In the Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu.
As the date for the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament approached, the undisputed largest city on the continent, Mingdu, became increasingly bustling. Teams from all corners of the continent began making their way to the capital, and because this was a once-in-twenty-years grand event, the citizens of the Sun Moon Empire also flocked to the capital. This caused the population of Mingdu to surge dramatically.
The slogan and theme of this year's Soul Master Tournament was "Return." Literally, this meant that the tournament, which had once been limited to the soul master academies, would now include all soul masters from the entire continent. The return of sects made the number of participants in this tournament explode, and its excitement would far surpass the previous tournaments.
In fact, the history of the Soul Master Tournament was very long. For a long time, it had allowed sects to participate. A thousand years ago, during the Wuhun Temple era, there were seven major sects. Of those, the top three sects could not be replaced due to the power of their martial souls and sect strength, while the lower four sects were different. Back then, the Soul Master Tournament was the main way to select the four lower sects.
However, a thousand years ago, the Soul Master Tournament underwent reforms, limiting sect participation, and eventually, they were completely banned from entering, making the tournament a competition between the soul master academies.
Now, as the Sun Moon Empire hosted the tournament, they brought back the old rule and proposed to allow sects to participate again. Though the other three major empires had reservations, they could not outright refuse. After several rounds of negotiations, the Sun Moon Empire's proposal was approved, allowing sect participation.
This meant that this year's Mingdu Soul Master Tournament would be the largest in nearly a thousand years, with the most teams and participants. Sects are one of the most important components of the soul master world, and the number of sects far outnumbered that of soul master academies and soul engineer academies across the continent. For most soul masters, academies were just a temporary stop, while sects and families were their true homes.
Oh, and Shrek Academy was an exception. Although it was officially an academy, in the eyes of most sects and soul master families, it wasn't much different from the Wuhun Temple from a thousand years ago. The only difference was that Shrek Academy could cultivate talent for them, whereas Wuhun Temple could not.
After the tournament's reform was confirmed, almost every sect with some ambition or plans had signed up. These sects accounted for around sixty percent of the total number, including some hidden sects.
However, despite sixty percent participation, many smaller sects couldn't register due to not meeting the tournament's requirements. The rules stipulated that the participants must be under the age of twenty, with at least five members at the Soul Sovereign level in each sect's team.
This rule meant that over thirty percent of smaller sects were unable to participate, thus limiting the number of participants. Otherwise, even Mingdu, as the largest city on the continent, might not be able to accommodate so many soul masters.
Even now, the number of soul masters in Mingdu had far exceeded the numbers from thousands of years ago. The last time Mingdu welcomed such a large number of soul masters was four thousand years ago, when the Golden Crow Douluo led the allied forces to the city.
After the registration deadline passed, a total of 367 teams had signed up, double the number of teams in the previous Star Luo City Soul Master Tournament. Over two hundred of these teams were sect teams.
The Sun Moon Empire, being the wealthiest and most powerful country on the continent, had prepared for this with ease. The city's hotels and restaurants were more than enough to accommodate all participants and visitors.
At the same time, as the country with the most developed soul tool technology, the Sun Moon Empire had spared no expense in preparing for the tournament. The grand prize would no longer be soul bones, but soul tools. The winning team would receive a Grade 9 soul tool, the second-place team would receive a Grade 8 soul tool, and the third-place team would receive a Grade 7 soul tool.
The value of a Grade 9 soul tool was comparable to that of a soul bone from a ten-thousand-year soul beast, which showed just how much the Sun Moon Empire valued this tournament. If Shrek Academy were to win a Grade 9 soul tool, it would be a great opportunity for their soul tool department.
To date, no Grade 9 soul tools had been found on the Douluo Continent—none at all!
With such a generous reward, all the teams were eagerly preparing for the competition, ready to do whatever it took to win.
Inside the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Garden.
A wheelchair moved slowly along the wide stone-paved path in the back garden. The garden was filled with a variety of plants, all neatly arranged. Sitting in the wheelchair was a handsome young man, dressed in luxurious clothes, with a faint smile on his face as he admired the exotic flowers in the garden. His eyes were focused on the plants, but there was a dark shadow behind them that couldn't quite be hidden. He looked peaceful, yet his eyes held an unspoken melancholy.
