Tianhai City, a core city of the Tianhai Alliance, is one of the top-tier cities of the Sun Moon Federation, the eastern coastal center, and the Federation's largest port, home to the Eastern Sea Fleet. The bus from Eastsea City arrived at the Tianhai Grand Hotel, where representatives from all cities would be staying. Due to their young age and the academy's favor, Class Zero's five members were given luxurious suites on the top floors, each with its own bedroom, perfect for their needs.
Jing Shaoyu's room was situated between Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue's rooms. Due to lingering resentment over the seating situation on the bus, both girls were slightly irked with him. But he took it in stride, knowing that their annoyance would pass with time.
He received a message from Wu Mian, signaling it was time to report to the Mecha Association. As a representative in the design competition, Jing Shaoyu needed to meet the association's lead to confirm competition details.
The leader for Eastsea's Mecha Association delegation was Deputy Chairwoman and head of the design division, Yu Qian, an elderly woman with a warm demeanor, an eighth-level mecha designer and Soul Douluo. She was a renowned figure within the alliance, with many top officials' mechas and battle armor crafted by her hand.
"Yu Nainai, I'm here," Jing Shaoyu greeted as he entered the room, filled with Eastsea's delegation and their overseers. The room lit up with smiles at his arrival. Known as a prodigy within the association, Jing Shaoyu was already a fourth-level designer, fabricator, and repairer at just ten years old—a Soul Elder prodigy to boot.
"Shaoyu, take a seat," Yu Qian said with a gentle smile.
Aside from the delegation leaders—Yu Qian, Assistant Wu Mian, and Repair Division Vice Chair Han Zhuo—there were about a dozen competitors. The adult and youth divisions had the most participants, with only three in the youth division, one for each association specialty, including Jing Shaoyu.
Yu Qian's expression grew solemn as she addressed the group, "Eastsea Mecha Association has held the championship for seven consecutive Tianhai Alliance tournaments. This time, we strive for the eighth!"
Her gaze lingered on the adult and youth division participants, who straightened with determination, promising, "We'll give it our all and secure the eighth win!"
Satisfied, Yu Qian turned to the younger competitors with a softer expression. "Shaoyu, Liang, Lan—there's no pressure for you to bring home trophies. However, if you do perform well, the association's rewards will be generous. Work hard and aim high!"
"Yes!" Jing Shaoyu and his teammates responded in unison.
After discussing minor details like schedule changes and noteworthy competitors, Jing Shaoyu's confidence only grew. After all, with a master who was one of the few ninth-level mecha designers in the federation, Tianhai Alliance had no match for him.
Back at the hotel, Jing Shaoyu noticed that Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan had closed their doors, already resting, while Tang Wulin's door was open but unoccupied, and Xie Xie lay sprawled across his bed, fast asleep.
Jing Shaoyu smiled, gently closed Xie Xie's door, and returned to his room. After a refreshing shower, he sat on his bed.
"Chirp~" A small, vermilion bird, shining like a ruby, flew out from within him, landing with cheerful chirps—his soul spirit, Red Jade. Since reaching 8,000 years of cultivation, its intelligence had blossomed, allowing it to emerge from his soul ring at will. Every evening, Red Jade would appear to play before Jing Shaoyu's nightly meditation.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" Red Jade sang happily, its voice carrying a faint majesty, like a phoenix's. As a high-bloodline avian soul beast, its natural evolution path was toward the legendary phoenix. Once it reached 10,000 years, it would begin its long journey to evolve into one.
"Let's work hard, Red Jade. One day, you'll surpass Teacher's Flame Eagle Emperor," Jing Shaoyu whispered. The Flame Eagle Emperor, a hundred-thousand-year soul spirit, was near phoenix status but not quite there—it would need to evolve to beast-level strength for that.
"Chirp, chirp!" Red Jade chirped confidently. Since bonding with Jing Shaoyu, its bloodline had surpassed its original species, now among the top tier of bird soul spirits.
After playing with Red Jade, Jing Shaoyu began his meditation.
---
The next morning, the opening ceremony for the Tianhai Alliance Competition took place in the grand Tianhai Stadium. Built specifically for the competition, the stadium hosted all sorts of battle tournaments during the off-season.
Arriving early with Class Zero, Jing Shaoyu and his friends marveled at the bustling stadium. Everywhere they looked, crowds filled the seats, faces beaming with anticipation.
As a triennial event, the Tianhai Alliance Competition had evolved far beyond its humble origins, becoming a grand festival for the alliance cities. The contests, ranging from Soul Master to auxiliary disciplines, were now a highlight that drew massive crowds.
The event began with a speech from the Tianhai Alliance's leader, a series of platitudes that soon left Class Zero drowsy. But as he concluded, the stadium erupted in excitement, and the crowd grew increasingly animated, puzzling Jing Shaoyu's friends.
"Brother Shaoyu, why's everyone so hyped up?" Xu Xiaoyan whispered, leaning close.
Jing Shaoyu smiled. "I heard they've invited students from Shrek Academy to face off against last year's champions in a demonstration match."
Xu Xiaoyan's eyes lit up. "Really? They got Shrek students to come?"
"Of course," Xie Xie interjected. "We may be small in the Soul Master world, but economically, the alliance is the Federation's leader. Bringing Shrek students here isn't hard—Soul Masters burn money fast, and Shrek has its share of students from humble backgrounds looking to earn some extra income."
Jing Shaoyu nodded in agreement.
Shrek Academy still upheld the work-study system, a rarity in the Federation. Who knew why Shrek kept it around—perhaps as an homage to the legendary God-King Tang? He recalled how, in the original story, Class Zero had missed Shrek's admission exams due to Tang Wulin's actions, relegating them to work-study students—a fate Jing Shaoyu wanted to avoid, as it meant unpaid labor with no benefits.
At that moment, a voice echoed nearby, "I'm starving! Anyone got food?"
They turned to see a chubby boy, clumsily maneuvering through the crowd, asking for snacks as he headed their way.
"Huh, another foodie!" Xu Xiaoyan blurted out.
Gu Yue and Xie Xie chuckled, while Tang Wulin blushed.
Jing Shaoyu's expression became amused as he recognized the boy—it was Xu Lizhi from the original story, a natural prodigy with innate full soul power and a food-type Soul Master.
Little did people know he was Tang Wulin's brother in another life.
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