Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"As for the performance of the Star Luo Royal Team, all I can say is, we'll wait and see."

After Yan finished speaking, he lowered the curtain, and the carriage slowly started moving again.

Hu Liena moved closer to Yan, asking with great curiosity, "Brother Yan, what does Dai Wuji mean by doing this?"

"It doesn't mean anything. It's just a test. They probably feel like they don't care about anything anymore, so they don't pay much attention to rules when they act."

Yan shook his head with a calm expression. Seeing that the little fox was still somewhat puzzled, he explained to her, "Dai Wuji's current situation is such that unless he abandons everything now, voluntarily cripples his soul power and imprisons himself, completely entrusting his life to his elder brother's hands."

Otherwise, he would die no matter what he did. If he won this time, he would still die, just a little later. The emperor wouldn't want to see a prince with exceptional talent who was constantly rising in power. And if he lost, he would still die, just sooner.

Since death is inevitable no matter what you do, why make life so difficult? That's probably his thinking.

Hu Liena wasn't stupid either. After hearing Yan's words, she immediately extracted the key point: "Brother Yan, are you saying that the Star Luo Emperor wants to kill him?"

“That’s right. The White Tiger Royal Family of the Star Luo Empire has strict rules. Only one person in each generation of the royal family can stand at the top. Dai Wuji’s fate was already sealed.”

Yan nodded, and then explained a little more, "He has extraordinary talent for cultivation, and he is unwilling to give up his talent. He also has people behind him who are willing to support him. With these factors, he has the potential to overthrow the imperial power."

The person sitting in the seat doesn't care if you try to seize the throne. What he cares about is whether you can actually do it, and he won't tolerate even the slightest possibility. That's how the Emperor of Xingluo is—a lonely figure who wants to control everything within the empire.

Yan's words filled Hu Liena with fear and dread. She seemed to see an extremely cold person sitting on a high throne, watching everything below, utterly alone, with no emotion in his eyes.

Hu Liena remained silent, but Bibi Dong, who had been silently cultivating inside the carriage, spoke up at this moment: "Is it possible to win over Dai Wuji?"

"No, that's not true. This white tiger is very proud. It's not trying to survive, it's just fighting."

Yan shook his head and said with a smile, "He probably witnessed the miserable state of his imprisoned brothers, so he did not choose the path of self-abandonment as a dog, but chose to fight back."

His resistance stemmed from a desire to avoid a gruesome death, not from a fight for survival. Therefore, he wouldn't compromise with the Spirit Hall to stay alive; perhaps that was the pride of being the Tiger King.

Bibi Dong was slightly disappointed. "Is that so? That's a pity. If we could plunge the Star Luo Empire into complete internal strife, we would be more at ease."

Yan just smiled and said, "It's not that we can't create internal strife in the Star Luo Empire. The White Tiger Dai family and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect have a strange sense of pride. But we are not without other options besides the Dai family."

Take, for example, the Zhu family of the Spirit Cat clan. Every generation of the Zhu family head is a duke of the Star Luo Empire, and every generation of women are forced to marry into the royal family, resulting in sisters killing each other and sacrificing countless daughters. Are they truly content with this?

What are you planning to do?

Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue both focused their attention on Yan. As for the little fox, she was still just a pretty face and was working hard to transform herself, so she couldn't get involved in these important matters.

"How to do it? I haven't figured it out yet."

Yan smiled and shook his head. "I heard that the Star Luo Emperor will be coming to Wuhun City this time, and he will also bring several engaged princes and their fiancées to watch and cheer for the Royal Team. We'll talk about the specifics later."

A strange light flashed in Yan's eyes. He was looking forward to the arrival of the Star Luo Empire's main force. The baby-faced giant... kitten and such was really challenging a man's bottom line.

……

After returning to Wuhun City, Yan soon threw himself into his busy work. There were many things Wuhun City needed him to handle, including the finals of the Elite Tournament.

About ten days after he returned to Spirit City, the six teams from the Heaven Dou Empire region also set off for the Spirit Hall. Approximately half a month after his return, both regions and other teams arrived in Spirit City, and the finals were about to begin.

Three days later, the Pan-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament will begin its final competition. Three days is enough time for all the teams to adjust their condition.

The teams from the two major empires were divided into two factions, effectively creating a two-way division between the participating teams from the two empires by the Spirit Hall. However, no one of the 'wise individuals' dared to object to this.

