The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

What a piece of trash.

Just then, an elderly man in a blue robe rose from the platform. With a wave of his hand, a blue light enveloped his body. As if completely unaffected by the soul-guiding shield, he gracefully passed through it and landed on the competition stage.

With a flick of his right hand, the old man coldly slapped the referee off the field.

"I, Zheng Zhan, am the chief referee of this competition. I will continue to preside over this match."

Zheng Zhan, as a level nine Soul Master, holds a pivotal position throughout the Sun Moon Empire, being a prominent figure in the Sun Moon Empire's Hall of Worship. While his cultivation level is not as high as Jing Hongchen, the head of the Mingde Hall, it is still significantly higher. He is particularly skilled in defensive Soul Tools. His title is Unbreakable, the Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan.

However, the audience's attention was not diverted by this Unbreakable Douluo. This was because Yu Tianhuang and Yu Tianlong had already finished their battle.

Yu Tianlong's body was enveloped in blue-purple lightning, some of which had turned black-purple. He clutched his chest, staring incredulously at Xu Zihuang, who stood calmly and proudly opposite him.

He never imagined that one day he would be injured by the power of thunder, especially by the thunder and lightning dragon aura activated by their own secret technique of the Heavenly Dragon Sect.

Xu Zihuang's bright golden eyes returned to their deep purple vertical pupils, and his expression as he looked at Yu Tianlong was somewhat complicated.

The exchange between the two appeared intense, but he could sense Yu Tianlong's intention. Yu Tianlong was clearly deliberately demonstrating to him the secret technique of the Heavenly Dragon Gate that fully unleashed the power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul.

The attitude of Tianlongmen towards him may not be what it appears to be on the surface.

Yu Tianlong's subsequent actions further confirmed his suspicions.

He had just learned the secret technique of the Heavenly Dragon Sect using the power of his Golden Eye Martial Soul when Yu Tianlong used his own Soul Skill.

Yu Tianlong held his palms facing each other in front of him, and a ball of jet-black lightning instantly appeared, his fifth spirit ring shining brightly.

In an instant, the lightning swirling around his body turned completely black. Then, the black ball of lightning suddenly expanded, and Yu Tianlong raised it high with both hands, causing the surrounding space to become pitch black.

Even the scales all over his body turned the same color.

Yu Tianlong's whole body trembled, and terrifying black lightning instantly surged outwards, exploding with a bang.

Thunderous Hell! Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus's fifth soul skill.

This soul skill is one of the innate soul skills of the Thunderous Hell Vine.

Xu Zihuang wasn't the only one to have such an opportunity; Yu Tianlong did too. His fifth spirit ring was taken from a Thunderous Hell Vine with ten thousand years of cultivation. With this spirit skill, he was even able to briefly raise his martial spirit attribute to a level extremely close to the ultimate lightning.

His initial actions were to pass on the secret technique of the Heavenly Dragon Sect to Yu Tianhuang, as instructed by his grandfather. His subsequent use of the Thunder Hell soul skill was to further confirm the abilities of Yu Tianhuang's second martial soul.

If Yu Tianhuang is still able to suppress him, then it proves that the attribute of his second martial soul is truly the ultimate.

Black lightning burst forth instantly, its terrifying explosive power seemingly tearing everything on the ground to shreds and turning it into dust.

Even with Zheng Zhan's cultivation level as the Unbreakable Douluo, he had already deployed a defensive soul tool in advance to avoid being implicated.

Almost simultaneously, a streak of purple-gold lightning flashed across the arena without warning, followed by a strange fluctuation of soul power emanating from Xu Zihuang's right leg.

Zheng Zhan's pupils suddenly contracted. With his cultivation level, he naturally noticed the flashing purple-gold lightning.

A deep rumble suddenly resounded. The once clear sky darkened, and the wind and clouds changed color. Within the arena, clusters of dark purple lightning rapidly condensed. From the ground, countless dark purple lightning orbs rose into the air. An extremely terrifying aura seemed poised to destroy the entire world.

The right leg bone skill of the 100,000-year-old Thunderous Hell Vine is Thunder Hell.

Although both are Thunder Hells, their power is worlds apart.

Countless lightning orbs exploded, turning the arena into a completely black and purple world. The soul-guided shield protecting the arena shattered instantly, and the entire audience couldn't help but scream in terror.

Fortunately, Zheng Zhan acted in time, using the power of his natal defensive soul tool to prevent the terrifying lightning energy from leaking out.

The roar lasted for a full quarter of an hour before the area finally quieted down.

The competition stage was now a complete mess, with not a single section intact. Metal flooring debris was scattered everywhere, like a fine rain or drifting dust.

Yu Tianlong was crouching in the huge pit in the center of the arena, his chest heaving violently, his face slightly pale. However, he did not suffer many injuries.

