In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. It was now early morning. Even though it was very early, the Heaven Dou Arena was already full of people. Everyone was there for the opening ceremony of the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament.
The huge circular arena was packed with fans. Citizens from the Tianhun Empire and travelers from other lands waved flags. The noise was like a giant wave, getting louder and louder. You could feel the excitement and energy in the air.
When the Emperor of Heaven Soul arrived, wearing his beautiful royal robes, he walked up to the high VIP platform with his family. The crowd went wild. Right after that, the academy teams from all over the continent began to walk out one by one. Each team received cheers, but when the famous Shrek Academy team appeared, the whole place exploded with noise!
"Shrek! Shrek!" the people screamed. "Shrek is number one! We know you will win the championship again!"
The energy in the stadium was at its highest point. Ma Xiaotao and the younger members of the reserve team walked in the parade. They felt everyone looking at them with love and respect. At first, they felt a bit nervous because of all the attention.
But as they listened to the thousands of people shouting their school's name, they started to feel very excited. At that moment, they understood what "the glory of Shrek" really meant. They felt very proud to belong to such a great school.
The reserve members were happy, and even the main team members, who had done this before, felt the excitement. Only Zhang Lexuan, who was walking at the very front, looked calm. She was not looking at the crowd.
Instead, she was looking toward the entrance where the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team was supposed to be. She was looking for a specific person. However, she could not find him among the many students in their uniforms. Her eyes looked a bit sad and confused.
The night before, a young man named Kong Mingan had given her a family tree. It was the history of the Kong family. It matched the old records her own ancestors had left behind. She had grown up in the Tianhun Empire and studied at Shrek, but she found out she was actually from the Sun Moon Empire.
She even had royal blood. She guessed that the young man wanted her to leave Shrek and return to her original family, but she knew she could never do that. Shrek was her home, and she would never betray it.
The most important thing now was to find that young man. She wanted to tell him the truth and refuse his offer to his face. She had a clear plan, but there was one problem. She could not find him anywhere.
He had said he would wait for her, so where was he? Zhang Lexuan looked around the stadium one more time, but she still did not see Kong Mingan. She felt a bit frustrated, but she had to push those feelings down and get ready for the competition.
At the same time, in a special VIP area for the Sun Moon Empire, Kong Mingan was sitting comfortably. He was the one Zhang Lexuan was looking for. The Emperor was giving a long speech, but Kong Mingan found it very boring. He preferred to spend his time thinking about his own research.
He kept his eyes down and focused on information about the "Body Cultivator" system. Behind him stood Ye Yulin, acting as his guard. Ye Yulin was a very powerful man, and his presence was so strong that most people were afraid to look at him. This made their group stand out even in the VIP section.
Far away, in the seating area for the Tianhun Empire's royal family, a young girl with golden hair and blue eyes was watching them. She looked very gentle and kind. She tilted her head and looked at her best friend, Muxue. She pointed and said with a giggle, "Sister Muxue, look over there! That young man is so handsome!"
Muxue sighed. Her friend, the Princess, could be a bit silly sometimes. Muxue began to explain who he was. "Our reports say that is Kong Mingan. He is the grandson of Kong Deming, who is a very important leader in the Sun Moon Empire."
The Princess, whose name was Vina, looked surprised. "Oh? Is he the only heir of the Kong family? Why would someone that important come to our Heaven Dou City? Isn't he worried about being in danger here?"
"The man standing behind him is Ye Yulin," Muxue added. "He is known as the Starry Sky Douluo. People say he is a Super Douluo, so he is definitely there to protect him."
"A Super Douluo just to be a guard?" Vina said, looking impressed. She kept watching him. The young man was very handsome, but there was something else about him. Because of her special Spirit powers, she could see that the air around him looked different.
His body didn't feel like it was made of normal skin and bone. Instead, it felt like it was made of very pure and heavy energy. He looked like he belonged there, but he also seemed like he was from a different world. It was very strange and interesting to her.
Just then, the young man felt her looking at him. He stopped reading his papers and looked up. His eyes met Vina's eyes. He paused for a second and then gave her a small, polite smile. He nodded his head to say hello and then went back to reading his documents as if nothing had happened.
Vina stared for a moment and then turned to her friend. "Muxue..."
"What is it now?" Muxue asked.
"I think I've fallen in love," Vina whispered.
Muxue didn't know what to say. "You fall in love way too fast!" she thought to herself. She didn't say it out loud, though. She just ignored her friend's comment. A Princess was not usually allowed to choose her own love like that.
Back in the Sun Moon Empire's seating area, Kong Mingan looked away. He wasn't thinking about his papers anymore, and he wasn't thinking about the Princess either. He had come to the Tianhun Empire for two reasons. The first was to talk to Zhang Lexuan.
The second was to find the Body Sect. He believed the Body Sect was hiding nearby and had a secret connection to the royal family. When he looked at Vina, he was actually checking to see if any Body Sect members were near her, but he didn't see anyone.
It seemed that the Body Sect was very good at staying hidden. They probably didn't go to big public events like this tournament. "Well, finding them is going to be harder than I thought," Kong Mingan said quietly to himself.
He wasn't too upset, because he knew he would find them eventually. He looked down at the arena and saw Zhang Lexuan with the Shrek team. Since he couldn't find the Body Sect yet, he decided to focus on his "older sister" and her situation first. He watched her closely as the ceremony continued.
The tournament was about to begin, and many lives were about to change. Kong Mingan knew that his journey here was just starting. He watched the Shrek team walk across the field, knowing that his path would cross with theirs very soon.
The crowd continued to roar, but for the people in the VIP seats and the leaders of the teams, the real battle was happening in their minds. Every move was like a game of chess, and Kong Mingan was ready to play his part. He closed his folder and waited for the matches to start.