Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy vs. Dragon Slayer Sect.
The first match was utterly one-sided—no suspense whatsoever.
Though the Dragon Slayer Sect boasted multiple Soul Kings, even with optimal soul rings, their opponents were far more terrifying.
Not a single member of Sun Moon's team was below Soul King rank—and their first competitor, Meng Hongchen, was already a Soul Emperor. With effortless grace, she dispatched the Dragon Slayer Sect's first fighter. What followed was a brutal display: she proceeded to defeat six consecutive opponents in a row.
Only when facing the seventh did her soul power finally wane from exhaustion—otherwise, the Dragon Slayer Sect might have suffered a complete shutout.
Yet as Meng Hongchen left the arena, her gaze drifted toward the seating areas of Shrek Academy and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, flashing a smile so unsettling it sent chills down spines.
"Hss—what was that look for?"
Huo Yuhao shivered as if covered in goosebumps.
He knew full well Meng Hongchen's stare toward his sect was aimed directly at him—and the glance toward Shrek? Likely at Dong'er.
"Ha! Yuhao, you've been marked," Wu Feng teased.
"Huh? Sister Xiao Feng, what are you talking about?" Huo Yuhao asked, utterly confused.
"Youngster, it's not your fault you don't read enough." Wu Feng smirked. "That look Meng Hongchen just gave? There's a specific term for it: 'yandere.' My guess? She's unhinged because Wang Dong'er turned out to be a girl."
"Ah—!"
No sooner had Wu Feng finished speaking than her ear twisted in pain.
"Ow—!" she yelped.
Ning Tian's voice floated behind her, sweet yet icy: "Oh? I didn't know our little Feng enjoyed reading novels. Yandere… care to tell me which book you learned that from?"
"Ning Tian, I'm sorry! I messed up!" Wu Feng immediately groveled. "It was Wang Dong'er—I read it from her romance scrolls!"
She betrayed her teammate without hesitation.
Huo Yuhao could only facepalm in silence.
Chen Junting watched the whole exchange with quiet amusement.
But while this little drama unfolded, the matches continued.
After Meng Hongchen's dominant performance, a Grade 5 soul engineer from Sun Moon Imperial Academy took the stage. Facing the Dragon Slayer Sect's captain, he narrowly secured victory through superior soul engineering tactics.
Either way, the Dragon Slayer Sect's fate was sealed.
In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, Sun Moon Imperial Academy advanced to the next round with an impressive 11-point lead.
Their opening victory triggered thunderous cheers from the Sun Moon crowd.
Yet the Dragon Slayer Sect's swift elimination meant little.
With so many teams competing, the first round alone scheduled over eighty matches. Without strict pacing, the planned three-day timeline would collapse.
What followed was a dazzling spectacle.
Shrek Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy, Snow Demon Sect, Heavenly Dragon Sect, Proud Sword Sect…
One after another, elite teams took the stage. By noon, nine matches had concluded.
The battles were visually stunning—and brutally savage.
While no one lost limbs or lives, several fighters would need ten days to half a month of bed rest to recover.
After a brief lunch break, afternoon matches resumed.
By dusk, another nine bouts ended.
Many featured lopsided strength gaps—but still, no one achieved a solo seven-win streak.
After all, defeating seven opponents alone was nearly impossible. Even weaker teams fielded at least several four-ring Soul Ancestors. Each soul master possessed unique traits; stringing together seven consecutive victories was a monumental challenge.
Dusk fell. A sliver of crimson lingered in the western sky.
Slowly, night emerged like a silkworm bursting from its cocoon—gnawing at the last rays of light, staining the severed neck of the heavens black as blood.
Under the pavilion, Chen Junting gazed absently at the horizon.
For some reason, he felt an ominous chill in this twilight.
"Xiao Tian," he said, taking Ning Tian's hand. "Who's fighting next?"
