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Xingluo City, the capital of the Xingluo Empire, is not only the largest city in the empire but also its political, cultural, and economic heart, earning the prestigious title of "The Eternal Invincible Capital."
Its vast scale and magnificent architecture are surrounded by towering, formidable walls that wind like a colossal, slumbering dragon encircling the entire metropolis.
The city's permanent population exceeds eight million souls, and during this period, as the Grand Continent-wide Advanced Soul Teacher Academy Dueling Tournament approaches, countless individuals from all four empires have gathered here, creating a sea of humanity where shoulders brush and elbows collide, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
It was against this overwhelming backdrop that the Shrek Academy team arrived at the eastern side of Xingluo Square, where the Star Emperor Hotel—a towering seven-story building specially reserved for participants from advanced soul master academies and soul engineer schools across the world—awaited them.
Inside the luxury suite on the top floor,
"Xingluo City is simply packed with people. I was hoping to sneak out for a stroll, but now it looks like I'll be crushed to death if I even try."
Wu Feng knelt on the sofa, leaning forward over the backrest, gazing down at the bustling street below the floor-to-ceiling window, unable to suppress her complaints.
"It's perfectly normal to have so many people," Ning Tian replied calmly as she poured a glass of juice and handed it to Wu Feng. "Besides, with the tournament about to begin, the Emperor of Xingluo would probably love to double the size of the city."
"That may be true," Wu Feng retorted, "but why are the two of you ignoring your own rooms and cramming into mine?"
At that moment, Chen Junting's voice emerged from the bathroom as he pushed open the door, looking at them with mild exasperation.
"Of course we came to you," Ning Tian smiled. "Teacher Wang Yan just notified us to head to the meeting room—he's calling a pre-tournament briefing."
"Then let's go before we keep everyone waiting," Chen Junting said, nodding slightly as he gathered his hair into a neat ponytail at the back of his head.
Just as they stepped out of the room and headed toward the meeting hall, they collided with a pair of strangers. The young man had snow-white hair and heterochromatic eyes, exuding the refined arrogance of a wealthy nobleman. The girl, in contrast, possessed an uncommonly beautiful wine-red mane that shimmered with a faint glow, and her blue eyes bore a striking resemblance to Ning Tian's.
"Wow—handsome!"
The girl's eyes instantly lit up the moment she saw Chen Junting.
Before she could step closer, Ning Tian swiftly stepped forward to block her path, while Wu Feng stood beside her, fists clenched and ready to pounce—clearly prepared to knock the girl flat on her face the moment Ning Tian gave the signal.
Chen Junting frowned slightly.
"Miss, please maintain your dignity."
Then, with a raised eyebrow, he glanced toward the amused yet exasperated young man standing beside her. "Your boyfriend's right there."
"He's not—"
The girl began to protest, but before she could finish, the young man suddenly grabbed her wrist and stepped forward with a broad, insincere smile, extending both hands.
"Hello, would you be interested in getting to know each other?"
Chen Junting regarded him with a long, penetrating stare before turning away, leading Ning Tian and Wu Feng past them without a second glance, leaving behind a single, cold reply:
"No interest."
"Interesting," the young man murmured, his gaze narrowing as he watched Chen Junting's retreating back.
Meanwhile, the girl snatched her wrist away from him, her voice tinged with irritation.
"Xiao! Why did you stop me?!"
The young man—Xiao Hongchen—sighed helplessly at his younger sister, Meng Hongchen.
"Meng, they're from Shrek Academy—they're our rivals. Please, for heaven's sake, don't go fawning over their team members. Didn't you notice? He's got two girlfriends. Clearly not a good guy…"
Even as Xiao Hongchen was loudly denouncing Chen Junting, the latter was already discussing the siblings with Ning Tian.
"They're from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy," Ning Tian said, glancing at Chen Junting. "Only their academy would be assigned to the same floor as us."
"I know," Chen Junting replied. "The moment I saw them, I recognized them—those wine-red hairs are far too rare. I just sensed their spiritual energy; it feels remarkably similar to the Lan sisters'."
Ning Tian paused mid-step.
