Early the next morning, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament—Promotion Rounds—officially began.
A gathering of heroes.
All the participating teams from the Heaven Dou Empire division assembled here, competing for the precious slots to advance to the grand finals held by Spirit Hall.
However, before the matches officially started, a small incident occurred.
The source of the incident was Shrek Academy.
Late last night, Royal Knight Legion soldiers who were on patrol heard horrifying screams—like ghosts wailing—from the direction of Shrek Academy's camp.
During the tournament period, private fighting was absolutely forbidden, especially within the Royal Hunting Grounds. After all, this area was guarded by the elite Royal Knight Legion of the Heaven Dou Empire.
When the patrol squad leader arrived at Shrek Academy's tent, he was shocked to discover that Shrek Academy's team leader—Master Yu Xiaogang—had been beaten beyond recognition. Multiple bones throughout his body were fractured, and even his mouth had been beaten crooked.
Afterward, when the squad leader asked who had done it, Yu Xiaogang could no longer speak properly. Air leaked from his mouth as he tried to talk, spraying saliva all over the squad leader's face.
When the squad leader questioned Shrek Academy's vice dean, Liu Erlong, she claimed to know nothing and couldn't squeeze out a single word.
This matter soon reached Emperor Xue Ye, who immediately ordered a full investigation. The mastermind must be captured and severely punished!
As for the real culprit behind all this—
Liu Erlong knew.Tang San knew.Yu Xiaogang knew.Zhou Sidong also knew.
It was none other than Tang Hao.
After learning that his son had gone to Yu Xiaogang and acknowledged him as his teacher again, Tang Hao was furious at Tang San's lack of ambition. He repeatedly warned his son to stay far away from that fraud who claimed fame without ability.
And so, that very night, Yu Xiaogang suffered immensely and had yet to regain consciousness. Tang Hao had clearly gone all out this time.
If not for the fact that the tournament was currently underway and Tang Hao didn't want to stir up too much trouble, Yu Xiaogang would already be dead.
Under Tang Hao's intimidation, Liu Erlong could only grit her teeth and swallow the bitterness whole.
The circular competition arena was filled with participating teams.
Seated in the VIP section were Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi, among other distinguished guests of noble status.
Fifteen teams were divided into different zones within the circular battlefield. Royal Knight Legion soldiers stood guard all around, positioned at elevated points to clearly observe the upcoming fights below.
Of course, this arrangement had another purpose—to motivate the soldiers to train diligently.
At the same time, Zhou Sidong rested his chin on his hands and looked toward Shrek Academy's area, smiling faintly.
"That unlucky Yu Xiaogang—Tang Hao came knocking. If Yu Xiaogang keeps courting death, I probably won't even need to act. Tang Hao will kill him himself."
That was entirely possible.
With his son ruined by Yu Xiaogang's guidance, Tang Hao would never let it go.
"I heard Yu Xiaogang was already delirious when he was carried away last night. Looks like Tang Hao really snapped."
"Zhu Zhuqing" slowly shook her head, silently mourning Yu Xiaogang.
"This can't be blamed entirely on Tang Hao. His son's perfectly good twin martial souls were ruined. And judging from Tang Hao's behavior last night, Yu Xiaogang was definitely involved in the matter of Tang San's ruined twin martial souls."
Zhou Sidong smiled even wider.
In stark contrast stood Shrek Academy.
Because of the Master's condition, the atmosphere there was extremely heavy.
Since last night, Tang San's face had been dark and gloomy.
Not only had his father instantly seen through the matter of the prematurely absorbed soul ring of the Clear Sky Hammer, but now his teacher—no, the person he regarded as his teacher—had been dragged into this mess for no reason. It was all his fault.
"Brother, who slapped you across the face?"
Xiao Wu stood with her hands on her hips, staring angrily at the slap mark on Tang San's still-swollen face.
"..."
Tang San remained silent.
He couldn't say it was his father—otherwise, his father's whereabouts would be exposed.
Daring to commit violence in the Royal Hunting Grounds—only Tang Hao had such audacity!
It was a loud slap in the face of the Heaven Dou Empire itself.
