Chapter 174

The person to the Emperor's right was Ning Rongrong's father, Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi today wore a white robe, his head crowned with the Seven Treasure Purple-Gold Crown symbolizing his status; as one of the sect masters of the upper three gates among the seven great sects, he was fully qualified to sit in this position, whereas the red-robed person on the other side was a White Gold Bishop of the Spirit Hall.

The supreme ruler of the Spirit Hall is undoubtedly the Pope; beneath the Pope are four great bishops, symbolized by the five-cornered white-gold crown. The person before us is undoubtedly one of those White Gold Bishops, the master of the Spirit Hall in Tian Dou City, whose status is extremely exalted.

He was also the Saras Bishop who, back in the Spirit Hall, eagerly filmed 'Tang Yuehua's Defection' as a cameraman for Qian Renxue.

The master of ceremonies at one side of the VIP platform announced loudly: 'Next, please have His Majesty the Emperor of the Tian Dou Empire declare the opening of this competition.'

Seated in the central position of the first row of the VIP stands, the Emperor of the Tian Dou Empire, clad in a crimson-gold robe, slowly rose amid the thunderous applause.

He raised his right hand, gently waving to the audience and the competing soul masters below; the applause quickly ceased, and the vast plaza fell into silence.

His deep, resonant voice rang out through the amplifying soul device: 'I, Xue Ye, Emperor of the Tian Dou Empire, representing the Tian Dou Empire and also the organizers of this competition, hereby declare the opening of the Pan-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.'

The opening remarks were quite simple, with no extra fluff or flowery rhetoric; the older he grew, the more Emperor Xue Ye disliked wasting his time.

Applause thundered again, cheers rising and falling. Though this once-every-five-years prosperous age would move even this aged emperor to feel excitement for the competition.

After the applause subsided once more, the Emperor continued: 'Here, I hope that all soul masters participating in this competition can fully exert their strength and achieve good results. You are the pride of the Tian Dou Empire; for the empire's glory, display your brilliance.'

Applause sounded for the third time; this time, the soul masters standing in the center of the competition field released a fervent light in their eyes, for to them such a tournament would be the finest stage to display their own abilities.

The Emperor returned to his seat, and the master of ceremonies' voice rang out again: 'Next, please invite Sect Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to deliver the opening address for this competition.'

As Ning Fengzhi rose, applause arose once more, accompanied by many attentive gazes; as the foremost auxiliary soul master in the soul master world, who would not wish to see his bearing?

Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly, pressing his hands together in a gesture: 'I am honored to be invited as a guest for the opening of this competition. As sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I have witnessed countless soul masters' growth. As the most esteemed profession on the continent, every soul master's development must undergo numerous trials. Those participating in this soul master tournament are undoubtedly the elite of the younger generation. As His Majesty just said, I hope you will bring glory to the empire and to your own academies. The empire needs talents like you.'

Listening to Ning Fengzhi's address, a hint of sincere smile appeared on the Emperor of the Tian Dou Empire's face.

"Hmph."

Seated beside Emperor Xue Ye, the White Gold Bishop who had previously kept his eyes half-closed now opened them; his eyes looked murky, devoid of any luster, and he gave a disdainful snort, his gaze sweeping over the thirty-two competing teams in the arena—what use would it be for them to fight fiercely? The true champion had long been predetermined.

Emperor Xue Ye gave the sneering Saras Bishop a strange look; the people of the Spirit Hall are truly becoming more arrogant! 'Bishop Saras, is this a disagreement with Sect Master Ning?'

Saras Bishop lightly replied: 'How could such petty squads compare to the peerless geniuses of my Spirit Hall? Only after they witness true heavenly pride will they understand how cruel this world is.'

"Eh? That's her!"

Saras Bishop suddenly cut off his own words, his body leaping to his feet from shock, his face flushing red.

Having resumed their seats, Ning Fengzhi and Emperor Xue Ye both looked at the strangely reacting Saras Bishop with some surprise.

"What's wrong with Bishop Saras?"

Seeing Saras Bishop suddenly rise, the master of ceremonies hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

"It seems Bishop Saras, like our audience, can hardly wait any longer! Next, please invite the master of the Tian Dou City Spirit Hall, the White Gold Bishop Saras of the Spirit Hall, to draw the lots for the first round of the preliminaries. After the drawing, the Tian Dou Royal Academy's second team will face the opponent they drew, and this will be the only match today."

