Among all the assembled Spirit Master teams—
Ye Yu wasn't the only one remaining calm and composed.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling were also visibly tranquil.
So too was the leader of the Tianshui Team (Skywater Academy Team), standing proudly at the front—
Shui Bing'er.
As Ye Yu glanced toward her,
Shui Bing'er happened to turn and meet his gaze.
Her ice-blue eyes blinked in surprise for just a second—
Then curved into a gentle, refined smile.
Ye Yu responded with a faint, polite smile of his own.
"Jie, what are you looking at?"
Noticing something odd, Shui Yue'er leaned over curiously, her big ice-blue eyes blinking as she whispered.
Following her sister's line of sight—
she found herself staring directly at Ye Yu.
"Were you just looking at Ye Yu, sis?"
A teasing grin formed on Shui Yue'er's pretty face.
"Turns out you're a sucker for good looks too!"
"And here you always nag me about it!"
"But to be fair, Ye Yu really is handsome—and he's got that special aura. And his strength is no joke!"
"Too bad... he already has a girlfriend!"
"Yue'er, don't be ridiculous."
Shui Bing'er sighed softly.
"I don't have a thing for him. We just happened to lock eyes, that's all."
"Ooh~ so it was love at first sight?"
Shui Yue'er giggled mischievously, clearly unwilling to let her sister off the hook.
After all, Shui Bing'er had always criticized her for being "shallow."
Now that she finally caught her sister slipping, she definitely wasn't letting go that easily!
But Ye Yu wasn't paying attention to the teasing between the Shui sisters.
He turned his gaze back to the main stage.
At that moment, the host looked toward Ning Fengzhi, smiling as he made his next announcement:
"Next, let us welcome the honored guest and Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—Lord Ning—to deliver a speech!"
Thunderous applause once again erupted throughout the arena.
With his ever-gentle and cultured demeanor, Ning Fengzhi rose with a calm smile.
Activating his Spirit Power, he projected his voice clearly and magnetically across the arena:
"It is my honor to be invited to speak at the opening of this grand tournament.
I hope all participants will fight for the glory of the Empire—
and for their own honor, and that of their academies.
The Empire needs talents like you.
Thank you!"
After his speech, the host smiled again and asked:
"Lord Ning, as a powerful Support-type Spirit Master, your insight into the strength of others must be exceptional."
"On behalf of our audience—may I ask, among the twenty-eight teams competing in the Empire's preliminary rounds, which team do you favor the most?"
At this, Ning Fengzhi chuckled lightly.
Which team did he favor most?
In the past, he might not have had an answer.
But now…
After hearing from his daughter Ning Rongrong how Ye Yu had singlehandedly defeated the Spirit Sage–level instructor Zhao Wuji at Shrek Academy—
And with no weapons, no Spirit Tools—
That kind of power bordered on monstrous.
With Ye Yu on the team…
Winning the championship was likely already in the bag.
So Ning Fengzhi simply smiled and replied tactfully:
"If you're asking which team I favor most,
I cannot say just yet—
But I firmly believe that this year's champion…
will belong to the Empire.
And to His Majesty."
Some people felt Ning Fengzhi was deliberately dodging the question—
But the more astute among them read between the lines:
Was he hinting at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Team One?
After all, saying the champion would belong to the "Empire" wasn't saying much—
Any of the twenty-eight participating teams, once they qualified, would be representing the Empire.
But by adding "His Majesty"—
that was a very specific nod to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
Still, given that Heaven Dou Imperial Academy hadn't won the championship in many years—
and not even runner-up or third place for quite some time—
many spectators weren't so quick to believe it.
Following Ning Fengzhi's speech, it was time for the Platinum Bishop Salas of the Heaven Dou Empire's Spirit Hall to conduct the tournament draw.
Since Heaven Dou Team One was directly representing the royal family,
they were automatically qualified for the finals.
So they were not included in the draw.
And just like fate—
Shrek Academy drew Heaven Dou Team Two as their opponent.
Despite the butterfly effect caused by Ye Yu—
with Shrek Academy having lost Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu,
along with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's herb fortuitous encounters—
their overall strength was significantly lower than in the original novel.
But with Yu Tianheng joining the team,
Shrek Academy's overall power had risen again.
As for Heaven Dou Team Two, despite being part of the Imperial Academy,
its members were relatively weak—
not even one Spirit Ancestor among them.
In the end, they lost to Shrek Academy.
A narrow victory, but at least it salvaged some face for Shrek—
whose notoriously ugly green uniforms had already become the joke of the opening ceremony.
Once the ceremony concluded,
Ye Yu and his companions returned to the Heaven Dou Empire Academy.
From there, they resumed their regular cultivation schedule.
But Ye Yu had recently made some adjustments to his plan.
Mornings were still dedicated to cultivating the Purple Demon Eye.
But once he entered the depths of the forest beyond the city—
he now did more than just practice the Inner Core Method.
He simultaneously continued his Heavenly Thunder Tempering.
In the afternoons, he trained in combining Spiritual Power and blood essence, to deepen his mastery over his body's vital energies.
After all, only blood essence could influence the bloodline origin energy absorbed by the External Spirit Bone – Demon Willow Fluff.
If he ever wanted to fully fuse with the Blue Silver Empress bloodline,
he would first need to gain complete control over his blood essence.
Only then could he use it to carry the Blue Silver Empress's bloodline origin, allowing it to gradually merge into his body—
and eventually…
Give rise to a self-generated, evolving Spirit Ring.
During this blood-essence training, Ye Yu made a discovery:
When he channeled blood essence into his fists and physical strikes,
his strength and explosive force increased dramatically.
Though his years of cultivating the Inner Core Method had already refined his blood essence to an exceptional level—strong enough to project beyond his body—
he had never truly considered using it in battle.
Spirit Power had always been more versatile, and easier to manipulate.
Until now, his blood essence had only been silently nourishing his body—
strengthening his physique from within.
But now, with his focus shifting toward integrating the Blue Silver Empress bloodline,
and a new depth of control over his blood essence—
Ye Yu finally realized:
Blood essence wasn't just supportive. It was transformative.
Then a new idea emerged.
In Douluo Dalu II: Unrivaled Tang Sect,
Huo Yuhao, under the guidance of Dragon God Douluo Mu En,
had fused Spiritual Power and Spirit Power
to create a self-made Spirit Ability:
Sovereign's Dominion.
Ye Yu, too, had unparalleled Spiritual Power.
And now, he had forged mastery over blood essence as well.
So… what if he went one step further?
What if he combined Spiritual Power, Spirit Power, and blood essence—
Could he craft a self-made Spirit Ability even stronger than Sovereign's Dominion?