In a luxurious room on the sixth floor of Mingyue Grand Hotel, Wei Na and Mu Xue sat facing each other on a sofa near the balcony. Through the crystal floor-to-ceiling window beside them, one could overlook the scenery of Ming City.
Many of the buildings in Ming City were unusually tall and full of metallic atmosphere, markedly different from the Heaven Dou City where the two had lived since childhood.
If Ming City could be described as a metallic metropolis fused with countless soul guide technologies, then Heaven Dou City carried a stronger sense of ancient, historical.
Wei Na and Mu Xue were representing the Snow Demon Sect in this edition of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. Although the Snow Demon Sect was considered a powerful sect with a long heritage on the continent, it was extremely low-key and basically lived in a semi-secluded state. Moreover, the name of the Snow Demon Sect was far less widely known than ancient sects like Clear Sky Sect and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so they were only arranged to stay on the sixth floor of Mingyue Grand Hotel.
However, from the fourth floor upward, the treatment enjoyed was roughly the same. One could order whatever food they wanted directly to the hotel at any time, and the hotel would try its best to satisfy any requests. The only difference lay in the degree of luxury of the accommodation.
As for the participating teams staying below the fourth floor, they could only eat uniformly at the hotel restaurant.
Mu Xue quietly observed Wei Na opposite her, a hint of scrutiny added to her gaze. Wei Na's earlier extremely bold action had truly caught her off guard.
"Wei Na, what did you say to him?"
"I just told him that if he had time, he could come to my room; I had something to discuss with him privately." Wei Na's pretty face was slightly red, the afterglow still lingering. That slightly shy and tender appearance was especially pitiable.
After all, Mu Xue was not a disciple of the Body Sect, so she couldn't easily mention those secrets of the Body Sect to her.
In fact, even if Shrek Academy had not invited her over to discuss matters this time, she would still have taken the initiative to find Yu Tianhuang. Because that was something the current sect master of the Body Sect had instructed her to do.
Mu Xue's expression was solemn as she looked into Wei Na's eyes. In the past, she would have been very happy for Wei Na to compete with Ning Tian. But now, there was also Ye Guyi by Yu Tianhuang's side, whose appearance and temperament were completely not inferior to Ning Tian's.
What she found hardest to accept was that Ning Tian and Ye Guyi were actually getting along so peacefully. This greatly shocked her.
On the Douluo Continent, it was very normal for nobles and powerful soul masters to have multiple partners. But Wei Na was the princess of the Heaven Dou Empire. To insert herself into such a situation would truly disgrace the dignity of the Heaven Dou imperial family.
However, noticing the tenderness in Wei Na's eyes, Mu Xue did not say anything more, only sighing softly:
"Wei Na, have you really fallen for him?"
Hearing Mu Xue's question, Wei Na hesitated slightly, but the emotion in her eyes was soon replaced by firmness.
"Sister Xue, after seeing the best, even if there are some flaws, one can no longer accept anything else. Human nature is like that. After knowing him, how could I possibly tolerate any other man in my eyes?"
Wei Na always appeared gentle as water, but as the possessor of twin martial souls, with her second martial soul being the top-tier spiritual attribute body martial soul, the brain, she also possessed her own share of pride.
Mu Xue immediately fell silent. How could she herself not be the same? In front of an unparalleled genius like Yu Tianhuang, all other talented young soul masters would appear mediocre. It could be foreseen that in the future, when choosing a partner, she would probably unconsciously compare them to Yu Tianhuang.
But compared to Wei Na, who had already sunk deeply into it, she still retained a trace of her own rationality.
Her chest rose and fell slightly. Mu Xue tidied the hair beside her ear and reminded her:
"Then can you really do it without minding these things?"
"Sister Xue, actually, for me, none of these matters." Wei Na smiled sweetly.
"I never thought I was qualified to monopolize him. As long as he is willing to marry me as his wife, I can ignore everything else."
"You're truly crazy…" Mu Xue stared blankly at Wei Na, her red lips slightly parted.
"Yu Tianhuang is indeed very outstanding, but you are no less outstanding. You are also a twin martial soul possessor, and you are the princess of the Heaven Dou Empire. Wei Na, why do you have such thoughts?"
Facing Mu Xue's gaze, Wei Na shook her head meaningfully.
"Sister Xue, you still haven't truly recognized how outstanding Tianhuang is. Or rather, you have placed our positions too high."
…
At the same time, on the other side, Xu Zihuang and the other three had just finished their conversation and were now sunbathing by the open-air swimming pool.
