The Platinum Bishop's offer hung in the air, echoing across the vast arena. Not only did the Spirit Hall promise the best treatment and access to rare cultivation methods, but they also offered the immense honor of joining the Spirit Hall directly. For ordinary Spirit Masters, who often struggled to find resources and status, such a promise was extremely attractive. It was a temptation that few could refuse.
However, upon hearing the Platinum Bishop's bold recruitment words, Emperor Xue Ye's face visibly darkened. His expression turned grim, a storm brewing in his eyes. To recruit talented Spirit Masters so openly in front of the Empire's ruler was a direct challenge to his authority.
Ning Fengzhi, who was seated right beside the Emperor, noticed the shift in mood immediately. He gently shook his head at the Emperor, a silent signal to remain calm and not lose his composure in public. Only after seeing this subtle gesture did Emperor Xue Ye's expression soften slightly, though the tension remained in his jaw.
Because the other VIPs and officials were seated behind them, they naturally couldn't see this small, detailed exchange between the Sect Master and the Emperor. The Spirit Masters standing below in the arena were also very far away and missed the interaction. But many of the sharper minds in the crowd still understood the implication. The conflict between the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire seemed to be deepening by the day. It was quickly reaching an irreconcilable point. Otherwise, that Platinum Bishop wouldn't dare to be so arrogant as to recruit excellent Spirit Masters right in front of the Empire's Emperor.
The awkward atmosphere was broken by the announcer's voice booming through the Spirit Tools.
"Alright, then the first match of the first round of the preliminaries will begin now," the voice echoed. "Zuan Academy versus Lanba Academy."
"All participating academies, please exit the arena in an orderly fashion. The two academies competing shortly, please prepare yourselves. The match will officially begin in half an hour."
As the other teams began to file out, Tang San turned his gaze toward the members of the Lanba Academy team. His eyes were serious, focused entirely on the task ahead.
"The match will proceed as planned," Tang San stated firmly. "Even if it's the first match and the opponent is unknown, we still have to give it our all. We cannot afford any mistakes."
Tai Long, the burly powerhouse of the team, laughed heartily. He reached out and patted Tang San's shoulder with a heavy hand.
"Captain, don't worry!" Tai Long shouted, full of confidence. "Later, we'll make sure to teach those guys from Zuan Academy a good lesson. They won't know what hit them."
Since the other academies didn't have matches scheduled for today, they left the resting area directly after exiting the main stage. Led by the tournament staff, they ascended to the viewing stands specially prepared for contestants to watch the opening battle.
Within the large, cavernous resting area, the crowd thinned out until soon only the Lanba Academy and Zuan Academy teams remained. The air grew quieter, filled only with the tension of the upcoming fight.
Just moments ago, Yu Xiaogang had given Tang San a few simple instructions before leaving to watch from the stands. Clearly, the Grandmaster intended to leave the control of this match entirely to the students. He trusted Tang San to lead.
Tai Long looked at Tang San, his expression turning serious as he waited for orders. "Captain, you arrange it. Who is going out there?"
Tang San didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded decisively and listed the names.
"Those who will be participating later are me, Cao Kui, Cao Zhan, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, Jiang Zhu, and Tai Long."
The team looked at him with some surprise. Just two days prior, Yu Xiaogang had selected three substitute members from Lanba Academy whose spirit power had reached above level thirty. It would have been easy to rotate them in for this first match to save strength.
But for just the first Soul Arena match, Tang San chose to have all the main members participate. He held nothing back.
Tang San made this choice because he had a point to prove. He wanted to use a thrilling, overwhelming battle to send a message to everyone watching—especially the Lanba Battle Team members who had doubted him in the past. He wanted to scream to the world that he, Tang San, had returned with absolute strength!
He was no longer the Tang San they used to casually ridicule. He was a strong individual reborn from the ashes of his past failures!
Thinking of this, Tang San's lips involuntarily curved into a confident, almost cold smile. He looked at his teammates and continued, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial tone.
