Lu Mingfei starts from Douluo.

Even under such circumstances, Shrek Academy still won, which made everyone wonder how Shrek Academy managed to achieve victory.

So in the days that followed, every free team member became a stalker, watching Shrek Academy's every move around the clock during each of their matches.

Tang San, the absolute soul of the group, has become the focus of everyone's attention, even surpassing Lu Mingfei in popularity.

Rumors have even circulated in Tiandou City that Shrek Academy has a real chance of defeating Lu Mingfei and winning the championship.

Lu Mingfei was naturally delighted with this. With Tang San becoming a rising star, the attention he was receiving had finally decreased considerably.

Lu Mingfei didn't care about Shrek Academy and Canghui Academy, but Tang Hao's intervention still served as a wake-up call for him.

This Haotian Douluo dotes on his precious son.

He and Tang San have a lot of grudges, and who knows when this Haotian Douluo might really come knocking on their door.

Lu Mingfei had no doubt that if he hadn't cleanly dealt with the first wave of people who tried to ambush him and created the illusion of being protected by a Title Douluo, this Haotian Douluo would have come to threaten and warn him long ago, even if he hadn't attacked him.

Fortunately, the final venue for this Soul Master Competition was changed to Wuhun City, so at least his safety should be guaranteed during the competition.

……

Days passed by, and soon the final day of the qualifiers arrived.

The only interesting thing about today's match is the game between Shrek Academy and Tianshui Academy.

Both academies had already secured their spots in the next round, so the outcome wouldn't matter. However, they were probably gathering information in advance for the finals. Naturally, Tianshui Academy didn't want to let Shrek Academy, the favorite to win the championship, slip away.

Both sides fielded their strongest lineups, with even Ma Hongjun, who had been absent for almost half a month, returning to the field.

He had heard that the captain of Tianshui Academy possessed the Martial Soul of an Ice Phoenix, which was a perfect match for him. So he prepared to perform well and see if he could win the heart of the beauty, hoping that he might even have the chance to join a Phoenix Clan in the future.

However, this idea completely vanished after the Tianshui Academy used its Martial Soul Fusion Technique.

Unlike the previous battle against Blazing Academy where they could rely on their flight advantage to launch a sneak attack with the Eight Spider Lances, Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix was the true overlord of the sky, and Tang San's Blue Silver Grass and Eight Spider Lances didn't even have a chance to touch her.

In the end, the entire ring was almost destroyed. If Flander hadn't quickly announced his surrender, the entire Shrek team would have been seriously injured.

The five teams that have advanced to the finals have now been determined: Shenfeng Academy, Leiting Academy, Chihuo Academy, Tianshui Academy, and Shrek Academy.

These five academies, along with the ten teams selected from the preliminary rounds of the other ducal kingdoms, will participate in the Heavenly Battle Division's qualifying rounds a month later.

The qualifying rounds were still irrelevant to Lu Mingfei and his team; for the sake of fairness, they weren't even allowed to watch the matches.

However, it was indeed unnecessary, because the one who won first place in the qualifying round was Feng Xiaotian, who had the exhibition match with Lu Mingfei at the beginning.

In the singles elimination tournament, Feng Xiaotian, who possesses the ability to fly, has a significant advantage and can be considered the most outstanding among all players.

When facing Tang San, you can directly kite him from a distance to wear him down; even if the Eight Spider Lances are poisonous, they are useless if they can't hit him.

The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex of Thunder Academy was so powerful that Tang San couldn't get close to it.

Therefore, Shrek only achieved third place in the end.

Three days after the qualifying rounds ended, the teams heading to the finals were already at the gates of Tiandou City, ready to depart.

Chapter 166 Martial Soul City

The three-month qualifiers and qualifying rounds have ended, and autumn is now approaching.

The plane trees on both sides of the road at the south gate of Tiandou City are intertwined with gold and green. The complex colors of varying shades cut the light and shadow of the rising sun into fragments, revealing only a beam of dazzling golden light that reaches out of the city and greets a group of tall figures walking in from the city gate.

The team members wore light gold uniforms with the words "Tian Dou" embroidered on the left chest and seven silver stars on the back, representing the national emblem of the Tian Dou Empire. The newcomers were none other than the Tian Dou Royal Academy team.

This is the departure point for the sixteen teams from the Tiandou Division participating in the finals. More than twenty luxurious carriages and five hundred royal knights are all ready to depart.

The appearance of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy team undoubtedly attracted everyone's attention.

In particular, the ten teams from other ducal kingdoms, although they had been in Tiandou City for a month, had only just seen the legendary number one genius on the continent, Lu Mingfei.

This competition could very well be the pinnacle of the entire continent in the future.

"So handsome."

"Is that Lu Mingfei? He's so young."

"I heard he killed Feng Xiaotian in one move."

……

The young participants and their respective team leaders were all talking about it. In the previous qualifying rounds, Feng Xiaotian had been the talk of the town and no one could beat him.

But the fact that he couldn't even withstand a single move from Lu Mingfei is enough to prove the value of the title of the number one genius on the mainland.