The area where the swimming pool was located protruded outward and was entirely built with special crystal material, transparent and clean. Above the blue pool water was a glazed dome. At night, soft, pale blue lights would light up around the pool. Standing under the endless starry sky, the beauty was enough to intoxicate anyone.
It was currently spring, and the warm sunlight shining on the body was gentle and refreshing, carrying a faint coolness.
The only pity was that the air quality in Ming City was far inferior to Sea God Island at Shrek Academy.
Neither Ye Guyi nor Ning Tian went into the water to swim. After all, this was a public place, so naturally the two women would not let other men see them in light clothing.
Ye Guyi lay flat on a lounge chair by the pool, picked up a glass of freshly squeezed juice on the table, and took a light sip. Then she looked toward Xu Zihuang with a half-smile.
"You're really not going to meet that Princess Wei Na now?"
"I'll do it later; there will always be an opportunity." Xu Zihuang replied helplessly, picking up the other two glasses of freshly squeezed juice brought by the maid and handing one to Ning Tian.
"Being misunderstood like this by Wei Na and Mu Xue doesn't bother me. But if this news spreads, it might have a bad influence on you."
Ning Tian, who had taken the crystal cup, sat up straight, her eyes full of sweetness.
"It's nothing. When the time comes, and they know Sister Guyi's true identity, won't the misunderstanding be cleared up?"
Ning Tian showed Xu Zihuang an extremely sweet smile, not minding these things at all. On the contrary, because of Ye Guyi's behavior earlier, she felt Ye Guyi's acknowledgment of her.
Ye Guyi was clearing obstacles for her. Even though the result had not met expectations.
"Tianhuang, you should still go find Wei Na when you have time." Although Ning Tian could see Wei Na's feelings toward Yu Tianhuang, the importance of the Body Secret Art to Yu Tianhuang was beyond doubt. With her excellent overall perspective, she did not want her own reasons to affect Yu Tianhuang's future development prospects.
There was no need to bind the man she loved in this way. She saw this point very clearly.
Ye Guyi, who was sitting on the lounge chair beside her, also sat up, her jade arms hugging her knees. The long skirt that clung to her body outlined her graceful curves, and her snow-white jade feet rested against her round buttocks.
"You see, even Ning Tian said so." Ye Guyi smiled and chimed in.
"You should still go."
This time, her tone actually contained much less teasing and playfulness.
Xu Zihuang said helplessly, "I'm really not in a hurry. After I break through to the Soul Saint realm and possess the martial soul true body, my control over the second awakening of body martial souls will inevitably improve further. Moreover, only when the people from the Body Sect take the initiative to find me will I be able to hold the initiative."
Seeing this, the two women no longer insisted. Amid the harmonious atmosphere, the three spent a leisurely afternoon here. With her public identity as cover, Ye Guyi did not avoid Ning Tian at all and frequently displayed rather intimate behavior with Xu Zihuang.
In the evening, Zhang Lexuan held a meeting, and all members of the Shrek representative team were present.
The content of the meeting mainly concerned the rule changes for this edition of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. Based on allowing sects to participate, the Sun Moon Empire officials had added a rule to this tournament: this edition of the tournament would no longer restrict the height of battles.
This was practically tailor-made for soul mentors.
Soul masters with flying martial souls were ultimately a minority; the vast majority of traditional soul masters did not possess the ability to fly. Unless one had Soul Saint cultivation or above and could rely on abundant soul power to fly through the air, reaching Soul Saint before the age of twenty was almost impossible under normal circumstances.
But soul mentors were different. They could skillfully use flying soul guides, thereby gaining the advantage of controlling the airspace. In battles, they had a natural superiority.
Although the rule proposed by the Sun Moon Empire officials encountered resistance from the three great empires, sects, and academies of the original Douluo Continent, in the end, they still could not overcome the Sun Moon Empire's strong stance and were forced to accept this rule change.
The drawing ceremony would be held the day before the tournament started, that is, the third day after everyone arrived here.
But the Shrek Academy representative team did not need to send anyone to draw lots. Among the 167 participating teams in this tournament, in the pairwise elimination rounds, one team would get a bye. And this bye position had been given by the Sun Moon Empire officials to the champion of the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, Shrek Academy.
Over the past thousands of years, Shrek Academy had never suffered a defeat in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. The undefeated myth continues to this day. They had won countless honors and glories. No one raised any objection to this preferential treatment. It was what Shrek Academy deserved.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the tournament was about to begin.
At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight streaked across the east, a strange sight already appeared on the streets of Ming City.