Seeing Tang San unwilling to speak, everyone grew even more irritated.
Shrek Academy had always lived by the principle of retaliation—those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre. Their academy motto said it all.
"Was it Zhou Sidong who did it?!"
That sudden accusation made Zhou Sidong stumble.
He looked at Ma Hongjun, who had spoken, with amusement and rolled his eyes dramatically.
Yes.I did everything.Shrek Academy is full of saints, and I'm the villain.
"N-no… it wasn't Zhou Sidong."
Tang San shook his head blankly. His father's final warnings echoed repeatedly in his mind. Thinking about it now, he truly felt he had let his father down.
Tang San sank into deep self-blame. His fists clenched and loosened repeatedly, his mood sinking to rock bottom.
No matter how Dai Mubai and the others questioned him, Tang San refused to speak. At this point, they could do nothing.
Just then, the first match of the promotion round was about to begin.
The key difference between the promotion round and the preliminaries was this:
The preliminaries were 7v7 team battles.
The promotion round, however, consisted of one-on-one matches, with seven members taking turns. Once one side's seven members were all defeated, the last person standing would be the winner.
"Barack Kingdom Academy versus Shrek Academy! Please send your representatives onto the stage!"
The host announced loudly from the center of the arena.
Shrek Academy's opponent was Barack Kingdom Academy—a formidable academy established directly by the Barack royal family, one of the Heaven Dou Empire's subordinate kingdoms.
"It's them!"
Flender gripped the iron railing so hard that it bent out of shape.
Shrek Academy and Barack Academy had long-standing grudges.
"Alright, the battle is about to begin. Everyone, give it your all! Defeat Barack Academy and show everyone here that Shrek Academy cannot be humiliated!"
Flender's voice was full of momentum.
The hatred between Flender and Barack Academy dated all the way back to Soto City. He hadn't expected it to continue even here in Heaven Dou City.
"Headmaster, let me go first!"
Xiao Wu volunteered immediately.
Although Tang San's injury wasn't caused by Zhou Sidong, Xiao Wu was furious and badly needed an outlet for her anger.
"Alright. Be careful."
Flender nodded.
Any team that made it into the promotion round was no pushover. Even with Tang San, a Soul King, Shrek Academy couldn't afford to be careless.
"Xiao Wu, be careful!"
Before she stepped onto the stage, Tang San tightly held her right hand.
Memories of Xiao Wu's previous惨状 flashed through his mind—whether it was being injured by San Yue Zhidong's mysterious spherical weapon in Soto City, or being brutally beaten by Zhou Sidong in the final preliminaries match.
He never wanted that to happen again.
Under the ambiguous gazes of Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the others, Xiao Wu glared fiercely at them, then stepped onto the arena.
Shrek Academy sent Xiao Wu as their first fighter.
Barack Academy responded by sending their captain—a tall student whose soul power had already exceeded forty. He was their strongest member.
"A boring fight…"
Watching Xiao Wu completely suppress the Barack Academy student on the stage, Zhou Sidong couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Why is everyone in this promotion round so weak? Not a single one worth fighting."
Invincibility truly was lonely—this phrase fit Zhou Sidong perfectly.
"That's how promotion rounds are. The weak are really weak, and even the strong aren't that strong."
"Zhu Zhuqing" leaned against the railing beside Zhou Sidong, watching Xiao Wu casually crush her opponent with boredom.
"Look—conflict is about to break out."
This scene felt familiar to "Zhu Zhuqing."
No—she had experienced it personally.
The Barack Academy captain underestimated his opponent and fell victim to Xiao Wu's Charm. He became dazed and disoriented.
Xiao Wu, of course, didn't hold back.
She had never had a good impression of Barack Academy anyway.
Teleportation!Waist Bow!Eight-Section Explosive Throw!
Heart-wrenching screams rang out.
Barack Academy's members clenched their teeth in rage, wishing they could rush up immediately and deal with that arrogant girl.
Meanwhile, Shrek Academy cheered wildly.
With Xiao Wu dominating the sky, victory in the first match was all but guaranteed. Watching his opponent being repeatedly smashed through the air, Tang San finally forced out a faint smile.
