The morning sunlight was as gentle as ever, with not a single cloud in the clear blue sky. At the tournament venue on the outskirts of Mingdu, a sea of people gathered, their faces beaming with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the finals of the Soul Master Tournament.
Today was a day destined to be etched in history, no matter how one looked at it.
On the main platform, Xu Tianran, Ju Zi, and a host of Sun Moon Empire officials had been seated for some time. Xu Tianran's face bore a smile, showing no trace of the frustration caused by recent events. As the saying goes, good fortune brings high spirits, and as the Crown Prince and Regent of the empire, Xu Tianran was no exception. Last night, he had reached an agreement with Ye Xishui, the Supreme Leader of the Holy Spirit Sect, who pledged their full support. With two Limit Douluo backing him, how could he not be delighted?
"Your Highness, it seems the Tang Sect team hasn't arrived!" Ju Zi whispered in his ear.
Xu Tianran paused, his gaze shifting to the contestant rest area. Indeed, the vast rest area held only the Shrek Academy team; the Tang Sect team was nowhere to be seen. He immediately understood what was happening and said, "It looks like we won't get to see today's match. How shameless!"
Ju Zi's expression remained unchanged, clearly understanding the situation.
It was obvious: Tang Sect had forfeited the finals. This was a decision made by the Tang Sect team themselves. As inner courtyard disciples of Shrek Academy, Tang Ya and the others were all too familiar with the strength of Zhu Ziyang's Shrek Academy team. They knew they were no match and saw no need to humiliate themselves. Thus, on the night the semifinals ended, Tang Ya and Bei Bei had informed Zhu Ziyang of Tang Sect's decision to forfeit.
By now, they were probably already on their way back to the Star Luo Empire.
As the time for the match approached, Zheng Zhan, standing on the arena, looked at the empty Tang Sect rest area and immediately grasped the situation. With a grim expression, he announced, "Due to Tang Sect's forfeiture, I declare Shrek Academy the champion of this Soul Master Tournament!"
The audience erupted in an uproar, their curses rising and falling. They were deeply dissatisfied. The finals were supposed to be thrilling, yet Tang Sect had fled without fighting. What was this? Were they being toyed with? They had been waiting here since before dawn, and this was the result?
The venue descended into chaos, but no one paid heed to the audience's discontent. Zhu Ziyang stood up and addressed the Shrek Academy team, "Stay here. No matter what happens, do not act rashly. Understood?"
"Understood!" the Shrek Academy members replied in unison.
Zhu Ziyang calmly walked onto the arena. The champion's prize was a level-9 soul tool, something not to be missed.
On the arena, Zheng Zhan watched Zhu Ziyang approach step by step, his heart filled with apprehension. If not for the dignity of being a Titled Douluo holding him up, he might have already knelt before Zhu Ziyang. There was no helping it—Zhu Ziyang's earlier display of divine might had been too terrifying. Zheng Zhan, a mere Titled Douluo, was utterly unworthy of being compared to such a powerhouse.
"Where's the prize? Hurry up, don't waste everyone's time!" Zhu Ziyang said bluntly, showing no interest in formalities.
Zheng Zhan was stunned but had no authority to decide. He looked to Xu Tianran on the main platform. Xu Tianran had no desire to deal with Zhu Ziyang, so he simply nodded to Zheng Zhan. Seeing this, Zheng Zhan waved his hand, and a group of people carried a peculiar-looking soul-guided cannon shell onto the arena. The shell exuded a terrifying aura, its extraordinariness evident even to the naked eye.
"This is a level-9 fixed soul-guided cannon shell…" Zheng Zhan began to introduce, but Zhu Ziyang had no interest in his explanations. With a wave of his hand, the level-9 soul-guided cannon shell, which required five or six people to carry, vanished.
This startled Zheng Zhan, his eyes widening as he pointed at the spot where the shell had been, stammering, "Y-You… how did you do that?"
Zheng Zhan was genuinely shocked. Level-9 soul-guided cannon shells couldn't be stored in ordinary storage soul tools. Soul mentors used special methods to store high-level soul tools, yet this man, clearly not a soul mentor, had effortlessly stored a level-9 soul tool. How was that possible?
With Shrek Academy's level of soul tool technology, possessing a level-9 spatial soul tool was unthinkable! No matter how hard Zheng Zhan racked his brain, he couldn't imagine that while Zhu Ziyang didn't have a level-9 spatial soul tool, he had a demiplane—far superior to any spatial soul tool.