Xu Zihuang walked slowly to Yu Tianlong and extended his right hand.

Yu Tianlong was taken aback at first, but then the coldness in his eyes vanished instantly, and he grasped Xu Zihuang's right hand.

it is more than words.

They both understood what the other was thinking. Through the previous battles, Yu Tianlong passed on the secret techniques of the Tianlong Sect to Xu Zihuang, and Xu Zihuang also unleashed the complete version of Thunder Hell, which gave Yu Tianlong some enlightenment.

Yu Tianlong, who was helped up by Xu Zihuang, patted Xu Zihuang on the shoulder. When he got close to Xu Zihuang, he seemed to say something before jumping off the competition stage.

Xu Zihuang, meanwhile, looked thoughtfully at the viewing platform in the distance.

Zheng Zhan, who arrived late, looked as if he had seen a ghost. He withdrew the blue light screen protecting the competition platform and landed next to Xu Zihuang once again.

He truly felt a deadly threat from that soul skill he had just encountered.

"In accordance with the agreement between the two parties, the Shrek Academy team and the Tianlongmen team will fight to determine the winner in one battle. Shrek Academy wins the third round of the preliminary elimination tournament."

The crowd erupted in cheers once again after Zheng Zhan announced the results of the match.

Chapter 386 The Round Robin Begins, Shrek Academy vs. Sun Moon Academy

After defeating Tianlongmen in the third round of the preliminary elimination rounds, just like after defeating Aojianzong in the previous round, Xu Zihuang did not linger in the rest area for long.

Although he had just learned the Heavenly Dragon Sect's combat technique through the power of his Golden Eye Martial Soul, there were still many details he needed to carefully comprehend.

Upon returning to the Mingyue Grand Hotel, Xu Zihuang immediately entered a meditative state. His soul core, located between his brows, was primarily of spiritual attributes, with time and space attributes as secondary. When his consciousness was immersed in it, he possessed the ability to adjust the flow of time according to his own will.

Only one day had passed in the outside world, but it was equivalent to more than a month of arduous cultivation in the world he was immersed in.

At Shrek Academy's rest area, Ye Guyi naturally followed Xu Zihuang away. Ning Tian, ​​however, stayed behind to watch the rest of the match.

The third round of qualifying elimination matches will conclude today. The 21 winning teams, plus the top 11 teams in the standings, will make up a total of 32 teams advancing to the next round of group stage matches.

Teams with strong overall strength and competitiveness will generally showcase their abilities in today's matches.

The Shrek Academy team and the Tianlongmen team, whose battle had just concluded, are the best examples. Although the subsequent matches were not as thrilling as the fight between Xu Zihuang and Yu Tianlong, they were still quite exciting.

Many participating teams are decided by team battles in the later stages. These large-scale team battles often create a more intense visual impact.

And so, as evening approached, the third round of the preliminary knockout stage came to a successful conclusion. There will be a one-day rest period before the group stage begins. The draw ceremony will also be held on that rest day.

The rules for the round-robin tournament are not as straightforward as those for the knockout stage. All thirty-two teams that have entered the round-robin tournament will be divided into four groups of eight teams each, playing a single round-robin format.

In other words, each team will play one match against each of the other seven teams in their group. Each day, two groups of teams will play four matches each, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, while the other two groups will play their matches the following day. This cycle will continue in rotation.

The tournament format allows for ample time. The entire group stage will last approximately fourteen days. The top two teams from each group will advance to the final round.

However, as the champion of the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, Shrek Academy still needs to be the first to appear in the round-robin stage.

The following evening, Xu Zihuang emerged from his room after finishing his cultivation. His deep purple eyes seemed to contain an endless starry sky, their divine light restrained. He gazed at the sunset for a long time before his eyes gradually regained their emotional fluctuations, emerging from that ethereal state.

After two days of meditation, his consciousness was immersed in the soul core between his eyebrows, equivalent to months of arduous cultivation and comprehension, which finally allowed him to completely master the combat technique taught to him by Yu Tianlong.

Xu Zihuang withdrew his gaze, looked at the empty living room, and, as if sensing something, took a step and walked to the large conference room in Suite No. 1.

Just as he had anticipated, Zhang Lexuan was holding a pre-match meeting to prepare for tomorrow's game.

Hearing footsteps behind them, everyone in the conference room instinctively turned around. The moment their eyes met Xu Zihuang's, they all felt a sense of unease. Even Zhang Lexuan was no exception.

"Senior Sister." Xu Zihuang nodded to Zhang Lexuan.

"The group stage draw should be out by now, right?"

"Please have a seat, Tianhuang."

