After careful observation, it was discovered that the person His Majesty the Pope had instructed to keep an eye on was not among them.
There was also no unusual activity.
He simply glanced silently at the list of all participants in his hand.
Upon noticing that Yun Feng was only a substitute, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, rumors were just rumors.
To truly know, one had to see the actual performance.
As long as he was present, that was enough.
As long as he could compete, that was fine.
The host on the side of the VIP platform announced loudly:
"Next, let us invite His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire to declare the opening of this tournament."
At this moment, Yun Feng also turned his gaze to the central position of the VIP seats.
Seated in the center of the first row of the VIP seats, the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, dressed in a crimson robe, slowly rose amidst thunderous applause.
He raised his right hand and gently waved to the audience and the participating Soul Masters below. The applause quickly subsided, and the vast square fell into complete silence.
His deep and resonant voice, amplified by the Soul Tool, echoed throughout the venue.
"I, Xue Ye, Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire and the organizers of this tournament, declare the opening of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
Applause erupted once again, and cheers rose and fell.
However, Yun Feng, who was outside the venue, noticed that the smile on the Emperor's face seemed somewhat forced, as if he wasn't truly excited about the tournament.
Well, that made sense, since the Spirit Hall held the majority of the power.
No one would be happy about that.
As the applause died down once more, the Emperor continued:
"Here, I hope that all the Soul Masters participating in this tournament can fully display their abilities and achieve good results. You are all the pride of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"For the glory of the Empire, shine your brilliance."
The applause rang out for the third time, and this time, the eyes of the Soul Masters in the center of the competition venue burned with fervor.
For them, this tournament would be the best stage to showcase their talents.
The Emperor returned to his seat, and the host's voice rang out again.
"Next, let us invite Sect Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to deliver a speech for this tournament."
As Ning Fengzhi stood up, applause broke out once more, accompanied by many attentive gazes. As the number one Support-Type Soul Master in the Soul Master world, who wouldn't want to witness his presence?
Moreover, Ning Fengzhi had an excellent reputation outside.
He had never been involved in any scandals.
Thus, the Soul Masters in the Heaven Dou Empire held him in high regard.
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly and raised his hands in a calming gesture.
"I am very honored to be invited as a guest for the opening of this tournament. As the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, I have witnessed the growth of many Soul Masters."
"As the noblest profession on the continent, the development of every Soul Master requires numerous trials and tribulations."
"But what I want to say is, 'The edge of a sword is honed through grinding, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.' Those participating in this Soul Master Tournament are undoubtedly the elite of the younger generation."
"As His Majesty just said, I hope you can bring glory to the Empire and to the academies you represent. The Empire needs talents like you. Thank you."
Listening to Ning Fengzhi's speech, a sincere smile finally appeared on the face of the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The host, as if receiving a signal, humbly asked Ning Fengzhi:
"Sect Master Ning, as the most powerful Support-Type Soul Master, I, on behalf of the audience here, would like to ask you..."
"Which of the twenty-eight teams participating in the preliminary round of the Heaven Dou City division do you favor?"
Ning Fengzhi was momentarily taken aback but maintained his smile.
"Aside from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's first team, which has already secured a spot in the finals as a seeded team, there is another team among these twenty-eight that I have high hopes for."
"I believe they not only have the capability to pass the preliminary round but also stand a strong chance of winning the championship in this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
Upon hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, the entire audience held their breath.
While they were astonished that a team could receive such high praise from Ning Fengzhi, they also subtly glanced at the betting area.
The host, too, was visibly shocked by Ning Fengzhi's statement.
Regret filled his mind.
If Ning Fengzhi were to reveal the name, the Grand Soul Arena would surely suffer heavy losses.
But there was no choice; he had to press on.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the host slowly asked:
"Oh? May I ask which team has earned Sect Master Ning's favor?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled mysteriously and said:
"As for which academy this team belongs to, I must keep it a secret for now and cannot reveal it."
"But I am confident that the ultimate champion of this tournament will belong to our empire."
Seated beside Emperor Xue Ye, the Platinum Bishop, who had been resting his eyes, opened them at this moment.
His eyes appeared cloudy, devoid of any brilliance, as they scanned the twenty-eight participating teams in the arena.
After giving Ning Fengzhi a surprised glance, he closed his eyes once more.
By now, the audience had begun to buzz with speculation, trying to guess which team Ning Fengzhi favored. The more astute among them naturally understood that Ning Fengzhi was not referring to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team.
After all, their strength was inferior to the first team, so how could they possibly be the ultimate champions?
But with twenty-eight teams in the preliminary round and only five advancing, it was no easy task to guess.
Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat, and the host smiled:
"Unfortunately, we couldn't extract the name of the favored team from Sect Master Ning."
However, those who were observant noticed that the host breathed a sigh of relief.
"Next, let us invite the head of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Hall Temple, Platinum Bishop Salas, to conduct the draw for the first round of the preliminary matches."
"After the draw, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team will face their first-round opponent."
Platinum Bishop Salas slowly stood up and, guided by a palace attendant, walked to the host's side to begin the draw.
He seemed reluctant to speak, handing each drawn pair of opponents to the host to announce.
"First round of the preliminary matches: Canghui Academy versus Zixing Academy."
"First round of the preliminary matches: Oakland Academy versus Flame Radiance Academy."
"..."
"First round of the preliminary matches: Violet Academy versus Soul Battle Academy."
"First round of the preliminary matches: Lanba Academy versus Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"..."
When Yu Tianheng and his team heard this news, their excited expressions turned pale.
How were they supposed to compete?
They were completely out of their league.
Yu Tianheng and the others hadn't forgotten that Yun Feng had been able to take them all on single-handedly back in Suotuo City.
Now, after so much time had passed, given Yun Feng's rapid growth rate, they were likely to be completely outmatched.
"It can't be this coincidental, can it?"
Yu Feng and Oslo both wore bitter smiles.
Yu Tianheng pressed his fingers against his temples, slowly massaging them.
"We're really unlucky to run into them in our very first match."
It wasn't just Yu Tianheng and his team who were shocked; the remaining members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team were also at a loss for words.
After all, the gap in strength was simply too vast.
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