Members of each team are using this time to hone their teamwork, adapt to the new rules, and do their best to improve their skills. They don't have much time to waste on these trivial matters.

This year's Elite Tournament has attracted a lot of attention. After Emperor Xingluo announced that he would lead his royal family to the event to cheer on the teams, Emperor Xueye of the Tiandou Royal Family also announced that he would lead his royal family to cheer on the teams of the Tiandou Empire.

The emperors of these two great empires are both preparing to participate in the event, which is quite rare in the nearly 100-year history of Douluo Continent. The last time was the Light Festival, but that was a major event recorded in history, which cannot be compared to this small competition.

The news that the royal families of the two great empires would be present caused an even greater influx of people to the already bustling and prosperous Wuhun City. Tourists and merchants from all sides, as well as kings and dukes from various countries, all brought their entourages to Wuhun City.

The hotels inside and outside Wuhun City were fully booked, forcing the Wuhun Hall to send special personnel to handle the matter and arrange the food and lodging for all personnel. As long as there is money, everything will be perfect.

Amidst this chaos, the Elite Tournament held its grand finale opening ceremony. As the morning sun shone upon the earth, the powerful figures within the Papal Palace began their respective actions.

Today's grand finals opened with Pope Bibi Dong in person, escorted by twelve cardinals who cleared the way from all sides. In the center of their protective circle, Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Spirit Hall, and her son Yan appeared before everyone amidst countless shouts of "Long live the Spirit Hall!"

Bibi Dong wore a long, shimmering gold dress, a purple-gold crown, and held a scepter. Her face was solemn, and she had an ethereal quality, seemingly infinitely tall.

Behind her stood Yan, also dressed in a formal gown similar in style to the papal robes, but with silver thread instead of gold, and fewer jewels. Beside Yan stood Qian Renxue, with blonde hair and a long palace dress, exuding both holiness and beauty.

The Pope and the Holy Son proceeded surrounded by twelve bishops, and behind this procession was a long line of ten people divided into two columns. Each person wore a red robe with gold and silver patterns, and each of them exuded a deep and reserved aura.

When these ten powerful figures standing behind the Pope appeared, the emperors of Xingluo and Tiandou, as well as the powerful figures from the six major sects who came to observe the ceremony, all showed a hint of silence and fear.

These ten people, just standing there, gave people the feeling of being invincible like a thousand troops. In fact, they were indeed a force that could be easily defeated. Each of them was a pinnacle of the Soul Master world, a Title Douluo, and one of the current Ten Elders of the Spirit Hall.

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"

Although there was never an explicit rule that the Soul Master teams participating in the Elite Tournament had to bow down to the Pope of the Spirit Hall, when the Pope and a group of elders appeared, including Prince Dai Wuji of the Star Luo Empire, they also knelt down to pay their respects at that moment.

Or rather, apart from the group of powerful individuals above the Soul Saint level, as well as the royal family members of the Yan and two great empires and the nobles of various kingdoms and duchies, most people at the scene chose to kneel, while some even kowtowed.

The scene of such loud cheers and shouts made the emperors of the two empires look rather unpleasant. This was not the first time they had been bowed down to someone, and they had accepted the bowing before, but this time, they were not the ones being chanted.

This was what these two emperors were most concerned about. As emperors, they should have been in control of everything on the continent, yet there were two empires on it. And at this moment, the Spirit Hall seemed to be pressing down on the heads of these two emperors, which was simply intolerable.

Chapter 200 The Golden Generation's Debut

"Your Majesties, please take your seats."

At the opening ceremony of the Elite Tournament Finals, Bibi Dong slightly gestured to Emperor Xue Ye and Emperor Xing Luo, and then the group went to the dais on the side.

The finals of the Pan-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament are divided into two categories: one is the individual elimination tournament, which is a stage for everyone. Any team that enters the finals can send out their strongest members to participate, and the one who stands at the end is the strongest of this generation.

After the individual elimination rounds comes the team championship battle, which mainly depends on teamwork. If the team isn't strong, even the strongest individual player will find it difficult to secure victory. Of course, if you can win against seven opponents single-handedly, then there's nothing more to say.

