Dugu Feng stood among the ranks of the students, his gaze fixed on the grand doors of the Pope Palace, waiting for Bibi Dong to appear.
It wasn't until the crowd grew restless that the doors finally swung open.
Twelve Cardinals filed out in orderly fashion, taking their positions on either side.
"Her Holiness the Pope has arrived!"
Amid the heralding cries of the Cardinals, Bibi Dong emerged onto the plaza, clad in a resplendent golden gown, an Amethyst Gold Crown resting upon her head, and a Scepter held firmly in her grasp. Her expression was solemn as she surveyed the competing teams gathered in the square.
Then, a faint smile graced her lips. "Today, before the Pope Palace, I hope you will display your full talent and strength. The ultimate champion will receive the Spirit Hall's grandest reward!"
As she spoke, Bibi Dong waved her right hand, and three points of light floated into the air—the prizes for the Soul Master Competition: three Soul Bones.
Dugu Feng's eyes locked onto them intently.
It was clear that the three Soul Bones were a head bone, a right arm bone, and a left leg bone. Among them, the most radiant and complete was the head bone.
This must be the Head Soul Bone of Spiritual Wisdom, prepared by Bibi Dong for Hu Liena.
The bone shimmered with a pale blue light, like a sapphire suspended in the sky.
Dugu Feng could sense its energy fluctuations—second only to the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone he had obtained.
It was at least a Soul Bone from a Soul Beast over 50,000 years old.
Moreover, the head bone was second only to the torso bone among the six major Soul Bones in the human body.
For Bibi Dong to offer such a prize to Hu Liena spoke volumes about her favoritism. Dugu Feng couldn't help but wonder what Qian Renxue thought of this.
Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, was watching right now!
Dugu Feng glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but her expression remained calm, showing no trace of emotion.
"These three Soul Bones all originate from Ten-Thousand Year Soul Beasts. Among them, the Head Soul Bone of Spiritual Wisdom comes from a Soul Beast exceeding 60,000 years—a masterpiece among Soul Bones, surpassed only by External Soul Bones and the top-tier Soul Bones produced by 100,000-Year Soul Beasts."
"It belongs solely to the champion of this competition. I hope you will give your all to claim this reward!"
After offering words of encouragement, Bibi Dong proceeded to explain the tournament rules.
Three teams would participate in individual elimination matches, after which the two losing teams would compete for the remaining spot in the finals.
As she spoke, Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward with a box for drawing lots.
The captains of the three academies—Dugu Feng representing Gem Academy, Feng Xiaotian of Divine Wind Academy, and Xie Yue of the Spirit Hall Team—each drew a lot under Bibi Dong's watchful gaze.
After drawing, Dugu Feng didn't even bother looking at his lot, knowing full well that the individual elimination matches wouldn't take place.
Sure enough, Feng Xiaotian stepped forward and declared, "Your Holiness, the students of Divine Wind Academy are no match for those of Gem Academy and the Spirit Hall Team in terms of individual strength. We voluntarily forfeit the individual elimination matches and will compete in the loser's bracket for the remaining finals spot!"
Bibi Dong was stunned.
Even Chrysanthemum Douluo, the referee, was taken aback.
But forfeiting was a legitimate right of the academies, and they had no grounds to refuse.
Bibi Dong cast a deep glance at the members of Divine Wind Academy before motioning for Chrysanthemum Douluo to proceed with the competition.
"Your Holiness, Gem Academy also forfeits the individual elimination matches!"
Dugu Feng said calmly.
This time, both the spectators and the elders of the Spirit Hall were stunned.
What exactly are you trying to do?
This is the finals.
One by one, they're all forfeiting.
This is absolutely the first time in the history of the Soul Master Competition.
"You're forfeiting too?" Bibi Dong fixed her gaze on Dugu Feng.
Both of them possessed the Slaughter God Domain.
She could sense the aura of slaughter emanating from Dugu Feng, which had grown several times stronger since their last meeting.
Moreover, this slaughter aura had become much more restrained.
It indicated that Dugu Feng's Slaughter God Domain had improved significantly.
In the individual elimination round, the Spirit Hall had three Soul Kings who would take the stage one by one, while Gem Academy only had Dugu Feng as their sole powerhouse.
This would have been the perfect opportunity to wear down their opponent's strength.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, Dugu Feng directly forfeited the individual elimination round. How were they supposed to exhaust his strength now?
"Your Holiness, since Divine Wind Academy has forfeited, rather than competing with the Spirit Hall Team for a spot in the finals,
it would be more reasonable for us to compete against Divine Wind Academy from the loser's bracket for the other final spot!"
Dugu Feng explained logically.
Hearing this, everyone else nodded in agreement.
This choice was indeed much smarter.
"You're not bad. In that case, I declare the Spirit Hall Team victorious in the individual elimination round.
Divine Wind Academy Team and Gem Academy Team will compete in the afternoon match for the other final spot!"
Bibi Dong directly announced the result.
Dugu Feng and Feng Xiaotian exchanged a glance, both revealing faint smiles.
They would give them another surprise in the afternoon.
Unfortunately, when the afternoon arrived, Bibi Dong did not appear in the square.
It seemed she considered the match between Gem Academy Team and Divine Wind Academy Team to be a foregone conclusion.
Instead, Chrysanthemum Douluo served as the chief judge, with Ning Fengzhi, Dugu Bo, Ghost Douluo, and others participating in the evaluation.
Otherwise, they could have witnessed the shock on Bibi Dong's face.
In the afternoon, Divine Wind Academy forfeited again.
This time, everyone understood—Divine Wind Academy had no intention of participating in the final match.
This maneuver allowed Gem Academy to enter the final battle with their combat strength fully intact.
The two teams must have reached a tacit agreement.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena, who were watching, looked both furious and shocked.
"Shameless!"
Hu Liena cursed.
"You've set a record—throughout the entire Soul Master Competition, from the preliminaries to the advancement rounds, then the first four rounds of the finals, and even the individual elimination round, you never once took the stage!"
After his initial anger, Xie Yue calmed down slightly.
He sneered coldly.
This guy was way too good at hiding.
With the final match about to begin, their opponent hadn't made a single appearance.
Both Xie Yue and Hu Liena couldn't help but curse inwardly!
"We'll see you on the Soul Duel Stage tomorrow!"
Dugu Feng's tone was indifferent, causing Xie Yue and Hu Liena to frown.
Dugu Feng's overwhelming confidence made them question just how strong he had become.
Back when he was a Soul Expert, he had defeated Yan despite a gap of over ten levels.
Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill could reach the strength of a Soul Emperor.
But there was no guarantee that Dugu Feng couldn't now fight across another ten-level gap, especially with Ning Rongrong's support amplifying him.
On their side, Yan had been severely injured by Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Wei's Martial Soul Fusion Skill and was unable to fight.
Their strength had already taken a hit.
Now, both Hu Liena and Xie Yue were plagued by uncertainty.
The rewards for the winning side were simply too great.
Three precious Soul Bones were at stake.
Night.
Pope Palace, assembly hall.
Bibi Dong sat solemnly on the Pope's throne, gazing down at the seven students dressed in Spirit Hall Soul Master uniforms below.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena stood respectfully at the forefront.
At Bibi Dong's sides were the two formidable generals - Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
The events of today had unsettled the hearts of the Spirit Hall Team members.
Bibi Dong had no choice but to convene this meeting to steady their morale.
(End of Chapter)