Soldiers fully clad in silver armor stood in orderly lines, forming two rows that stretched from the main entrance of Mingyue Grand Hotel all the way to the plains outside Ming City.
These two human walls had mobilized a full 200,000 soldiers, isolating the common people outside. An invisible, murderous aura was added.
The moment the Shrek representative team, dressed in traditional dark green school uniforms, walked out of the main entrance of Mingyue Grand Hotel, they became the focus of everyone's attention.
Although they did not need to participate in the first round of elimination matches, they still decided to go to the venue to observe today's matches.
Xu Zihuang, Zhang Lexuan, and Ye Guyi walked at the very front. As the captain of the Shrek team, Xu Zihuang stood in the middle of the two women. The people of Ming City paid attention to Shrek Academy not only because of its resounding reputation on the continent, but also because of the outstanding appearances and transcendent temperaments of Xu Zihuang and the other two.
Whether it was an illusion or the bonus from Shrek Academy's fame, in the eyes of those ordinary people, the three of them bathed in the morning sunlight gave off the feeling of gods descending from heaven.
Behind the three, Wang Qiu'er, Ning Tian, Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, and the others all walked with chests out and eyes forward, completely unaffected by the murderous atmosphere. Even the soldiers clad in silver armor became mere background for them.
This was the Shrek that had been passed down for ten thousand years, the undisputed number one academy on the continent.
Under the strict formation of the soldiers, the 167 participating teams, nearly two thousand people, all set off and left Ming City.
The venue for this tournament was set in the eastern suburbs of Ming City. One could see that in the center of this vast plain area, crowds had already gathered like mountains and seas. Conservatively estimated, at least a hundred thousand people were assembled here. Rows of troops were also maintaining order, dividing the crowd into sections and isolating them from the competition area.
On the north side of the competition venue stood a high platform built entirely of metal, seemingly capable of accommodating a thousand people.
And the competition stage itself was magnificent. The stage was ten meters high, with a diameter definitely exceeding a hundred meters. The wide platform itself emitted a silver-white metallic sheen, clearly extremely sturdy at first glance. Even more peculiar was that around the competition venue, there was a circle of grooves. From that circle of grooves, transparent light curtains tinged with faint yellow rose into the sky. Looking up, one could not see the end.
This was the soul guide protective shield custom-made by the Sun Moon Empire officials to accommodate the new rules. No height limit, and no possibility of being knocked out of the field. To win, one must openly and honestly defeat the opponent.
Centered on the competition stage and extending outward, every hundred meters stood a huge soul guide screen supported by iron frames in the air, so that even spectators far from the stage could clearly see the situation on it.
There were more than a hundred such screens.
The contestant's rest area was on the east side of the competition stage. It was mainly divided into two areas. Close to the competition stage was a shaded canopy area for distinguished guests, which could accommodate about twenty participating teams.
The rest area for the Shrek Academy representative team was the foremost one, also the closest to the competition stage. The remaining rest areas were only provided to the great sects and top academies' participating teams.
For example, Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who were representing the Tang Sect, could only sit on the open-air chairs behind the canopy. And they were almost in the very back position.
Because of the seating arrangement, the Shrek Academy representative team walked all the way to their rest area without spotting Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
Everyone sat down on the sofas in the rest area. During this time, Xu Zihuang saw many familiar faces.
The brother-sister pair Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, as well as Wei Na and Mu Xue. In the team that the two women belonged to, apart from Wei Na, Xu Zihuang observed that no one else possessed a body martial soul.
But this was also within his expectations. Mu Xue and Wei Na's strength was not weak; there was still no need for people from the Body Sect to appear yet.
Next was the Heavenly Dragon Gate, also arranged in the canopy area. Almost all the members Heavenly Dragon brought to participate in this tournament were people Xu Zihuang had seen back in Dragon City. The captain was naturally Yu Tianlong, and the team leader was a robust middle-aged man with a rigid face. The aura within the middle-aged man was similar to Xing Yan, who possessed the Red Dragon martial soul, and his cultivation was also quite impressive.
He was probably an elder with deep seniority in the Heavenly Dragon Gate.
And apart from the Holy Spirit Cult, there was another team that caught Xu Zihuang's attention.
The members of this team were almost identical to those of the Heavenly Dragon Gate, all tall and sturdy, with steady bearing. The difference was that the captain of this representative team was actually a graceful young girl wearing light blue tight clothing and a veil.
Through the silk veil, one could see that the girl's hair color was an unusual pink-blue.
And when Xu Zihuang clearly saw the girl's appearance through the power of his Golden Pupil martial soul, his body trembled slightly.
