Star Luo Empire, Star Luo Royal Hunting Grounds.
Forty-two teams, nearly three hundred of the empire's most talented soul masters, gathered in the vast square outside the hunting grounds. Every one of them fixed their eager gazes upon Emperor Dai Yutian, who stood on the high platform above.
Dai Yutian, dressed in his golden-patterned white tiger imperial robe, solemnly announced the opening of the finals.
When he spoke of the rewards for the final round, everyone's eyes gleamed with fiery excitement.
"The top ten in the tournament will receive generous rewards, including but not limited to gold, cultivation resources, fiefs, noble titles, and soul bones…"
"Children, you are the most outstanding geniuses of your generation in our empire. Whether you can win the rewards and glory that belong to you depends on your own strength."
"The contest will last two days and one night. The ten geniuses who remain seated upon the thrones at the end will be the champions of this grand tournament."
"Now, I hereby declare the start of the National Elite Soul Master Tournament Finals!"
As the emperor's majestic voice echoed, the enormous gates of the royal hunting grounds behind the contestants rumbled open.
The third prince's team of seven, along with Bai Li Chiyan, Feng Qinglong, and Jin Chen,a total of ten people,stepped directly into the hunting grounds.
Those who ranked in the top ten during the qualifying rounds were granted a fifteen-minute head start, one of the advantages earned by their performance.
Because the third prince's team had won all their matches, their points had doubled, giving them an overwhelming lead and allowing all seven of them to enter the top ten.
After entering the hunting grounds, Ma Hongjun and his teammates exchanged glances but did not rush to find the thrones. Instead, they turned their attention toward Jin Chen and Feng Qinglong.
...
The five thrones within the hunting grounds were placed randomly, and even the terrain and traps were generated anew each time. Even Dai Mubai, who was once very familiar with the royal hunting grounds, now had to tread carefully.
For within the hunting grounds, aside from traps, there were powerful soul beasts,some even reaching thirty thousand years of cultivation.
Without timely rescue from the referees, the participants could very well lose their lives.
This was a place where opportunity and danger coexisted. To seize what others could not, one had to pay a price others would not.
As Ma Hongjun's group entered, a massive metallic "eye" opened above the hunting grounds. On the enormous metal screen in the center of the square, everything inside the arena became visible in astonishing clarity.
This was an ancient relic obtained by the Star Luo Empire from a long-lost ruin. Normally, it was used to monitor the palace, preventing nearly ninety percent of assassination attempts. Today, it was used for the finals.
The protectors and leaders of the major powers sat in the VIP stands, their sharp eyes fixed on the screen.
The remaining hundred or so soul masters had already been assigned to the eight waiting areas and could not see what was happening.
At this moment, as the image on the screen shifted, the high-ranking members of Spirit Hall and the powerful elders of Wind God Valley clenched their fists tightly.
In a clearing not far from the entrance, the third prince's team,except for Ma Hongjun,led by Dai Mubai, had surrounded Jin Chen and launched an attack.
The rule of the finals was simple: there were no rules. Either remain on the throne at the end, or be eliminated!
Of the ten early entrants, eight were on the same side, making this the best chance to eliminate Feng Qinglong and Jin Chen.
Jin Chen's face darkened. He had considered this possibility, which was why he tried to flee the moment the gates opened. But he wasn't skilled in speed, and facing six opponents at once, he could only pray that fifteen minutes would pass quickly.
One against six,each a genius,and among them Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing could even use their powerful martial soul fusion skill, Nether White Tiger. Jin Chen saw no hope of survival.
Dai Mubai exchanged a glance with Zhu Zhuqing, and together they fused into the Nether White Tiger. "Finish him in one minute, then move on with the next part of the plan!"
Knowing escape was impossible, Jin Chen unleashed all six of his soul skills and his torso bone ability, transforming into a massive golden crocodile with a ferocious face to meet the Nether White Tiger head-on.
