Inside a certain room—
"That brat finally showed up? I thought he'd been scared into hiding."Hearing the report from his fellow sect member, Tang San snorted coldly.
His severed arm had finally been reattached thanks to the Seven-Colored Goddess' healing, but the excruciating pain still haunted him. Wang Dong'er's forged martial soul seemed to have a particularly strong effect on him...
"Alright, you can go now."Waving his hand, he dismissed the disciple.
Only then did Tang San turn toward the shadows.
"That kid's no ordinary one. Don't underestimate him..." said the God King with a solemn expression.
His true body remained in the heavens, closely watched by the God of Destruction, which was why he had let that kid grow to this point unchecked.
"He managed to repel Xuanzi, and this time he didn't even use soul tool armor."
"I know," Tang San replied indifferently.
Ning Rongrong was helping him repair his body, while his original self was assisting with the fusion of divine power. When he emerged from seclusion, it would be the moment he washed away his past disgrace!
Of course, he cared about this tournament not only for the championship or honor. More importantly, it was about reclaiming the dignity that rightfully belonged to the original continent in this tournament, a recognized symbol of power dynamics on the continent.
He wanted to show the world what happens when you offend Shrek Academy—when you offend Tang San.
It was also a warning to the rulers who allowed their citizens to spread those soul crystal recordings of the Sun-Moon Empire and smear their king—him. Tang San still had the power to control the continent…
"Sun-Moon Empire! Sun-Moon Empire!"
Amidst the waves of cheers, the three-day elimination round flew by.
Only 64 teams remained, competing for the top 16.
It was a long-standing tradition in Douluo: after the group stages narrowed down to 16, teams would be redrawn and face off to determine the top three, at which point the tournament would conclude.
In the previous tournament, the Sun-Moon Empire's Royal Academy team, led by a figure shrouded in legend, had met Shrek Academy in the top 16 and defeated the nearly ten-millennium-old prestigious institution. They then steamrolled through the rest of the competition like a towering mountain, crushing all opposition.
That had made the rest of the tournament feel pointless.
What about this time?
With dark horses emerging left and right, and that emperor appearing in Mingdu just days ago—effortlessly forcing Xuanzi to retreat—this tournament was bound to be far more exciting.
"Whew... Please, let our group not include Sun-Moon Empire, Shrek Academy, or Clear Sky Sect," Veena muttered, eyes tightly shut.
"You making a wish or something?" Mu Xue glanced helplessly at her silly younger sister.
There were 64 teams, divided into 8 groups of 8. Based on final points, only the top two from each group would advance to the top 16.
"As long as two of them aren't in our group, I'll be satisfied." Long Aotian sighed softly, his expression far more serious than it had been days earlier.
He had thought that after receiving the divine test and rapidly improving in strength, he could finally be on par with that man. But the recent news shattered his fantasy.
That figure still stood like a mountain, making others look up in awe.
"Aren't there any other strong teams?" Veena asked.
"Mingyu Sect was okay, but they've already been eliminated. Tianlong Gate is decent, especially with Yu Tianlong—he hasn't made a move yet, but should be at the Soul Emperor level. Too bad Star Crown Sect surrendered before showing their strength; otherwise, they would've been a strong contender too." Mu Xue's beautiful eyes focused on the arena.
The draw had long been completed. The results would appear on the most prominent screen in the arena.
"Look!" Veena pointed at the screen.
Her expression changed.
"The group list is out!"
Nearly a million spectators instantly fell silent. Everyone stretched their necks or stood on tiptoes, trying to see the names on the screen.
"Shrek Academy, Group 7.""Clear Sky Sect, Group 3. Damn it! Why are they in our group?! Our already slim hopes of advancing are totally crushed!"
"What about the Sun-Moon Empire Royal Academy? Where are they?"
"Group 1. Snow Demon Sect is in Group 8. Nice! We're in Group 5. We hit the jackpot, hahahaha..."
"...What the heck is this?"
Xiao Hongchen looked baffled.
In front of him wriggled an ambiguous green substance called "green jelly paste." The sight alone was enough to kill anyone's appetite—not exactly disgusting, but he definitely wouldn't eat it.
"This is a treasure," Meng Hongchen said happily as she examined the jelly. Seeing her brother's confused expression, her long silver-white hair slid off her shoulder as she gave him a side glance.
"Treasure?"
Xiao Hongchen's face twitched.
This stuff is supposed to be a treasure?
"It prolongs endurance..." Meng Hongchen smirked.
Xiao Hongchen instantly went serious.
"Ah Cheng can't keep up anymore? He's so young… Tsk. I guess being surrounded by women isn't always a blessing."
"It's not that he can't… We just want him to last longer," Ma Xiaotao interrupted smoothly. With her curvaceous figure swaying, she walked over and stirred the jelly. "After all, going one-versus-five isn't easy. Luckily, in the Star Dou Forest core, which Nana controls, there's a rare soul beast called… Slime. This stuff is made from it."
"One-versus-five?" Xiao Hongchen was stunned.
He swallowed hard.
Then glanced around.
And silently started counting on his fingers.
"Princess Lexuan, Xu Jiujing, A'Meng… Silver Dragon King, Ye Guyi…" he muttered. "That's more than five! Way more…"
Poor Ah Cheng. He never said a word about this in front of me.
Looking at the girls around the arena with weird, amused smiles—and those anticipating, ambiguous glances—Xiao Hongchen could only silently pray for Ah Cheng's survival.
Please let him live a few more years… don't let them drain him dry...
Especially with those two freaks among them—Silver Dragon King and Ye Guyi.
"Oh right, Sister Nana, could I keep a bit of this stuff?" Jing Ziyan asked a little shyly.
"Old Ji's not doing well either?" Xiao Hongchen's eyes widened.
What the hell is happening to everyone around me?
"No…"Jing Ziyan shook her head. "Just in case we ever need it."
Xiao Hongchen: "…"
Gu Yuena waved her hand grandly: "No problem, take as much as you want. The Star Dou Forest is my territory. There's no shortage of slimes."
"Didn't you say it was a rare soul beast?" Xiao Hongchen's mouth twitched.
"It used to be rare, but they breed incredibly fast. After the Emperor issued a hunting ban three years ago, they reproduced like crazy. Now there are over ten thousand of them. I even keep them in a special valley," Gu Yuena explained calmly.
"Six…" Xiao Hongchen shook his head.
Damn, power really does let you do whatever you want.
"How's the tournament going? None of you went to watch?"
"Nope. Today they're probably deciding the top sixteen. Nothing hard left. In our Group 1, the strongest is the Yuling Sect—they have one Soul Emperor. I've already handed them over to Yu Tianlong's team," Meng Hongchen said carelessly.
(End of Chapter)