Zhang Lexuan smiled gently and gestured for Xu Zihuang to sit down next to her before saying softly, "You've come at the right time. The group assignments have just come out, and I was just about to inform everyone."

Zhang Lexuan and Ye Guyi, as the team leader and deputy leader of Shrek Academy, sat in the main seats. Wang Qiu'er sat to the left of Ye Guyi, and Xu Zihuang sat to the right of Zhang Lexuan.

Zhang Lexuan looked around at everyone and smiled, "We've been lucky in this round-robin tournament; the competition within our group wasn't too fierce. The only real threat is the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. The remaining six teams are significantly weaker overall. Each group has two qualifying spots, and the two that will advance to the final stage should be us and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. However, the Sun Moon Empire organizers have scheduled our match against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy as the first game. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on how to approach this match."

"Senior Sister, this concerns the honor of the academy, so we certainly can't back down. Let the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy decide how to compete; we'll accept it," Zhou Sichen said casually from the end of the conference table.

Cao Jinxuan was right beside him, and the two brothers both looked excited as if it were perfectly natural.

If Yu Tianhuang were still cultivating and unable to participate, they wouldn't have been absolutely certain of victory. But now that Yu Tianhuang has finished his cultivation, isn't this a clear case of overwhelming domination?

Just lie down and win.

"Judging from your tone, anyone who didn't know better would think you'd be the first to appear," Xiao Xiao couldn't help but tease.

Before entering the Inner Academy, Xiao Xiao was in the same class as Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan for five years. They were not only familiar with each other, but also had a close relationship.

Upon hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan, instead of feeling ashamed, grinned and laughed.

Cao Jinxuan said in a serious tone, "Xiao Xiao, haven't you heard the saying? The real masters only make their appearance at the very end."

"Pfft—" Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, the sisters, covered their mouths and chuckled as they were amused by the two mischievous people.

"An expert? You?" Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes, speechless.

This lively scene eased the somewhat somber atmosphere in the meeting room considerably.

Only Wang Qiu'er, Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu, due to their personalities, still had cold faces.

Xu Zihuang said seriously, "Si Chen is right. Shrek Academy cannot back down in this match. Although I don't think Xiao Hongchen and his team are that strong, they should also be taking this match very seriously. To ensure everything goes smoothly, it wouldn't hurt to plan some tactics in advance. In my opinion, we need to rely more on teamwork in this group stage. After all, the Shrek Academy team is not just my team."

"Don't rush, Jinxuan. I might need to go into seclusion for a while. While I'm gone, you'll be the main Soul Master in the team. You, as a master, will have your chance to shine." He added this important reminder.

Cao Jinxuan stared dumbfounded at Xu Zihuang, his face instantly falling as he realized he had brought trouble upon himself. Meanwhile, Zhou Sichen beside him winked and grinned smugly at Cao Jinxuan.

The smiles on Xiao Xiao, Nanmen Yun'er, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo and the others grew even wider.

Zhang Lexuan nodded in satisfaction, then took over Xu Zihuang's words and continued to chair the meeting.

Meanwhile, on the Tangmen team's side...

Having successfully advanced to the group stage, the Tangmen team was accommodated on the fourth floor of the Mingyue Hotel. Not only were each person's room much more spacious and luxurious, but the hotel also provided the Tangmen team with an additional meeting room.

Everyone from the Tang Clan was present, and the atmosphere in the conference room was extremely tense. Everyone's expression was grim.

Of course, ever since Huo Yuhao came to Mingdu to participate in the competition and realized how useless and incompetent he was, his expression has never been pleasant.

Tang Ya was completely dejected, and with red and swollen eyes, she said apologetically to everyone, "It's all my fault. I insisted on drawing the lots myself, which caused this result."

"Xiaoya, what kind of luck do you have? The Haotian Sect and that Holy Spirit Team made up of evil soul masters are both in the same group as us..." Xu Sanshi complained helplessly.

Beibei placed her right hand on Tang Ya's shoulder and gently comforted her, "Alright, Xiao Ya, it's too late to say anything more. Actually, things may not be as bad as you think."

"Hmm?" Tang Ya instantly understood the meaning behind Bei Bei's words. The others also looked over in confusion.

With a smile, Bei Bei calmly explained, "Haven't you figured out the identity of that captain from the Clear Sky Sect yet? Let's not even talk about Tianhuang's special circumstances. A Clear Sky Hammer martial soul with six ten-thousand-year soul rings—that's something only twin martial souls can achieve. Think back to when, who had twin martial souls, and their second martial soul was the Clear Sky Hammer?"

Xu Sanshi, Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and He Caitou exclaimed in unison, "Wang Dong?!"

"Beibei, are you saying that Wang Dong is Tang Wutong?!" Xu Sanshi was greatly shocked.

"Wang Dong is not..."