The person seated in the VIP row was undoubtedly one of the four Platinum Bishops. To be capable of serving as a Platinum Bishop and sit in such a position, this person was most likely the Hall Master of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Hall. His status within the Spirit Master world was extremely noble and influential.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi seemed to feel Huo Feng looking at him from the arena floor. His gentle gaze shifted across the crowd and accurately met Huo Feng's eyes. He smiled slightly at the young man and nodded gently in acknowledgment.
At the same time, the announcer on the side of the VIP stand declared loudly, his voice booming over the crowd, "Next, we invite His Majesty, Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, to announce the opening of this Tournament."
Just as Huo Feng had guessed, the central figure in the first row was indeed the ruler. His Majesty, Emperor Xue Ye, wearing a magnificent crimson-gold robe, slowly rose from his seat amidst thunderous applause. He raised his right hand and lightly waved it towards the audience and the thousands of participating Spirit Masters below.
The applause quickly died down out of respect, and the vast plaza became silent, waiting for his words. A deep and resonant voice, amplified by a powerful Spirit Tool, spread throughout the entire venue.
"I, Emperor Xue Ye, Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire, and also on behalf of the organizers of this Tournament, declare the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament now open!"
Applause thundered once more, and cheers rose and fell like waves in the ocean.
But Huo Feng, standing observantly in the arena, suddenly noticed that Emperor Xue Ye's smile was somewhat forced. It didn't reach his eyes. It seemed as if the Emperor himself wasn't truly excited about this Tournament, or perhaps something else was weighing on his mind.
Once the applause subsided again, Emperor Xue Ye continued his speech. "Here, I hope all Spirit Masters participating in this Tournament can fully display their strength and achieve good results. You are all the pride of the Heaven Dou Empire. For the glory of the Empire, display your brilliance!"
Applause erupted for the third time, louder than before. This time, the eyes of the young Spirit Masters in the center of the competition venue glowed with fervent light. For them, such a Tournament was the ultimate stage to showcase themselves to the world.
Emperor Xue Ye returned to his seat, and the announcer's voice rang out again. "Next, we invite the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, School Master Ning Fengzhi, to give a speech for this Tournament."
As Ning Fengzhi rose gracefully, applause broke out again. Even more numerous were the gazes of attention fixed upon him. As the number one Support System Spirit Master in the world, who wouldn't want to witness his demeanor?
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly, pressing his hands down virtually to quiet the crowd. "I am very pleased to be invited as a guest for the opening of this Tournament. As the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, I have witnessed the growth experiences of too many Spirit Masters. As the noblest profession on the continent, the development of every Spirit Master must undergo numerous trials."
He paused, his voice calm and inspiring. "But what I want to say is, a sharp sword comes from grinding, and plum blossoms smell fragrant from bitter cold. Those participating in this Spirit Master Tournament are undoubtedly the elites of the younger generation. Just as His Majesty said earlier, I hope you can bring glory to the Empire, and also bring glory to your respective academies. The Empire needs talents like you. Thank you."
Listening to Ning Fengzhi's speech, a hint of a genuine smile finally appeared on the face of Emperor Xue Ye.
The announcer smiled and nodded respectfully. "School Master Ning, you are the most powerful Support System Spirit Master. On behalf of the audience watching this Tournament, I would like to ask you: Among the twenty-eight teams participating in the Heaven Dou City division preliminaries, which team do you favor?"
Ning Fengzhi maintained his composed smile. "Aside from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's first team, which enters the finals as a seeded team, among these twenty-eight teams, I also favor another team. I think they not only have the ability to pass the preliminaries but also have a very high chance of winning the final victory of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
"Oh?" The announcer looked at Ning Fengzhi in surprise. "Which team has earned the favor of School Master Ning?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled mysteriously. "As for which academy this team belongs to, please forgive me for being secretive; I cannot reveal it for now. But I believe that the final champion of this Tournament will definitely belong to the Empire."
Sitting beside Emperor Xue Ye, the Platinum Bishop who had kept his eyes slightly closed opened them at this moment. His eyes looked very cloudy, without much luster, but they were sharp. His gaze swept across the twenty-eight participating teams in the arena, as if searching for the mysterious team Ning Fengzhi had mentioned.
At this time, the audience had already begun a heated discussion. They were all guessing which team Ning Fengzhi favored. But there were a total of twenty-eight teams participating in the preliminaries. Since only five teams could advance in the end, it wasn't easy to guess who he meant.
Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat, and the announcer smiled, smoothing over the mystery. "It's a pity we couldn't get School Master Ning to reveal the team he favors. Next, we invite the Hall Master of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Hall, Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Hall, to conduct the draw for the first round of preliminaries."
"After the draw, the first pair of teams drawn will compete immediately. This will also be the only match today."
Platinum Bishop Salas slowly stood up. Led by a palace maid, he walked to the announcer's side and began the draw. He seemed very reluctant to speak; each time he drew a pair of opponents, he simply handed the paper to the announcer to declare.
"First round of preliminaries, Lanba Academy versus Zuan Academy!"
"First round of preliminaries, Canghui Academy versus Purple Star Academy!"
"First round of preliminaries, Oakland Academy versus Blazing Glory Academy!"
Upon hearing the draw results, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were visibly surprised. They hadn't expected Lanba Academy to be drawn first, right at the opening ceremony.
And as for their opponent, this "Zuan Academy"... they had never even heard of it.
However, realizing that only one match would be held today, excitement quickly replaced their surprise. This was the opening match, the center of attention for everyone! If Lanba Academy could achieve victory with a perfect performance in front of the Emperor and the dignitaries, then the academy's and Tang San's renown would undoubtedly receive a massive boost.
It would also show the Shrek group exactly how strong the team Yu Xiaogang had mentored truly was. Thinking of this, a confident smile appeared on Yu Xiaogang's stiff face.
Tang San also stood tall, full of confidence. Dealing with such an unknown academy, he naturally didn't think there would be any problem. It was the perfect stage for his return.
After the draw concluded, Platinum Bishop Salas's gaze swept across the entire venue, and he spoke for the first time, his voice faint but carrying a heavy weight.
"My draw is absolutely genuine. I swear by the honor of the Spirit Hall."
"At the same time, I hereby announce that for all participating students from the Spirit Master academies present: Anyone who can enter the final championship round will be exceptionally permitted by the Spirit Hall to directly join the Spirit Hall's main temple."
Upon hearing this, the regular audience remained relatively calm, not fully grasping the implication. But the Spirit Masters in the arena were already in an uproar.
What kind of existence was the main Spirit Temple? It was the highest authority within the organization, second only to the Supreme Pontiff Palace and the Douluo Hall. There was only one such temple in each capital of the two great Empires on the entire continent.
Since the Supreme Pontiff Palace was the exclusive domain of the Supreme Pontiff, and the Douluo Hall was a symbolic shrine for the dead, the Spirit Temple was effectively the highest-ranking institution accessible to living Spirit Masters within the hierarchy. Being able to directly enter it was considered a massive shortcut to power and resources for any aspiring Spirit Master.
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