In just a few short days, news that the Grand Elder of the Sword Sect, Sword God Douluo Gai Yue, had fought Dust heart to a draw spread to the Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong sat on the Pope's throne in the main hall. As she read the secret message delivered by Salas, the Platinum Bishop of Heaven Dou City, she could not help but raise her eyebrows.
"An elder's strength alone is already evenly matched with Dust heart. It seems the Sword Sect's foundation is far deeper than it appears on the surface…" Bibi Dong sighed.
At her side, Yue Guan said, "Your Majesty, according to Salas, this Gai Yue was only recently promoted to Grand Elder through sheer strength. Which means, judging by his potential, this may not even be his limit…"
Bibi Dong rubbed her temples, then asked, "How are Nana and Ailan doing?"
Hearing this, Yue Guan smiled slightly. "The Holy Maiden and Ailan seem to be well-matched. That boy may be serious, but he treats Nana well."
After thinking for a moment, Yue Guan continued, "If the Holy Maiden and Ailan could truly become joined in marriage, the Sword Sect might not be beyond reach. Though they would not bow their heads, a united front should not be a problem."
Bibi Dong nodded at these words. "Ailan's status in the Sword Sect is also quite significant. His talent even surpasses Nana's. If we hold this card, the Sword Sect may become an ally in the future."
"Yue Guan, do you think there is a strong chance between Nana and Ailan?" Bibi Dong asked.
Yue Guan pondered briefly, then replied softly, "Both of them are chosen by heaven. Relying on each other would be the best choice. Judging by their relationship these past two years, I cannot guarantee it absolutely, but with Your Majesty's sincerity added at the right time, I believe the Sword Sect would gladly see this union."
At this, Bibi Dong's frown eased, and she said calmly, "Let the two young ones decide for themselves for now. After the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, I will personally speak with Nana."
She then waved her hand. "You may go."
Once Yue Guan departed, the great hall was left empty except for Bibi Dong upon the throne. Her jade-like fingers held a scepter as she closed her eyes, lost in thought.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, Oscar and his master Gai Yue were drinking together at a stone table beside Star Moon Lake.
"Teacher, when you competed with Sword Douluo, was it purely a battle of sword intent?" Oscar asked.
Gai Yue nodded. "That is correct. But it was not truly a draw. I was slightly inferior, though the difference was small. I have gained insight. Within three years, I will surpass him."
Hearing this, Oscar nodded. "So Sword Douluo let you off with a favor. Teacher, your very first strike has already made your name resound across the continent. To fight Swordheart to a standstill, that is something countless spirit masters would not dare to even dream of."
Gai Yue chuckled, finishing his cup of wine in one gulp. "I also gained a great deal from this match. In truth, I must thank him. After all, I only recently broke through to Title Douluo. This battle benefited me greatly. In some ways, he could even be considered half a teacher to me."
At this, Oscar raised an eyebrow. "Oh? It seems this Sword Douluo truly has some character. Even though we are now allies, for him to give you such unreserved guidance shows integrity."
Gai Yue smiled. "Perhaps this is what it means to be a true sword cultivator. When one meets a worthy junior, even I would not resist offering a few pointers. After all, the way of the sword is still too thinly spread across the continent."
Oscar nodded, then said, "Do not worry, Teacher. Very soon, the Sword Sect will gain even greater reputation. By then, the gates of the Sword Sect will be wide open, and new geniuses will appear."
"Hehe." Gai Yue laughed at this. "You must mean the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament?"
"Did Flender agree for Shrek Academy to advertise the Sword Sect?"
Oscar replied confidently, "The dean may be greedy, but he still sees the bigger picture. Rather than letting students graduate without anywhere to go after the academy becomes famous, it is better to connect directly with the sect. Those willing to stay may stay, those unwilling are not forced."
Satisfied, Gai Yue nodded. "That is excellent. Until now, the Sword Sect relied only on your avatar and false reputation. Only now does it barely live up to its name. With fresh blood constantly added in the future, the Sword Sect can truly gain a foothold on the continent."
He paused with a sigh. "It can also count as leaving behind some true legacy for you on this continent."
Gai Yue knew Oscar's current ideals. Unless he were to fall, Oscar would one day surely challenge that divine realm.
…
Time flew by like an arrow. Eight months passed swiftly, and soon the opening day of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament arrived.
That day, the opening ceremony of the Heaven Dou Empire division was held in Heaven Dou City with great celebration.
As the grandest event in the world of spirit masters, it drew not only the attention of spirit masters but also royalty, nobility, and commoners. For the citizens of Heaven Dou City, this tournament was treated as the greatest of festivals.
The opening ceremony was held in the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.
A month earlier, tickets for the opening ceremony had already sold out in advance. The ticket prices were equivalent to those of the main battle center of the arena.
Thus, ticket sales alone allowed the Heaven Dou royal family to earn enormous profits.
As the main venue of the Heaven Dou division, the Great Spirit Arena had ceased all battles a month prior for renovations. After the remodeling, all sub-arenas and the main battle center were merged into one colossal competition ground.
Except for the VIP area, which remained on the north side, the renovated arena could now accommodate eighty thousand spectators at once. While ticket sales brought in huge profits, the arena itself also invested heavily.
All preliminary matches of the Heaven Dou division would now be held here.
At dawn, before the sun rose, countless spectators had already gathered at the arena.
