Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, a year had passed.
The new season of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament opened as scheduled.
A few days before the tournament began, Qin Ming gathered all the members of the Heaven Dou team.
Looking at the impressive lineup before him, Qin Ming felt a surge of pride.
Lin Yang, 15 years old, level 66 Battle Soul Emperor, martial soul: Nichirin Blade.
Dugu Yan, 22 years old, level 55 Battle Soul King, martial soul: Jade Phosphor Poison Dragon.
Xiao Wu, 14 years old, level 56 Battle Soul King, martial soul: Soft Bone Rabbit.
Ye Lingling, 21 years old, level 53 Weapon Soul King, martial soul: Nine Heart Flowering Apple.
Stone Mill (Graphite), 22 years old, level 43 Battle Soul Master, martial soul: Black Tortoise Turtle.
Yu Feng, 21 years old, level 41 Battle Soul Master, martial soul: Wind Bell Bird.
Osler, 21 years old, level 42 Battle Soul Master, martial soul: Ghost Leopard.
Look at that — one Soul Emperor and three Soul Kings. With this lineup, Qin Ming couldn't even imagine the possibility of losing.
However, as team leader, Qin Ming responsibly explained the full schedule and rules of the tournament in detail.
Team 1 was a seeded team with guaranteed qualification, so they only needed to focus on the finals.
However, they were still required to attend the opening ceremony of the Spirit Master Elite Tournament.
...
Time flew by, and the Spirit Master Elite Tournament officially began.
As members of the Heaven Dou team, their rest area was naturally in the best environment, allowing them to easily watch the entire venue.
The thirty teams participating in the Heaven Dou division also arrived one after another at their designated rest areas.
The cheers from the audience grew louder as they cheered for their favorite teams.
However, among this year's teams, there was one that stood out particularly — even more so than the Heaven Dou team.
No matter how one looked at it, Shrek Academy's strange uniforms — a dirty green covered in all sorts of promotional advertisements — were far too eye-catching.
It was the kind of thing one would never forget after seeing it once.
If Flender wanted to make Shrek Academy famous, this… wasn't a bad method.
However, this was all under the premise that Shrek achieved good results.
Soon, magnificent fireworks were launched into the sky above the Great Spirit Arena, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
The host, dressed in formal attire, leaped into the air and stood gracefully in the center of the arena.
He then concentrated his soul power so that his voice clearly reached every corner of the Great Spirit Arena.
"The Continental Elite Tournament (Advanced Spirit Master Academy Division) has officially begun!"
The moment he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the entire audience and lasted for a long time.
The host raised his hand and loudly announced, "Next, we invite His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire to deliver a greeting to the tournament."
Emperor Xue Ye stood up from the VIP seats and walked in front of everyone, speaking in a powerful voice.
After a concise yet forceful speech, he returned to his seat.
Lin Yang slightly shifted his eyes in the lounge. Emperor Xue Ye looked much older than he had five years ago, but his mood seemed good.
With proper care, living another ten years or so shouldn't be a problem.
Without Qian Renxue as an inside agent, the coup d'état Bibi Dong had planned in Heaven Dou would have been impossible.
If she still wanted to establish the Spirit Empire, she would have to find another way.
While Lin Yang was deep in thought, Ning Fengzhi and Salas also finished their respective speeches.
Finally, Bishop Salas, the representative of Spirit Hall, drew the opponents for the first round of the preliminaries.
"In the first round of the preliminaries, Canghui Academy will face Purple Star Academy."
"Oakland Academy versus Flame Glow Academy."
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team will face Shrek Academy."
The moment the host finished speaking, various boos and jeers erupted from the audience.
Some even shouted that it was cheating, speaking in an indignant tone.
Shrek's strange attire had left a very bad impression on the audience.
They unconsciously thought that Shrek Academy was just a bunch of slackers taking advantage of the chaos to profit.
For the opponent facing such a lazy team, it was practically like getting free points.
However, the audience's doubts did not affect Salas's draw. Instead, it helped him gain the support of many people.
This act, which shook the foundation of the empire, instantly darkened Emperor Xue Ye's expression.
When the tournament officially began, the first match of the first round was between Shrek Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team.
Soon, both teams lined up in the arena.
On Shrek's side, the ones who appeared were Tang San, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, Jiang Zhu, and Tai Long.
The moment the match began, both teams simultaneously released their martial souls. The spirit rings beneath their feet shone brightly.
Tang San and Dai Mubai each had four spirit rings growing from their feet — two yellow and two purple. Zhu Zhuqing and the others also had three spirit rings.
Heaven Dou Team 2 had no Soul Lords, but everyone was a Soul Elder.
Their spirit ring configurations were all the same — the best combination being two yellow and one purple.
"Sick!"
Tang San shouted, and the Shrek Seven Devils launched their attack.
Tang San's third spirit ring lit up. A massive spider web woven from Blue Silver Grass descended from the sky and enveloped Team 2.
The spider web wrapped tightly around the five people like dodder vines.
The members of Team 2 were not to be underestimated either.
The five in the front line were all attack-type beast spirit masters — lion, bear, tiger, leopard, and wolf.
While Tang San's spirit skill rained down, the captain at the front had already activated his spirit skill, tearing through the vine net with sharp claws.
However, at this moment, Dai Mubai's fourth spirit skill — White Tiger Meteor Shower — was already prepared.
Countless golden meteors rained down from the sky and crashed violently into the crowd.
The support-type spirit master standing at the back was kicked off the stage by Zhu Zhuqing's thrust attack, while the control-type spirit master faced Tai Long.
Facing a level-37 Mighty Gorilla, a control-type character who was only in the level 30s instantly fell into a disadvantageous position.
In just over ten breaths, Heaven Dou Team 2 had already fallen into a completely disadvantageous situation.
Lin Yang could clearly see everything on the stage from the private rest area. He wasn't surprised by the outcome of Heaven Dou Team 2.
Without the enhancement from immortal herbs, the Shrek Seven Devils were much weaker than he had imagined.
The strongest, Dai Mubai, definitely wouldn't exceed level 43.
Zhu Zhuqing should be around level 35.
Tang San should have just exceeded level 40. He didn't have the Eight Spider Lances, immortal herbs, or a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring.
Had he added spirit rings to the Clear Sky Hammer and reached level 40 so quickly?
Lin Yang narrowed his eyes and chuckled inwardly.
He was worrying unnecessarily. Even if the Clear Sky Hammer was fully equipped with ten-thousand-year spirit rings, so what?
Didn't he also have a second martial soul?
Moreover, even with added spirit rings, it was no longer possible to bridge the gap between the two.
In that instant, the almost one-sided match ended with the complete and crushing defeat of Heaven Dou Team 2.
When the referee announced the match result, almost all the players from Heaven Dou Team 2 were injured. Although none were seriously injured, they all looked quite disheveled.
...