At that moment, a procession escorted by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group attracted everyone's attention.
Thirty-two horn-scaled horses pulled a dragon carriage that resembled a small palace, followed by guards and a large number of officials dressed in luxurious clothes and official robes.
Unlike ordinary horn-scaled horses, the scales of these thirty-two horn-scaled horses were actually brilliant golden, a rare mutated variety. The golden scales reflected the light of the morning sun, complementing the golden sun and silver moon patterns on the dragon carriage.
Two maids lifted the curtain, and a wheelchair was slowly pushed out. Seated on it was a gentle-tempered young man.
"Xu Tianran." Having come back to his senses, Xu Zihuang's expression turned slightly cold.
And the one pushing the wheelchair for Xu Tianran was precisely Ju Zi. Compared to before, Ju Zi's temperament had clearly changed. Her beautiful eyes carried a bit more majesty, and her gaze flowed in a way that made people unconsciously avert their eyes.
However, Xu Zihuang never once looked away.
Ju Zi's hands gripping the wheelchair armrests also subconsciously tightened.
Beside Xu Tianran stood Jing Hongchen, the Hall Master of the Mingde Hall. This ninth-level soul engineer held a pivotal position in the Sun Moon Empire. Now that the heir to the throne was clear, the shrewd man had gradually leaned toward Xu Tianran.
"Pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince, pay respects to Her Highness the Crown Princess."
While the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Group was setting up defenses, all the officials present knelt to pay respects to Xu Tianran.
Ye Guyi quietly glanced sideways at Xu Zihuang. Through Xu Zihuang's memories, she knew about Ju Zi. Yet Xu Zihuang still maintained that calm expression, showing nothing of what he was thinking.
In the distance, the common people had also seen their young Crown Prince, and cheers rose one after another. He was very popular.
Ju Zi pushed Xu Tianran via the soul guide elevator to the central position of the rostrum. She herself did not sit down. And those ministers who could only climb the stairs, panting heavily, naturally did not dare to sit either; they all stood on the rostrum.
Xu Tianran nodded toward Ju Zi. Understanding, Ju Zi slowly stepped forward and came before the already prepared soul guide microphone.
"Silence."
Her pleasant voice spread throughout the entire venue. Though it lacked the aura and majesty of a top powerhouse, the entire competition area and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the spectator zones instantly fell completely silent.
Even the participating teams from the three great empires of the original Douluo Continent would not fail to give face to this Crown Princess on such an occasion.
"To all the subjects of the Sun Moon Empire and the distinguished guests who have come from afar. Here, on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince, I welcome your arrival. At the same time, on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince, I declare that the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament now begins."
A very simple opening speech, without extra nonsense or pompous official rhetoric. This was Xu Tianran's way of handling affairs.
"His Highness the Crown Prince, may you live a thousand years, a thousand years, ten thousand years!" The people of the Sun Moon Empire collectively knelt and paid respects to Xu Tianran, seated in a wheelchair.
Xu Tianran smiled and signaled to Ju Zi. After Ju Zi sat down beside him, he said lightly:
"My dear ministers, please be seated."
The ministers took their seats one after another. Each seat had a corresponding nameplate, arranged according to the officials' ranks.
Sitting on Xu Tianran's other side was not the high-ranking Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen, but a middle-aged man wearing a gold-trimmed long robe. His face was expressionless and pale. Even stranger was that a layer of mist seemed to shroud his face, making it impossible to see his features clearly.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen of Mingde Hall sat on Ju Zi's other side.
An old man stepped forward and read out the competition rules, then announced loudly:
"Preliminary elimination round, first match. Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy versus Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy."
Whether intentional or not, the opponent for Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in the first match, Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, was almost at the bottom among all participating teams in this tournament.
In fact, as early as the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, this team from the Dou Ling Empire had already participated. But they were eliminated in the first round.
In this tournament, the overall strength of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy had not improved much compared to the previous one. Among the main team members, only five were four-ring Soul Ancestors, barely qualifying to register.
For the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy side, the first to take the field was Meng Hongchen. One could see how much importance they attached to this first match. It concerned the face of the Sun Moon Empire; not only must they win, but they must win beautifully.
Encountering Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy right in the first match, the captain of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy looked extremely ugly. But now he could only brace himself and send out the strongest member besides himself to face the fight.
Unfortunately, due to the gap in cultivation and the suppressive nature of abilities, their team member did not even touch Meng Hongchen's shadow before being poisoned by the Jade Dawn Ice Toad toxin and losing consciousness.