White Gold Bishop Saras took a deep breath, then, led by a palace attendant, walked to the master of ceremonies and began the lot drawing; he seemed reluctant to speak, handing each drawn pair to the master of ceremonies to announce.

"First round of the preliminaries: Oakland Academy versus Flaming Light Academy."

"."

"First round of the preliminaries: Tian Dou Royal Academy Second Team versus Azure Radiance Academy."

As soon as he received a slip of paper, he immediately shoved aside the master of ceremonies who wanted to come read it aloud, and loudly declared: 'First round of the preliminaries: Blue Tyrant Academy versus Purple Star Academy.'

"."

Apart from the Star Luo Royal Academy and the Tian Dou Royal Academy, which were destined to have a bye in the first round, the remaining thirty teams were all paired up.

After the lot drawing, White Gold Bishop Saras scanned the crowd and lightly said: 'I hereby announce that any academy soul master present who manages to reach the final tournament will be granted special permission by the Spirit Hall to join the Spirit Hall directly!'

Upon hearing this, the audience had little reaction, but the soul masters present erupted into an uproar.

What is the Spirit Hall? It is the highest place of the Spirit Hall, second only to the Pope's Hall and the Douro Hall, and there is only one such hall in the capital of each of the two great empires on the continent.

The Pope's Hall is the Pope's exclusive domain, while the Douro Hall is a symbolic existence. Thus, the status of the Spirit Hall is actually the highest institution within the Spirit Hall.

Being able to enter the Spirit Hall directly is, for a soul master, a shortcut to increasing strength. Not only does it come with the best treatment and various cultivation measures, but the honor of the Spirit Hall also exerts a powerful attraction on ordinary soul masters.

Upon hearing the White Gold Bishop's words, Emperor Xue Ye's face visibly darkened; Ning Fengzhi beside him gently shook his head at the emperor, and the emperor's expression eased somewhat.

"Well, then the first match of the first round of the preliminaries will be Tian Dou Royal Academy versus Azure Radiance Academy. All participating academies, please retreat to the resting area below the stage; the two academies that will compete later, please prepare yourselves. The match will officially begin in half an hour."

Since today is the opening ceremony, the staff specially constructed a resting area beneath the competition platform where spectators can watch the participating athletes from each academy, and also allowing the athletes to sit closest to the platform to observe their opponents.

Near the competition platform there is a canopy serving as the VIP resting area for strong teams, capable of accommodating about twenty teams; these spots are reserved only for the participating teams of top-tier academies.

The resting area of Blue Tyrant Academy is the fourth one, apparently arranged according to the written combat power listed on the registration form.

"Let's go."

Qian Renxue had no interest in the petty squabbling that would take place on the competition stage later, nor was she interested in the Beast Academy match; after sitting awhile on the pavilion's sofa, she wanted to rise and lead everyone away.

Wu Yu stared blankly, then asked: 'Huh? Captain, we're not going to watch the match?'

Qian Renxue glanced sideways at Yu Tianheng and lightly said: 'The Tian Dou Royal Academy is just idling around, giving their seed team a bye advantage and then having their second team put on a solo show to save face; those who don't know might think this is the finals—just a bunch of useless trash, what's there to watch?'

Although Qian Renxue's voice was not loud, at this moment, during the preparation time of the two teams about to go on stage, every athlete seated in the resting area heard her clearly.

Moreover, with no one on the stage, the continuously broadcasting soul devices and amplifying soul devices naturally focused on the good-looking, sweet-voiced athletes below the competition platform.

She was essentially looking down on the Tian Dou Royal Academy in front of all the spectators.

The onlooking audience erupted into an uproar.

Whether the athletes of the Four Elements Academy or the Star Luo Royal Academy, all of them involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat—goodness, she's too arrogant! Even if they thought the same in their hearts, at least no one dared to say it so openly.

Originally, many academies still had people dissatisfied that their own academy lacked a pavilion; seeing Qian Renxue rise, someone immediately reacted: 'Exactly! If we don't want to watch, we might as well go back to the academy—after all, there's no match today anyway.'

