"Xiao Hongchen, I know you are eager, but there is one thing I must remind you: Shrek Academy has always been the champion team of the Soul Master Competition!"
Elder Ma looked at Xiao Hongchen, his tone severe. He scanned the others, instructing them.
"Every single one of you cannot afford to be careless. Ten custom-made rare metals—even if you only manage to secure one slot in the end, it will be enough to elevate your strength by a whole major rank. Take Ma Rulong for example; with a suitable Spirit Metal, he could at minimum produce and easily use a Rank 7 Spirit Tool!"
Production wasn't the main issue. If they truly pushed themselves to the limit, every Spirit Engineer genius present could create a Spirit Tool above their rank—after all, it was just a five-ring master creating a Rank 6 tool, or a six-ring master creating a Rank 7 one.
By stubbornly persisting, they could always manage to produce one or two.
However, whether they could actually use them was another matter entirely.
Spirit Tools were made to be used by Spirit Engineers, not to be displayed as ornaments.
"Furthermore, if I were to custom-make a Rank 7 Spirit Tool that he could actually use, its power might even reach the level of a Rank 8 Spirit Tool."
"Do you want this slot? If you do, then don't make any mistakes. The champion gets ten custom slots. Whoever performs well in the battles will surely get one. But if we are the runners-up, there are only three slots. How would you distribute them then?"
"After the collision of the two continents, thousands of years have passed. With one Soul Master Competition held every five years, hundreds of tournaments have taken place, yet we have never managed to claim the championship. So don't think that just because you are considered talented, you are destined to defeat Shrek."
"I want you to give me one hundred and twenty percent effort, to take this competition seriously!"
Elder Ma's words left everyone silent.
Even Xiao Hongchen stopped his usual grinning.
Hundreds of tournaments, and the Sun Moon Empire had never won once.
The weight of Elder Ma's statement pressed down on everyone's hearts.
Shrek was not to be underestimated.
Su Ming, however, understood the caliber of Shrek's team this year. To be honest, if he weren't present, the full-strength Shrek team would absolutely be the sure champions.
The Shrek team attended a small auction every day, only to return disappointed each time.
There were no auctions for Spirit Metal.
It was as if the Blacksmith Association had suddenly lost interest in money; they weren't seizing the opportunity before the competition to auction off any Spirit Metal.
"Everyone, rest well. Tomorrow, for the opening ceremony, we also have an exhibition match."
Today's Star Luo City was different. When the first ray of morning sunlight fell upon the city, the imperial capital exuded a solemn atmosphere.
Soldiers blockaded all streets surrounding Star Luo Square. The area around the Star Luo Royal Hotel, where the members of the various competing teams were staying, was also guarded by over a thousand soldiers. The road leading from the hotel to Star Luo Square was reserved exclusively for the competing teams, ensuring the smooth progress of the competition.
The competition stage for this Soul Master Competition was erected in front of the Imperial City gate, allowing the Star Luo Emperor to watch the matches from atop the city wall. Not only did it offer the best view, but it also guaranteed his safety.
The stage was a hundred meters long and wide, and five meters high. Surrounding it were 108 metal pillars. Each pillar was not merely decorative but a genuine defensive Spirit Tool. Once the competition began, one hundred and eight Spirit Masters would operate them, forming a protective barrier to block any Spirit Skill overflow, preventing damage to the Imperial City or harm to innocent bystanders.
The Imperial City was to the north, facing south. A luxurious rest area was built to the west of the stage for the use of the competing teams.
The other two sides were for the spectators. Under the Star Luo Empire's meticulous planning, this square was large enough to accommodate two hundred thousand spectators. Watching the tournament, of course, wasn't free. A regular spot costs two Gold Spirit Coins. The closer to the stage, the more expensive it got, with the innermost ring costing a hundred Gold Spirit Coins per person just for entry.
The most outrageous part was that to save space and allow more people to watch, the Star Luo Empire officials allocated limited space to each spectator—they could only stand, and this was true even for the expensive spots reserved for the wealthy.
When the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy team entered and saw the situation in the spectator area, even Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but comment.
"Wouldn't arranging seats be easier to manage? One seat per person doesn't waste much space either. The Star Luo Empire must be mad for money. Besides, I saw that Star Luo City has a stadium. Holding it in the stadium would eliminate the need to build seats."
If it were held in the Sun Moon Imperial Capital, the viewership would easily reach millions. Seats would be arranged, Spirit Tool screens would be set up, and even spectators who couldn't get a spot could watch the live broadcast in the various large squares throughout the capital.
Elder Ma glanced at the spectator stands, not particularly concerned with such matters.
The competition was what truly mattered.
"Silence!"
A massive voice resounded throughout the square. All the soldiers surrounding the plaza raised their spears, and a murderous aura permeated the area. The previously noisy square instantly fell quiet.
"His Majesty the Emperor arrives!"
Xu Jiawei appeared on the city wall of the Imperial City. Arranged beside him in sequence were the Empress and the civil and military officials.
"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Master Competition is the most important event in the Soul Master world of the Douluo Continent. This year, it is our Star Luo Empire's turn to host it. I am immensely pleased. Here, on behalf of..."
After the customary formalities, Xu Jiawei got to the main point.
"Before the competition begins, I must explain the tournament process to all the participating teams present."
"The first round of the preliminary stage is an elimination round. The losing side is directly eliminated. It is expected to be completed within three days. Afterwards, we will proceed to the group stage for round-robin matches, followed by the advancement rounds and finally the finals."
"For this competition, following tradition, our Star Luo Empire will award the champion three Spirit Bones and one million Gold Spirit Coins. I have personally selected ten Spirit Bones from the treasury; the champion team will be able to choose three from them as their reward."
"Additionally, this Soul Master Competition is different from previous ones. We have received sponsorship from the Blacksmith Association. The top three teams in this competition will receive additional rewards."
Xu Jiawei paused here.
He looked down from the city wall, meeting numerous puzzled gazes.
"The champion will receive ten custom-made Spirit Metals, the runner-up three, and the third-place team one. The Blacksmith Association guarantees that the custom Spirit Metals will be completed within one year, and they will be of Thousand Refined, One Peak quality!"
Those who didn't know were truly clueless, looking utterly bewildered.
Those who understood Spirit Metals, however, wore expressions of fervent desire.
Indeed, after all, most people were unaware of the true value of Spirit Metals.
Su Ming had long been prepared for this.
After this tournament, news of Spirit Metals would officially spread across the continent, no longer limited to the upper echelons of major powers.
"Thanks to the sponsorship of the Blacksmith Association, besides an exhibition match between Shrek Academy and a randomly selected lucky team, this opening ceremony will also feature a forging demonstration."
A forging demonstration?
At this moment, the atmosphere in the square was still rather subdued.
The spectators simply didn't see what was so interesting about watching forging.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 50+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(Chapter end)