Chapter 208: "They're Planning to Overthrow You, and You're Cheering?"
Time passed, and amidst the buzzing crowd, the long-anticipated opening ceremony finally began.
Excluding staff, participants, and unregistered "spectators," the arena hosted a full 80,000 audience members, with tens of thousands more gathered outside the Soul Arena.
To maintain order among such a massive crowd, the Heaven Dou Empire deployed thousands of Royal Knights.
Unbeknownst to most, some Royal Knights glanced toward the highest platform with conflicted expressions—flashing between hesitation, killing intent, and reluctant acceptance…
Inside the Soul Arena, dozens of amplification soul tools were set up. Yes, amplification soul tools—devices capable of amplifying sound dozens of times, effectively acting as a sound system.
The host stood tall, microphone in hand, appearing calm and collected. In reality, he was a nervous wreck.
This was the grandest event he had ever hosted! Thankfully, his years of experience as a top-tier host in the Soul Arena gave him the confidence to maintain composure.
"And now, let us welcome Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Royal Battle Team One!"
"As citizens of Heaven Dou, you must already be familiar with the Royal Battle Team. That's right—they are the Empire's seed team!"
"This year's Royal Battle Team is several times stronger than its predecessors. I'll leave you in suspense and won't reveal their roster just yet!"
At this point, the audience collectively wanted to punch him.
You just said the team is exponentially stronger—why not elaborate? And now you're trying to keep it a secret?
This was the seed team, directly qualifying for the finals. At least 99.99% of these spectators wouldn't even get to see the finals!
This was nothing short of digging a hole and leaving it unfilled. Such a host deserved a beating!
But the crowd misunderstood the host—he genuinely didn't know the specifics of Royal Battle Team One. The notes handed to him contained only vague hints, so what else could he do but stick to the script?
As the host finished speaking, reactions varied between the VIP section and the general audience.
Some people's mouths were already curling up to their ears, particularly the three academy committee members. Their expressions brimmed with pride and satisfaction, though it was hard to tell whether others shared their sentiment.
If anyone truly understood the strength of Kong and Dugu Yan, they'd realize why the trio looked so smug.
"Championship, glory—it all belongs to Heaven Dou Empire and Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!"
The three were jubilant, practically overjoyed.
Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin sat above the trio, positioned just below Emperor Xue Ye.
The two seemed like they wanted to say something but ultimately held back.
What could they say?
This was merely a competition—was it even possible for them to face a Title Douluo stronger than Tang Hao?
After all, this was the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, a competition for those under 25, essentially a youth division.
It wasn't a Seven Great Sects Championship!
Even in that case, Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi doubted their ability to defeat Kong alone.
The fact that Kong had been persuaded by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe to join Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was something they hadn't foreseen.
Given Kong's intent to overthrow the Heaven Dou Royal Family, this might very well be an infiltration deep into enemy lines…
Though they understood, both men kept their thoughts to themselves. After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was now firmly aligned with Kong.
"Excellent! Truly outstanding young talent from my Heaven Dou Empire!"
At this moment, Emperor Xue Ye laughed heartily.
"???"
They're planning to overthrow you, and you're cheering for them?
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!
Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi exchanged glances, clapping subtly. Too brilliant!
As Kong led the team's entrance, the Royal Battle Team members followed suit. Cheers and murmurs filled the arena.
"Why does the Royal Battle Team captain look so young? Can he really lead them to the championship?"
"Do you have no eyes? Look at how handsome my husband is! Of course, he can!"
"Bah, as if you're worthy!"
There were cheers, there were doubts, and some contestants didn't look pleased.
The Royal Battle Team hadn't even participated in the preliminary rounds, yet they had stolen most of the spotlight.
And that captain, Yu Tiankong—was he really not relying on connections? He looked so young! It wasn't even clear if he was at the Soul Elder level. How could someone like that become the captain of a seed team?
What infuriated them even more was that some female contestants were openly casting flirtatious glances at Yu Tiankong, their eyes brimming with affection.
Outrageous!
Their molars were practically ground to dust!
He was just a tiny bit (read: a ridiculous amount) more handsome than others. What right did he have?!
Besides, no one even knew what his true strength was!
"Ah, even walking through the motions here is exhausting. I'm really not suited for these kinds of events," Kong sighed internally. As for the audience's doubts, let them question all they wanted. What did it matter? Was he supposed to release his martial soul to intimidate them into silence?
In the audience, two elderly men seated in a corner stroked their beards as they observed the figure on stage, looking very satisfied.
"My grandson's talent and strength far surpass anything I could have achieved at his age. Unfortunately, we won't get to see him make a move this time," muttered one of the men.
"Clan Leader, my granddaughter isn't bad either! She's a perfect match for Kong!" the other man said.
"I can't argue with you on that, Vice Clan Leader. But whether it works out or not isn't something I can guarantee—you understand that, don't you?"
"…"
After a moment of silence, Dugu Bo nodded and said, "Our descendants will have their own fortunes. I won't think too much about it."
"You're quite open-minded."
"Open-minded? What else can I do? Clash with that 'existence' head-on?"
Dugu Bo felt like crying but held it in. Did he even dare to be narrow-minded?
The two chatted for a bit longer before quietly leaving the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Arena. Among such a massive crowd, their departure caused barely a ripple, not even a splash.
Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen had come to Heaven Dou City for one reason only: to check in on Kong and Dugu Yan. Beyond that, they had no other business.
As for Xue Beng's death, Dugu Bo felt little about it. The favor he owed was to Prince Xue Xing, not Xue Beng. Comparatively, he preferred Xue Beng to Xue Qinghe, mostly due to Xue Xing's influence.
The imperial family's power struggles had little to do with an outsider like him, and he had no desire to get involved.
Besides, Xue Beng was already dead. What more was there to say?
"And now entering the arena is Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team, Royal Battle Team Two…"
The process continued smoothly, with the audience quickly shifting their attention. Moments after Royal Battle Team One's exit, they were already cheering for the next teams, almost forgetting their earlier doubts about Kong's youthfulness.
"And next, entering the arena is Thunder Academy's Thunder Team…"
"And Blaze Team…"
"Vice-Captain, that Royal Battle Team captain is the person we encountered that day…"
Huo Lie's gaze locked onto Kong, the sight instantly reminding him of the events from that day…
(End of Chapter)
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