On camera, Han Li quickly bowed slightly, and before the two could react, he had already straightened up, still wearing a hint of apology on his face.
Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen, with their outstretched hands, were left hanging in midair, their smiles frozen.
However, Han Li had already turned back, taking the camera with him, as his voice once again filled the venue:
"As a junior, being the second to speak is indeed a bit shameful. But with Emperor Xue Ye and Crown Prince Qinghe's gracious invitation, I found it hard to refuse. So, I had no choice but to thick-skinnedly greet you all in advance."
When Han Li finished speaking, the audience's reaction was completely different from the one Emperor Xue Ye had received. The venue erupted in thunderous applause, accompanied by light-hearted laughter that was hard to suppress.
Whether noble or commoner, everyone was quite satisfied with Han Li's attitude, which showed respect for the Heaven Dou Empire.
Moreover, unlike the usual stern demeanor of Spirit Hall when dealing with the outside world, people could feel the same warmth and politeness from him as they did from Crown Prince Qinghe, naturally improving their impression of him.
No wonder the Holy Son and the Crown Prince are such close friends—they're the same kind of person. This was the thought among the Heaven Dou commoners present.
The applause grew even more intense.
Behind him, Emperor Xue Ye was also very pleased. Han Li's recent actions and words had conveyed a message:
It was best that the relationships with the two sects remained average or even poor. If they were too close, he wouldn't sleep well at night.
As for Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen, they could only grudgingly accept it.
At least on the surface, he gave them face, right? After all, their relationship with Spirit Hall was the worst. Back during the Clear Sky Sect incident, they had taken sides.
After the applause died down, Han Li maintained his prior demeanor in front of the stands.
"Well, since I've already introduced myself, I won't say much more. Everyone paid to come here, so of course, they want to see an exciting competition and the future of the Heaven Dou Empire, not listen to me ramble on."
"Those who can participate in the Soul Master Tournament are the elites of the Heaven Dou Empire. Let's all cheer for them and look forward to their performance."
When Han Li finished, the applause erupted again, this time more genuine, as could be seen from the strength of the audience's clapping.
However, Han Li heard a different voice.
"Your Highness, the Holy Son, why not say a few more words? We enjoy listening to you."
After a brief moment of silence, the venue burst into laughter and applause once again, with the atmosphere becoming even more spirited.
Han Li glanced in the voice's direction and recognized one of Salas' confidants. He's quite good at setting the mood.
Still, Han Li smiled and bowed, stepping away from the microphone. A bit of maneuvering was fine, but too much wasn't necessary.
As he walked back, still carrying the air of a graceful youth, Ning Fengzhi maintained a gentle smile, but inwardly, he was cursing.
He had prepared a lengthy speech, yet Han Li hadn't even touched upon the most basic idea of recruiting talent, leaving him—the sect allied with the Heaven Dou Empire—wondering how to proceed.
If he spoke, wouldn't it embarrass Emperor Xue Ye?
But if he didn't say anything, it would take more effort and resources to re-engage with these people later.
What a detestable brat from Spirit Hall! Ning Fengzhi felt his mentality shift slightly.
In all the times he had crossed swords with Bibi Dong from afar, he had never felt so stifled. But this Han Li, with his small but frequent tricks, wasn't doing anything major, yet he still made him feel uncomfortable.
Sensing the active mental power swirling around Ning Fengzhi, Han Li felt quite pleased.
He hadn't forgotten that this old man had once bad-mouthed him in front of Qian Renxue, even though they had never met at the time.
And once again, he'd like to declare: he never holds grudges.
As Han Li returned to his seat, the host's voice rang out: "Next, we invite Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, to give a speech for this competition."
Amidst the applause, Ning Fengzhi stood with a smile and gracefully walked forward, though inwardly he had already made up his mind. Since Han Li had spoken first, he had no choice but to shorten his prepared speech.
Standing before the microphone, Ning Fengzhi tried to streamline the long speech he had initially planned.
From his seat behind, Han Li had just sat down when he heard a cold snort.
Turning, he saw Sword Douluo glaring at him.
"Your Highness, the Holy Son, it would be better to direct these small tricks toward your cultivation."
Han Li chuckled. Was he complaining on Ning Fengzhi's behalf?
"Hmm, Sword Douluo is right. I wonder when Sect Master Ning will break through to Soul Douluo?"
After saying this, Han Li seemed to suddenly remember the limitations of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and a look of embarrassment crossed his face as he hurriedly apologized: "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda has a martial soul defect."
Sword Douluo's face darkened. How dare he bring up their weakness while scolding them!
Though their conversation was quiet, they were surrounded by soul masters with keen hearing, so how could it go unheard?
Neither Emperor Xue Ye nor Yu Yuanzhen showed any expression, but the way their hands gripped the armrests revealed their true feelings.
Only Salas, sitting in the second row with Sword Douluo, laughed so hard that the wrinkles on his face deepened.