They had not come early to enter sooner, since every ticket had an assigned seat. What they sought was a chance to see the young competing spirit masters up close on the very first day.
Among them were many lovestruck youths, for spirit masters across the continent numbered fewer than one hundred thousand, and those qualified to represent advanced academies were the cream of the crop.
With the age limit of twenty-five, the competitors became the ideal objects of admiration. To marry or wed a powerful spirit master meant both fame and fortune.
Even nobles with VIP tickets crowded outside. Recruiting spirit masters had always been a passion of the aristocracy.
The tournament itself was a cradle of talent. Not only those who achieved results, but even those who simply participated, became targets for nobles and clans to recruit.
Some nobles even gave their bored "pets" to unworldly commoner spirit masters, who, thinking themselves lucky, would then join their forces.
Such things were common even in the world of spirit masters.
At this moment, nearly one-third of Heaven Dou City was empty, with people flocking to the arena.
From days earlier, every hotel of every grade in the city had been fully booked. The city's population swelled by nearly fifty percent.
This alone showed how great the attraction of the tournament was.
To maintain order, Heaven Dou City mobilized five thousand city defense troops, barely keeping chaos at bay.
…
The opening ceremony marked the first day of the tournament. After the ceremony, only one match would be held.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team would draw an opponent for the first round of the round-robin stage, a performance-style team battle.
Otherwise, just a ceremony would hardly satisfy the audience.
As official academies, both Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Star Luo Royal Academy each had a main team and a secondary team. Their main teams were granted direct advancement to the finals, exempt from the preliminaries.
The Spirit Hall Academy, though with only one team, also enjoyed automatic qualification to the promotion stage.
These three spots had long been recognized, the privilege of the organizers and their overwhelming strength.
Shrek Academy, naturally, had no such advantage. They had to rely on strength alone to advance, and even to claim the championship.
Inside Shrek Academy, the team had already changed into uniforms personally designed by Oscar, Flender, and the other deans.
This time, with Oscar's influence, the uniforms were no longer the embarrassing dung-green of the original. Nor did they bear any advertising logos.
The uniforms were tight black outfits trimmed with gold thread at the shoulders, neck, and back. On the chest was embroidered a palm-sized, cute Shrek emblem, while the back displayed the three large characters of Shrek. A black-and-gold jeweled belt at the waist added majesty and aggression.
According to Flender, the Shrek team had to charge forward fearlessly, inspiring fear in all who saw them.
Flender's confidence came from his monsters themselves.
Over the past eight months, some of the monsters had made huge progress.
Oscar and Dugu Yan were exceptions, as only their avatars had remained, making them poor references.
However, their real bodies had also broken through. Dugu Yan advanced from level fifty-seven to sixty, gained her sixth spirit ring, and reached level sixty-two.
With her current level and terrifying strength, she alone might sweep through the tournament.
But like Oscar, she had other matters and did not intend to participate. For her, joining would only be a waste of time.
Oscar advanced from level fifty-six to fifty-nine. Yet his greatest growth lay not in spirit power, but in swordsmanship. After a year of cultivation, he had faintly grasped his own sword intent.
Before long, he might carve his own path.
And Dugu Yan was only twenty, while Oscar was just sixteen.
Other members also grew. Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Tailong, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and Jiangzhu each gained three levels.
Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai both reached level fifty-five from fifty-two. One was seventeen years old, the other only fourteen. Despite equal spirit power, their age difference of three years made Ma Hongjun even more monstrous.
Zhu Zhuqing rose from forty-two to forty-five at the age of fourteen, already a top genius.
Tailong went from level thirty-six to thirty-nine, aided by a clan elder. His combat skills improved rapidly, though he kept the elder's identity secret.
Jing Ling and Huang Yuan advanced from thirty-three to thirty-six, while Jiangzhu reached thirty-five from thirty-two.
At eighteen, they would still be young enough for the next tournament five years later, when they would surely be much stronger, perhaps leading Shrek's future team.
By then, Ma Hongjun and the others would no longer need to participate.
Tang San, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu improved even more.
Ning Rongrong had reached level forty eight months ago. With her fourth ring of over eight thousand years, her spirit power soon rose to forty-five, catching up to Zhu Zhuqing.
However, Zhu Zhuqing was already at the peak of forty-five, close to forty-six, while Ning Rongrong had only just reached forty-five.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had risen to forty-three and forty-four, from thirty-six and thirty-four respectively, in just over eight months, reaching the level of Spirit Ancestor.
This rapid improvement was thanks to Oscar's special support, earned through their own efforts.
Oscar had given each of them a Nine-grade Primordial Pill. Though not as powerful as true immortal medicine, it was close enough, greatly boosting their strength and potential.
After taking the pill, each gained about five levels. Xiao Wu reached level thirty-nine, Tang San reached forty.
After Tang San absorbed a seven-thousand-five-hundred-year fourth ring, his power jumped to early forty-two. His Blue Silver Grass underwent its first evolution, becoming the true Blue Silver King.
The evolution of his spirit not only raised his strength, but also made him realize how right Oscar's chosen path for him was.
Blue Silver Grass and Blue Silver King were entirely different classes of spirits. The improvement was far beyond minor.
Tang San even imagined that if his spirit one day evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor, the scene would be unimaginably terrifying.
Because of this, Tang San felt even more disdain and resentment toward Yu Xiaogang's past teachings.
Had it not been for Yu Xiaogang's mistaken guidance, his achievements might have been even greater.
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