The carriage passed through a somewhat dark city wall passage, and after a short while, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and the bustling sounds of a crowd filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
The city of Wuhun was indeed very prosperous; while the streets weren't crowded, there were still quite a few pedestrians. Shops lined both sides of the streets, selling mostly everyday items needed by soul masters—nothing particularly unusual.
A cardinal from the Spirit Hall greeted Cheng Xiao and his group, and under his guidance, the Seven Star Academy students were quickly settled into a luxurious hotel within the Spirit Hall complex.
Because of what had happened on the way, Cheng Xiao was staying with Dugu Bo, and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was not far away, to prevent any further complications.
According to news from the Spirit Hall, the finals would officially begin in three days.
After dinner, Cheng Xiao returned to his room and was about to meditate when suddenly, a whooshing sound came from outside the window. As the window was pushed open, Dugu Bo appeared in the room.
Seeing Cheng Xiao assume a cultivation stance, Dugu Bo sighed and said, "Cheng Xiao, I went out to gather intelligence. Judging from the current situation, many academies are going to choose to forfeit."
"Isn't that perfect?" Cheng Xiao smiled and said, "The competition always involves the same few people. I'd find it troublesome if they didn't forfeit."
"Hahaha, that makes sense." Dugu Bo laughed and patted Cheng Xiao's shoulder, saying, "This time, we owe a debt to your cheap teacher. Otherwise, I reckon Qianjun and Jiangmo would have taken you back to the Spirit Hall."
"Alright, hurry up and cultivate. Yanzi and the others are going out shopping later. I'll have to secretly ensure their safety." With that, Dugu Bo's figure disappeared from the spot.
Shaking his head with a smile, Cheng Xiao sat cross-legged on the bed, about to cultivate, when he suddenly remembered the magic crystal he had found inside the body of the Grand Ancestor King.
"If I'm not mistaken, this magic crystal should increase my cultivation speed, just like the rewards given by the system."
A gentle evening breeze blew in, and under the dim light, Cheng Xiao's profile was reflected. The magic crystal in his hand glittered, brightening the room slightly.
...
For the finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, the Spirit Hall specially prepared a dedicated arena in front of the Papal Palace. This arena, located in the center of the Spirit Hall, had a massive stage with a diameter of a hundred meters.
This enormous arena was reinforced with a large number of soul tools. To prevent damage, the Spirit Hall used special methods for reinforcement, reportedly strong enough to withstand any attack from Soul Masters below the Soul Emperor level without breaking.
All the participants, led by the Spirit Hall's cardinals, arrived outside the Papal Palace. Each academy had a separate rest area, built around the arena. Opposite the Papal Palace were the VIP judging seats.
A total of thirty-three teams participated in the finals, with three seeded teams selected by the two empires and the Martial Soul respectively. The finals consisted of five rounds of competition, with a one-day rest period between each round, and a three-day rest period before the fifth round.
In each round, the three seeded teams would receive a bye, and the remaining thirty teams would compete for fifteen qualifying spots. Losers would be directly eliminated. The top-ranked academy from the two empires' qualifying rounds in the second round would receive a bye, and then sixteen teams would compete for eight spots in the third round.
The second-placed team from the qualifying rounds would receive a bye in the third round, and the remaining eight teams would compete for the fourth spot in the fourth round.
This process continued until the final round, where each qualifying team would first compete in a round-robin elimination tournament to determine the strongest team. Then, the two losing teams would have a team battle, and the winner would challenge the previous winner.
As soon as the Seven Star Academy's participating students arrived at the competition venue, before they could even settle in, Dugu Bo was called away to draw lots.
Everyone was preparing for the competition, and Shrek Academy was preparing as well.
The first round draw was undoubtedly crucial; drawing a weaker opponent would be highly advantageous for any team.
Grandmaster returned quickly after drawing the lots, his expression clearly grim, even somewhat so. He addressed the Shrek team, saying, "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Hearing this, everyone hesitated. Ma Hongjun stammered, "Grandmaster, our first-round opponent isn't Seven Star Academy, is it? If it really is them, let's just forfeit and save ourselves a beating."
"Pathetic!" Grandmaster glared at Ma Hongjun.
"Teacher, tell us the good news first," Tang San suddenly said.
The master's gaze swept over everyone, and he said in a deep voice, "The good news is that we didn't encounter Seven Star Academy in the first round of the draw. The bad news is that Blazing Fire Academy and Divine Wind Academy have merged, and our first-round opponents are them."
"Merged?" The Shrek students frowned, somewhat puzzled by the master's words. Weren't participating academies not allowed to change their members midway through the competition?
The master shook his head helplessly and said, "They exploited a loophole in the rules. It's true that participating academies can't change their members midway, but that doesn't mean that students already on the list can't change academies at the last minute."
"They're so shameless!" Dai Mubai couldn't help but curse, "These trash, they actually pulled this kind of trick! How come they didn't draw Seven Star Academy?"
"Teacher, with our strength, we should be fine," Tang San said at this moment.
