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About ten minutes later, all the participating academy teams had entered the venue. They lined up in the center of the huge Fighting Soul Arena as they were instructed.
Due to the previous commotion and their overly conspicuous uniforms, the Shrek Academy team was placed at the very back of all the others. They looked out of place and quite isolated.
Not far away, on the VIP platform, several important figures with extraordinary auras were already seated. The three most striking people were in the central main seats.
In the middle sat an old man wearing a luxurious long robe embroidered with golden-red swan patterns and a brilliant jeweled crown. Though his face showed his age, his gaze held an undeniable majesty and dignified aura. He looked somewhat similar to Xue Qinghe. This person was Emperor Xue Ye, the supreme ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire.
To Emperor Xue Ye's left sat a middle-aged man with a refined and gentle temperament. He wore a simple blue long robe, but it couldn't hide his extraordinary and elegant presence. His eyes held a wise and profound look. This man was Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the Upper Three Sects.
To Emperor Xue Ye's right was an old man dressed in the iconic red robe of Spirit Hall. His face was thin, his eyes were sharp with a hint of malice, and his fingers gently tapped the armrest. He was Salas, the Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall stationed in the Heaven Dou Empire.
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi seemed to sense something. His eyes shifted and accurately landed on Dugu Bo and Tang Chen, who were watching him not far away. He immediately gave a subtle nod in their direction.
Just then, a middle-aged host, dressed in a tuxedo and full of vigor, quickly walked out onto one side of the VIP platform. He held an exquisite amplification spirit tool, and his voice clearly spread throughout the entire Great Spirit Arena:
"Next, we invite His Majesty the Emperor, the supreme ruler of our Heaven Dou Empire, to declare the opening of this competition!"
As his resonant voice faded, all eyes instantly focused on the center of the VIP platform.
Emperor Xue Ye, seated in the main seat, slowly stood up with a majestic yet gentle smile. He then raised his right hand and waved steadily and powerfully at the dense crowd of participating Spirit Masters below and the countless spectators in the stands.
"Boom—!"
Instantly, thunderous applause and cheers, like a mountain roaring and a tsunami, echoed throughout the Great Spirit Arena, and the atmosphere immediately reached a climax.
Calmly taking the amplification spirit tool from the host, Emperor Xue Ye held it to his lips. His gaze swept across the entire venue, and his majestic voice, infused with spirit power and amplified by the spirit tool, clearly reached everyone's ears:
"I, Xue Ye, Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire and the organizers of this competition, solemnly declare—"
He paused slightly, then settled his energy in his Dantian. His voice suddenly rose, full of power and anticipation.
"The All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament is now open!"
Immediately, the applause thundered again, and cheers rose and fell.
After declaring the opening, Emperor Xue Ye smiled and turned to the elegant Ning Fengzhi beside him, continuing in a steady voice : "Next, we invite School Master Ning, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of our Upper Three Sects, to deliver a speech for this competition".
With that, he personally handed the amplification spirit tool to Ning Fengzhi.
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi gracefully took the spirit tool and slowly stood up. He didn't speak right away, but first lightly pressed his hands down, signaling for the still-boiling applause and cheers to temporarily quiet down.
Once the venue gradually quieted and all eyes were on him, Ning Fengzhi placed the amplification spirit tool to his lips. His voice was gentle yet extremely penetrating:
"I'm delighted to be invited to speak at this grand event for young talents across the continent..."
He then gave a formal speech , encouraging the young Spirit Masters, expressing his anticipation for the exciting duels of the competition, and wishing glory to the Empire. His words were appropriate, and his demeanor was graceful.
As Ning Fengzhi's voice ended, he was about to return the amplification spirit tool when Salas, the Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall, who had been sitting silently on Emperor Xue Ye's other side, suddenly spoke : "School Master Ning, just a moment. I wonder which of the twenty-eight teams in the Heaven Dou Empire's preliminary round you favor this time?"
