Chapter 263 The draw begins, Match No. 6
Liu Yuan, sitting on the preparation bench, was naturally unaware of the sinister thoughts that Xuanzi was hiding beneath his gray robes. He remained calmly seated, silently adjusting the source of his golden double pupils, waiting patiently in place.
As time went on, the number of spectators around the main square on the outskirts of Mingdu increased, and the stands were already packed. The participating teams from all the major sects and academies had also basically all entered the arena.
More than a hundred teams were neatly arranged in their respective areas, and countless fluctuations of soul power of varying strengths collided faintly in the air, causing the temperature in the center of the square to rise a few degrees.
Finally, as the time was almost up, the official personnel from the Sun Moon Empire, the organizer, slowly walked onto the golden platform located directly in front of the competition arena.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent silver robe. He slowly walked to a megaphone and pressed down with both hands. The once noisy and deafening plaza gradually quieted down in that instant, and the eyes of hundreds of thousands of people were all focused on him.
"Distinguished Soul Masters, ordinary citizens, and elites from various sects and academies across the continent."
The middle-aged man's voice, amplified by the soul tool, resounded clearly like muffled thunder throughout every corner of the grand square: "By order of His Majesty, I hereby declare the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition officially open!"
boom--!
As he finished speaking, dozens of cannons positioned around the square roared simultaneously, and golden fragments filled the sky, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.
The middle-aged man smiled as the cheers subsided slightly, then his expression turned serious, and his voice became official: "Now, I will announce the rules for the first stage of this competition. According to the competition's format, the first stage will be a brutal elimination round. All participating teams will draw lots to determine their opponents. Winners will advance, while losers will be eliminated without any chance of resurrection. Therefore, the results of the first round of draws will directly determine how far you can go in this competition."
Upon hearing the words "elimination round" and "lossers are directly eliminated," many teachers and students from less established academies tensed up, some even unconsciously swallowing. This competition format not only tests overall strength but also heavily relies on luck. If one unfortunately draws a top-tier power in the first round, years of hard work will be in vain.
"The rules have been announced. Now, let's officially begin the first round of the draw!"
The middle-aged man pointed to the center of the arena. There, a huge lottery box made entirely of a special metal had been placed, its surface engraved with complex soul-guiding isolation patterns, capable of completely preventing any spiritual or soul power probing.
The middle-aged man turned around and looked at the preparation seats of the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy. His tone became more polite: "According to the tradition of previous competitions, the draw ceremony will begin with a representative from the previous competition champion, the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy, coming forward to draw your match number."
Whoosh!
At this moment, the eyes of hundreds of thousands of people in the audience, as well as the gazes of more than a hundred participating teams, all converged on the area where the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy was located, following the words of the organizers.
"Liu Yuan, go. Let these people see the majesty of our Body Sect." Poison Immortal sat in his chair and gave a calm order.
"Yes, Master."
Liu Yuan stood up calmly. He straightened his spotless white clothes, then strode steadily toward the metal draw box in the center of the competition stage through the passage in front of the preparation area.
As the white-clad youth slowly walked onto the stage, a low but extremely oppressive murmur arose among the audience and the various factions.
"Liu Yuan went up... I wonder which unlucky guy will be drawn to the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy this time." A young Soul Master wearing a cyan sect robe shrank his neck and said nervously to his fellow disciples.
"That's right. The previous champions were all elites from the Body Sect. If we run into them in the first round, what's the difference between that and packing our bags and going home? God help us, please don't let us draw the same number as them."
"Judging from his appearance, he's not nervous at all."
Under the watchful eyes of countless people filled with prayer, apprehension, and curiosity, Liu Yuan had already walked to the metal lottery box. Without the slightest hesitation, his fair and slender right hand reached directly into the top of the metal box.
With a slight twist of his wrist, Liu Yuan pulled out a cold metal ball from inside.
He withdrew his hand, the metal sphere gleaming with a black metallic luster in the sunlight. Liu Yuan slightly turned his head, displaying the side engraved with numbers to the organizers and the camera lens of the high-altitude detection soul tool.
The number "6" is clearly engraved on it.
Upon seeing this, the organizers immediately announced loudly, "The Heavenly Soul Royal Academy team has drawn number 6! This means they will appear in the sixth match of the first stage of the knockout rounds!"
Liu Yuan remained calm, nodded slightly to the officials, then turned around and, amidst a low murmur of commotion, walked steadily back to his seat in the preparation area.
"Number 6, the sixth game, that's pretty early on." Chen Lu muttered, stroking his chin.
With the first match number determined, the middle-aged man on the platform spoke again: "The draw for last year's champion has been completed. Next, please come forward one by one to draw your respective numbers!"
The lottery ceremony immediately commenced in full swing. Representatives from various factions and ordinary academies lined up and took turns going up on stage.
When it was Xingluo National Academy's turn, Xu Jiujiu stepped forward, surrounded by her teammates. She reached her fair arm into the box and quickly pulled out a metal ball with the number "8" on it. Xingluo National Academy would be playing their eighth elimination match. After seeing the number, Xu Jiujiu glanced in Liu Yuan's direction. Seeing that Liu Yuan's expression was normal, she pursed her lips and led her team back.
Next, it was Shrek Academy's turn to draw lots.
As the captain of this year's Shrek team, Beibei strode onto the stage with a serious expression. He rummaged through the metal box for a moment and finally drew a number—"4".
"Shrek Academy team, you've drawn number 4, and you'll be playing in the fourth match!" The official's voice rang out once again throughout the venue.
Seeing this, Xuanzi, sitting behind Shrek Academy's preparation area, smacked his lips. The fourth match was two matches earlier than the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy's. This meant that Shrek Academy would be the first to showcase its strength to the entire continent. However, Xuanzi didn't care much; he was more confident that the victories in the previous matches would completely boost Shrek Academy's morale.
The lottery ceremony continued, with one college after another going up, and the metal balls in the box dwindling. Each time someone drew a number, a small commotion would erupt from the audience.
What everyone cares about most is still that "unlucky guy" who is about to face off against the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy in the sixth match.
Finally, in the latter half of the drawing ceremony, a captain from an ordinary advanced soul master academy within the Spirit Empire, his hands trembling, pulled a metal ball from the box. When he saw that the number on it was also "6", the captain's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he almost lost his balance on the stage.
"Number 6 against Japan... Draw complete!" the organizer announced loudly.
At this point, all matchups and order of play in the first round of the knockout stage have been finalized.
As the lottery ceremony concluded, the previously tense atmosphere in the square subtly shifted once again. The vast majority of teams that didn't draw Heavenly Soul Royal Academy or Shrek Academy secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, on Shrek's preparation bench, Xuanzi's gaze slowly shifted back from the large screen high above.
With his hands behind his back, his squinting eyes were fixed on the name "Heavenly Soul Royal Academy" in the sixth match's bracket. At this moment, Xuanzi felt no regret that Shrek Academy hadn't faced Heavenly Soul in the first round; instead, he was filled with great anticipation.
Since Shrek Academy appeared in the fourth match, while Heavenly Soul Royal Academy appeared in the sixth, he could have easily sat comfortably below after leading his team in Shrek Academy's first match, watching the sixth match intently without blinking.
"The sixth game..."
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Xuanzi's mouth, hidden beneath his gray robe, and a glint of earthy yellow light flickered in his eyes. At that moment, on the competition stage under the watchful eyes of everyone, without any external interference, he would be able to see, up close, more clearly and comprehensively, just how much strength this little brat Liu Yuan had now achieved.
(End of chapter)