Pushing the wheelchair was a beautiful young woman. She wore a pale yellow dress that highlighted her fair skin and gave her an air of noble elegance, tempered with a sense of composure. Her bright eyes occasionally flashed with deep wisdom as though she was constantly pondering something.
They were none other than the de facto rulers of the Sun Moon Empire—Crown Prince Xu Tianran and his consort, Princess Orange.
"How is Father doing?" Xu Tianran, sitting in the wheelchair, closed his eyes as a thin blanket covered his legs, his demeanor relaxed.
"The imperial doctor says His Majesty's condition is critical. He's been unconscious for days and often loses consciousness," Princess Orange responded softly.
"Father has always been diligent and cautious, never seeking merit but avoiding mistakes. He missed many opportunities. In the history books, he will only be remembered as an ordinary emperor. What's the military's response?"
"Our military is as usual. Among the remaining five-sixths of the army, two-thirds are still watching and waiting, only one-third have firmly sided with the Second Prince," Princess Orange paused and continued, "That's the Royal Moon Soul Master Legion and the South Sea Fleet, led by Xu Tianxuan. Their influence is growing, and many of the nobles are contacting them."
"Hah! A bunch of clowns!" Xu Tianran sneered coldly, saying, "That useless Second Prince, and that bastard of the Moon Pulse faction? Oh, and the Royal Moon Soul Master Legion, a group of ungrateful wolves, and the South Sea Fleet, traitors. They're not worthy of challenging me!"
"Even so, they control one-fifth of the military," Princess Orange said with concern. "And according to the intelligence, it seems Xu Tianxuan has sidelined the Second Prince and even proposed a slogan."
"Oh? What slogan?" Xu Tianran asked indifferently.
"..." Princess Orange hesitated before continuing, her eyes calculating the risks. "They say: 'The Sun Pulse has produced nine emperors from four generations, yet they fight among themselves… the descendants will perish. The Moon Pulse will pity the people of the empire, return the land to its rightful owner, and eliminate the sins of the past!'"
"..." Xu Tianran fell silent, but Princess Orange could clearly see his fist clenching, only to relax again. His inner turmoil was evident despite his outward calmness. "Hmph, trash is just trash. That dumb donkey, Second Brother, is already being outmaneuvered by the Moon Pulse's spawn. Useless!"
Princess Orange shivered at his cold words, the killing intent was so sharp that even she, being close to him, couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine.
"Have you found out where Xu Tianxuan came from? And, what's happening with Kong Deming?" Xu Tianran calmed himself, his tone flat as he asked.
"According to our investigation, Xu Tianxuan first appeared in the Moon South Isles with the Yin clan. She's reportedly the great-granddaughter of the former pseudo-king Xu Yidong. Her great-grandfather was the youngest son of Xu Yidong, who fled Mingdu and lived in seclusion in the Moon South Isles for over a hundred years. Xu Tianxuan's background seems to be linked to a mysterious force, though we haven't confirmed whether this force is domestic or foreign. What we can confirm is that Kong Deming has no connection to her." Princess Orange explained.
"I see, the Moon South Isles, the Yin clan... Truly rebellious from the start!" Xu Tianran muttered with a tinge of regret, adding, "Great-grandfather was too merciful. A family with such deep ties to the Moon Pulse should have been wiped out long ago!"
"Yes!" Princess Orange agreed but couldn't help feeling a cold shiver down her spine. "By the way, the intelligence also says that Xu Tianxuan is backed by a Title Douluo, possibly the daughter of the pseudo-emperor's princess, named Xu Jianwei."
"Oh? Really?" Xu Tianran raised an eyebrow in surprise, then laughed. "In that case, she's my great-grand-aunt, hehe. When I ascend the throne, I'll be sure to invite her to watch the ceremony. Haha!"
Princess Orange remained silent.
At this moment, a team of people, more than a hundred kilometers away from Mingdu, stopped. They descended from the sky and began walking toward Mingdu. This team was none other than Shrek Academy's representative team, led by Zhu Ziyang!
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