Chapter 215: The Qualifying Rounds Begin! Yu Tianheng's Evil Thoughts?
A few days later, at the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Arena.
The preliminary rounds of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament in the Heaven Dou region officially came to an end.
After fierce competition, the five teams that ultimately advanced were listed: Tianxing Academy, Shenfeng Academy, Chihuo Academy, Shrek Academy, and Tianshui Academy.
According to the tournament procedure, a brief awards ceremony would be held after the preliminary rounds to award the advancing teams with qualification certificates symbolizing honor and noble titles.
However, when the emcee announced Shrek Academy's name, the stage was empty; no one went up.
The Shrek Academy members did not come.
It wasn't that they gave up on receiving the award, but rather that they had no time to care about it.
At this moment, Shrek Academy was already in complete chaos.
The news that Tang San was a Fallen One, an Evil Soul Master, spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of Heaven Dou City in just a few days, becoming the most shocking topic of conversation among the people.
The once-proud prodigy has instantly become a pariah, and Shrek Academy, which nurtured such a demon, is naturally thrust into the spotlight.
Outside the academy gates, a large crowd of people who had rushed to the scene gathered, pointing and whispering, their eyes filled with contempt and fear.
Inside the academy, chaos reigned, a scene of utter disarray.
"Expel them! We must expel them!"
"How can we let my child stay in a place where evil spirit masters have been? It's too dangerous!"
"Dean Flander! We sent our children here to learn the righteous path, to cultivate spirits and serve the country, not to learn how to suck human blood and soul power!"
"We don't want the tuition! Quickly process our expulsion!"
At this moment, countless parents, their faces filled with fear and anger, dragged their children, crowding in front of the academy's office building and registrar's office, their emotions running high.
They were terrified that their children had any connection with the fallen, and even more afraid that something else, unknown to others, might be hidden within the academy.
The teachers at the academy were overwhelmed, trying to calm and explain, but their voices sounded so pale and powerless in the face of the surging crowd and panic.
The once vibrant campus was now filled with an apocalyptic panic and desolation.
The few remaining students were also filled with anxiety, hiding in their dormitories, afraid to go out.
Shrek Academy's reputation had completely collapsed in just a few days, plummeting to rock bottom.
At this moment, Flander stood by the window of his office, looking at the chaotic scene below, listening to the endless demands for expulsion and shouts of abuse, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
The academy he had painstakingly built up over twenty years, the home he regarded as his life's work, was crumbling before his eyes at a visible speed.
Just as Shrek Academy was beset by internal and external troubles and the people were filled with panic, the office door was gently pushed open, and Qin Ming walked in. He looked at Flander standing by the window, his back looking particularly desolate and aged, and felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
"Dean..." Qin Ming called softly, his tone full of worry.
Flander didn't turn around, still gazing at the noisy crowd of students dropping out downstairs. His voice carried a suppressed calm as he said softly,
"I'm fine, Qin Ming."
He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the chaos before him, landing on the children he valued most and who caused him the most heartache. His voice was filled with deep regret and helplessness.
"It's just a pity about Hongjun, Oscar, Mubai, and Zhuqing. They had such bright futures and talents, but now... they have to suffer because of Little San's affair, bearing the brunt of the criticism and condemnation along with the academy."
He was heartbroken not only by the academy's collapse but also by the future of these innocent students being affected.
"Dean, then... will we still participate in the upcoming promotion matches?" Qin Ming walked to Flander's side, also looking at the chaos downstairs, and asked the most pressing question.
"After Little San was taken away, Grandmaster is now locking himself in his room all day, depressed and unhappy. I'm afraid... we can't count on him anymore."
Flander remained silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Then, he slowly turned around. Although his eyes behind his glasses were bloodshot, his voice suddenly rose:
"Participate! Why not participate?!"
"Even if they don't get a good ranking, even if they just go through the motions, the children must complete the process of this competition!"
As he spoke, his gaze swept out the window, as if he could see the young and resolute faces of Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and others. "At the age of Hongjun, Oscar, Mubai, and Zhuqing, they will still be within the age limit for participating in the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition!"
"This time, let's treat it as the cruelest and most realistic experience! Let them personally feel what true adversity is, what the coldness of the world is! Only if they can stand up again from this setback can they go further in the future!"
"Perhaps, the championship of the next competition will belong to our Shrek Academy!"
...
On the other side, in Spirit City, in the Papal Palace.
Inside the spacious and majestic palace, Bibi Dong sat on the high Papal throne.
At this moment, a secret letter was held between her slender fingers—a detailed report from Salas, urgently sent back by him, regarding the Tang San incident.
After reading it word by word, Bibi Dong's beautiful face showed no anger, but rather a slow, cold, and amused curve. She gently put down the letter, gracefully stood up, and said in a rather chilling voice,
"Interesting. The Clear Sky Sect has produced a fallen one, an evil soul master..."
