The pride of Xiao Hongchen was well-known throughout the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
On ordinary days, he exuded an aura of confidence and arrogance, rarely placing anyone in his sights.
Yet, this proud youth was also Lady Herta's most devoted admirer.
It was no exaggeration to say that, in the world of soul engineers, anyone who had their advancement hindered by poverty and an inability to afford soul engineering materials harbored deep gratitude toward Lady Herta.
If Lady Herta ever wished to form a research team, all she would have to do was utter a word. Once word got out, the entire soul engineer community would be in an uproar.
Countless soul engineers would swarm in like a tide, fighting for a chance to join.
Even among the ninth-level soul engineers standing atop the pyramid, many would be sorely tempted.
After all, Lady Herta's achievements were simply too dazzling. Not only did she create the simulated universe—a miracle in itself—but her research led the era in other fields of soul engineering as well, with no equal.
At the occasional auctions held by the Common Alliance, any soul tool personally crafted by Lady Herta, regardless of its level, would always trigger a fierce bidding war, eventually selling for a jaw-dropping price.
The final price often far exceeded the actual value of the soul tool itself; it represented the soul engineers' supreme admiration for Lady Herta and their fervent pursuit of her creations.
Whether for collection or for in-depth research into the soul engineering techniques involved, as soon as a soul tool made by Lady Herta hit the market, it would be snatched up at the first opportunity for a high price.
After their shock subsided, the group from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy stepped into the towering two-hundred-meter-tall hotel.
This hotel, named the Daydream Hotel, was undoubtedly the landmark building of Haiyuan City, and also an important asset of the city lord's estate.
It comprised two spiral, blue-diamond cut towers, intertwined and soaring skyward like two colossal dragons about to take flight—magnificent and imposing.
The hotel's exterior was covered in self-cleaning photovoltaic glass, which, under the daylight, refracted shimmering waves of light, making the entire building look like a dreamlike ocean.
At night, the internal soul tools would activate, projecting vivid images of marine life, transforming the hotel into a fantastical underwater world.
At the very top of the hotel, a floating transparent ring powered by soul energy was especially eye-catching.
Inside the ring, rare plants from all over the world were meticulously cultivated, lush and vibrant.
The built-in anti-gravity observation deck offered guests an unparalleled view—simply by standing on it, one could take in the entirety of Haiyuan City.
Stepping into the ground floor lobby, the first thing to greet them was a floating, jellyfish-shaped soul power crystal cluster in the center.
This cluster radiated a soft glow, like a brilliant pearl born of the deep sea.
Even more astonishing was the floor beneath their feet, which recreated the wonders of the deep sea through holographic projection.
Lively fish darted through colorful coral reefs, giant turtles drifted leisurely by, and occasionally a few fierce sharks would flash past. The realistic scene made it feel as if one were truly standing at the bottom of the ocean.
The attendants, all dressed in luxurious uniforms, were equally impressive—male attendants stood tall and handsome, while female attendants were graceful and stunning. All wore professional and warm smiles, providing every guest with service that exuded luxury and class in every gesture.
Compared to the other academy teams, who were left slack-jawed and stunned, Meng Hongchen and her group remained relatively composed.
Though also deeply impressed by the Daydream Hotel's luxury and sophistication, as natives of the Sun Moon Empire who were used to high-end soul tools, they managed to retain a semblance of calm.
Other participating academies, especially those from the original Three Nations of Douluo, were far less reserved. Many forgot their manners entirely, kneeling on the lobby floor and staring intently at the deep-sea projection beneath their feet, desperate to see whether it was real or just an illusion.
After all, in this world, the sea was filled with the unknown and danger. With so many powerful sea soul beasts, most soul masters never dared venture into the ocean in their lifetimes, let alone admire the mysterious and beautiful scenery of the deep.
Thus, the deep-sea projection beneath the Daydream Hotel's lobby held a deadly allure for them.
Led by Elder Ma, the group proceeded to the hotel's front desk to register.
Afterward, an attendant led them to a suite.
This was no ordinary suite, but one of the hotel's most exclusive: the Starsea Phantasm. There were only seven such top-tier suites in the entire Daydream Hotel.
With the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's status as the continent's number one soul engineer academy, there was naturally no problem staying in such a suite. Only the royal academies of the three great empires and Shrek Academy were worthy of such treatment.
…
While the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy was settling in, the atmosphere in another top suite, the Ocean Melody Mirage, was more somber.
"Teacher Wang Yan, when will the academy send reinforcements? Do we really have to compete ourselves?" Bei Bei asked, his face tense with worry.
All of Shrek Academy's main team members were recovering from injuries, while only a few days remained before the competition began.
Bei Bei's unease was shared by Xiao Xiao, He Caitou, and the others—the bustling scene of Haiyuan City had left them in awe.
A day earlier, they had arrived in Haiyuan City with March 7th and the others, receiving a warm welcome and being assigned the city's top medical team to treat the gravely injured Xi Xi and others.
With the help of the city's most advanced healing soul tools, the injuries of Xi Xi and her three companions were soon stabilized.
However, the outlook remained grim. Xi Xi was relatively better off, but Gongyang Mo and Chen Zifeng were in dire straits.
As a swordsman, Chen Zifeng had lost an arm, and Gongyang Mo had lost both legs. For soul masters, such injuries were nearly catastrophic, for a crippled body would severely impact future cultivation.
Gongyang Mo's martial soul was the Rainbow Dragon, a top-tier auxiliary beast martial soul comparable to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. Without special fortune, it could usually only accommodate seven soul rings, which was comparatively better.
But Chen Zifeng's situation was different. Originally, he had outstanding talent and a real chance of becoming a Title Douluo.
Now, with a lost arm, his prospects for advancing became extremely slim.
After all, most soul emperors under twenty could become Title Douluo; soul kings under twenty merely had the possibility. With a crippled body, the difficulty increased exponentially.
Not everyone was like Xu Tiannan, blessed with extraordinary talent, tenacity, and abundant cultivation resources.
Haiyuan City certainly had the means to provide them with soul-engineered prosthetic limbs, and Shrek Academy had enough money to buy them.
But the surgery would have to wait until their injuries fully healed, and after installation, a long adaptation period would be needed, making it impossible to compete in the current tournament.
Thus, among the main team, only four would be able to compete, including the slowly recovering Xi Xi.
Moreover, in the first rounds, the main team still needed time for healing and detoxification; even if they forced themselves to fight, it would hinder their recovery.
Reluctantly, Wang Yan had to assign the reserve team to the early matches, buying more recovery time for Ma Xiaotao and the main team.
But after arriving in Haiyuan City and witnessing the crowds, the reserve team members felt a growing sense of unease.
They all knew that the millions of spectators were here for the competition.
For first-timers at such a world-class event, the pressure was immense.
At that moment, what they most hoped for was for the academy's reinforcements to arrive soon, so they wouldn't have to grit their teeth and compete themselves.
Wang Yan let out a bitter sigh. The academy did have other inner court disciples under twenty, but none matched Ling Luocheng and the others in strength, and most were away on missions.
Recalling them and sending them to Haiyuan City would take too much time.
So-called reinforcements were just words of comfort for the team.
Now, he could only hope that Bei Bei and the others could bear the pressure and persevere until Ma Xiaotao and the main team recovered.
If they could hold out until then, Shrek would still have a chance.
After all, Ma Xiaotao was a Soul Sage; a Soul Sage under twenty was a dominant force in any Soul Master tournament.
Just like the previous tournament's St. Freya Academy, who, with two Soul Sages and five Soul Ancestors, swept through the competition—even the mighty Shrek Academy struggled to stand against them.