For the individual and team finals, the Spirit Hall did not change the rules; it was still a ring competition. However, unlike previous individual elimination rounds which occurred in the final rounds, this time it was placed at the beginning, and all participating teams competed for victory, making the final outcome highly unpredictable.

Furthermore, according to the news released by the Spirit Hall, this individual elimination tournament is different from the past, where the winner directly qualifies for the final round. Instead, only the individual championship will be awarded.

In this way, the individual competition is only related to personal honor, which naturally fills the strong players in some weak teams with fighting spirit.

Originally, with their team strength, they would have been eliminated in the first round at most in this elite competition. Now everyone is competing in the ring, which is great. Some weak teams are just too far apart from the strong, which does not mean that they don't have any strong players.

"Your Holiness, I have heard that His Highness the Holy Son will also be participating in this Elite Competition."

On the platform, Emperor Xueye and Emperor Xingluo sat beside Bibi Dong. Compared to Emperor Xueye, whose aura was weak and who was barely able to maintain his momentum, Emperor Xingluo, with his profound cultivation, appeared much more composed and seemed very concerned about the competition.

"The Holy Son is old enough, so naturally we should let him go up and try, lest someone say that my Spirit Hall successor is incompetent."

Bibi Dong simply replied, "As for why he was placed in this year's cohort, it's mainly because his cultivation level is about right now, making this year's cohort perfect. If we waited another five years, it might cast a huge shadow over the younger generation of powerful individuals on the continent, which wouldn't be good..."

Emperor Xingluo responded calmly, glancing at Yan a couple more times, "Oh, is the Holy Son's cultivation level so high? I haven't been able to discern any clues."

"I have had many encounters with His Highness the Holy Son, but what impressed me most was not his cultivation level."

Emperor Xueye also spoke up at this moment, "After hearing what the Pope said this time, I am also quite curious."

Bibi Dong's expression remained largely unchanged as she replied perfunctorily, "Your Majesty Xueye is likely to be disappointed. The Holy Son probably won't be appearing this morning. Each team has one spot guaranteed for the afternoon's qualifying rounds, and the Spirit Hall team's spot has naturally been given to him."

The Snow Night Emperor's expression remained unchanged; he simply stretched and said, "Is that so? Looks like we'll have to wait until the afternoon."

Just as the three powerful figures, who could easily influence the entire Douluo Continent, were having their conversation, the master of ceremonies announced the start of the competition.

"In the first match of the individual elimination round, Xie Yue of the Wuhun Team will face Feng Xiaotian of the Shenfeng Team."

As the emcee's voice rang out, figures stepped out from the positions of the Spirit Hall team and the Divine Wind team from the Heaven Dou Empire region.

From his seat in the Martial Soul Team, Yan gazed at the massive arena in the distance, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes. Hu Liena was right beside him, craning her neck with a look of curiosity on her face.

She knew that Yan had deliberately arranged this opening battle to pit Feng Xiaotian and his brother, two geniuses who had both created their own soul skills, against each other and showcase their extraordinary brilliance.

The Spirit Hall specially set up a special venue in Spirit City for this arena elimination tournament. The huge arena is a hundred meters in diameter, made entirely of granite, and reinforced with a large number of spirit tools to prevent damage.

Below the arena, the two figures entered the arena at a slow pace, but with a certain rhythm. Their eyes were fixed on their opponent. Although the match had not yet started, they were already looking for weaknesses in their opponent.

Xie Yue, fifteen years old, level 41 Battle Soul Master. Feng Xiaotian, nineteen years old, level 37 Battle Soul Venerable. Although these two are very young and their cultivation is not considered high among the contestants, they have already shown the demeanor of masters.

The two stepped onto the arena almost simultaneously. Their eyes met, and both felt a chill run down their spines. As outstanding young Soul Masters, they both saw elements they themselves possessed in their opponent. They both understood that this match would be anything but easy.

"I've heard Yan mention you before. He said you're very talented and would be a good opponent."

Xie Yue's expression was indifferent, a hint of solemnity flashing across his almost feminine handsome face, his soul power shimmering in his palms. Golden crescent-shaped twin blades appeared in his left and right hands, and Xie Yue's body shimmered with light, his four soul rings—yellow and purple—extremely conspicuous.

Feng Xiaotian let out a somewhat sharp cry, and a faint blue light surged from his body. As the blue light rippled, his body underwent a noticeable change. Accompanied by cracking sounds from his bones, his muscles and bones expanded simultaneously, and his physique became significantly larger.