She repeated these two words repeatedly, her tone full of sarcasm, as if savoring an absurd joke.
Seeing this, Yue Guan, who was standing nearby, pondered for a moment, then stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "Your Holiness, how should we deal with this Tang San? Should we follow the usual practice and have Salas execute him on the spot as a warning to others?"
In his view, once the crime of being an evil soul master was confirmed, direct execution was the simplest and most direct method.
"Salas said in his letter that he would wait until all the qualifying matches in the Heaven Dou Region were over, and then accompany the participating teams to escort Tang San to Spirit City for my personal judgment."
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong's mind involuntarily flashed with the image of Yu Xiaogang, haggard yet stubborn. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke.
A hint of doubt flashed in Yue Guan's eyes. Escort him back? Wouldn't that be redundant?
He dared not say more, but continued to ask, "Your Holiness, what do you plan to do with Tang San when he arrives in Spirit City? Fallen beings and evil spirit masters are already unacceptable to the world. Will you follow the old custom and send him to that land of depravity, or...?"
"Hahahaha!"
Bibi Dong suddenly let out a loud laugh filled with endless coldness and mockery. The laughter echoed in the empty hall, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"Being able to devour life force... makes one considered evil?"
"The world is truly adorably foolish."
At this point, her laughter subsided, and a hint of arrogant disdain for worldly norms flashed in her purple eyes.
"According to their outdated standards, wouldn't my spirit, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, also become what they call... an evil spirit master?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Guan trembled slightly and quickly lowered his head, not daring to answer.
Bibi Dong ignored his fear, her gaze returning to the secret letter. Her tone became deep and unfathomable, carrying an air of casual control as she said,
"As for Tang San, what to do with him?"
"We'll see."
"Perhaps we can use him to lure an even bigger fish."
Hearing this, Yue Guan was initially taken aback, then a flash of inspiration struck him, and he instantly understood Bibi Dong's meaning. He gasped, exclaiming,
"Your Holiness, you mean... Tang Hao?!"
"That's right." Bibi Dong slowly nodded, a chilling killing intent shrouding her beautiful face. She said, "A father and son are of one heart. Tang San is imprisoned, his life hanging by a thread. With Tang Hao's protective nature, even if he knows it's a dragon's den, he will definitely come!"
"This time, we absolutely cannot let Tang Hao escape again!"
"I'll go to the Hall of Priests now."
With that, Bibi Dong's figure vanished instantly from the empty Papal Palace.
...
A few more days passed.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament entered its next stage: the Qualifying Rounds.
Unlike the highly anticipated and bustling preliminary rounds, the atmosphere of the Qualifying Rounds was solemn and closed. To protect the privacy of the Soul Masters from each academy, and also for security reasons, the Qualifying Rounds were not open to the general public.
The competition would be held in the Royal Hunting Grounds southwest of Heaven Dou City, with only the tournament organizing committee, relevant staff, participating teams from each academy, and a small number of Soul Masters allowed to enter.
The Qualifying Rounds were still divided into two empires.
The thirty elite teams selected through the preliminary rounds would complete this stage of the competition in their respective empires.
That is to say, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire each had fifteen teams participating in the Qualifying Rounds.
The fifteen teams from the Heaven Dou Empire naturally included Tianxing Academy, which advanced with a perfect record, as well as established powerhouses such as Shenfeng Academy, Chihuo Academy, and Tianshui Academy.
Teams that advanced from kingdoms and duchies below the Heaven Dou Empire, such as Beast Academy, Plant Academy, and Barak Kingdom Academy, were also included!
Shrek Academy, embroiled in controversy and severely weakened, was also on the list.
Their mere appearance drew complex and varied gazes from other academies—some sympathetic, some disdainful, but most scrutinizing and distant.
The qualifying tournament was a fourteen-round round-robin format.
Each team had to play against the other fourteen teams in their region, with the final ranking determined by wins, losses, and points.
The rules were simple: each side sent seven players, and each player fought until defeated, with the winner facing the next opponent, until one side lost all seven.
The draw had been finalized the previous night.
At that moment, when everyone saw the written match schedule, the air in Shrek Academy's preparation hall seemed to freeze.
"Damn it!"
The next second, an uncontrollable growl, filled with resentment and anger, burst from Grandmaster's throat.
He stared intently at the line "Shrek Academy VS Tianxing Academy" on the match list, his face alternating between pale and flushed, panting heavily.
"Is this tournament organizing committee run by Tianxing Academy themselves?! It's always like this!"
"We ran into them in the first match of the preliminaries, and now it's them again in the first match of the qualifying rounds! These people are bastards! They're deliberately trying to mess with Shrek Academy!"
Without Tang San, facing the unfathomable strength of Tang Chuan and Xiao Ruier, two Soul Kings, he saw no chance of winning, and even continuing to participate seemed laughable.
