Chapter 316

Soon, the day the tournament officially began arrived.

The drawing ceremony was held the day before the tournament started, and Xu San Shi went on behalf of the Tang Sect to draw.

Among the 167 participating teams, the luckiest could draw a bye, but Xu San Shi's luck was clearly not that good.

Therefore, as the genuine defending champion from the previous tournament, they were about to appear in the first round.

And the first‑round bye slot, as decided by the Ri Yue Di Guo authorities, was awarded to the Shilake Academy representative team.

Thus, the team led by Huo Yutong advanced directly to the next round and would receive a full twelve points.

No one objected to this privilege, for Shilake Academy had achieved far too many glories in this competition, and it was well deserved.

In a sense, it also protected the other teams, ensuring they wouldn't face Shilake Academy in the first round.

At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight rose in the east, the streets of Mingdu already presented a strange sight.

Soldiers clad entirely in silver armor formed two rows, starting from the gate of the Mingyue Hotel and extending outward; at a glance, the line seemed endless.

Compared with the previous tournament hosted by the Star Net Empire, Mingdu, the continent's foremost city, could accommodate far more people, so the Ri Yue Di Guo's deployment of a massive army to maintain order was natural.

Under the soldiers' disciplined formation, the 167 participating teams, nearly two thousand people in total, each stepped out of Mingdu.

The competition venue lay in the outskirts east of Mingdu; once beyond the city's buildings, it could be seen from afar.

The arena platform rose ten meters high, its diameter exceeding a hundred meters, roughly one hundred twenty meters by sight.

The contestants' rest area was on the east side of the platform, divided mainly into two sections.

Near the platform was a shaded pavilion that could accommodate about twenty teams; the remainder consisted of open‑air chairs arranged in rows behind the pavilion on both sides.

From the Ri Yue Di Guo's hospitality, every detail highlighted class distinctions; those shaded rest areas were undoubtedly reserved for the more renowned academies and clans.

When they checked in under the Tang Sect name and presented their entry documents, the Tang Sect members were unmistakably assigned to the bench area, tucked away in a very remote corner.

Even the Tang Sect members, who usually cared little about such matters, wore displeased faces at this treatment, and Nan Qiuqiu vented in anger:

"How can the Ri Yue Di Guo be like this? This is way too bullying!"

To that, Tang Wulin merely gave a gentle smile.

"It's fine; later we just need to use our strength to show them they're wrong."

Nan Qiuqiu glanced at him but said nothing.

During the past month or so, Tang Wulin had also displayed his current strength in training.

The impression he gave Nan Qiuqiu could only be described as unfathomable; she couldn't imagine him ever losing.

Hearing him say that, her emotions instantly steadied.

The group sat down in their assigned area and began waiting for the competition to start.

Soon, a party escorted by the Royal Soul Mentor Corps arrived before the arena, and a young woman pushing a wheelchair emerged from it.

Seeing the two, Tang Wulin's gaze hardened.

If he wasn't mistaken, the disabled person in the wheelchair was the current Ri Yue Di Guo Crown Prince Xu Tianran.

And who was this young woman? She cleared her throat, produced an Amplified Soul Conductor, and said:

"Citizens of the Ri Yue Di Guo and guests from afar, on behalf of His Highness the Regent, I welcome your arrival. At the same time, on behalf of His Highness the Regent, I announce: the Continental Youth Senior Soul Master Elite Competition now begins."

A very simple opening, without any superfluous chatter or pompous official rhetoric.

That was Xu Tianran's style: let strength speak; in his view, extra talk is merely a waste of time.

"Regent Qian Sui, Qian Sui, Qian Qian Sui."

The people of the Ri Yue Di Guo collectively knelt, paying homage to the Regent—though seated in a wheelchair, he was about to ascend as the new emperor.

Next came the customary rule‑announcement segment; after it concluded, an elder approached the microphone before the podium and loudly declared: "The first elimination match of the preliminaries—Ri Yue Royal Soul Mentor Academy versus the Slaying Dragon Sect. Each side sends seven members into the waiting zone."

Tang Wulin blinked, then showed a knowing smile.

No wonder Shilake Academy got a bye in the first round; it was all part of this calculation.

According to past tournament rules, the first match should feature the previous champion team; since Shilake Academy received a first‑round bye this time, the runner‑up from the last tournament, the Ri Yue Royal Soul Mentor Academy, stepped in—clearly a small trick by the Ri Yue Di Guo.

And the course and result of this match turned out much as Tang Wulin had expected.

The Ri Yue Royal Soul Mentor Academy sent out their vice‑captain Meng Hongchen, who, in the opening individual round, accomplished a one‑against‑six feat, easily securing victory for her team.

The entire spectator stand erupted in huge cheers; after all, this was the Ri Yue Di Guo's home ground, and seeing Meng Hongchen win so splendidly made them very happy.

Match after match passed, and by afternoon the referee's voice echoed from the platform.

"Next match: Tang Sect versus Heavy Armor Sect, both sides enter the waiting zone, the top‑ranked contestant steps forward."

Hearing this, the Tang Sect members felt a jolt in their hearts and headed together toward the preparation area.

Xu San Shi yawned and asked, "Wulin, are you really going to be the first to step out?"

After the draw results were revealed last night, Tang Wulin had said he would be the first to take the field.

In Xu San Shi's view, as the strongest of the Tang Sect team, Tang Wulin should preserve his strength.

Tang Wulin smiled and nodded.

"Hmm, Third Senior Brother, rest assured. My abilities aren't so easily seen through; rather, I'm stepping out this time to deliberately showcase them to certain people."

Xu San Shi was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

Tang Wulin chuckled and gave a cryptic smile.

"You'll know when you see my performance on the platform later."

Having said that, he stepped onto the platform.

When Tang Wulin took the stage, the atmosphere in the spectator stands instantly livelied up.

The reason was simple: he was exceedingly handsome; in terms of looks, he was undoubtedly the top of this competition.

Handsome men and beautiful women always draw strong attention; the audience subconsciously felt a strong fondness for him.

(End of chapter)