In an instant, soul rings flared, and an intense battle erupted.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun, flying beside Bai Li Chiyan with flames trailing behind him, laughed. "Not bad, Bai Li. Looks like you kept your word. I'll save a spot for you!"
Bai Li Chiyan pretended not to hear, turning into a streak of crimson fire as he chased after Feng Qinglong.
Feng Qinglong unleashed his wind-element abilities to their limit, using every acceleration skill his Wind Spirit Dragon martial soul possessed, desperately trying to escape their pursuit.
If they caught him, he knew he wouldn't survive.
As he fled, he pleaded, "Brothers, I was wrong! Those harsh words I said during the qualifiers weren't what I meant! We're all strong,if we join forces, we can win the championship together. There's no need to fight among ourselves!"
Ma Hongjun activated his second soul skill, Bathing Fire Phoenix. His flames erupted, boosting his speed as he closed in on Feng Qinglong.
"Sure," he said, "just stop running, and we'll talk."
Feng Qinglong didn't dare stop.
"Stop chasing me and I'll stop running!"
"You stop and I'll stop chasing!"
"You stop first!"
"You stop first!"
...
Even with Feng Qinglong's unmatched speed, the countless obstacles and unknown traps in the hunting grounds slowed him down, and Ma Hongjun and Bai Li Chiyan gradually closed the distance.
Knowing he couldn't run forever, Feng Qinglong gritted his teeth. "Fine! I swear on my martial soul,we'll cooperate, truly cooperate!"
Hearing that, Ma Hongjun and Bai Li Chiyan exchanged glances. Ma Hongjun smiled. "In that case, welcome aboard."
Feng Qinglong stopped and high-fived them both awkwardly. "See? I knew it. We're all top contenders here. Together, the championship is basically ours!"
Ma Hongjun chuckled. "Of course, but there are too many enemies. Others will definitely join forces against us first."
"With such a huge numbers disadvantage, even I can't guarantee victory. So here's what we'll do…" He leaned in and explained his plan.
After listening, Feng Qinglong's face changed. "That's… that's not good. If I do that, Yun Yi will kill me."
Ma Hongjun glared. "Do you want to win or not? This is the soul master world, not child's play. To win, you have to take risks. If your teammates can be trusted, tell them the plan later. I'm sure they'll understand."
Feng Qinglong still looked hesitant, but Bai Li Chiyan said flatly, "I'll follow big brother's lead."
Feng Qinglong looked at him in disbelief. "Wow, you're calling him big brother already? No wonder they call you the young sect master."
Bai Li Chiyan stayed calm. "A bet's a bet. Besides, I really do admire his strength."
Ma Hongjun grinned. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're rewarded. After the match, I'll have a big surprise for you."
Bai Li Chiyan ignored him. The three split up, each heading in a different direction according to their plan.
In the square, the Wind God Valley elders watching the screen looked both amused and relieved,their young sect master had survived and even gained an advantage by allying with the strongest.
The elders of the Divine Flame Sect, however, were torn between relief and concern. Their young sect master was determined to fulfill his wager; they had written to the sect master for help, but after more than a month, there was still no reply.
Did the sect master approve silently, or was there another reason?
While they worried, the first prince's supporters and the Spirit Hall higher-ups were seething.
No matter what Jin Chen said, Dai Mubai's group didn't listen,the Nether White Tiger mercilessly beat him down.
With the help of their teammates' support skills, Jin Chen couldn't even last a full minute before collapsing, gravely injured and carried off by the referees.
His match had barely begun, and it was already over. If his brothers knew what had happened, they might not even want to fight for the top ten anymore.
After finishing off Jin Chen, Dai Mubai's group didn't immediately look for the thrones. Instead, they split up, moving at full speed toward the nearest entrances.
There were eight entrances in total. Excluding the one they had used, seven remained.
Zhao Lan and Li Sheng stayed behind and began taking out dark objects from their soul devices, placing them carefully around the entrance.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun's trio did the same,each took out the same dark objects and planted them as they moved toward three other entrances.
