"Long live His Majesty the Emperor, long live, long live!"
The audience below shouted in unison, and the fiery emotion was ignited almost instantly.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom..."
One hundred and eight cannon shots echoed from the walls of the imperial city, and the entire Star Luo Square had turned into a sea of cheers.
The Emperor of Star Luo, Xu Jiawei, and the Empress led the civil and military officials to their seats. Xu Jiawei waved to the Prime Minister beside him, who immediately understood and issued the order to start the competition.
"According to the rules of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament, the first round will be an elimination round. This year, a total of 133 Advanced Spirit Master and Spirit Guidance Academies have registered. After the drawing, one academy will have a bye in the first round, so a total of 66 matches will take place."
"The first round is an elimination format; the losers will immediately end their journey in this tournament. Now, the first match is about to begin. The competing teams are from the Heavenly Spirit Advanced Spirit Master Academy of the Dou Ling Empire and Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent, with countless honors and nearly every championship in the past millennium under their belt."
With the host's announcement, the atmosphere in Star Luo Square was completely ignited.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
The chant for Shrek Academy echoed in every corner of the square, and a faint shadow flashed in Xu Jiawei's eyes.
The reputation of Shrek Academy, this holy land for Spirit Masters, was too overwhelming—so overwhelming that it almost eclipsed the prestige of the imperial families of the three kingdoms that originally belonged to Douluo.
At least in the hearts of Spirit Masters, Shrek Academy's status and fame far surpassed that of any of the three great empires, becoming the "white moonlight" in the hearts of countless people.
And the strong figures that emerged from Shrek Academy's inner court all saw themselves as part of the transcendent Shrek family, showing utter disdain for so-called royal authority.
For Shrek Academy, this was indeed an honor spanning ten thousand years. But for the royal families of the major empires, it was nothing less than a challenge and a threat to their thrones.
The threat of Shrek must be eliminated!
Faced with such an intense scene, the seven members of the reserve team were somewhat panicked. It was their first time experiencing such passionate attention, and everyone's face turned pale.
This was an audience of tens of thousands! If they lost this match and Shrek Academy got eliminated, they couldn't even imagine the consequences.
"Yuhao, are you... okay?"
Wang Yan's hands were clenched tight, turning slightly white. Even for him, this was his first time facing such a situation.
"Heh, the ten-thousand-year-old Shrek..." Huo Yuhao chuckled lightly, but his expression remained calm and composed.
"I'm the only one going on stage. Why are you panicking? Besides, my opponent will definitely be ten times more nervous and scared than you."
"Fear is an abyss that devours people's hearts. It's also the sharpest weapon in my hand. This time, I'll make sure everyone on stage and in the audience has their eyes fixed on me!"
At that moment, the host's voice echoed again: "Let's first welcome the team members of Heavenly Spirit Advanced Spirit Master Academy!"
From a position farther back in the competitors' area, a team of pale-faced young participants stepped out. As they exited the competitors' area, even their footsteps seemed to be floating unsteadily.
At the back of the team was a short youth, who was so nervous that he even had to hold up his pants, which appeared too large for him, clearly not his own clothes.
"Tsk tsk tsk, did this kid wet himself in the staging area and borrow a pair of pants last minute?" Xu Sanshi commented while stroking his chin.
With his words, everyone around him, including Wang Yan, burst into laughter, instantly dispelling the earlier tense atmosphere.
"Alright, the team members from Heavenly Spirit Advanced Spirit Master Academy have taken the stage. Now, in this moment that all eyes are watching, let's welcome the number one academy on the continent, the true king of Spirit Master academies, Shrek Academy!"
The host's voice pierced through the clouds, and Xingluo Square once again became a sea of people cheering the word "Shrek."
The Emperor of Star Luo, Xu Jiawei, couldn't help but stand up, his face showing an expression of excitement.
Back when he was still a prince, he had once disguised himself to study at Shrek Academy, only to be expelled by a certain old, short-sighted woman, Madam Zhou.
Even now, he still deeply loved someone—someone who still remained in the inner court of Shrek Academy. Yet in his heart, he also deeply hated someone—namely, the perverted old hag Zhou Yi.
"That old fool! I've already achieved the rank of Title Douluo, and you're still just a laughable Spirit Emperor! I hear you even dared to hurt Dai Hao's most talented son. You're simply seeking death! If you ever leave Shrek City, I will…"
At this thought, Xu Jiawei turned to the Prime Minister beside him and asked, "Has Dai Hao's eldest son, Dai Yueheng, arrived today? I remember informing the White Tiger Duke's mansion yesterday to watch the competition with us, as a hero in eradicating the evil Spirit Masters."
"Dai Yueheng has already arrived and awaits your summons," the Prime Minister replied.
"Bring him here quickly. His movement is inconvenient; we mustn't allow him to become too fatigued."
The Prime Minister nodded and gestured slightly. Soon, several White Tiger guards pushed a wheelchair-bound Dai Yueheng to Xu Jiawei's side.
Although Dai Yueheng's legs were crippled and could not be healed by any means, the White Tiger Duke's mansion had clearly spared no effort. The wheelchair he sat in was imported from the Sun Moon Empire, reportedly the same model used by the Sun Moon Empire's Crown Prince, Xu Tianran.
Of course, that was impossible, as the wheelchair Xu Tianran used was equipped with the latest technology from Mingde Hall. Still, the wheelchair Dai Yueheng sat in was a well-made replica, with a wide range of functions.
By injecting Spirit Power into the armrest at different frequencies, Dai Yueheng could freely control the wheelchair to move forward, backward, turn, and even jump. If he fully activated his Spirit Power, the wheelchair's speed could rival that of a Spirit King-level Spirit Master running at full speed.
The wheelchair was also equipped with over a dozen different spirit-guided rays and cannon-type weapons, making it quite formidable. Just this wheelchair alone had cost Xingluo Empire hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins to purchase from the Sun Moon Empire.
But all this was worth it because Dai Yueheng was a hero who had sacrificed his life to fight against evil Spirit Masters. Soon, he would be celebrated across the entire Douluo Continent as a model Spirit Master.
"Yueheng, you've arrived," Xu Jiawei said with a smile.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Please forgive me for being unable to perform the full courtesy due to my physical condition," Dai Yueheng said respectfully, bowing his head with some difficulty.
"Mm, no need for formalities," Xu Jiawei waved dismissively. "You faced a near-Title Douluo-level evil Spirit Master and were still able to hold your ground with your excellent combat skills, buying time until Shrek Academy's reinforcements arrived. That's truly an astonishing feat."
A glint flashed in Dai Yueheng's eyes, but he ultimately smiled bitterly and nodded.
"Yes, but unfortunately, nearly all of my comrades fell in that battle."