Zhu Ziyang glanced at Zheng Zhan and said, "Give me Tang Sect's runner-up prize and the Snow Demon Sect's third-place prize as well."
"Yes, yes!" Zheng Zhan, not daring to defy, promptly handed over the level-8 soul tool for the runner-up and the level-7 soul tool for third place.
"You're not bad," Zhu Ziyang said, satisfied with Zheng Zhan's compliance. He gave him a meaningful look before stepping off the arena.
Zhu Ziyang's actions left Xu Tianran feeling bored and deeply frustrated, yet powerless. Seeing Zhu Ziyang leave the arena, he prepared to return to the palace. But at that moment, an incident occurred.
"Xu Tianran, you treasonous, regicidal, patricidal beast, die!" A sudden shout rang out as an assassin burst from the audience, seven soul rings flashing as he charged toward Xu Tianran with deadly resolve.
The entire venue fell into dead silence, everyone stunned by the reckless assassin. They watched in a daze as he rushed toward the main platform, nearing Xu Tianran. Just as he was about to strike, his body exploded, startling the audience.
Looking again, a black-clad figure stood before Xu Tianran, expressionless, toying with a dagger. Nine soul rings glimmered, proclaiming his Titled Douluo status. This was Xu Tianran's personal shadow guard, Shadow Douluo, with the Shadow Dagger martial soul.
"Courting death!" Xu Tianran remained calm, not taking the Soul Sage assassin seriously. Instead, he pondered who could be foolish enough to orchestrate such an act.
But soon, his composure faltered. The Soul Sage assassin's role was merely to announce to all that someone was attempting to assassinate Xu Tianran. The real action was yet to come.
"It's begun," Zhu Ziyang said, sitting in the rest area with only Ma Xiaotao beside him. He had stored Jiang Nannan and the others in the Holy Law Demiplane, as the upcoming events would be a grand spectacle, and their strength was insufficient to stay without causing trouble.
"Xu Tianran, you murdered the emperor and your father, defying heaven's justice. Today, I will avenge our father!" The curtain rose on the main act as the Sun Moon Empire's Second Prince, Xu Tianci, appeared on the arena, flanked by several cloaked figures. Pointing at Xu Tianran, he shouted with righteous indignation.
Xu Tianci's appearance instantly drew the attention of the entire audience. Their hearts sank, some regretting not leaving earlier. What was this? They came to watch a match, only to be caught up in an imperial family feud. Could they ever have peace?
"Xu Tianci!" Xu Tianran's eyes were ice-cold, his heart seething with rage. He sneered, "Fool, you think you're worthy of challenging me? Kill them!"
At Xu Tianran's command, Shadow Douluo rushed forward, and three or four figures burst from behind him, all Titled Douluo, including Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen!
"How can this be?" Xu Tianci was dumbfounded, as this wasn't part of his plan. He looked to the cloaked figures beside him in confusion, but they ignored him, directly engaging Xu Tianran's Titled Douluo.
Xu Tianci was utterly lost. His side had one fewer Titled Douluo than the enemy, and the extra Titled Douluo was charging straight at him. Terrified, he fell to the ground, shouting for help, but no one responded.
Watching Xu Tianci die at the hands of his own subordinate, Xu Tianran felt immense satisfaction. He hadn't even planned to deal with his foolish brother, yet Xu Tianci had jumped out himself—what an idiot!
With Xu Tianci dead, the Titled Douluo he brought began to retreat, but Xu Tianran had no intention of letting them go. He waved his hand, signaling his men to pursue. All the while, he kept his eyes on Zhu Ziyang in the rest area. Though puzzled by the absence of the other Shrek Academy members, seeing Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao still there eased his tension.
Xu Tianran had long known that Xu Tianci was colluding with the Heavenly Soul and Star Luo Empires to assassinate him. His only concern was Shrek Academy, but seeing they weren't involved, his taut nerves relaxed.
"Your Highness, this…" Ju Zi said worriedly, hoping Xu Tianran would return to the palace for safety. She didn't want him to die now, as she still needed him for her revenge.
"No need!" Xu Tianran waved his hand confidently. Part of his agreement with the Holy Spirit Sect ensured Ye Xishui's protection, so even if Zhu Ziyang acted against him, he could leave unscathed!
However, just as Xu Tianran reveled in his confidence, a sharp pain pierced his chest. Looking down instinctively, he saw a delicate, fair hand clutching a beating heart—so red… it was his heart!
Xu Tianran turned back in disbelief, his eyes meeting a stunningly beautiful face with cold features and pitch-black pupils. So beautiful… was his final thought.
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