The Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu.
As the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament approached, this undisputed largest city on the continent began to stir with activity. One team after another flooded toward Mingdu from all directions. Citizens of the Sun Moon Empire also poured into their capital to witness this once-in-two-decades grand event, causing the city's population to swell dramatically.
The slogan and theme of this year's tournament was "Return." On the surface, this referred to a return to the tournament's original format—an open competition among all soul masters, not just students of academies. The reintroduction of sects into the competition greatly increased the number of participants and ensured a level of spectacle far beyond previous editions.
Historically, the Soul Master Tournament had allowed sects to participate for a long time. During the era of the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago, the continent had the renowned Seven Great Sects. While the Upper Three Sects were dominant due to their martial souls and strength, the Lower Four Sects were chosen primarily through the Soul Master Tournament, making the event a key selection ground.
It was only a thousand years ago that the tournament underwent reforms and banned sects from competing, becoming an exclusive contest between soul master academies.
Now, with the Sun Moon Empire reviving the old system as host, the other three empires had their concerns but couldn't outright reject the proposal. After several rounds of negotiations, they agreed to allow sects to participate once again.
As a result, this Mingdu tournament would become the largest in nearly a thousand years in both participating teams and individual competitors. After all, sects formed the backbone of the soul master world, far outnumbering soul master and soul engineer academies. For most soul masters, academies were just stepping stones—sects and families were their true homes.
Families, naturally, stood alongside sects as one of the soul master world's main pillars.
Oh, and of course, Shrek Academy was a notable exception. Though officially an academy, in the eyes of most soul master sects and families, it was no different from the Spirit Hall of ten thousand years ago. The only difference was that Shrek trained talent for others, while Spirit Hall did not.
After the tournament's new format was confirmed, any sect with even a sliver of ambition or presence signed up. About 60% of the sects chose to participate, including some reclusive ones.
That said, many sects still didn't qualify. Besides a few truly hidden clans, most simply failed to meet the strict entry requirements: all team members had to be no older than twenty, and the team must include at least five Soul Ancestors (four-ringed soul masters).
This effectively prevented over a third of small sects from slipping in just to fill the numbers and helped cap participation to a manageable level. Otherwise, even a city as massive as Mingdu wouldn't be able to accommodate such a massive influx.
Even now, the number of soul masters in Mingdu had already exceeded anything seen in the past few thousand years. The last time such a vast gathering occurred here was four thousand years ago, when the Douluo Alliance's army—led by Sun Saint Douluo—marched on Mingdu.
By the deadline, the final roster was locked in: 367 teams—twice the number from the previous tournament in Star Luo City. Of these, over two hundred were sect teams.
The Sun Moon Empire seemed well prepared. As the richest and most powerful nation on the continent, they had no trouble hosting such an event and welcoming such a flood of guests. Mingdu's hotels and restaurants were more than sufficient.
What's more, as the most advanced nation in soul tool technology, the Sun Moon Empire had gone all-out for this tournament. The ultimate rewards would no longer be the same old soul bones, but soul tools. The champion team would receive a ninth-grade soul tool, second place an eighth-grade soul tool, and third place a seventh-grade one.
In terms of value, a ninth-grade soul tool was on par with a hundred-thousand-year soul bone. That alone showed how seriously the Sun Moon Empire regarded this tournament. More importantly, ninth-grade soul tools represented cutting-edge technology and immense power. If Shrek Academy could secure one, it would be a tremendous boost to their Soul Tool Department.
Because to date, not a single ninth-grade soul tool existed in the original Douluo Continent. Not one!
With such high stakes, every team was eager to prove themselves.
——
Royal Palace, Imperial Garden.
A wheelchair slowly moved along a wide stone path in the rear garden. Exotic flowers and rare plants were artfully arranged throughout. Sitting in the chair was a handsome young man in luxurious robes. His face bore a faint smile, and his gaze drifted over the floral scenery as if he hadn't a care in the world. Yet deep in his eyes, a shadow lingered that could not be hidden.
Behind the chair was a beautiful young woman in a soft yellow dress. Her fair skin glowed, and her graceful presence was accented by a calm poise. A flicker of deep intelligence danced in her eyes, clearly one always lost in thought.
They were the de facto rulers of the Sun Moon Empire—Crown Prince Xu Tianran and his consort, Juzi.
"How's Father doing?" Xu Tianran asked softly, eyes closed, a thin blanket covering his legs. He exuded a relaxed aura.
"The imperial physicians say His Majesty's condition is deteriorating rapidly. In the past few days, he's frequently lost consciousness," Juzi replied gently.
"Father ruled cautiously all his life—never seeking merit, only avoiding blame. He missed countless opportunities. History will remember him as nothing but a mediocre emperor. What about the military?"
"Our troops remain stable. Of the other three-fifths, two-thirds are still observing. Only one-third have clearly sided with the Second Prince," Juzi paused before continuing. "Namely, the Royal Moon Soul Engineer Corps in the south and the South Sea Fleet. Under that Xu Tianxuan's lead, their momentum is strong. Many nobles are reaching out to them."
"Hmph! Clowns!" Xu Tianran snorted coldly. "That fool of a brother, and some stray Moon Lineage remnants? Oh, and those ungrateful Royal Moon bastards and those backstabbing dogs of the fleet? They think they're worthy of challenging me?"
"Even so, they now control a fifth of the army," Juzi said with concern. "And according to our intel, Xu Tianxuan seems to have sidelined the Second Prince. She's launched a slogan."
"Oh? What slogan?" Xu Tianran asked casually.
Juzi hesitated for a moment but eventually said, "They say: 'The Moon Lineage has produced nine emperors in four generations, who cannibalized each other—now their bloodline ends. The Moon Lineage pities the Empire's people—return what was taken and absolve the past!'"
Xu Tianran fell silent.
Juzi noticed his fists clenched tightly, then slowly relaxed—clearly he was not as calm as he appeared.
"Heh. Trash is just trash," Xu Tianran said coldly. "That idiotic Second Prince, actually being sidelined by a Moon Lineage brat? Useless."
Juzi shivered slightly. Even she, his supposed confidante, felt a chill from the murderous intent in his tone.
"Any news on where this Xu Tianxuan came from? And what of Kong Deming?" Xu Tianran resumed his calm tone.
"Our investigation traced Xu Tianxuan to the Yin Clan of the Moon South Archipelago. She's allegedly the great-granddaughter of the former usurper Xu Yidong. Her great-grandfather was his youngest son, who fled Mingdu and hid with the clan for nearly a century. Things were quiet—until Xu Tianxuan appeared. There's clearly a mysterious force backing her, but we can't yet determine whether it's domestic or foreign. One thing is clear: Kong Deming has no ties to her," Juzi reported.
"I see… the Moon South Archipelago, the Yin Clan. Hah, traitors by birth," Xu Tianran sneered. "Grandfather was too merciful. Families with ties to the Moon Lineage should've been wiped out."
"Yes." Juzi nodded, though her heart quivered.
"Also," she added, "there's reportedly a Title Douluo backing Xu Tianxuan—former imperial princess Xu Jianwei."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xu Tianran raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "That would make her my grandaunt. When I ascend the throne, I'll be sure to invite her to the coronation. Hahaha!"
Juzi said nothing.
At that moment, about a hundred kilometers from Mingdu, a team landed from the sky. They would proceed the rest of the way on foot.
They were none other than the Shrek Academy team, led by Zhu Ziyang!
(End of Chapter)
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