The Holy Son's words were truly delightful. In the past, even when he sat in the front row, he was always suppressed, his expression never pleasant.
Sword Douluo didn't want to say anything more. He realized that even if Ning Fengzhi spoke with this kid, he might not gain any advantage. It was better to stick to his role as a bodyguard.
Though he stayed silent, Han Li didn't stop: "However, the martial soul defect isn't a difficult problem to solve. Perhaps, if Sect Master Ning could find time to talk with me, we could resolve this issue."
After he finished speaking, Han Li smiled at Sword Douluo and turned away.
Neither Xue Ye nor Yu Yuanzhen paid much attention to his words, taking them merely as Han Li's mockery.
However, Sword Douluo, watching Han Li, was deeply shaken. The expression on this kid's face—he was serious. No, wait, maybe he was just bluffing.
Sword Douluo's head felt like it was about to explode. He couldn't tell. He really couldn't tell.
Forget it. He would report this to Fengzhi later and let him make the judgment.
Up front, Ning Fengzhi had already finished his speech. Given the circumstances, he abandoned the idea of openly recruiting and instead stood in support of the Heaven Dou Empire, causing Emperor Xue Ye's smile to widen uncontrollably.
With things like this, how could the Heaven Dou Empire not prosper?
However, Ning Fengzhi didn't seem to want to leave just yet. Instead, he turned toward Han Li.
"Holy Son Han Li, this is your first time attending the Soul Master Tournament, isn't it? And since you're about the same age as the competing students, I wonder if you have a favorite team? You can only pick one."
You strike first, I strike later. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect thrives on harmony, but does he think Ning Fengzhi has no temper?
This little Holy Son. Bibi Dong hadn't been able to gain an advantage over him for years, and Ning Fengzhi was confident in his abilities.
Everyone knew that the Skywater Academy had some connection with Han Li, but they were standing on Heaven Dou Empire's turf now. It was a choice between two—let's see. Someone was bound to be displeased.
When it came to little tricks, Ning Fengzhi had never been inferior to anyone in his life.
As Ning Fengzhi asked his question, the camera on the mid-air screen zoomed in on Han Li.
At the same time, a servant had thoughtfully handed Han Li a microphone, prepared for any unexpected developments with a spare at the ready.
Han Li wasn't flustered at all. He calmly took the microphone from the servant, nodded to express his gratitude, and then looked at Ning Fengzhi.
"To be honest, Sect Master Ning, I arrived in a bit of a rush and don't know much about most of the teams. However, I trust in Emperor Xue Ye's judgment, so I'll choose the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team."
After saying this, he paused for a moment before continuing:
"I've heard that Sect Master Ning's daughter is also part of this team, so you must have great confidence in them as well, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have let your daughter join. Surely, this must also be your choice?"
"Since Sect Master Ning shares this opinion, of course, I'm also optimistic about their chances. I look forward to seeing their performance."
Han Li smiled at Ning Fengzhi. He had made his move, so how could he not be prepared for the other party to stir up trouble? Go ahead and keep asking—he might even end up representing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, too.
Ning Fengzhi was momentarily at a loss for words. He shot Han Li a deep look and decided to abandon further questioning. Talking to this kid was too exhausting. More importantly, he couldn't come across as too aggressive—after all, the kid was from the younger generation, and Ning Fengzhi couldn't afford to lose his composure.
"What Holy Son Han Li said makes sense. Naturally, I also support them. Now, let's invite Sect Master Yu to speak."
Ning Fengzhi smiled again, cutting off the host and proactively passing the topic to Yu Yuanzhen as he walked back to his seat.
Yu Yuanzhen's gaze swept over both of them before he decisively stood up and walked forward. He had no desire to engage with either of them. He would just do what he had to do.
As Yu Yuanzhen gave his speech, the audience's response was fairly enthusiastic. However, in the rest areas where the participating teams were seated, the expressions of many students became somewhat strange.
Just before the opening, the Skywater Academy had a dispute with Heaven Dou's Second Team. They were present at the scene, so when they heard the exchange between Han Li and Ning Fengzhi, things suddenly became very interesting.
On stage, as Yu Yuanzhen concluded his speech, he decisively extended an olive branch to the students. While the others had been subtle, he was here to recruit talent—everyone had their role to play.
Xue Ye had done the same earlier, and there hadn't been any issues then either.
With Yu Yuanzhen heading backstage, the tournament finally began.
The opening match had already been decided beforehand, so there was no need for a draw. However, for the other matches, the opponents still had to be drawn on the spot, which was one of the reasons the academies were required to be present today.
Amidst a wave of cheers, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe appeared at the front of the stage to initiate the final process before the start of the opening match.
"The first match of the preliminary round: Canghui Academy versus Zixing Academy!"
"The second match of the preliminary round: Oakland Academy versus Firelight Academy!"
...
As Xue Qinghe made the announcements, the venue buzzed with lively discussions.