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The number of teams advancing to the finals this year is larger than in previous years. In addition to the Tian Dou, Star Luo, and Spirit Hall teams—who have guaranteed spots in the finals—four more teams have qualified: the Four Elements Academy, Shrek Academy, the Haotian Sect, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The New Tian Dou Federation Academy team did not make it to the finals.
The Four Elements Academy is formed by the Thunderclap, Divine Wind, Tian Shui, and Blazing Fire Academies. Just like in the original story, these four academies decided to join forces. This wasn't due to pressure from Spirit Hall, but rather to keep pace with the rapid growth of Tian Dou City in comparison to Spirit Hall City. With the city undergoing an academic reorganization, Emperor Qinghe himself called a meeting with the senior officials from the city's academies to discuss plans.
With the academies now situated in close proximity to one another, the four elemental schools found themselves growing familiar and decided to unite, striving for mutual progress and growth.
As for the Haotian Sect team, there's not much to elaborate on. They muscled their way into the finals with sheer brute strength, wielding their Haotian Hammers in a display of raw power that made them the least exciting team to watch.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team, however, advanced to the finals thanks to Ning Rongrong, who shared her Nine Treasures Nine Apertures Array technique with her clan. Although none of the sect's direct disciples could match her abilities without techniques like the Xuantian Gong, their augmented abilities greatly enhanced their teammates' power, making them a formidable force.
"Congratulations on reaching the Continental Elite Tournament finals."
In the VIP section of the arena, Bibi Dong slowly rose to her feet, silencing the noisy hall in an instant. "After a month of rest, the final round was set to begin. However, circumstances have changed. People from the Sun and Moon have arrived overseas by ship, which may alter the course of the finals…"
This announcement shocked all seven teams.
Ning Fengzhi, also taken aback, quickly addressed Bibi Dong. "If I may ask, Your Holiness, how did Spirit Hall acquire this information? Shouldn't the coast near Xiao Hai City have reported it first if the Sun and Moon Empire were approaching?"
Bibi Dong replied, "Tang San sensed it. His spiritual cultivation has reached a transcendent level; with intense focus, he can observe the entire continent."
"I see!" Ning Fengzhi murmured in admiration, yet his heart swelled with joy: "My son-in-law is invincible!"
Yet he couldn't help but wonder: the Sun and Moon Empire is mobilizing troops again? Their emperor has already been defeated, so have they chosen a new ruler so quickly? Or could it be that the Sun and Moon Empire's governing style differs greatly from the empires on the Douluo Continent?
Unfortunately, Ning Fengzhi was unaware that, although Xu Huang held the title of emperor in the Sun and Moon Empire, his relationship with his officials resembled more of a gang structure. He delegated most responsibilities to his subordinates, rarely managing affairs himself. His primary role was to maintain his own strength to suppress any dissent.
In essence, he was just a figurehead.
As long as his subordinates remained content and didn't entertain thoughts of rebellion, it didn't matter much whether Xu Huang attended court, managed state affairs, or even existed.
After all, while the Sun and Moon Continent may have been unified under him, the empire's governance and development had little to do with him. Most of the time, he simply served as a figurehead holding military power.
"A Carefree Emperor"
In novels, he'd be the quintessential carefree, hedonistic ruler. In a world without magic or extraordinary powers, he'd be labeled a negligent king. However, on Douluo Star, where strength reigns supreme in the soul master world, such a structure is unsurprising.
Spirit Hall was originally much the same. The more powerful a soul master, the more extravagant their life. But under Tang San's influence, most of Spirit Hall's high-ranking members—whether voluntarily or by obligation—took on more work, reducing their leisure time, even for Bibi Dong herself.
"Everyone, although the Sun and Moon Empire has come again, Tang San's senses indicate that this time the ships are smaller—possibly merchant or reconnaissance vessels."
Bibi Dong continued, "We don't know for certain, but your final task in this tournament is to investigate this ship."
"These foreigners from another continent invaded our land with force, but their actions have expanded our worldview. Across the ocean lies another continent. However, unlike them, we won't act barbarically. First, we must assess the situation thoroughly to decide our next steps."
"After all, our goal is to someday bring civilization to their land, not to follow in their footsteps with savage conquest."
The teams in the finals each had different reactions. The new Tian Dou and Star Luo teams seemed thoughtful; the Spirit Hall team gazed at Bibi Dong with admiration, eager to head out and gather intelligence; the Four Elements Academy team was equally enthusiastic, keen to experience real battle. Meanwhile, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team's captain looked toward Ning Fengzhi, seeking guidance, knowing their direct disciples were too few to risk losing any.
Within the Shrek team, opinions were divided, including Oscar and Ma Hongjun, who had contrasting views.
Oscar wanted to participate to test if his Eight Spider Lances could absorb human soul masters' soul power and vitality. After discovering that the Eight Spider Lances could absorb the life force and cultivation of soul beasts, he began to wonder if they could do the same to people. However, even Shrek Academy, despite its unconventional approach, instilled a basic sense of ethics, which curbed this dark impulse.
But devouring Sun and Moon invaders? That might be fair game.
The Sun and Moon army had committed atrocities like massacring cities and erecting grim displays of their conquests. Oscar reasoned that even ordinary Sun and Moon citizens couldn't be good people; he felt justified in acting as he saw fit.
As Yu Xiaogang's disciple, Oscar had been deeply influenced by his theories and added his own perspective. Moreover, he possessed a daring spirit that Yu Xiaogang lacked, a "courage" to conduct experiments firsthand.
On the other hand, Ma Hongjun was hesitant and didn't want to risk it. He felt that simply making it to the finals was already a great accomplishment for Shrek. Besides, with their age, they'd still be eligible to compete in the next tournament in five years.
The Haotian Sect team, however, was openly disdainful, feeling that the Spirit Hall's pope was overly hypocritical.
Their attitude was that if the Sun and Moon Empire had attacked Douluo, then they should sail to the Sun and Moon continent, destroy cities, and even take captives, enslaving them for generations to come.
That, they believed, was true vengeance.
But with Spirit Hall's dominance, they couldn't argue, so they simply thought of ways to secure victory. Why not, they mused, simply sink the Sun and Moon Empire's ship outright?
After all, gathering intelligence would ultimately lead to confronting the Sun and Moon Empire. By skipping that step and eliminating the enemy's vessel outright, wouldn't they prove themselves even more effective?
(End of chapter)