Chapter 73: Twilight of the Gods
"We would have liked to call you, but you were still cultivating, and there wasn't much to note today," Weifeng said with a smile.
Weifeng was right.
The opening ceremonies of past years were mostly about Shrek Academy showing off; there wasn't much to see.
So, seeing Du Qianjue still cultivating, Weifeng simply didn't wake him.
"It's always good to come and see what's happening," Du Qianjue said casually as he sat down next to Weifeng and grabbed a fruit to eat.
"Next time, we'll call you," Weifeng nodded.
Embracing the strong, that's all there is to it.
The audience was still filing in, and although there was only one match today, the presence of Shrek Academy ensured it was a highlight.
Shrek Academy has dominated the tournament for millennia, and its countless fervent fans had queued up days in advance just to watch a Shrek match.
The name "Shrek" had been deified.
Deified, huh? After this tournament, it would be the fall of the gods, twilight for them, and going forward on Douluo Continent, there would be only one god, the Body Sect.
Looking towards Shrek's resting area, a sinister gleam shone in Du Qianjue's lifeless eyes.
Hehehe...
The atmosphere in Shrek's resting area was not great, with the reserve team feeling immense pressure.
No matter how talented they were or how much they stood out among their peers, here they were facing opponents who were significantly older.
It was like a middle school basketball team suddenly having to play against a college team.
How could they not feel pressured?
"What are you kids nervous about?" Actor Wang Yan appeared, his expression arrogantly calm.
"You are Shrek's students. So what if you are younger than them? Look around, see their expressions, their fear."
"The ones who should be nervous are not you, but your opponents!"
Needless to say, Wang Yan's words ignited the young spirits of Shrek instantly.
"Yes, even if they are older, they are no match for us at Shrek!" Captain Bei Bei was the first to assert.
"Shrek will win!"
The seven members of the reserve team shouted in unison.
"You guys can play freely in this match, I believe you can definitely win this beautifully," Wang Yan said, settling back into the sofa with ease.
The seven reserve team members exchanged looks, their faces full of determination.
Tsk...
They've been sweet-talked...
It's only because the opening ceremony won't pit them against a tough team; otherwise, a loss in the opening would be a real joke.
Underneath the arena, the competing teams whispered among themselves, the audience was fervent with excitement, and the Star Luo Empire's top echelons were strategizing grandly.
How wonderful.
Who knows what Emperor Xu Jiawei of Star Luo and those ministers discussed, but whatever it was, it made Emperor Xu very pleased and triumphant.
After Emperor Xu Jiawei shouted, "Start the drawing," he excitedly watched Shrek's side.
Du Qianjue glanced at Xu Jiawei, stroking his smooth chin.
Did the original story say that Xu Jiawei once infiltrated Shrek under an alias and never forgot a female student who stayed in the inner courtyard?
Xu Jiawei, in his thirties or forties?
At that age, to have such charm and still have the strength to stay in the inner courtyard...
Du Qianjue couldn't help but look sympathetically at Bei Bei, who was about to compete. How foolish must one be to fall for Tang Ya? Wasn't the senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, much more desirable?
Aren't big sisters far better than little sprouts?
"The first match of the tournament, Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy versus Shrek Academy!" the referee announced loudly.
The referee's voice spread across the stadium, and the audience instantly warmed up.
"Shrek!"
"Shrek!"
"Shrek!!!"
Needless to say, although Tang San was detestable as a person, his reputation left in Douluo Continent was truly formidable.
Du Qianjue rubbed his temples, the noise from the fanatic fans making his ears ache.
Originally a fan of quiet, Du Qianjue found he liked noisy places even less after spending more time with Ice Empress.
If it weren't for using the tournament to elevate the Body Sect's reputation and metaphorically defecate on Shrek's face, he wouldn't bother participating in this tournament.
Wouldn't it be more meaningful to cultivate, become a god sooner, and thoroughly deal with that scoundrel Tang San rather than partake in this silly tournament?
Du Qianjue dropped his hand from his temple and looked towards the stage.
With just that one look, Du Qianjue almost burst out laughing.
Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, just by the name, one could tell it was from the Dou Ling Empire. And what to say about the Dou Ling Empire?
From royalty to commoners, they were all defiant.
In a nutshell: weak yet playful.
In the original story, the empire was almost destroyed; the royal family was nearly extinct, and the whole country was almost swallowed by the Sun Moon Empire.
Yet, these rebels were still engaged in power struggles, playing games of royal supremacy.
And looking at the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, with each member trembling as they stepped onto the stage...
"Pfft... hahaha..." Du Qianjue couldn't hold back any longer, laughing hysterically.
The Dou Ling Empire was truly full of characters!
"Junior Du, what are you laughing at?" Lin Weiwei asked curiously.
"Nothing, just remembered something amusing," Du Qianjue managed to suppress his laughter, waving his hand, "The Dou Ling Empire really does have a lot of talent..."
The others were taken aback, following Du Qianjue's gaze to the Tianling team, and shrugged helplessly.
"Junior, you're misunderstanding them," Weifeng said with a bitter smile. "Not just them, even us, if it weren't for you, facing Shrek Academy, we'd be unsure too."
"If even our Di'ao Academy feels this way, what more for a small academy like Tianling? Their reaction is normal," Ouyang Qian added, frowning slightly.
"They have the courage to step up and not just forfeit immediately; that's commendable," Lin Mo said flatly. "There have been many academies that forfeited their first match against Shrek in the past."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Is that so? Then I'm even more interested now," Du Qianjue mused.
It seemed he had underestimated Shrek's influence on Douluo Continent.
But without such influence, the twilight of the gods wouldn't have any meaning, would it?
On the stage, unlike the trembling Tianling team, Shrek's seven members were solemn and resolute.
"Everyone, once we're on stage, I'll use my soul skill to control them first, then we'll rush in and finish them off all at once!" Huo Yuhao's words from the resting area echoed in their ears.
The other six reserve team members had great confidence in Huo Yuhao's mental control abilities.
For this match, they had only one belief in their hearts.
Victory!
(End of Chapter)
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