With such a large gap in soul power cultivation, a poison-attribute soul master was completely a dimensional suppression against low-level soul masters.
The subsequent members sent out by Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy met the same fate. In order to prevent the students from suffering irreversible damage, the team leader of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy helplessly chose to concede.
The entire match became a performance exclusively for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Cheers erupted at this moment. Meng Hongchen gracefully returned to the rest area of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Meng Hongchen had changed considerably over the years and had grown into a young lady. Her wine-red long hair was tied into a ponytail, and her slender figure was curvaceous. Before jumping off the stage, she even cast a charming glance toward the Shrek Academy rest area.
Of course, her gaze was mostly fixed on Xu Zihuang.
Noticing this, Ye Guyi was just about to tease a few words when she heard the referee's announcement again.
"Preliminary elimination round, second match.Clear Sky Sect versus Tianjia Sect. Both sides each select seven team members to enter the preparation zone."
"Clear SkySect?!" Upon hearing this, the entire venue instantly erupted in exclamations and uproar. The name Clear Sky Sect was simply too resounding.
Among the seven great sects ten thousand years ago, it ranked first. Even now, though hidden from the world, no one dared to remove the Clear Sky Sect from the ranks of top sects. The status of the Clear Sky Hammer as the number one weapon martial soul in the world remained unshakable to this day.
Clear Sky Sect actually participating in this tournament?
The people on Shrek Academy's side were also greatly astonished.
"As expected." Xu Zihuang, however, felt clarity in his heart.
Tianjia Sect was not in the distinguished guest rest area but in the outer rest area. Led by their team captain, a total of seven people came to the preparation zone. They were clearly somewhat nervous.
Although their Tianjia Sect inherited the defensive weapon martial soul Heavenly Armor Shield, which was of quite good quality, compared to the continent's number one weapon martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, there was still an insurmountable gap.
But when they saw that only one person from the Clear Sky Sect entered the preparation zone, and it was actually a woman, the anger in their hearts immediately overpowered their nervousness.
Only one person entering the preparation zone meant that in the individual elimination matches, Clear Sky Sect could only send this one person to fight.
What arrogance was this?
The referee hosting this match was a thin, white-haired old man. Looking at the pink-blue long-haired girl representing Clear Sky Sect stepping onto the competition stage, he couldn't help but remind her:
"According to the rules, participants in the individual elimination matches must first enter the preparation zone—"
Before the referee could finish, the girl coldly interrupted him.
"I alone am enough."
The girl was extremely sparing with words; even from her voice, one could feel her arrogance.
The referee frowned, but since that was all, he said no more. After all, it wasn't the Sun Moon Empire's participating team; why should he ask for trouble?
At this time, Tianjia Sect also sent out its first member.
The referee announced loudly:
"Individual elimination match, first round. Both sides state your names."
"Tianjia Sect, Han Yu."
"Clear SkySect, Tang Wutong." The girl's cold and clear voice rang out again. At the same time, to facilitate her abilities, she reached up and removed her veil.
Pink-blue big eyes, long curled eyelashes, a slender and graceful figure, and a head of pink-blue wavy long hair cascaded down, draping over her fragrant shoulders, complementing her flawless face.
Such peerless beauty caused even the nearest referee and Han Yu to freeze.
After a brief moment of absent-mindedness, the people from Shrek Academy all turned to look at Wang Qiu'er in unison.
Because this girl named Tang Wutong had the same appearance as Wang Qiu'er, not the slightest difference.
"Why does she look exactly like me?" Even Wang Qiu'er herself fell into self-doubt, bewilderment showing in her eyes.
"How can this be?"
Before the crowd could ask questions, an even more shocking scene on the field once again drew everyone's attention.
Black light flashed. Tang Wutong's aura suddenly became thick and heavy. Amid the浓郁 black radiance, a black Clear Sky Hammer with a handle about three meters long and a head as large as a water bucket appeared in her left hand, carrying dense black light.
Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black!
Six deep-abyss-like ten-thousand-year soul rings rose from beneath her feet in succession. Such a terrifying soul ring configuration shocked the entire audience.
"How is this possible?! Six ten-thousand-year soul rings?!" Someone let out such an exclamation, and it came from the contestant area.
Tang Wutong stood proudly holding the Clear Sky Hammer. The same appearance, the same indifferent expression, but unlike Wang Qiu'er's outward coldness and inner warmth, what Tang Wutong displayed was an arrogance that disregarded everything in this world. This arrogance stemmed not only from her strength and talent but even more from the bloodline within her.
As one who had inherited divine blood, she was born to stand above all living beings in this world.
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