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The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition, commonly referred to as the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, was divided into two main parts. The first part consisted of preliminary and qualifying rounds held separately in the two empires, along with various kingdoms and duchies. These were conducted in two large regional zones.
After the qualifying rounds concluded, fifteen teams from each of the two imperial zones would be selected, along with three teams directly promoted by the Spirit Hall and the two empires, making a total of thirty-three teams that would compete in the final tournament.
It was worth noting that the finals weren't always hosted in Spirit City—they were rotated among the Spirit Hall and the two empires.
Since Ye Wen's team was part of the Tian Dou First Team, they had skipped the qualifying rounds and were directly advanced to the finals. Thus, Ye Wen currently had no pressing responsibilities, though he didn't rush to head to Spirit City just yet.
After all, while the major factions appeared noble and righteous on the surface, their underhanded tactics were numerous. Ye Wen decided to follow the main group when it was time to travel to Spirit City.
As Ye Wen had previously stated, although the Medical Alliance claimed to have an election system, everyone knew that the ultimate position of leader rested with Ye Wen and his inner circle. Ye Wen was effectively the unofficial heir to the next leadership of the Medical Alliance.
Due to this unique status, Ye Wen sat alongside Ning Fengzhi and others near the Tian Dou Emperor during the tournament, basking in imperial favor.
However, Ye Wen remained modest, knowing his place as a junior, and refrained from drawing attention. He subtly glanced at the empty seat beside him.
"This Yu Yuanzhen really has some nerve. Such a grand event, and he's the only high-ranking figure from the Tian Dou Empire who hasn't shown up. It's clear he doesn't care about fitting in. No wonder his sect is the only one among the Upper Three Sects completely wiped out in the original storyline. Even the re-established sect by his descendants can only be considered second-rate.
The funniest part is that not only did Yu Xiaogang's descendants fail to rebuild the family, but they even abandoned their surname out of fear of being targeted. Instead, every one of his descendants now takes their mother's surname. Just how cowardly is this guy?"
After briefly venting his thoughts, Ye Wen grew bored and turned his attention to the tournament.
With great fanfare, the announcer introduced the start of the competition, followed by ceremonial speeches from Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo, leaders of two top-tier factions. This was done as a gesture of respect.
The responsibility of drawing lots fell to Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall in Tian Dou Imperial City.
To build excitement, the announcer asked Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo which teams they favored to win.
At this, Emperor Xue Ye's expression slightly darkened.
It wasn't that the younger generation of the Tian Dou Empire lacked talent—it was that the younger nobles directly under his rule were mostly incompetent. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need to invite external aid like Ye Wen's team.
Dugu Bo and Ning Fengzhi both avoided answering directly, saying they wanted to keep the mystery alive and let the audience guess.
Those well-informed already knew whom the two favored. After all, Ye Wen's team had achieved dazzling results in the Spirit Arena—no young team could match them. Moreover, most of these young people were either Ye Wen's subordinates or his fiancée, leaving others envious.
They could easily imagine that once these young individuals matured, the future of Tian Dou would belong to them.
Some of the older nobles discreetly observed Emperor Xue Ye and Ye Wen in the VIP seats, their internal scales beginning to tip.
The Tian Dou Imperial Family certainly knew how to play politics, but their Swan martial soul was ultimately too weak.
Salas appeared somewhat gaunt but not sleazy. Dressed in the resplendent robes of a bishop, he exuded a certain dignity, though his stern face gave the impression of someone who rarely spoke. Without uttering a word, he completed the draw, leaving the announcer to declare the matchups.
Ye Wen subtly glanced at him. If not for the original storyline, Ye Wen would never have guessed that this seemingly respectable man was actually an old lecher, cunning and deceitful.
Though part of this portrayal stemmed from the author's desire to tarnish the Spirit Hall and elevate Tang San's righteousness, it was undeniable that despite the Spirit Hall's ostensibly noble founding principles, centuries of tradition had led to its decline.
Besides Salas, the bishop of Gengjin City in the future was similarly despicable. Ye Wen sighed inwardly. Though he didn't want to get involved in the upcoming three-way conflict on the Douluo Continent, if left unchecked, the victory of either empire, Tang San, or the Spirit Hall would cast a dark shadow over the continent's future.
Silently marking the Spirit Hall in his mental ledger, Ye Wen turned his attention back to the tournament.
As expected, Shrek Academy was matched against the Tian Dou Second Team.
The announcement caused an uproar throughout the arena.
Among the neatly dressed teams, Shrek's swamp green uniforms stood out like a sore thumb. What respectable school would dare to dress like that? This was a prestigious continental event! Wasn't Shrek Academy just some obscure, unaccredited institution?
Moreover, the Tian Dou Second Team was notoriously weak, leading spectators to instinctively suspect foul play behind the matchup.
Ye Wen couldn't help but lament that the senior leadership of Shrek Academy truly consisted of incompetent fools.
Liu Erlong was a hopeless romantic, Yu Xiaogang had absurd confidence in his schemes, and Flender was insatiably greedy and stingy.
If the plot unfolded as expected, these three incompetents still had some role to play.
After the qualifying rounds, Yu Xiaogang, knowing he had no solution for twin martial souls, shamelessly approached Bibi Dong. But Bibi Dong, though a romantic at heart, wasn't stupid. Why would she hand over her painstakingly developed twin martial soul theory to Yu Xiaogang? Did she not know about Tang San's existence?
Ye Wen even suspected that Tang San might have been sent to Yu Xiaogang as a test subject by Bibi Dong. After all, the money for the work-study program didn't come from thin air. Every student was meticulously recorded. Even if Su Yuntao, the blind god king, failed to notice Tang San's abnormalities, wouldn't the soul masters responsible for reporting such information have noticed and reported him?
Meanwhile, Liu Erlong outrageously blamed Bibi Dong for not sharing the cultivation method for twin martial souls with Yu Xiaogang.
Ye Wen, whose mind was racing with thoughts, felt that Shrek Academy's eventual victory in the championship was nothing short of miraculous.
However, with the presence of Ye Wen's Tian Dou First Team, Shrek Academy standing a chance against such overwhelming disparities in martial soul quality and soul power was a pipe dream.
Still, as the protagonists, they undoubtedly carried some luck. Ye Wen briefly pondered how to counter Tang San and his companions in future battles.
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