After Tianshui Academy forfeited, the closing ceremony of the preliminary rounds in the Great Soul Arena began.
The closing ceremony was simplified considerably; the other academies that did not advance did not participate in the final ceremony, only the top five teams went to the VIP seats to receive their awards.
The ceremony was not complicated. At the host's announcement, the captains of the top five teams walked onto the VIP stage.
Everyone went to the VIP seats and quietly waited for Emperor Xueye to present the awards. During the wait, Cheng Xiao also sensed Dai Mubai's malicious gaze, but he didn't care; he was just a cowardly cat.
"Next, His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and His Excellency Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, will personally present the awards to the teams that have entered the advancement rounds!" the host announced loudly.
Soon, the awards were presented, and each team that entered the advancement rounds received a reward of 10,000 gold soul coins and a handwritten note.
Emperor Xueye's gaze swept over the representatives of the five academies before him, but he lingered on Cheng Xiao for a few extra seconds before smiling and saying, "Children, congratulations."
"As the supreme ruler of the Heavenly Dou Empire, I am proud of you. You are all the hope for the future of the empire. Therefore, I have decided to confer upon you five the title of Viscount, and the remaining participants the title of Baron. Your fiefdoms will be allocated after your graduation, and the gates of the empire are always open to you."
Hearing this, Salas interjected, "Your Majesty, isn't this inappropriate? There has never been a precedent for awarding titles in previous competitions."
In both the Heavenly Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, the ranks of nobility are Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. Those who receive titles are usually those who have made significant contributions to the empire. For Emperor Xueye to generously bestow the noble title of Viscount upon the top five in just one preliminary round is undeniably astonishing.
Only Emperor Xueye himself knew the true purpose of this action. It was simply to win over Cheng Xiao. He couldn't bestow titles only upon Cheng Xiao; doing so would surely invite criticism. As for the others, it was merely a cover-up.
"What, Bishop Salas, is your Spirit Hall now interfering in the Empire's internal affairs? My bestowal of titles seems unrelated to the Spirit Hall, doesn't it?" Emperor Xueye glanced coldly at Salas and said indifferently, "If your team wins the upcoming competition, the entire team's titles will be promoted by one level, and the academy's prefix will be changed to 'Royal,' enjoying imperial financial support."
"I wouldn't dare." Salas's face was somewhat unpleasant, but he remained silent. Emperor Xueye didn't yet know that Cheng Xiao was an insider of the Spirit Hall, and that was precisely what worried him. Would Cheng Xiao betray them for a little benefit from the Heaven Dou Empire? That was his concern.
Besides, as a Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, how could he not see through Emperor Xueye's intentions?
However, none of this was important. What mattered was that he had to report this matter to His Holiness the Pope immediately. After all, such a talented Soul Master couldn't be blinded by the small favors of the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Your Majesty, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first." Salas bowed slightly to Emperor Xue Ye, then quickly left the VIP seats without waiting for a response.
Watching Salas's departing figure, a flash of anger crossed Emperor Xue Ye's eyes. A voice that only he and Ning Fengzhi could hear escaped his lips, "This Salas is getting more and more arrogant. Could it be that the Spirit Hall wants to start a war?"
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi smiled but remained silent.
Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had always supported the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, it would never dare to oppose the Spirit Hall for the sake of the imperial family. As a businessman, he knew what he should and shouldn't do.
After a moment, Emperor Xueye's expression returned to normal, and he smiled at everyone, saying, "The next qualifying rounds will still be held in the Empire, but the venue has changed from the Heavenly Battle Arena to the Royal Hunting Grounds. At that time, the teams from the various duchies and kingdoms that have passed the preliminary rounds will also compete with you."
"The qualifying rounds will be held in a month. I hope everyone will have an even more spectacular performance in the coming month."
After saying this, Emperor Xueye, accompanied by Ning Fengzhi, turned and left.
As Emperor Xueye left the arena, a deafening roar of cheers suddenly erupted, causing the entire arena to tremble slightly.
Countless people stood up from the stands, looking at the five academy team leaders standing in the VIP seats with eyes full of envy and awe, especially Cheng Xiao, whose name had resounded throughout the entire Heaven Dou City during this qualifying round.
All of this was built on strength and power; only the strong are respected.
Hearing the cheers that echoed throughout the arena, the five academy representatives, having received their awards, slowly walked down from the VIP seats and returned to their respective academy teams.
"Cheng Xiao, you've done a great job in this competition!" Back in the team, Yu Tianheng stepped forward and hugged Cheng Xiao, excitedly saying, "Let's go, let's go eat! I've already used my family's connections to book a private room at the biggest hotel in Tiandou City. Tonight, we're going to drink until we drop!"
"Yeah, until we drop!" Yu Feng shouted.
Hearing this, Cheng Xiao smiled slightly and said, "Alright, let's drink until we drop tonight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Seven Star Academy team slowly walked out of the deafeningly noisy Soul Arena amidst cheers.
...
Night fell, Shrek Academy.
Tang San, who had been meditating cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at his hands, gradually clenching his fists. A hint of anger flashed in his eyes as he growled, "Why? Why did my cultivation speed decrease after absorbing the soul power of the Human-Faced Demon Spider? Does this mean I can only cultivate by absorbing the soul power of evil soul beasts?"
Some time ago, he accidentally activated the Eight Spider Lances' absorption ability in Sunset Forest. This not only delighted him but also made him uneasy. If people found out that he cultivated by absorbing soul beasts, he feared he would have no place to stand on the entire continent.
But without absorbing soul beasts, his soul power couldn't increase in a short time. Right now, he couldn't rely on his strong individual strength to defeat other academies and lead Shrek Academy to the championship.
However, if he relied on devouring soul beasts to cultivate, he would inevitably attract the pursuit of the Spirit Hall once exposed. After all, the Spirit Hall specialized in such matters. Moreover, his father had an irreconcilable conflict with the Spirit Hall. If the Spirit Hall discovered his true identity, they would surely hunt him down to death.
"Damn it, how can I break out of this deadlock?" Tang San's mind raced with thoughts. He didn't want to devour soul beasts to improve his cultivation, yet he desperately wanted to increase his soul power and win the championship. It seemed that the only way to achieve this goal was to devour soul beasts.
...
You can now download the complete English PDF of the story you're currently reading at my Patreon shop. I also have a wide variety of other books available there for you to explore!
Hi veryone! I've just uploaded several new Adult (18+) Douluo & BTTH fanfics. Feel free to head over and check them out. Most Of uploaded adult fanfictions on my patreon shop Include R@pe and L0li so beware before you check them.
Here are titles of uploaded BTTH & Douluo adult fanfics on Patreon:
" Douluo: The L*wdness and Cru*lty of the Evil God (18+) "
" Douluo: Legend of God Realm (18+) "
" Douluo: The Eclipse of the Thunder Dragon (18+) "
" Douluo: Rogue (18+) "
" Double Douluo: No Comparison, No Harm "
" Douluo: Reborn as Xue Ke, Determined to Protect Qian Renxue (18+) "
" Douluo: Huo Yuhao Reborn as Tang Wulin "
" Douluo: Huo Yuhao, the Nether-Eyed White Tiger "
" Douluo: Martial Soul – The Scalpel (18+) "
" Douluo: Flame Spear Chongli & Fallen Heart Flame — Unrivaled Rise (18+) "
" Douluo: I Became Qian Renxue's Martial Soul "
many more up to 280+ are available.
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
Patreon.com/UIGOD
(End of Chapter)