"The next match is…"
"Curious to see it, aren't you? Heh heh—"
Before Ning Tian could finish, a frigid voice cut in beside them—drawing startled glances.
It was none other than the evil soul master Yan Feng.
Beneath his mocking gaze lurked pure malice.
The next second, Head Referee Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan announced:
"Preliminary elimination round, Match Nineteen: Holy Spirit Church versus Di Ao Academy! Both teams, send seven members to the ready zone."
Yan Feng rose abruptly and led his team out of the pavilion.
As he passed Chen Junting, he dragged a finger mockingly across his own throat—then strode away without looking back.
"That bastard!" Wu Feng surged to her feet, furious—
—but Gu Tianchen, as if foreseeing her move, pressed her back down. He silently restrained everyone else too.
Chen Junting remained utterly calm. Only Ning Tian's eyes flickered with worry—not for herself, but for Di Ao Academy.
"I have a bad feeling about this," she murmured.
Her premonition proved tragically correct.
As the sun set, the arena floor was drenched in blood.
Even after Di Ao Academy's leader surrendered, Yan Feng crushed the throat of their last surviving student. The match referee—and even Head Referee Zheng Zhan—arrived "just too late."
Faced with the carnage, Zheng Zhan closed his eyes in sorrow.
But he was powerless. This was the Crown Prince's command. All he could do was declare the Holy Spirit Church victorious.
For a moment, the entire stadium fell deathly silent.
Then erupted—torrents of outrage.
Cries of condemnation flooded the stands, directed both at the Holy Spirit Church and the Sun Moon authorities: How dare evil soul masters compete in a soul master tournament?!
"The Holy Spirit Church dared to kill openly in broad daylight!"
Ning Tian stared at the blood-soaked platform, stunned.
Earlier, during the individual elimination phase, the Holy Spirit Church had swiftly won five matches—then chose to forfeit. None of Di Ao's fighters died in those rounds; they merely lost cleanly. Many who knew the sect's true nature assumed the evil soul masters were holding back—for fear of backlash.
Who could have guessed they'd unleash slaughter in the team match?
Yan Feng's entrance was so sudden, Di Ao's members didn't even have time to summon their soul spirits.
In short: these evil soul masters were not only powerful and unpredictable—but horrifyingly efficient killers.
"This reeks of someone's involvement," Chen Junting said, tightening his grip on Ning Tian's hand as his eyes locked onto Xu Tianran.
His vision was sharp—he could see Xu Tianran sitting perfectly composed, unruffled by the chaos.
Clearly, he'd expected this.
In fact, there was a seventy percent chance he'd ordered it.
"What is Xu Tianran trying to do?!" Ning Tian hissed, disgust plain on her face. She knew exactly who "someone" referred to.
"Then we'll see who the Holy Spirit Church faces next," Chen Junting said grimly. "Starting with Di Ao Academy… quite the strategic choice."
Ning Tian's confusion gave way to dawning horror. "Brother Junting… you mean—?!"
"I can't be certain," Chen Junting replied, inwardly cursing Xu Tianran as a madman. "But if my guess is right, their next opponent will be either Proud Sword Sect or Heavenly Dragon Sect."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the Snow Demon Sect.
Many of their members wore expressions of grief. Princess Vina—though competing under the Snow Demon banner—was visibly weeping, tears streaming down her cheeks.
After all, she was Tianhun's princess—and once a Di Ao Academy student herself. The laughter of former comrades still echoed in her ears.
Now, they were separated by life and death. How could she not mourn?
Beside her, Long Aotian comforted his fiancée—while fixing the departing Holy Spirit Church with a gaze dripping with killing intent.
Even factions from the original Three Great Empires glared at the sect with burning fury. Di Ao's fate stirred a chilling sense of "when the rabbit dies, the fox is sad."
But the Holy Spirit Church only returned their stares with bloodthirsty, taunting smirks—as if declaring:
The hunt has begun!
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