The master said seriously, "Little San, I know you're very strong now. Aside from that monster Cheng Xiao, probably no one in the competition can rival you. But with the merger of Shenfeng Academy and Chihuo Academy, we can't be careless."
"Damn it, if they run into Seven Star Academy and get slapped twice by Cheng Xiao, they'll behave!" Thinking of the actions of Chihuo Academy and Shenfeng Academy, Ma Hongjun was furious. He no longer considered Cheng Xiao a rival; their strength was on completely different levels.
"Alright, we're all Soul Masters. Why diminish your own prestige and boost the enemy's?" the master said coldly. "Since you're not strong enough, then work hard to cultivate and defeat him."
"Don't forget, our Shrek Academy has the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique. I don't believe that Cheng Xiao alone can be stronger than all seven of you combined!"
"It's better than your bragging anyway." Xiao Wu glanced at the master and thought to herself.
Anyone who had seen the power of Cheng Xiao's martial soul wouldn't be foolish enough to say that. Even seventy people couldn't do it!
The
bright sunlight streamed down, making the Papal Palace appear even more magnificent and resplendent, resembling a divine abode from afar.
Two rows of paladin knights stood guard before the palace, stretching from its entrance to the foot of the mountain. Clad in gleaming silver armor and wielding heavy swords, they imbued the entire Papal Mountain with an aura of majesty.
The finalists stood silently in the plaza, awaiting the Pope's arrival.
A moment later, twelve cardinals emerged from the side door of the Papal Palace, standing six on each side.
"His Holiness the Pope has arrived!" "Long live the Pope!
Long live the Pope! Long live the Pope!"
The shouts, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, echoed throughout the entire Spirit City.
This wasn't just the voice of the paladin knights guarding the Papal Palace; it was the voice of every other spirit master in Spirit City. For them, the Pope was their greatest faith.
The massive palace doors slowly opened, and a middle-aged woman in a radiant gold gown, wearing a purple-gold crown and holding a golden scepter, walked out of the Papal Palace with a solemn expression. This woman was none other than Bibi Dong, the imposing and iron-blooded Pope of the Spirit Hall!
The radiant gold gown fit Bibi Dong perfectly, its dazzling light shimmering with over a hundred red, blue, and gold gems. The purple-gold crown on her head shone even more brilliantly.
"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"
At this moment, all members of the Spirit Hall knelt on one knee.
Cheng Xiao glanced at the high-ranking middle-aged woman, then looked her up and down before turning away.
Behind Bibi Dong followed four other people, three of whom wore red Title Douluo robes. For ordinary people, such robes might merely symbolize nobility, but for Soul Masters, they represented the greatest honor, as only Title Douluo-level experts were qualified to wear them.
And now, these three were clearly Title Douluo-level experts.
Cheng Xiao had seen all three before; one of them was Chen Xin, a level 96 Title Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, whose title was Sword.
The other two were his cheap teacher and best friend, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei.
Only three types of people could emerge from the main gate of the Papal Palace: first, the Pope himself;
second, those who proved themselves to be Title Douluos; and third, elders of the Spirit Hall.
Besides these three, even the Platinum Bishop and the emperors of the two great empires were not qualified to enter or leave this gate.
The fourth person who emerged with the three Title Douluos, although lacking Title Douluo-level strength, could still walk through this gate, meaning he had another identity: an elder of the Spirit Hall, or more precisely, an honorary elder of the Spirit Hall. This person was Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Dugu Bo naturally also had such qualifications, but he did not join the ranks, simply standing quietly beside Cheng Xiao, just in case.
On this platform, apart from Cheng Xiao, Dugu Bo, Tang San, Grandmaster, and a few special individuals, everyone else had already knelt on one knee.
Seeing that Cheng Xiao and Tang San did not kneel, Chrysanthemum Douluo, standing behind Bibi Dong, hesitated for a moment, about to say something, but Bibi Dong didn't care. Her gaze naturally fell on Cheng Xiao and Tang San.
In just a moment, Bibi Dong's gaze shifted to Cheng Xiao. For some reason, she felt a sense of familiarity yet strangeness from this young man. This peculiar feeling made her unconsciously frown.
"Strange, Yue Guan said this child's martial soul is quite special, but why do I sense an aura of death on him?" Bibi Dong was surprised, but still smiled.
"How dare you! How dare you disrespect His Holiness the Pope!" Seeing that some people did not kneel before the Pope, a cardinal immediately shouted angrily.
However, Bibi Dong only slightly raised her hand, and the cardinal immediately shut his mouth, his face full of awe, not daring to say another word.
A faint smile appeared on her face as Bibi Dong gazed at Cheng Xiao and said, "You must be Cheng Xiao?"
"Junior Cheng Xiao greets Your Holiness the Pope," Cheng Xiao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, meeting Bibi Dong's gaze, which exuded an oppressive aura.
"Not bad, young man, your temperament is remarkable. You will surely become a powerful figure who shakes the continent in the future." A slight smile appeared on Bibi Dong's lips, her eyes filled with admiration for Cheng Xiao's demeanor.
