Half a month after the start of the promotion qualifiers, the matches finally came to an end. The finals were set to be held in Spirit City.
After three days of rest, the Heaven Dou Empire dispatched five hundred Royal Knights to escort the fifteen teams that had successfully advanced to Spirit City.
In addition to the fifteen advancing teams, the Royal Fighting Team was also traveling with them.
According to the original plan, the Royal Fighting Team should have departed earlier and waited for the other teams to arrive in Spirit City. However, Lin Mu didn't follow the usual procedure. Rather than staying in Spirit City for several extra days, he decided to travel with the main force to save himself some trouble.
Emperor Xue Ye and the three education board members naturally had no objection to Lin Mu's request.
Actually, there was an even more time-efficient way: Lin Mu could have used his Hurricane Armor to make several round trips, allowing everyone to arrive within a day. However, this would definitely consume a significant amount of Lin Mu's soul power.
Spirit City was the Spirit Hall's headquarters; if he arrived with his soul power depleted, who knew what kind of trouble Bibi Dong might cause?
The sudden addition of the Royal Fighting Team sparked curiosity among the other fifteen teams.
On one hand, the Royal Fighting Team was the seeded team of the Heaven Dou Empire; on the other hand, their leader was the renowned Lin Mu! Under Lin Mu's tutelage, the Royal Fighting Team was bound to become even stronger, making them undoubtedly one of the favorites to win the championship.
"Brother Lin Mu, why isn't Teacher Xue coming with us?"
Inside the carriage, Ye Lingling clung tightly to Lin Mu, holding his arm as she asked softly.
The carriage wasn't crowded. Tang San and Xiao Wu sat opposite them, while the others sat in the carriages behind. Each carriage was equipped with shock-absorbing soul tools, making the ride very stable and allowing them to cultivate as usual without being affected by external factors.
"She has other things to do, but it doesn't matter whether she's here or not," Lin Mu said casually.
In fact, Qian Renxue had also come along, but as the Crown Prince, it wasn't convenient for her to ride in the same carriage.
Seeing Lin Mu's nonchalant attitude, Ye Lingling felt a surge of secret joy. Although that wicked woman had staked her claim first, Lin Mu treated her better.
Just then, Xue Qinghe rode up to the carriage window on his white horse and issued an invitation. "Brother Lin, riding in a carriage is so boring. Why don't you ride with me?"
As he spoke, Xue Qinghe glanced at Ye Lingling beside Lin Mu, a barely perceptible resentment flashing in his eyes.
'How dare she steal her man while she was away! It was utterly despicable.'
After so many intimate interactions, Qian Renxue had long considered Lin Mu her life partner and naturally couldn't tolerate Ye Lingling's actions. However, her current identity was Xue Qinghe, and she couldn't openly take him back, so she had to resort to this tactic.
"Riding a horse?"
Lin Mu's eyes lit up at Xue Qinghe's suggestion. He had never ridden a horse before and was quite interested. However, he didn't want to share a horse with Xue Qinghe. He wouldn't mind riding together if they were dressed as women, but that was obviously impossible right now.
Therefore, Lin Mu asked, "Your Highness, do you have any spare horses? If not, that's fine."
"One horse is nothing. I'll have my attendants provide one."
With that, Xue Qinghe immediately turned around. A short while later, she returned to the carriage leading a black horse.
Seeing this, Lin Mu immediately flashed out of the carriage, reappearing on the black horse. Although he had never ridden before, he easily tamed the beast with the intimidation of a powerful soul master.
Next, Lin Mu and Xue Qinghe rode together alongside the long, winding procession.
Their actions clearly disrupted the formation's discipline, but no one from the fifteen teams dared to complain. After all, one of them was His Highness the Crown Prince, and the other was a young powerhouse comparable to a Super Douluo.
"I didn't expect His Highness Lin Mu to be so close to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Inside the Godwind Academy carriage, Feng Xiaotian watched the two depart. His eyes were filled with surprise, which quickly turned to envy.
If he had the chance to meet His Highness Lin Mu, perhaps he could receive some guidance. There were many rumors about Lin Mu, the most prominent being his speed, which even a Title Douluo couldn't match, suggesting he was a speed-based Soul Master.
His own Stormwind Doubleheaded Wolf Martial Soul combined attack and speed; if his speed doubled, his strength would undoubtedly increase significantly. However, as the leader of the Royal Fighting Team, Lin Mu obviously wouldn't help a rival improve their strength, as it would affect the Royal Fighting Team's ranking in the finals.
"As far as I know, Lin Mu is a fire-attribute Soul Master. It would be great if he could come and teach at our Blazing Academy," Huo Wu said with a hint of admiration from inside the Blazing Academy carriage.
Not only her, but most of the members of the fifteen teams regarded Lin Mu as an idol. If Lin Mu participated in this Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament as a competitor, they would have no chance at all. He was only a few years older than them, yet he was already a renowned top expert. How could they not admire him?
In a world where strength is respected, when someone's talent reaches the pinnacle, enough to crush other geniuses, why would they need to grovel like Feng Xiaotian? Even with Innate Full Soul Power, it's useless without brains.
After half a month of travel, the sixteen teams, including the Royal Fighting Team, finally arrived at Spirit City.
After separating from the main group, Lin Mu led the Royal Fighting Team to find a place to stay nearby. According to news from Spirit Hall, the finals would be held in three days, giving all the teams ample time to rest and recuperate.
For the next three days, Lin Mu didn't discuss tactics with his team, instead allowing them to rest and cultivate. The three seeded teams received a bye in the first round of the finals, so discussing tactics wasn't urgent. Moreover, in Lin Mu's eyes, only the Spirit Hall Golden Generation team posed any real threat.
The finals venue was located less than a kilometer away from the Supreme Pontiff's Palace.
When he last fought at the Supreme Pontiff's Palace, Lin Mu had only glanced at it briefly; it was even more luxurious than the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Arena. The final three teams would compete directly in front of the Supreme Pontiff's Palace.
After more than half a year of repairs, the Supreme Pontiff's Palace had long since returned to its original state, but as long as Lin Mu was alive, the humiliation he inflicted could never be washed away.
Now, Lin Mu had returned to Spirit City, this time as the leader of the Royal Fighting Team.
Even if Bibi Dong harbored resentment, she dared not openly attack; Lin Mu's eighth soul skill had severely injured her and several Title Douluos last time. Unless Qian Daoliu personally intervened, Spirit Hall had no way to deal with Lin Mu.
Meanwhile, inside the Supreme Pontiff's Palace.
Bibi Dong sat on her throne, one hand supporting her chin, exuding an air of nonchalant languor, yet her eyes were icy cold.
"Lin Mu, I will never let you go!"