He had already mentally analyzed the physical test data of his potential opponents a thousand times over—this was a convenience secretly provided by the organizers, and it was also the source of his confidence.

However, when the referee's voice resounded throughout the arena—"Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy versus Spirit Pagoda!"

Xiao Hongchen's smile instantly froze.

It wasn't because of the reputation of the Spirit Pagoda, but because of that name—Huo Yutong.

In those top-secret physical test reports, the soul power level of that seventeen-year-old girl was marked with a terrifying "level seventy-nine".

That's a number that's just one step away from becoming a Contra Douluo, and an insurmountable barrier that can crush one's peers.

He forced himself to remain calm as he stepped off the stage, but his fingertips trembled slightly beneath his sleeves.

Before he could even process the shock, Meng Hongchen leaned close to his ear and delivered the fatal blow in a voice only the two of them could hear, her voice filled with barely concealed terror:

"Brother, my spirit just told me something... Ice Emperor, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, has become the spirit of Yu Tong's second martial soul."

Xiao Hongchen felt his mind go blank, as if the ceiling above his head had collapsed at that moment.

Ultimate ice, and the Ice Emperor? Plus that level 79 soul power? This isn't a competition; it's practically letting mortals challenge gods.

"We concede." Xiao Hongchen said almost without hesitation, not even bothering to gather the team for a discussion. "We immediately request the referee to concede. We have enough points; there's no need to gamble with them."

He quickly composed himself and was about to turn around to signal the referee when he saw a player from the Spirit Pagoda's bench walking towards the referee's table.

Immediately afterwards, the referee's voice rang out again, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of mockery:

"The Spirit Tower team has voluntarily forfeited."

Xiao Hongchen stood there stunned, then gave a knowing, bitter smile.

I have enough points from the Spirit Pagoda.

This round is a tacit truce, but also a contest between the strong.

The atmosphere during the group stage draw was so heavy that even the air seemed to be compressed.

Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage again.

He reached into the huge lottery box, his movements as graceful as ever.

"Group One!" The referee's booming voice resonated in everyone's hearts, "Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Spirit Pagoda..."

When he read the words "Spirit Transmission Tower," Xiao Hongchen's smile froze instantly, as if sealed by extreme ice.

The names that followed, no matter who they were, became indistinct background noise in his ears, leaving only the three words "Spirit Pagoda" echoing wildly in his mind.

How could you even get this?! Is this some kind of superstition?!

He walked stiffly off the stage, his back view filled with utter despair.

"Brother, don't panic!" Meng Hongchen reassured him in a low voice, "This is the group stage, and the top two teams advance. As long as we stay calm and win against the other teams, even if we lose to the Spirit Pagoda, we can still advance!"

"You're right! We can't leave our fate to luck."

Xiao Hongchen grabbed Meng Hongchen's wrist, his tone as serious as if issuing a top-level order: "Meng, from now on, you'll be in charge of all the group stage draws!"

He pinned all his hopes on the possibility that his sister might have better luck than him.

However, fate seemed determined to make fun of the mortal world on this stage.

The lineups for the first group stage match have been released.

Meng Hongchen took a deep breath, closed her eyes and silently prayed, "It shouldn't be the Spirit Pagoda," then reached out with trembling hands to the divination tube representing her side.

When she opened her eyes and saw the words on the divination slip, her face instantly fell. Her lips twitched as she looked at Xiao Hongchen and uttered a few words:

"Brother...we won the Spirit Pagoda draw."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongchen felt a wave of dizziness and almost ascended to heaven on the spot.