The envoys from various duchy kingdoms were all looking longingly in Lu Mingfei's direction. Their kings had all instructed them to befriend Lu Mingfei at all costs. If they could bring Lu Mingfei back to their country, it would be a tremendous achievement.

"Tch, is it really that big of a deal?" Ma Hongjun curled his lip. As soon as Lu Mingfei arrived, many female Soul Masters present were immediately attracted to him, especially the girls from Tianshui Academy, who were practically swooning over him.

This is absolutely outrageous!

"Shut up." Dai Mubai was truly annoyed because Zhu Zhuqing was also watching Lu Mingfei, but he dared not speak out.

Tang San didn't speak, but glanced coldly in Lu Mingfei's direction. Although he had lost to Feng Xiaotian and Shui Bing'er, it was only because he didn't want to reveal his soul bone skills. When he faced Lu Mingfei in the finals, he would naturally go all out and give Lu Mingfei a huge surprise.

"Brother Lu, have a safe journey. Who knows when we'll meet again?" Xue Qinghe patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder. He had come early in the morning to see him off. They had talked before; Lu Mingfei would be leaving as soon as the Soul Master Competition ended and might not return to Heaven Dou City.

Brother, we had dinner together yesterday. Lu Mingfei felt that Xue Qinghe was acting strangely today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"I'll definitely come back to Tiandou City to have dinner with you when I have the chance."

Lu Ming made a polite remark, as is customary, that with his current strength, it didn't really matter whether he stayed in Tiandou City or not; he could just occasionally come back for a meal on his way.

"Then it's settled." Xue Qinghe nodded with a smile, and the two parted ways after only a few words.

With the arrival of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in the carriage of the Heavenly Dou Royal Family, Ning Fengzhi announced the start of the journey.

All team members present boarded their respective carriages in an orderly manner.

The finals were attended by Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and Prince Xue Xing, who led the team to Wuhun City to watch the competition.

Originally, it was planned that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe would represent the royal family, but because of the Crown Prince's serious illness last time, Emperor Xueye was not at ease letting the Crown Prince go to Wuhun City. In the end, it was decided that Xue Xing would go in his place. In addition, with Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and Education Committee Member Bai Baoshan accompanying and protecting them, the lineup of the Heaven Dou Empire this time can be described as extremely luxurious.

After all, they came here to win the championship, and they absolutely cannot afford to lose.

Xue Qinghe watched the convoy disappear into the distance and smiled faintly: "The real show is about to begin, Brother Lu. I look forward to seeing you again."

--

The journey from Heaven Dou City to Spirit City takes about twenty days. The finals are not very long, as they use a two-elimination format, with a total of thirty-three teams, and the winner will be decided in less than ten days.

The finals are usually held in a city on the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, but this time it was suddenly changed to Wuhun City. Some people speculate that the reason for this may be that the appearance of Lu Mingfei, the number one genius on the continent, has attracted the attention of the current Pope, who wants to meet him.

Lu Mingfei scoffed at this claim. In Tiandou City, he had never seen a single person from the Spirit Hall approach him. Lu Mingfei couldn't quite gauge the Spirit Hall's intentions, and he simply didn't believe there was anything fishy going on.

He had been exploring the main storyline for so long, and had gained some understanding of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and the Clear Sky School, including Tang Hao and Tang San. However, he had very little information about the Spirit Hall.

This trip to Spirit City might be his only chance to learn about the main storyline of the Spirit Hall. Otherwise, unless he joins the Spirit Hall, he would have no chance of not being able to come into contact with such an important core figure as the Pope.

By the way, why didn't I see Master among the Shrek Seven Devils just now?

Based on his guess, the master must be an important figure in the main storyline of the Pope. He originally planned to find an opportunity to get some information out of the master along the way, since he was an old lover and must know a lot.

Could it be that he's feeling shy about rekindling a past lover?

It seems possible. I heard Xue Qinghe gossip before that Liu Erlong, the dean of Lanba Academy, is the master's cousin and former lover.

Maybe it's because I've been too promiscuous and I'm too embarrassed to see my ex?

"It's finally about to begin." Yu Feng rubbed his hands together, looking impatient. They had been preparing for this competition for many years, and now it was finally about to start.

Especially with Lu Mingfei as their star player, they can win effortlessly all the way, which is a very happy thought.

Once he wins the competition and graduates, he can go home to inherit the family business and reach the pinnacle of his life.

The number one genius on the continent and the young sect leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan are both his brothers. If nothing unexpected happens, he can roam freely throughout the entire Heaven Dou Empire.

Yu Feng's idea was actually the same as the ideas of the other members of the team. They had indeed been preparing for this competition for a very long time, including Lu Mingfei.

Although he seemed the most relaxed and carefree, for a guy who was always on edge during dictation tests and quizzes, such a big graduation exam would actually make him involuntarily nervous.

He had promised the three education commissions and his teammates that he would receive this honor.

He didn't really care how much of his strength he revealed.

After all, there are already enough monsters and demons eyeing him, so it wouldn't matter if a few more came after the major competition.