The direction they chose was, coincidentally, also toward the entrances.
Everyone watching the screen had puzzled expressions. There were technically no rules in this round, but still…
Even Emperor Dai Yutian's mouth twitched. Since the national tournament's founding, this was the first time anyone had done such a thing.
In previous years, the top ten had always fought with pride,some even formed alliances to guard the entrances directly, displaying true dominance.
But now? The third prince's team was setting traps?
Those black devices definitely weren't anything good.
Traps right from the start?
Soon, the eager contestants would rush in, only to fall into carefully laid traps.
While setting the traps, Zhu Zhuqing vanished into shadow. Even the massive metal "eye" above nearly lost track of her.
If not for her brief appearances while laying traps, she might have been mistaken for a ghost.
Watching this, the Nether Duke raised his eyebrows. His youngest daughter had surprised him yet again.
Her mastery over shadow attributes was terrifying,she was a born assassin.
Finally, fifteen minutes passed. Everyone in the square stared intently at the screen.
Their expressions became increasingly amazed. Of the eight entrances, except for the one where Jin Chen had been eliminated, the other nine top-ten contenders had all set traps at every entrance.
Not only at the entrances,they laid traps everywhere they went. Apparently, they weren't even worried about their own teammates setting each other off.
This was incredible. The finals had reached a new level of absurd brilliance. No one knew how powerful the traps were, but one thing was certain,the moment the other contestants entered, chaos would erupt.
...
In the waiting zones, over thirty people waited at each of the eight gates. The moment the huge doors opened, they all rushed forward.
None of them attacked each other. Their target was clear: eliminate the top ten, or they would never survive to the end.
Even the Divine Flame Sect, led by Bai Li Chiluan, turned against his own brother and joined forces with others.
The Wind God Valley team was immediately besieged the moment they entered, since their captain had gone ahead long before.
But unfortunately for their attackers, Wind God Valley's members could all fly. In the face of a six-man ambush, they transformed into a whirlwind and scattered into the sky, disappearing.
Davis's group wasn't attacked,perhaps because their strength was too great, or because of his status as the crown prince.
Leading his team forward, Davis sensed something odd but didn't think much of it and entered the grounds. The moment they stepped inside, they triggered a mechanism. Countless small black spheres shot out from dark boxes all around.
Dai Mubai's group immediately released their martial souls to defend, soul skills flashing everywhere.
But the small metal spheres exploded upon impact, releasing a rain of steel needles and clouds of dark purple gas.
Everyone instantly realized something was wrong and held their breath, trying to rush through the area.
Some weren't fast enough and were struck by the steel needles, collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Those who inhaled the gas felt dizzy and itchy, their bodies breaking out in strange rashes.
"Damn it! What kind of sick referee allows this?! We haven't even gotten in yet,ugh!"
"It itches! It itches so bad!"
"What the,why do I look like a toad? Don't touch me,it's bursting!"
"Ugh!"
Scenes like this unfolded at all eight entrances. The purple-black gas wasn't lethal, but it was disgusting enough.
Those hit by the needles fainted immediately, while others took the chance to sneak in a quick blow to claim the knockout as their own, earning performance points.
Seeing most opponents incapacitated, Davis and Zhu Zhuyun fused into the Nether White Tiger and stood guard at the entrance, attacking anyone who stumbled out.
If everyone was already caught in traps, they might as well seize the chance to shine.
Similar scenes played out at every entrance. Some clever contestants hid in the gas to steal points, while weaker ones fled into the hunting grounds, abandoning their teammates entirely.
In the square, the high-ranking nobles and soul saints watching the feed all looked grim.
They no longer cared about who would win,they just hoped their young geniuses wouldn't suffer lasting injuries.
The referees were equally speechless, moving like worker ants as they carried off the fallen contestants.
Even the presiding Title Douluo looked helpless. He had hosted many tournaments, but this was the first time he had seen such chaos.
A match meant to last two days and one night,at this rate, it might be over in half a day.
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