The gravely wounded Gu Yuena could only hide cautiously in a pocket dimension of the Star Dou Forest, not daring to make any large moves, as Douluo Continent was right under the divine realm's watchful eye. In the original, Gu Yue awoke ten thousand years later, when the soul beast race was nearly extinct.
If not for the divine realm being swept away by a time-space storm, she might not even have gotten her chance for revenge.
Douluo Continent had three major soul beast strongholds: Star Dou Forest, the Extreme North, and the Demon Forest.
The Star Dou Forest's fate gathered around the Emperor Auspicious Beast; the Extreme North's around the Snow Empress; the Demon Forest's around the Evil Emperor.
But in the end, the Emperor Auspicious Beast sacrificed itself for Huo Yuhao, and the Snow and Ice Empresses became his soul spirits, brought to the divine realm.
With the majority of a race's destiny harvested and taken away to the divine realm, it was a miracle that soul beasts weren't totally extinct ten thousand years later. The Beast God Di Tian had done everything he could.
The continent's soul beast race was originally ruled by the Dragon God, and as their homeland, Douluo bore the rise and fall of their history.
Yet, as the Dragon God perished, he laid down a harsh decree: until the next Dragon God returned, no soul beast could become a god.
This invisible shackle stifled the race's development—even the mightiest, like Di Tian, were kept from divinity. This was the root of their dire situation.
Soul beasts were born with long lives; in ancient times, there was no such thing as the hundred-thousand-year tribulation.
But that dying edict plunged their race into calamity.
Ever since, every breakthrough risked a terrifying tribulation, and becoming a god became almost impossible.
Di Tian, with his deep foundation and strength, had long met the requirements for ascending, but even so, he was barred from the divine gate countless times.
The rise of human soul masters only made things worse.
To advance, soul masters had to hunt soul beasts for rings—a cruel rule designed to target soul beasts.
In such circumstances, their numbers plummeted and their space shrank.
In fact, Lu Jingming truly possessed a way for soul masters to obtain soul rings and advance without hunting soul beasts.
However, it wasn't the Fusion Warrior surgery—that technique was far too special to ever reveal.
Nor was it the soul spirit method, whose core was Electrolux's master-servant contract. On the surface, soul spirits seemed to benefit soul beasts, offering another way to exist.
But in reality, it only intensified human greed, leading to even more hunting and greater harm to the soul beast race.
Lu Jingming's method was entirely different, but he was in no hurry to reveal it—the time was not yet right.
…
At dawn, the first rays of sunlight painted Haiyuan City's skyscrapers with a warm golden glow.
On this day, the much-anticipated All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament was about to begin.
The skies over Haiyuan City buzzed with activity—countless soul-engineered airships crisscrossed the clouds, their hulls covered with colorful promotional posters, building anticipation for the grand event.
The posters featured portraits of participants from each academy, drawing crowds below to stop and gaze in excitement.
The atmosphere outside the Daydream Grand Hotel was equally electric.
A row of city guards in gleaming soul-engineered armor, wielding advanced soul tools, stood at attention.
They formed an unbreakable wall, holding back the throngs of passionate citizens and clearing a broad, straight avenue leading directly from the hotel to the competition grounds.
Crowds gathered behind the barricades, craning their necks, their excited chatter rising and falling as they awaited their first glimpse of the continent's finest young soul masters.
This tournament boasted unprecedented scale, with over a hundred teams participating.
Each team, including reserves and teachers, had at least fifteen members, bringing the total to over a thousand.
To ensure order, teams were sent in batches to the competition grounds.
Just then, a female officer in black soul-engineered light armor strode forward with heroic bearing.
She wore a striking crimson cape that fluttered like flames with each step.
This was Lu Qingluan, one of the five commanders of Abyssal City's Golden Guard.
Behind her, hundreds of equally armored guards marched in perfect formation, their powerful auras shaking the surrounding crowd into silence.
Seeing the exquisitely crafted, high-tech soul armor, Xiao Hongchen and the others from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy were inwardly shocked.
They keenly sensed that, in both materials and design, the Golden Guard's armor far outclassed even the national treasure armor of the Sun Moon Empire's Five Imperial Hands—a testament to Haiyuan City's soul engineering prowess.
"What a cool big sister!" In Shrek's team, Xiao Xiao's eyes sparkled with admiration, making no attempt to hide her awe for Lu Qingluan.
To her, Lu Qingluan was a true war goddess, awe-inspiring and admirable.
"So strong!" Bei Bei and the others wore grave expressions, acutely aware of the power radiating from Lu Qingluan and her guards.
This woman, who looked only about twenty, was unfathomably strong. Even more shocking, every member of the Golden Guard behind her was a match for Shrek Academy's own elite students—a revelation that forced them to reassess Haiyuan City's strength.
"She's a Soul Sage!" Ma Xiaotao, drawing on her deep cultivation, instantly judged Lu Qingluan's level.
The others were stunned.
On the Sun Moon side, Xiao Hongchen and the others heard Ma Xiaotao's words and glanced at Shrek's team.
They felt both puzzled and cautious.
Puzzled that Shrek's lineup seemed odd—apart from the teacher Wang Yan, only three looked like main team members by age.
Their own highest-level member, Ma Rulong, hadn't been able to sense Lu Qingluan's level, while Shrek's Ma Xiaotao had seen through it at a glance. Such a disparity demanded respect and caution.
Lu Qingluan, seemingly unaware of the subtle tension between the two teams, turned calmly to address the participants with a crisp, powerful voice: "Greetings, contestants. I am Lu Qingluan, one of Abyssal City's five Golden Guard commanders. I will be escorting you to the competition grounds. Please follow me."
With that, she strode steadily toward the city outskirts.
Hundreds of Golden Guards quickly spread out, surrounding the contestants in the center and escorting them like stars around the moon.
Along the way, the crowds pressed against the barricades, watching the teams with curiosity and excitement.
When Shrek and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy teams passed by, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch—cheers and screams filling the air.
These two academies were the most famous on the continent and favorites to win the tournament.
Even before the tournament began, people hotly debated who would emerge victorious: Would St. Freya Academy continue their legend? Could Shrek Academy reclaim their former glory? Or would the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy stage a dark horse comeback?
At this moment, the population of Haiyuan City had surpassed five million and was still climbing.
Such a massive influx fueled the city's economic boom, with merchants seizing the opportunity to rake in profits.
Hotels and restaurants in particular were packed to the brim.
"Are we… going to the beach?" Meng Hongchen asked as she walked with the team, sensing that their route was leading them straight toward the sea.
Could the competition grounds really be at the shore? The idea filled her with curiosity and anticipation.
Huo Yuhao and the others were equally baffled.
They never imagined that Haiyuan City would hold the competition by the sea, instead of inside the city.
What could be the reason for this? Their hearts were full of curiosity and confusion.
At the front, Lu Qingluan's lips curled into a mysterious, confident smile.
She could hardly wait to see the contestants' reactions when they saw the competition grounds—it was sure to be priceless.
"What is that?"
"Bro, are we seeing things?"
"Don't ask me, I don't know!"
"I… this…"
When the contestants finally reached the shore, they all froze, stunned and incredulous.
They rubbed their eyes, afraid it was all an illusion.
What lay before them was an unprecedentedly massive structure at sea, and a shore packed with a million spectators.
"Welcome to the Eye of the Abyss—this is the venue for this year's soul master tournament, and also the crowning achievement of our city's soul engineering technology."
Lu Qingluan turned to the still-dumbfounded contestants, her voice full of pride.
Even the most jaded, like Meng Hongchen from the technocratic Sun Moon Empire, were left utterly speechless.