In the end, Xiao Wu delivered a powerful whip kick, smashing the battered Barack Academy captain flat onto the ground.
She then looked toward the Barack Academy side and wore a disdainful expression.
"Who's next?"
Xiao Wu crooked her finger at them, her face full of contempt.
Those simple words instantly ignited the anger of Barack Academy.
Xiao Wu smugly met Tang San's gaze, her expression full of pride.
At that moment, seven or eight furious Barack Academy members rushed onto the stage. Two of them dragged away their injured captain, while the rest surrounded Xiao Wu, their eyes filled with malicious intent.
Seeing this, the Shrek team didn't hesitate either—they all rushed onto the stage without a second thought for the host.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi frowned at the sudden turn of events, while the other academies were completely stunned.
They never imagined that Barack Academy could be so shameless—losing a match and then violating the rules by storming the stage together.
"I told you—conflict would erupt."
"Zhu Zhuqing" looped one arm around Zhou Sidong and pointed at the tense standoff between the two camps, smiling.
"Do you think they'll start fighting?"
The innocent "Zhu Zhuqing" thought Zhou Sidong didn't know what would happen next and teased him playfully.
Zhou Sidong only smiled faintly. He had no intention of revealing that he was a transmigrator who knew everything in advance.
"I may not know whether they'll fight…"
"But I do know one thing—this little kitty of mine will always belong to me."
This farce between Shrek Academy and Barack Academy ultimately ended with Salas stepping in to stop it.
Barack Academy's rude behavior was met with only a verbal warning.
On the stage, both sides glared at each other, exchanged harsh words, and then withdrew.
What surprised Zhou Sidong most, however, was that Xiao Wu also stepped down.
Standing on the stage now was none other than Tang San.
At this moment, Tang San's gaze was sharp like a blade, fixed firmly on Zhou Sidong.
As if to say—Watch closely. This is my current strength.
Zhou Sidong couldn't be bothered to look at him. He simply turned his head away and continued chatting with "Zhu Zhuqing."
Being ignored made Tang San furious.
He clenched his fists tightly, swearing inwardly that he would make Zhou Sidong pay a heavy price.
The next Barack Academy student stepped forward, glaring at Tang San with open contempt. His hands rubbed together, as if imagining Tang San already in his grasp.
The feud between Shrek and Barack ran deep. Now that their captain was severely injured and humiliated by a little girl, these normally arrogant Barack Academy students were itching to swarm in.
If not for the fact that they were in the Royal Hunting Grounds, with Emperor Xue Ye and many powerful figures present, the scene would have already exploded into chaos.
The next round officially began.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Barack Academy sent out a student whose martial soul was Sunflower. Four soul rings appeared beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple.
Another Soul Elder.
Facing such an opponent, Tang San's lips curled into a mocking smile.
Blue Silver Grass emerged from the ground beneath his feet.
The moment the Barack Academy student saw the Blue Silver Grass, he almost burst out laughing.
His Sunflower was also a plant-type martial soul.
And Blue Silver Grass?
Trash martial soul.
Just as he was about to mock Tang San, what happened next left him completely speechless.
"Tang San really went all out this time."
Zhou Sidong looked at the Barack Academy student who had been defeated in a single move, now lying stiff on the arena floor.
Tang San's soul ring configuration—two yellow, two purple, and one black—made every jaw in the audience drop.
Just one month ago, Tang San was only a Soul Elder.
And now, as the promotion round began, he had transformed into a Soul King.
Blink once—A hen turns into a duck.
Relying on his Soul King strength, the balance of the battle tilted rapidly in Shrek Academy's favor.
When the final Barack Academy student fell, the match came to a complete end.
After the host announced Shrek Academy's victory, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others erupted in cheers.
Winning the first match was excellent news for Shrek Academy in this brutal promotion round.
Tang San walked off the stage, his expression cold and stern.
He looked toward Zhou Sidong, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
"Idiot."
Zhou Sidong casually tossed out the insult.
Tang San's face flushed red, and he nearly rushed over to fight him on the spot.
This was going too far!
~~~~~~~~~~~
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