Douro Continent

Chapter 316 The First Match of the Preliminaries Begins (Part 1)

The emcee on one side of the VIP platform announced in a loud voice: "Now, please welcome His Majesty the Emperor of the Heavenly Dou Empire to declare the opening of this competition."

Just as Tang San had guessed, His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, seated in the center of the first row of the VIP section and wearing a crimson-gold robe, slowly rose amidst thunderous applause.

He raised his right hand and waved lightly towards the audience and the participating Soul Masters below. The applause quickly stopped, and the huge square became silent.

A deep and resonant voice echoed throughout the arena through the amplified soul tool: "I, Xue Ye, Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire and the organizers of this competition, hereby declare the Pan-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition open."

The applause thundered again, and cheers rose and fell. But Tang San, who was in the audience, suddenly noticed that the emperor's smile seemed somewhat forced, as if he was not actually excited about the competition.

After the applause subsided, His Majesty the Emperor continued, "Here, I hope that all the Soul Masters participating in this competition will fully demonstrate their strength and achieve excellent results. You are all the pride of the Heaven Dou Empire. For the glory of the Empire, show your brilliance!"

The applause rang out for the third time, and this time, the Soul Masters in the center of the arena shone with fervent light. For them, this competition was the best stage to showcase their abilities.

His Majesty the Emperor returned to his seat, and the master of ceremonies' voice rang out again, "Next, please welcome Mr. Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, to deliver a speech for this competition."

As Ning Fengzhi stood up, applause broke out again, but this time it was mostly focused attention. As the number one support Soul Master in the Soul Master world, who wouldn't want to see his prowess?

Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly and gestured with his hands, "I am very pleased to be invited as a guest to open this competition. As the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, I have witnessed the growth of countless Soul Masters. As the noblest profession on the continent, the development of every Soul Master requires numerous trials. But I must say, a fine sword is forged through tempering, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold. Those participating in this Soul Master Competition are undoubtedly the elite of the younger generation. Just as His Majesty said, I hope you can bring glory to the Empire and to your respective academies. The Empire needs talents like you. Thank you."

Upon hearing Ning Fengzhi's speech, a genuine smile finally appeared on the face of His Majesty the Emperor of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

The emcee said, "Sect Leader Ning, you are the most powerful support-type Soul Master. On behalf of the audience, I would like to ask you: Of the twenty-eight teams participating in the Heaven Dou City regional preliminaries, which one do you favor?"

Ning Fengzhi still had a smile on his face. "Besides the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team 1, which entered the finals as a seeded team, I also have high hopes for another team among the twenty-eight teams this time. I think they not only have the ability to pass the preliminaries, but also have a very good chance of winning the final victory in this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."

"Oh?" the emcee exclaimed in surprise. "I wonder which group managed to gain the favor of Sect Master Ning?"

Ning Zhiyuan smiled mysteriously and said, "As for which academy this team belongs to, I'll keep you in suspense for now. But I believe that the final champion of this competition will definitely belong to the Empire."

Sitting next to Emperor Xueye, the platinum bishop who had been keeping his eyes slightly closed opened them at this moment. His eyes looked cloudy and lacked any luster. His gaze fell on the twenty-eight participating teams in the arena, as if he were looking for the team that Ning Fengzhi had mentioned.

At this moment, the audience had already begun to discuss heatedly, all guessing which team Ning Fengzhi favored. The smarter ones naturally understood that Ning Fengzhi was not referring to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team. Because their strength was not even comparable to the first team, which was a seeded team, how could they possibly be the final champion? But there were a total of twenty-eight teams participating in the preliminary rounds, and only five teams could advance in the end, so it was not so easy to guess.

Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat, and the emcee smiled and said, "It's a pity we couldn't get any information from Sect Master Ning about his preferred teams. Now, please welcome Lord Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall of Heaven Dou City, to draw the lots for the first round of the preliminary matches. After the draw, the vice-team of Heaven Dou Royal Academy will play against their opponents drawn in the first round. This will also be the only match today."