"Soul Fusion Technique?"
"A Soul King-level Soul Fusion Technique," Chen Junting confirmed.
By then, they had reached the exclusive Shrek Academy meeting room, where everyone else had already assembled. Teacher Wang Yan sat at the head of the table, flanked on the left by Ma Xiaotao and the other six core team members, and on the right by Bei Bei and the six outer academy students.
"Teacher Wang, we're late," Chen Junting apologized.
Wang Yan waved a dismissive hand.
"No problem—others just arrived as well."
Once Chen Junting and the others had taken their seats, Wang Yan straightened his expression.
"Since everyone is here, I have an important announcement. The academy has confirmed that no inner academy students will be sent to replace any team members. Therefore, Yao Haoxuan's position must be filled by an outer academy student. As team captain, I will decide based on our opponents' strength—any objections?"
The students exchanged glances, then nodded in silent agreement.
"Good," Wang Yan smiled. "Now, let me explain the tournament rules."
"There are 133 participating academies in total. The first round of preliminaries is a single-elimination tournament featuring seven-on-seven team battles—lose once, and you're out. Opponents will be determined by random draw. Since Shrek is the defending champion, we will be the first to compete."
"After the first round, teams will be grouped into divisions of roughly eight or nine academies each. Subsequent matches will follow a round-robin format with randomly assigned battle systems: first, single-elimination duels; second, a 3-2-2 coordinated battle structure; third, another seven-on-seven team battle. Both the format and opponent for each match will be drawn at random."
He turned his gaze toward the right side of the room.
"Given that our initial opponents will likely be relatively weak, until Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng recover, only inner academy students will be deployed to stabilize our lineup—everyone else will be entrusted with the early matches."
At this, many outer academy students tensed.
They weren't afraid of losing—they were nervous about performing in front of such a massive audience for the very first time.
Wang Yan's eyes swept across the room before finally settling on Chen Junting.
"Chen Junting, you'll be selecting the lineup for our first match. My only requirement: make it spectacular. Can you deliver?"
Chen Junting rose to his feet and asked,
"Teacher Wang, how do you feel about a truly grand spectacle?"
"A grand spectacle?"
"Something like a seven-in-one soul technique fusion."
…
"Why do you think Teacher Wang is so confident we won't face strong teams in the opening round?"
In a private dining room of the hotel, the nine outer academy students had gathered at Bei Bei's suggestion to ease their nerves before their debut in the tournament.
As soon as they sat down, Wang Dong raised the question that had been puzzling him.
"It's all arranged by the tournament organizers," Chen Junting replied, idly tapping his fingers on the table. "Tell me—if two top teams happened to meet in the early rounds, would the later matches still be exciting? And if they're not exciting, how would the organizers make money?"
"What?!"
"Cough—cough!" Ning Tian interrupted with a forced cough, shooting Chen Junting a warning glance.
What are you saying?!
Chen Junting raised an eyebrow.
Was that not allowed to be said?
Seeing Ning Tian's look, he cleared his throat.
"Well then, pretend you didn't hear that. I take it back."
The group nearly collapsed in disbelief.
Once words are spoken, they're like water spilled on the ground—how could you possibly take them back?
Bei Bei quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Chen, you're not seriously planning to send only Gongyang Mo and Ning Tian out for the first match, are you?"
Chen Junting shrugged casually, his expression relaxed yet brimming with quiet confidence.
"Teacher Wang told us to make it spectacular—so I'm going to deliver a truly grand performance."
"And I'm not just sending two people—I'm saying that if everything goes smoothly, only two will need to fight. But to be safe, I'll also select two inner academy and two outer academy students as backups."
"I—I—I!"
At once, Wu Feng and Wang Dong—the two most excitable ones—leapt to their feet, waving their hands frantically, completely ignoring the outer academy slots and beginning to argue over who deserved the spot.
Meanwhile, the four fifth-year students—Bei Bei and the others—showed no interest in competing with the underclassmen; instead, they leaned back with amused expressions, watching the lively squabble unfold.
The entire room was suddenly filled with cheerful energy.
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