The dust settled over the Royal Hunting Ground as the clamor of the competition faded. On the final ranking board for the promotion rounds, Shrek Academy's name sat at the very top, having achieved a flawless winning record. Tianshui Academy, Blazing Academy, and Thunder Academy followed closely with similar scores, while Shenfeng Academy found itself at the bottom of the list.
After the matches concluded, Emperor Xue Ye delivered another one of his passionate and inspiring speeches. He announced that the finals, the true battle to decide the continent's strongest academy, would begin soon. As the ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, Emperor Xue Ye could not leave the capital city. Therefore, he appointed Crown Prince Xue Qinghe to act as the empire's envoy and serve as a judge for the grand event.
The fifteen qualifying teams from the Heaven Dou Empire would be personally escorted by the Crown Prince to a city located on the border between the two great empires. The finals themselves would be hosted by the Spirit Hall. With only three days to rest and prepare, the teams were on a tight schedule.
Three days later, the group prepared to depart. It was a massive procession of over a thousand people, including the fifteen teams, their teachers, and an escort of five hundred Royal Knights, all heading towards the location of the finals: Spirit City.
Inside Shrek Academy's camp, the mood was light and cheerful. Flender couldn't stop grinning, his joy evident to everyone. Even Yu Xiaogang wore a rare, satisfied smile. Ye Yin, however, remained as indifferent as ever, leaning against a post with his eyes closed as if meditating. The others, like Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu, were excitedly chattering about what they might see in Spirit City.
"I heard Spirit City is the most amazing city on the continent," Dai Mubai said. "They say it's even bigger and more impressive than Heaven Dou City!"
"And that's where the Supreme Pontiff Palace and the Douluo Hall are!" Oscar added.
Ma Hongjun rubbed his hands together, a greedy look on his face. "Hehe, once we get to Spirit City, I'm definitely going to check everything out!"
Ning Rongrong snorted lightly. "You'd better behave yourself, Fatty. Spirit City isn't like Heaven Dou City. You don't want to cause any trouble there."
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, but a flicker of anticipation shone deep within her cold eyes. Whatever she was looking forward to, she kept it to herself.
Meanwhile, in Heaven Dou City's Spirit Temple, Bishop Salas stood alone in a quiet, dimly lit room. In the center of the chamber was a complex spirit tool communication array. He took a deep breath, carefully retrieving several glowing white objects from a pouch and placing them into the energy nodes of the array. With a respectful expression, he formed a complicated hand seal and injected his pure spirit power into the array's core.
Buzz!
The array instantly lit up. Countless profound runes swirled within it, releasing strong spatial fluctuations. A moment later, a soft voice, filled with an undeniable and supreme majesty, echoed from the center of the array. It was like the voice of a goddess.
"Salas, what is it?"
Salas's body trembled, and he immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head low. His voice was filled with immense respect as he answered, "Your Holiness, the Supreme Pontiff! Your subordinate has an important matter to report!"
"Speak," the voice commanded.
Taking a steadying breath, Salas organized his thoughts. He proceeded to report everything that had happened during the Heaven Dou preliminary and promotion rounds, focusing especially on Shrek Academy and, more specifically, on Ye Yin.
He described the bizarre and humiliating ways Shrek had defeated their opponents, from the strange curses used against Shenfeng Academy to the way they overpowered the Elephant Armored Academy. He recounted how Ye Yin had single-handedly crushed both Tianshui Academy and Blazing Fire Academy with his terrifying control over ultimate ice and fire, and how Feng Xiaotian's ultimate attack was turned into a ridiculous dance. He relayed every detail with a grave and apprehensive tone.
"Your Holiness, the Supreme Pontiff!" Salas's voice grew more urgent. "This boy, Ye Yin, his methods are strange and unpredictable, and his personality is impossible to figure out! His Curse ability is something we've never seen before, and there's no way to defend against it. Now, he has also shown terrifying control over the ultimate attributes of both ice and fire!"
"He's only a Level 52 Spirit King1, yet he can so easily control such fundamental power. It's unheard of! A talent like this, with methods so strange… he can't be an ordinary person! If we let him continue to grow, he will surely become a major threat to Spirit Hall in the future!"
He paused, then lowered his voice, a hint of ruthlessness in his tone. "Your subordinate requests your decree! Should we… find an opportunity on the way to Spirit City to…"
He didn't need to finish his sentence. The meaning was clear: assassinate Ye Yin.
The other side of the array fell silent. The silence was so heavy that beads of cold sweat began to form on Salas's forehead. After a long moment, Bibi Dong's voice returned, as calm and indifferent as ever, completely devoid of emotion.
"Salas, you're too nervous," she said, her tone making it sound like she was discussing the weather. "He's just a Spirit King." Her voice carried the weight of someone who looked down upon all living things. "Extraordinary talent? Bizarre methods? This world is never short of geniuses. But how many of them actually reach the top? How many even survive long enough to matter?"
"Most of these so-called geniuses are just fleeting meteors," she continued coolly. "They burn brightly for a moment, but in the end, they all burn out."
Salas's heart tightened. He wondered what the Supreme Pontiff meant.
"Ultimate attributes? That is indeed rare," Bibi Dong admitted, her voice still flat. "But he's still only a Spirit King. Below the rank of Spirit Saint2, they are all just ants. And even if he somehow managed to become a Titled Douluo 3…" She paused, as if the idea was amusing to her, before letting out a soft, dismissive hum. "Hmph, Titled Douluo? Does our Spirit Hall lack them? A mere boy like Ye Yin can't cause any waves."
"There's no need to panic, and certainly no need for a pathetic assassination. That would only make us a laughingstock. Let him come to Spirit City. I want to see this 'King of Curses' who has made you lose your composure, Salas. Let's see what ripples he can create on the stage of the finals. If he truly has the ability to stir up trouble…"
Bibi Dong's voice trailed off, leaving the threat unspoken.
A chill ran down Salas's spine. "Yes! Your subordinate understands! I will obey Your Holiness's command!"
The light from the array slowly faded, and the communication ended. Salas remained kneeling for a long time before finally pushing himself to his feet. He realized the back of his robe was completely soaked with cold sweat.
Was the Supreme Pontiff's attitude a sign of dismissal, or was it a display of absolute confidence? He recalled the cunning evil hidden behind Ye Yin's gentle smile and his incredible abilities, and the chill in his heart refused to fade. Perhaps in the eyes of the Supreme Pontiff, Ye Yin was insignificant. But Salas had a nagging premonition that this boy was no ordinary genius. His existence could become a huge, unpredictable variable in this competition—and perhaps even in the future of Spirit Hall itself.
The three-day rest period passed in a blur.
Early the next morning, banners fluttered in the breeze at the Royal Hunting Ground. The fifteen qualifying teams stood ready, and the five hundred elite Royal Knights were assembled in a neat formation, their shining armor glinting in the sun. They were tasked with escorting these teams, who carried the glory of the Heaven Dou Empire, to Spirit City—the holy land of the Spirit Master world.
As always, Shrek Academy was the center of attention. Ye Yin stood at the front of the team, facing the rising sun with a gentle and harmless smile on his face. Behind him, his companions' faces were filled with excitement for the challenges that lay ahead.
The procession slowly began to move, the sound of rolling wheels and clopping hooves raising a trail of dust as they embarked on their long journey.
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