Perhaps it was because of his identity as a disciple of Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, or perhaps it was because of that familiar yet unfamiliar feeling, but Bibi Dong couldn't help but glance at Cheng Xiao a few more times.
After a while, she shifted her gaze from Cheng Xiao, and with a slight wave of her golden scepter, Bibi Dong said calmly, "Everyone, rise."
As Bibi Dong's words fell, the people who had been kneeling slowly stood up.
"From you, I see the future hope of the Soul Master world. Before the Pope's Palace, I hope to see your full strength and talent. The ultimate winner of this competition will receive the Spirit Hall's greatest reward." As she spoke, Bibi Dong lightly waved her golden scepter again.
No one saw how she did it; three colorful lights instantly magnified before Bibi Dong and floated in mid-air.
They were three different objects, none large in size, shaped like bones: a right arm bone, a skull, and a left leg bone, each shimmering with fiery red, pale blue, and dark green light respectively.
Soul bones—these were indeed three soul bones.
Even at the foot of Pope Mountain, the light emanating from the three soul bones was clearly visible. In an instant, Spirit City was in an uproar.
Besides those who already knew who would receive the final reward, who could have imagined that the competition's prize would be three soul bones? From the light alone, it was clear that these three soul bones were of extraordinary quality; even the people of the Spirit Hall gleamed with greed in their eyes.
Soul bones are also ranked in terms of value, with the most precious being the torso bones, followed by the head, then the right hand, left hand, left leg, and right leg in that order. Even soul bones of the same quality have different values depending on their location.
These three soul bones are the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull, the Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm, and the Rapid Moving Wind Chasing Left Leg. They all originated from soul beasts over ten thousand years old, with the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Soul Bone coming from a soul beast over fifty thousand years old.
Just then, Bibi Dong's gaze fell on Grandmaster beside Tang San. Instantly, her hand holding the golden scepter trembled slightly, her chest heaved, and her expression changed.
"Xiao Gang, do you really have to stand against me?"
she sneered through gritted teeth, the deep frustration making Bibi Dong's head spin. She didn't want to attack Grandmaster, out of consideration for their past relationship, but now, his appearance felt like a slap in the face.
Grandmaster's gaze met Bibi Dong's for a moment. He seemed to understand something from her eyes, but despite this, he remained unyielding. For him, preventing him from proving the importance of Martial Soul theory to the world was tantamount to killing him.
At this moment, Liu Erlong quietly walked to Grandmaster's side, taking his arm while casting a provocative glance at Bibi Dong.
Sensing Liu Erlong's provocation, Bibi Dong's expression became even stranger. If it weren't for the ongoing competition, she would probably have already erupted in fury.
However, while she didn't show her emotions on her face, her heart was already raging.
"Good! That's wonderful!"
...
The Central Plaza, the largest venue of the Spirit Hall, was normally not open to the public, only opening during the finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
Although the Central Plaza was vast, today it was still filled with countless dark-colored crowds, a bustling scene as far as the eye could see.
Just then, while looking around and admiring the architecture of the Papal Palace, they spotted three unfamiliar faces.
Their appearances were quite peculiar; their eyes flashed red, like three wolves poised to pounce.
All three wore purple, book-shaped badges on their chests, engraved with the words "Spirit Hall Academy," and their uniforms were pure white.
Standing at the front was a man, about 1.9 meters tall, with neatly trimmed short black hair standing on end like steel needles, and two purple crescent moon markings on his face.
On either side of this short-haired man stood a man and a woman. The man had fiery red hair, casually draped behind him; even his eyes were dark red, and he exuded arrogance.
The only woman among the three had short blonde hair, and her appearance somewhat resembled the man at the front. At first glance, she didn't seem particularly beautiful, but upon closer inspection, one could discover a strange charm emanating from her.
"Cheng Xiao, these three are the Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall." A familiar voice rang in his ears. Cheng Xiao turned his head and saw that Dugu Bo was also observing the three.
"These three are the prodigies of the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation. The black-haired youth at the front is Xie Yue, his spirit is the Moon Blade, and he's a level 50+ weapon spirit master. The red-haired man behind him is Yan, his spirit is the Flame Lord, a dual-attribute spirit of fire and earth."
"As for that girl, she's Xie Yue's sister, named Hu Liena, her spirit is a fox, and she's also a spirit king. Rumor has it that she and her brother possess a spirit fusion skill."
"However, in your eyes, this so-called Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall is probably just a group of spirit masters with slightly stronger abilities." "
I'm actually looking forward to your performance. Why don't you just wipe them out? It'll save you the trouble of comparing them, and it won't be as satisfying to watch."
Hearing this, Cheng Xiao shrugged and smiled, "We'll see. The result is the same anyway."
"Heh, you're quite confident, kid. But then again, if I had half your strength when I was young, I'd probably be even more arrogant than you."
"To possess such strength yet remain humble is truly rare, incredibly rare."
........................
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(End of Chapter)