We'll talk about it when we catch up with him.

The twenty-day trek was neither fast nor slow. When the majestic city, towering a hundred meters high, appeared on the horizon, the atmosphere of the entire group immediately became lively.

It is a sacred place in the hearts of all Soul Masters across the continent, and also the location of the Soul Master Competition finals.

"Phew, we've finally arrived." Looking at the magnificent city in the distance, Lu Mingfei felt only a sense of relief.

Do you know what it's like to ride in a carriage for twenty days straight? He felt his hemorrhoids might flare up soon.

Chapter 167 Before the game

The walls of Wuhun City are hundreds of meters high and are made entirely of granite. Perhaps to emphasize the sense of religious ritual, the entire city is not circular, but has a regular hexagonal structure.

When Lu Mingfei first learned about the Spirit Hall, he thought it was a medieval church. However, he later discovered that it was just a shell, worshipping a human ascension god called the Angel God, and had nothing to do with the omniscient and omnipotent God.

The reason it's called "Angel" is probably to save time and resources by being lazy.

"Please stop." A cardinal waited at the city gate, checking the information of each participating team.

Subsequently, under the bishop's leadership, the group of more than two hundred teachers, students and representatives who participated in the competition quickly settled into the city, while the accompanying royal knights set up camp in an open area not far outside the city.

After entering the city, many people got off the carriages. Everyone was obviously very curious about this legendary city.

After all, this is a sacred place in the hearts of all Soul Masters across the continent.

The common people who live in this city are all family members of the Spirit Hall's Soul Masters. Because of this, the city is actually very empty and sparsely populated. It is more like a military camp than a city.

As soon as Lu Mingfei entered the city, he sensed a solemn atmosphere. It was obvious that the residents of this city must be very bored. There was probably no large arena, let alone a tavern.

"Look over there, that should be the legendary Papal Palace and Douluo Palace." Yu Feng immediately became excited and pointed to a hill in the center of the city.

Halfway up the mountain, a columned, domed church gleamed in the sunlight; that was the Papal Palace, where the Pope, the supreme leader of the Spirit Hall, resided.

At the summit stands a small palace-like building, the most revered place on the entire continent: the Douluo Palace, the tomb of all the titled Douluo who have perished across the continent over the past thousand years.

Besides worshipping the Angel God, the Spirit Hall also upholds the supreme principle of spirits. Every powerful person who can become a Title Douluo, unless he is an evil person who indiscriminately kills innocent people, is qualified to enter the Douluo Hall after he leaves and be worshipped and revered by the entire continent.

Lu Mingfei glanced at it from afar and could indeed feel that it was filled with an aura of sacred light.

After seeing the Ice and Fire Dragon King and the half-body of the Dragon God, he knew that gods truly existed, and the Angel God behind the Spirit Hall should also be real.

Therefore, the main storyline of the war in this world is most likely to be a war between the representatives of the gods, or even the gods themselves.

In short, it far exceeded what he initially thought would be a battle between Title Douluos.

He has finally managed to acquire the combat power to rival a Title Douluo, but in the future, a Title Douluo will be nothing more than a random elite monster on the roadside. Only a true god-level being can determine the final outcome.

Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt.

……

Teams from the Tiandou region were all accommodated in a restaurant in the west of Wuhun City that was specially set up to entertain guests.

The accommodations are basic, not comparable to the luxury hotels in Tiandou City; they are simply well-equipped and clean.

What's most surprising is that all the staff in the restaurant, including the cooks and waiters, are Soul Masters, with the lowest level being a Second Ring Great Soul Master or above. Even the most luxurious Tian Dou Hotel couldn't match this level of personnel.

In a way, it's a kind of understated luxury with substance, considering that some of the contestants are only Soul Masters.

After everyone's accommodations were arranged, the entire Tiandou Royal Academy team gathered in Bai Baoshan's room to discuss their next tactics.

The main reason is that their team's reputation is incredibly high this time.

Although the Spirit Hall's five teams are also the strongest ever, it's conceivable that they will likely be targeted in the upcoming draw.

After all, even though the Spirit Hall team had three Soul Kings, they obviously wouldn't dare to say they could win for sure.

The Spirit Hall will definitely try to make things difficult for them within the bounds of the rules.

"I've said this many times before. Everyone should rest well these few days and get plenty of rest to prepare for the battle."

"Also, I know it's your first time in Wuhun City, and you probably want to go out and explore, but that's absolutely not allowed this time. You all must stay with me and Teacher Sun. After all, none of us know if someone will resort to underhanded tactics." Bai Baoshan stroked his beard and solemnly reiterated the discipline. This was their closest chance to win the championship, and they only had a little over ten days left. He didn't want any accidents to happen.

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison. Although they might be a bit carefree in normal times, they were absolutely unambiguous when it came to important matters.

Besides, there's not much to see in this city. I haven't seen many people along the way today, and there's a curfew tonight.

The only attraction, the legendary Papal Palace, is also beyond their reach, so it's best for them to wash up and go to bed early.