His voice carried a subtle hint of provocation. Through the amplification spirit tool that Ning Fengzhi hadn't yet put down, it clearly spread throughout the entire venue.
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi still maintained his gentle and refined smile , seemingly unsurprised by Salas's question. His gaze swept over the many academy teams below, and his voice, clear and undisguised, spread through the amplification spirit tool:
"Thank you, Bishop Salas, for asking. As for which team I favor..."
He paused slightly, then said loudly.
"Ah, I actually favor Tianxing Academy more".
As soon as these words left his mouth, there was an uproar below the stage. The students and teachers of the various academies all looked astonished.
Ning Fengzhi appeared not to notice the commotion below and continued unhurriedly : "Although this academy was only recently established, in my opinion, they have profound foundations, and their students are exceptionally talented. I firmly believe that they'll become the biggest dark horse of this competition".
"Tianxing Academy? Which one is Tianxing Academy?"
"Never heard of it! A newly established academy?"
"How could School Master Ning favor an unknown new academy so much?"
"Look over there! It seems to be the team brought by Poison Douluo!"
The discussions below immediately became lively. All the curious, questioning, and scrutinizing gazes simultaneously turned toward Tianxing Academy's location, trying to spot something extraordinary about this unfamiliar team.
Just then, the host stepped forward at the right moment. He calmly took back the amplification spirit tool from Ning Fengzhi and announced loudly, skillfully diverting the audience's attention.
"Thank you, School Master Ning, for your wonderful speech and unique insights! Next, we invite His Excellency Salas, the Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall, to draw lots for the teams in the first round of the preliminaries!"
All eyes instantly focused on the red-robed old man again.
"Tianxing Academy? How come I've never heard of it before?"
Salas let out a cold snort, and his lips curved into a subtle sneer. His gaze contemptuously swept over the direction of Tianxing Academy, then he slowly rose and walked toward the central drawing table.
The next second, he expressionlessly reached into the bamboo stick holder and began to draw and display the bamboo sticks one by one , while the host loudly announced the matchups for each round:
"Preliminary Round One, Oakland Academy versus Blazing Glory Academy!"
"Preliminary Round One, Elephant Armored Academy versus Barak Academy!"
..."Preliminary Round One, Exotic Beast Academy versus Purple Star Academy!"
The drawing of lots proceeded in an orderly fashion, and the atmosphere below the stage gradually became tense.
When the drawing was halfway done, just as Salas's hand reached into the bamboo stick holder, an almost imperceptible spirit power fluctuation seemed to faintly light up in his palm. Immediately after, his fingers moved slightly, and two specific bamboo sticks, as if guided by an invisible force, quickly collided.
Taking a deep breath, Salas, with a normal expression, handed these two bamboo sticks, which he had drawn out simultaneously, to the host beside him.
The host took the bamboo sticks, lowered his head to look at the academy names on them. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he immediately returned to his professional expression. He took a deep breath, and in his loudest voice, announced to the entire venue:
"Next up, Preliminary Round One, Tianxing Academy versus Shrek Academy!"
Boom!
This news was like a bombshell, instantly exploding among the Shrek Academy members.
Not far below, the faces of Yu Xiaogang, Flender, Liu Erlong, and the others suddenly changed dramatically. They instantly turned so dark they could almost drip water, becoming extremely ugly. This drawing result was so coincidental it was almost unbelievable!
"What? This... how is this possible?"
"No way, we're facing them in the first round".
"Someone's definitely playing tricks in the dark".
Just then, Yu Xiaogang suddenly pushed his wheelchair to the front of the crowd and said in a deep voice:
"This drawing is absolutely problematic! It must be that little bastard Tang Chen playing tricks in the dark! Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence in the world that our Shrek Academy would run into their Tianxing Academy in the first round!"
The angrier he spoke, the more upset he became. But then, as if drained of all his strength, he let out a heavy sigh and then slumped back against the wheelchair.
"I think... How about we... just forfeit this match".