Bishop Salas of Platinum slowly rose to his feet and, led by a court lady, walked to the master of ceremonies to begin the drawing of lots. He seemed reluctant to speak, leaving each pair drawn to the master of ceremonies for announcement.

"In the first round of the qualifiers, Canghui Academy will face off against Zixing Academy."

"Round 1 of the qualifiers: Auckland Academy vs. Flamebringer Academy."

"..."

"In the first round of the preliminary rounds, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will face Shrek Academy."

"..."

The Shrek Academy students didn't pay much attention to the matches between the other academies. However, when they heard that their first-round opponent was actually the vice-captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the expressions on their faces became strange.

Oscar murmured, "It can't be that much of a coincidence."

Ma Hongjun pressed his fingers, making a series of cracking sounds. "Great. They wanted to kick us out, didn't they? This time, let them see what real strength is."

Tang San and Dai Mubai wore wry smiles. They were naturally eager to face the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but now, in their attire, they were to become the focus of attention on the first day of the competition, which was truly...

It wasn't just the students of Shrek Academy who were surprised. The audience was equally astonished. Other academies might not receive as much attention, but Shrek Academy was simply too 'outstanding,' so how could it not attract attention?

A chorus of boos erupted. Many spectators were shouting the word "cheating." In their eyes, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team was clearly picking on an easy target. Shrek Academy, on the other hand, didn't seem like a team of Soul Masters at all; they looked more like a bunch of clowns.

After the draw, the Platinum Bishop Salas surveyed the entire hall and said calmly, "I believe my draw was entirely truthful. I swear on the honor of the Spirit Hall. Furthermore, I hereby announce that any student from the participating Soul Master academies present who makes it to the final competition will be exceptionally granted direct entry into the Spirit Temple by the Spirit Hall."

Upon hearing this, the audience remained relatively calm, but the Soul Masters in the arena erupted in uproar.

What exactly is the Spirit Temple? It's the highest-ranking institution within the Spirit Hall, second only to the Papal Palace and the Douluo Palace. Only the capitals of the two great empires each possess one. The Papal Palace is exclusively for the Pope, while the Douluo Palace is a symbolic entity. Therefore, the Spirit Temple is effectively the highest-ranking institution within the Spirit Hall. For a Soul Master, direct entry into the Spirit Temple is a shortcut to increased strength. Not only does it offer the best treatment and various training methods, but the prestige of the Spirit Temple itself is also extremely attractive to ordinary Soul Masters.

Upon hearing the words of the Platinum Bishop, Emperor Xueye's expression visibly darkened. Ning Fengzhi, standing beside him, gently shook his head at the emperor. Only then did Emperor Xueye's expression soften slightly.

This subtle detail was invisible to those around them, who were all behind them. The Soul Masters below were also quite far away. However, it didn't escape Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes. He clearly saw some of the intricacies involved. Combined with what Grandmaster had told him, Tang San understood that the conflict between the Spirit Hall and the Empire seemed to be deepening, nearing an irreconcilable point. Otherwise, the Platinum Bishop wouldn't have dared to recruit outstanding Soul Masters in front of the Emperor.

"Alright, the first match of the first round of the preliminary rounds will now be between Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Shrek Academy. All participating academies, please leave the stage. The two academies that will be playing later, please prepare yourselves. The match will officially begin in half an hour."

"Third Brother, let me make my appearance." The fat man ignored the contemptuous looks around him and said to Tang San with great anticipation.

Tang San glared at him. "Proceed as planned. You don't need to argue."

Tyrone laughed and patted the fat guy on the shoulder. "Don't worry, junior. I'll teach those guys from the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy a lesson for you later."

The fat man looked like a deflated balloon; if you had to describe his eyes in two words, "resentful" would be the most fitting.

Since other academies didn't have any matches today, they left the rest area after the event and, led by staff, went directly to the stands prepared for the players to watch the games. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy, being a symbol of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, naturally received different treatment than ordinary academies and didn't rest there. Soon, only the Shrek Academy group remained in the vast rest area.

Flander, Master, and Liu Erlong were all absent, clearly indicating that the match was left to them to control.

Dai Mubai said in a deep voice, "Xiao San, you make the arrangements."

(End of this chapter)