The Tian Dou Royal Academy's second team was originally a worthless squad formed from spoiled rich kids—why waste time here? As Blue Tyrant Academy departed, the veiled girl of the Beast Academy stared deeply at Qian Renxue's figure, ignoring the warnings whispered in her ear.

"Since she's not here, we'll leave too." Afterwards the veiled girl took the catgirl's hand and led the team members away. Now everyone's gaze shifted to the captain of the Tian Dou Royal Academy, Yu Tianheng—after such an insult to the Tian Dou Royal Academy, isn't Yu Tianheng angry?

The uniform of the Tian Dou Royal Academy is extremely splendid; the pale gold jerseys have the characters 'Tian Dou' embroidered on the left chest, and on the back is a pattern of seven silver stars—the emblem of the Tian Dou Empire. Although it is daytime, those leaning on the sofas seem to be releasing dazzling light, like little golden suns, drawing the spectators' eyes.

Yu Tianheng took a deep breath; his originally lax eyes grew somewhat gloomy. 'Yu Tianlin, that guy—after not seeing him for so long, he doesn't even come say a word to me! He's her brother! What's good about that Wu Yu?' He glanced at the nearby teammates burning with anger; the ones who had been tossing fruit up and down were startled into a shudder, failing to catch the fruit.

Yu Tianheng lightly said: 'She's not wrong either; aren't they just a bunch of good-for-nothings with only looks? Can they even take one of my punches?'

Some hoarse voices gave an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Yu Tianheng picked up the fruit from the ground, casually tossed it to his nameless, lazy deputy, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked straight out, leaving the other members of the Tian Dou Royal Academy team behind.

Captain! Wait for us!

Seeing Yu Tianheng leave, the remaining team members immediately followed.

The deputy team leader followed behind him while muttering inwardly, I can't even block your punch, let alone those guys who came to the academy just to pad their resumes.

Only many academy members with varied expressions remained; after thinking, aside from a few timid captains who tried to stop them, many team members also directly left the spectator seats—better to use the time to cram cultivation than to watch these noble children perform.

Most disciples from sects looked down on nobles; they had plenty of resources but their strength was quite weak.

The continent-wide Soul Master Elite Tournament ultimately respects strength.

The team members below had mostly left; the stage that had been prepared long ago was finally completed.

The stage is ten meters high, circular, with a diameter of over thirty meters. Its area is quite vast. Of course, this is still just a stage.

When tomorrow's preliminaries truly begin, five stages will be set up here; aside from the two teams that get a bye each round, thirty teams will compete in twenty-nine preliminary rounds, each team needing to face twenty-nine opponents.

Winning a match earns one point, the loser gets none; after twenty-nine rounds, the top five teams by points will advance to the promotion tournament.

The VIP seats.

Xue Ye Dadi grimly looked at the sparse edges of the stage and said to Ning Fengzhi beside him, "Sect Leader Ning, these students are simply too arrogant! Their own academy doesn't even know how to defend them!"

He seemed to be complaining to Ning Fengzhi, but in fact he was pressuring the three deputies below: look at the students you've brought out! Your academy is being mocked and you don't even know how to defend them! With so many subjects watching, where is he to put his face? Ning Fengzhi, an old oil slick, knows this full well, and in passing he's currying favor with the Tiandou deputies; he sighed and said enviously, "Your Majesty, geniuses are always different—even I have heard the thunderous name of Yu Tianheng; if my Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect could have such a genius, I wouldn't trade fame for any amount of profit."

Xue Ye Dadi hearing Ning Fengzhi also envy him, his anger lessened somewhat; thinking of Yu Tianheng's ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring, his eyes flashed nonstop, yet he still couldn't bear to part with it.

'Really sorry, Your Majesty, this child Tianheng doesn't have bad intentions; it's just because of his past experiences that he's always looked down on those weak and lazy students—Tianheng is doing this to speak up for his comrades!'

The speaker was none other than the head of the three deputies of Tiandou Royal Academy, Soul Douluo Meng Shenji.

Meng Shenji is of medium build, very thin, appearing to have hardly any meat on his body; when he speaks, his voice is somewhat sharp and thin, yet not unpleasant, giving a sense of approachability. His beard and hair are all white; though he is thin, his spirit is extraordinarily vigorous, but at this moment he wears a bitter expression.

'Oh? Speaking up for justice? What do you mean?'