Watching this scene, Flander sighed silently in his heart. Then, he stepped forward and patted Grandmaster on the shoulder, his voice weary.
"Xiaogang, calm down."
"What's the use of complaining? The draw results are already decided, it can't be changed."
Then, he glanced at Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others not far away, their expressions anxious and their morale low, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
"Although Little San is gone, we promised these kids we'd guide them through this tournament. This is their experience, and it's a reality we must face."
"You...you'd better hurry up and plan the next tactics! The match is about to start!"
"Tactics?!" Grandmaster seemed startled by the word, abruptly raising his head, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Flander. He slammed his fist on the table beside him with a loud thud, startling Tai Long and the others.
He breathed heavily, remaining silent for a long while before finally declaring,
"How about this?"
"Tai Long, you'll go first."
Grandmaster pointed to Tai Long, the team's strongest in defense and power.
This was clearly a pure cannon fodder arrangement, intended only to wear down the opponent as much as possible.
"Then Tianheng, you're second; Dai Mubai, third; Xiao Wu, you..."
He paused here, his mind seemingly a chaotic mess of despair, devoid of any tactical strategy, mechanically arranging the lineup based on his spirit and conventional impressions.
His arrangements were haphazard and lacked any strategy specifically targeting Tianxing Academy; it was entirely a matter of resignation and perfunctory attitude.
...
A few minutes later, within the closed and solemn Royal Hunting Grounds.
On the high platform, Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire delivered a brief but authoritative address, officially opening the Heaven Dou Empire Division Qualifying Round of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
At this moment, there was none of the thunderous cheers of the preliminary rounds, only the solemn gazes of the various academy teams and the invisible pressure permeating the air.
With the referee's loud announcement, the first match of the first round of the qualifying round began.
The highly anticipated duel immediately commenced: Shrek Academy versus Tianxing Academy!
On Tianxing Academy's side, a golden figure nimbly leaped onto the arena—it was Xiao Ruier.
Gazing at the tall, elegant, and cold-faced blonde woman on the arena, Tai Long frowned. His inherent chauvinism as a power-type Soul Master kicked in, and he grumbled,
"I, Tai Long, don't hit women! Is your Tianxing Academy out of talent? Send someone..."
However, before he could finish his gentlemanly words,
"Whoosh—!"
Tai Long saw a flash of golden light! It wasn't the light of a Soul Ring, but rather the afterimage left by his opponent's incredible speed!
The next second, an overwhelming and terrifying force, like a high-speed battering ram, slammed solidly into his chest!
"Boom—!!!"
A dull, teeth-grinding thud exploded on the arena!
Tai Long didn't even have time to make any effective defensive or dodge maneuvers. His massive body was like a tattered sack thrown with all his might; his feet left the ground, and he flew backward, tracing a pathetic arc in the air before crashing heavily onto the hard ground outside the ring!
"Crack..."
Centered on his landing point, the hard stone floor instantly cracked, spreading outwards like a spiderweb!
Tai Long lay sprawled among the rubble, a cave-in in his chest, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, his eyes rolling back. He didn't even utter a sound before completely losing consciousness.
From the start of the match to his being blasted away, the entire process took only a breath!
On the ring...
Xiao Ruier slowly withdrew her seemingly slender fist, which contained explosive power.
She hadn't even fully released her spirit; she had only relied on the instantaneous burst of physical strength and soul power to deliver this earth-shattering blow!
Her gaze swept indifferently over the audience, where Tai Long lay like a dead dog. Xiao Ruier's clear, cold voice rang out clearly in the silent arena, containing only three simple words:
"Next."
Instantly, the entire arena fell silent.
In the Shrek Academy's preparation area, Grandmaster and Flander's faces turned deathly pale.
They knew Tianxing Academy was strong, but they hadn't expected that Xiao Ruier alone would be so powerful! Tai Long couldn't even withstand a single move from her?
Not far away...
As the former captain of the Royal Fighting Team, Yu Tianheng stared at the golden figure on the arena who had instantly defeated Tai Long. His pupils contracted slightly as he thought to himself,
"Such terrifying power and speed! She didn't even seem to use any soul skills, did she?"
"I remember Xiao Ruier's spirit is... a Golden Dragon?"
Thinking of this, Yu Tianheng's eyes suddenly deepened, even taking on an uncontrollable heat.
Golden Dragon! The progenitor of power, its dragon bloodline is noble and powerful.
Immediately afterward, an evil thought sprouted wildly in his mind like weeds.
"If I bring the news that she has a Golden Dragon spirit back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan..."
"I think... those old guys will definitely be interested in her!"
At this moment, he thought of the elders in his clan who had been dedicated to researching dragon-type spirits and eager to further advance the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon bloodline.
"After all, obtaining the bloodline of the Golden Dragon would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan! It might even cause the clan's inherited spirit, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, to undergo unexpected evolution!"
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