Three spirit rings, two yellow and one purple, appeared around him, and his long hair was also dyed cyan. Most peculiarly, a wolf head emerged from his left shoulder. The cyan wolf head had a sinister gaze, and a trace of coldness constantly emanated from its wolf eyes.

This is his mutated martial soul, the Gale Two-Headed Wolf, a mutated form of the Gale Demon Wolf. The Gale Demon Wolf was originally a mid-to-high-level martial soul, but its mutation into a two-headed wolf transformed it into a near-top-tier martial soul.

The Gale Twin-Headed Wolf bestowed upon Feng Xiaotian a rare innate full soul power talent. After so many years of cultivation and the successive refinement of three soul rings and two soul bones, Feng Xiaotian has completely transformed, becoming a top-tier powerful martial soul, and his soul power has leaped to level thirty-seven.

"A fifteen-year-old four-ring Soul Master is probably unmatched among the young powerhouses of the Spirit Hall this generation. By the next generation, this young man will probably already be a Soul King."

"This Xie Yue is also said to be a disciple of the Pope, but his strength is far inferior to that Holy Son. If that's the case, then the Spirit Hall has already secured the championship for the next Elite Tournament."

"Hehe! I have some inside information. Xie Yue's sister is the Pope's most favored disciple, and this brother and sister can also use the Martial Soul Fusion Technique."

……

No matter the world, there is no shortage of onlookers, especially when it comes to gossip about the Spirit Hall. Many people are eager to know about it. Moreover, compared to Feng Xiaotian, who hasn't even broken through to the Soul Master level at the age of nineteen, Xie Yue, who reached the Soul Master level at fifteen, is simply too eye-catching and practically attracts attention on his own.

"Evil Moon."

"Feng Xiaotian".

The two addressed each other by name, slowly moving around the arena as they talked, each trying to find an opening and seize the initiative.

Feng Xiaotian stared at Xie Yue. "I'm nineteen years old this year. When I awakened my martial soul at the age of six, I had innate full soul power. Originally, based on my talent, I should have been at least a high-level Soul Master at this age, but I suppressed my impulse for a better future..."

“I am fifteen years old this year. I have also tried to create my own unique soul skill and succeeded, but I have not given up on cultivating soul power. In my opinion, you have wasted too much time.”

In Xie Yue's palm, the pair of crescent-shaped swords suddenly shone brightly. "My second soul ring was obtained from a hundred-year-old dark gold dinosaur claw bear. As a result, my swords have gained an extremely sharp edge that is close to the ultimate gold. They are indestructible and can break through anything. Be careful."

As soon as Xie Yue finished speaking, a burst of clear light suddenly erupted from his left foot. At the same time, Feng Xiaotian reacted quickly, and the two moved almost simultaneously.

Feng Xiaotian's body accelerated almost instantly, leaving a long trail of light behind him, moving at an incredibly fast speed.

Wind-attribute martial souls are inherently good at speed, let alone mutated martial souls like Feng Xiaotian's. However, compared to Xie Yue, who directly uses his soul bone, his speed is still a notch slower.

Golden light instantly filled his vision, and just as the overwhelming golden light was about to engulf him, Feng Xiaotian's first spirit ring lit up, and sharp wolf claws shot out from his palm.

At this moment, he was incredibly calm. While maintaining distance with lightning speed, his sharp and ruthless gaze was already locked onto the charging Xie Yue. His wolf claws lashed out first, and ten semi-circular wind blades, accompanied by a piercing sound, blocked Xie Yue's path in front and behind.

"Ding ding ding ding..."

In the large squares throughout Wuhun City, screens were broadcasting the scene on the arena. All everyone saw was that as the referee announced the start of the match, two figures simultaneously vanished from sight in a flash of light, only to reappear amidst a fierce exchange of blows.

The first soul skill of the Gale Wolf Martial Soul is usually a wind blade, but Feng Xiaotian, who possesses the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf Martial Soul, has a wind blade array as his soul skill.

The sheer number of wind blades reveals just how much stronger his first soul skill is compared to that of an ordinary Gale Wolf Martial Soul; this is the inherent advantage of a high-level Martial Soul. Even with the same century-old soul skill, different Martial Souls can create vastly different variations.