Xue Ye Dadi asked somewhat discontentedly, 'Is speaking up for justice more important than his face? Today they dare to slight his face; tomorrow who knows what they'll do—Xue Ye Dadi dare not even imagine!'

Meng Shenji said somewhat sadly: 'Tianheng himself originally formed a team, the Huangdou Battle Team! Although their soul power levels had just broken through three rings, some even only two rings, yet in actual combat they could defeat Tiandou's second team by surpassing their level!'

'The sad thing is, the Tiandou Battle Team's eligibility to compete isn't based on strength but on age and seniority and soul power level; aside from Tianheng's soul power level, none of his comrades can join him on the field.'

Tiandou Royal Academy possesses great teaching strength and material conditions, yet rarely produces outstanding disciples; if it weren't for the great favor he once received from the imperial family, Meng Shenji would have long since stopped wanting to continue serving as a deputy.

Hearing this, Xue Ye Dadi also fell silent; there was nothing he could do about it—almost every student at Tiandou Royal Academy has a background, and it's not something he can simply straighten out; if he really expelled these noble elders, who knows if they'd think he was settling scores and rebel first—what then? Xue Ye Dadi muttered to himself, 'Then is it still my fault?'

Salas sneered to himself on the side, 'Isn't it just that you, this old thing, are useless? Not daring this, not daring that—you'll be overthrown sooner or later.'

'It is certainly not Your Majesty's fault; I am simply useless.'

'Alas, I have wronged you and Tianheng.'

Another round of that nauseating ruler-minister harmony act made Salas want to vomit.

Xue Ye Dadi's expression recovered, and he continued, 'Tianheng is the pillar of my empire, of noble character, but the captain of Lanba Academy is arrogant and overbearing—please, Deputy Meng Shenji, make sure Tianheng leads the team to defeat them, to exalt our nation's prestige!'

Hearing this, Salas flared up on the spot, 'Little Xue Ye, you've got a lot of nerve! Is the Spirit Hall's prince someone you can try to extort?'

Salas said disdainfully, 'Your Majesty's soul power level is rather weak; you can't see the trick here—Lanba Academy's captain is no ordinary genius, certainly not someone an average person could defeat!'

Xue Ye Dadi's face darkened; Salas this guy is directly mocking him to his face that his soul power level is only in the forties.

'Hehe, Bishop Salas understands so well—why don't you explain it to us tomorrow?'

Salas let out a sigh, looking helpless: 'Alas, even if I said it, Your Majesty wouldn't understand—comprehension varies from person to person.'

'You!'

A white-clothed old man suddenly appeared behind Ning Fengzhi; Di Tian glanced at him sideways, and although his aura couldn't compare to that golden-haired maiden, among humans he was still not weak.

The white-clothed old man first nodded at Di Tian, seemingly recognizing him as a Title Douluo–level powerhouse, then whispered something into Ning Fengzhi's ear.

'What? Sword Uncle! Are you serious?'

The white-clothed old man's eyes lit up as he nodded, occasionally glancing toward the exit of the Grand Soul Master Arena.

Seeing that white-clothed old man, Xue Ye Dadi immediately perked up—this person is famed as the strongest attacker among present Title Douluo!

Xue Ye hastily asked, 'Your Excellency Sword Douluo has appeared—does Sect Leader Ning have some urgent sect matter to attend to?'

'Haha, it's urgent, and also a great thing!' Ning Fengzhi rarely burst out laughing, throwing aside his usual refined demeanor.

'Your Majesty may not know, Sword Uncle's swordsmanship is peerless, yet he has never found a sword‑path heir that suits his heart! That golden‑haired maiden just now may be young, but she already possesses a remarkably sharp sword intent!'

'The sword intent that Sword Uncle can sense means her martial soul must be a remarkably strong sword martial soul as well, and Lanba Academy is well known as a commoner academy—Sword Uncle has found for my Seven Treasure Glazed Glass Sect the next heir who can rival the cauldron! Tell me, should I not be overjoyed?'

Xue Ye Dadi's tone weakened considerably, 'Ah? Lanba Academy's?'

If Sword Douluo has taken a liking to her, does that mean he now wouldn't even dare give Lanba Academy a pair of small shoes?

Two more chapters, brothers.

(End of chapter)