Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The Continental Elite Tournament—
Had officially begun!
Teams from across the continent made their way to Spirit City, where floating soul tools hung in the sky, forming a long line that pointed towards the coastal region near the border between Tian Dou and Star Luo Empires.
Many participants found this curious and somewhat confusing.
As the teams gathered at the center of Spirit City—in the grand Spirit Battle Arena—the stadium was already packed with spectators. In the center of the arena stood six massive soul screens, each twenty meters high and ten meters wide, arranged in a hexagonal formation.
With the entrance of Pope Bibi Dong from Spirit Hall, the crowd fell silent.
"Welcome, everyone, to Spirit City for this year's Continental Elite Tournament. This time, the rules are different from past years, as you've all heard—"
"As long as you meet the age requirement and have no criminal record, you may form a team and register enthusiastically."
"The reason is simple: to give civilian soul masters who lack access to advanced academies a chance to showcase their abilities. Perhaps they—or rather, you—"
"Perhaps some of you will display talents and strengths on par with students from elite soul master academies."
Bibi Dong's words resonated, earning the cheers of civilian soul masters in attendance.
However, disciples and elders of the noble clans—particularly the Haotian Sect, which had recently emerged from seclusion—sneered.
How could commoner soul masters, with their "trash" martial spirits, compare to the likes of their noble Haotian Hammer?
What potential could they possibly reveal?
They were but ants!
"There's Tang San!" The Seventh Elder's eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint as he noticed Tang San seated beside Bibi Dong. He sneered at Tang Xiao, "He certainly looks the part."
This time, the Haotian Sect's team was led by Tang Xiao himself, while Tang Hao remained to guard the sect.
The reason—
Tang Xiao wanted to avoid the awkwardness of a father-son reunion, which might easily spiral into a violent confrontation, disgracing the entire Haotian Sect.
Moreover, Tang Xiao felt that, after years of overseeing sect affairs, he needed to get out, refresh his mind, and gain perspective. His younger brother, Tang Hao, needed to mature and look beyond his hammer; he had accumulated far too much bloodlust in the Slaughter City and could use some discipline.
Finally, there was one other reason—
Tang Yuehua had not returned to the sect in some time, and her funding and supplies to the sect had gradually decreased. Tang Xiao suspected that she might be in Spirit City gathering intelligence and feared that Spirit Hall was suppressing her.
"Seventh Elder, stay calm. We are here to restore the Haotian Sect's honor, not to provoke Spirit Hall," Tang Xiao said sternly. "If they don't bring up the past, neither should we. Our goal is to elevate the sect's prestige! And besides, right now, you'd lose to Tang San."
The Seventh Elder's face darkened.
He understood the rationale; he understood the stakes. If he dared to charge out, Tang San might not even need to stand. With a single raised finger and the command to "kneel," he could be crushed to the ground, unable to rise.
But how was he to vent his seething rage?
He couldn't defeat Tang Hao...
And he certainly couldn't defeat Tang San...
Despite achieving the level of Titled Douluo, reaching the highest echelon of the continent, why was he still left swallowing this bitterness?
Fury!
Resentment!
Reluctance!
Finally, it all turned into a sigh of resignation: "All for the restoration of the Haotian Sect's honor."
By now, Bibi Dong had finished her speech and announced, "Next, I invite the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, the Silver-Blue Earl of TIan Dou Empire, master of spirit cultivation theory, and one of the leading researchers of soul tools—Tang San—to explain the rules of the preliminary round."
Tang San, laden with a string of titles, glanced somewhat helplessly at Bibi Dong, who wore a faint, amused smile. Rising slowly, he began, "Ahem, hello everyone. I'm Tang San. Let's skip the flowery speech; after all, I know none of you care for a long-winded introduction…"
Yu Yuanzhen, with his hands on his hips, commented, "This Tang San is pretty straightforward."
Yu Luomian shook his head. "That kind of demeanor doesn't suit mingling with nobility…"
Nearby, Ning Fengzhi, the head of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, responded, "Tang San doesn't need to worry about anyone's opinion now; who would dare criticize him?"
"And such unpretentiousness is rare and precious!"
Of course, Ning Fengzhi had to defend his son-in-law.
Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Luomian exchanged glances, speechless. Yes, they knew Ning Fengzhi had a good son-in-law, but did he need to show off so openly?
"By the way, hasn't your sect been close to the Haotian Sect lately?" Yu Luomian nodded toward Tang Xiao and the others in the common participant section. "Why not go pay a visit?"
"Although the Upper Three Sects share a bond, the Haotian Sect voluntarily severed it. We won't cling where we're not wanted," Bone Douluo answered on Ning Fengzhi's behalf.
Such blunt words couldn't come from a sect leader himself.
Yu Luomian nodded, agreeing. "That's true."
Among the Upper Three Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's connection with the Haotian Sect was the weakest. Even before the Haotian Sect closed its doors, most communication between the two had relied on the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as an intermediary.
Now that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had distanced itself from the Haotian Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan saw no need to renew ties. After all, direct disciples of the sect would never marry into the Haotian Sect; even those whose martial spirit wasn't the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon wouldn't be considered for marriage alliances.
"…Regarding the preliminary rules, since we've opened registration, allowing anyone to participate has led to an overwhelming number of competitors. Spirit Battle Arena is nearly overflowing. Thus, in collaboration with Spirit Hall's Pope Bibi Dong, the Emperor of Heaven Dou, Xue Qinghe, the Emperor of Star Luo, Dai Luogao, and the Federal Leader of New Heaven Dou, Xue Beng, along with myself, we've come to a decision—"
"The preliminary round will follow a battle royale format."
"Those of you who watched last year's final may remember the grand melee in the championship match. This elimination round will be similar, except with more teams per venue."
"Each group will have ten teams."
"That means seventy people will compete in the same field. You may form alliances, but remember, only one team will advance from each round."
A sense of gravity settled over the teams.
This rule meant that alliances outside one's own team couldn't be trusted entirely and required constant vigilance.
Even within their own teams, betrayal was a possibility.
After all, a significant portion of participants weren't academy students but members of private groups. With the right incentive, withdrawing or betraying the team could be tempting.
"And the official battleground will be on a remote island near the continent."
"Your first task will be to reach your designated competition location within the set time, or face direct elimination. As for directions—"
"The flying recording devices in the sky have already provided guidance."
(End of Chapter)