"We will attack according to the first plan. The Dean and Grandmaster have temporarily left, but I understand their intentions very clearly. If we want to have good days in the future, if we want respect, then today, we must completely crush our opponents to prove ourselves!"
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"I think, for us, five minutes is already enough."
An invisible aura quietly spread outward, with Tang San as its center. It was an aura of absolute dominance and cold calculation. Although Tang San didn't explicitly say it, everyone understood the subtext. This captain, in his previous academy, had suffered humiliation that ordinary people couldn't endure.
They understood their mission. They not only had to defeat Zuan Academy; they had to destroy them. They had to let everyone present see the terrifying strength of the Lanba Battle Team. They were fighting for victory, but also for Captain Tang San's dignity!
Before long, the specialized staff arrived at the waiting area, urging them to enter the passage. The organizers even seemed to underestimate Lanba Academy, as only one staff member came to lead the way, compared to the entourage for other teams.
As soon as they reached the exit of the dark passage, the Lanba Academy team could already hear the announcer outside loudly proclaiming the name and Spirit of each entering member of Zuan Academy.
"Entering the arena now... Zuan Academy!"
A special golden beam of light shone down from a high platform set up on one side of the Great Spirit Arena. It acted like a spotlight, escorting each member of the Zuan Academy Battle Team onto the stage with flair.
Regardless of their actual combat strength, the Zuan Academy members certainly had a very good appearance. They looked like stars. The two characters 'Zuan' were embroidered beautifully on the left chest of their light blue team uniforms. On their backs, there was a strange, intricate pattern of a fierce beast, which served as the emblem of Zuan Academy.
Each member looked heroic and spirited, all appearing to be in their early twenties. Under the illumination of the Spirit Tool's spotlight, even though it was daytime, they seemed to be radiating dazzling brilliance. They stood there like small golden suns, attracting the audience's cheers and attention.
Watching this from the shadows of the tunnel, the Lanba team felt a surge of annoyance.
"Damn it, they're clearly using us as green leaves to set off these red flowers," Huang Yuan said angrily, clenching his fists.
Although this 'Lone Wolf' Spirit Master's physique wasn't as robust as Tai Long's, he was quite strong and muscular. Like Tai Long, he was also a Power Attack System Spirit Master. Because of his straightforward and honest personality, he was quickly accepted and approved by Yu Xiaogang. That was why he was able to join the main roster of the Lanba Battle Team.
Jing Ling, standing beside him, let out a low chuckle and spoke in a sinister tone.
"No, we're not green leaves. We're being treated as cow dung."
He grinned, his face shadowy. "Don't flowers look even more dazzling when placed on cow dung? They want us to be the fertilizer for their glory."
In contrast to the muscular Lone Wolf, this Agility Attack System Spirit Master had a somewhat wretched appearance. He had a lean, lanky build, giving him a rather feminine and unsettling feel. Being near him made anyone uncomfortable, as if the temperature dropped a few degrees. His cold aura was like a venomous snake staring at its prey.
Even during sparring practice, Jing Ling never allowed himself to be in a disadvantageous position. He would often be present during joint attacks to land a cheap shot, but when it came to enduring attacks or defending others, he was nowhere to be found. He was called a 'cowardly man' by strong male Spirit Masters like Huang Yuan and Tai Long.
Fortunately, while this guy was a bit eccentric and creepy in personality, his strength was quite impressive, earning him his spot.
"Later, we'll let them know who the cow dung is," Tai Long growled, fiercely swinging his fist through the air.
Just then, Tang San spoke up, his voice cutting through the banter like a knife.
"Let's go. It's our turn to enter."
At the same time, the special golden lights on the field disappeared, plunging the stage back into natural light. The participating students of Lanba Academy slowly walked out of the tunnel and onto the stage.
The arena had already changed significantly by this time. In that short half an hour, the already prepared stage had been fully set up for combat. The stage was ten meters high, circular, and had a diameter of over thirty meters. The area was quite vast, providing plenty of room for maneuvering.
Of course, this was just one stage for the opening match. When the preliminaries truly began tomorrow, five stages would be set up simultaneously here to accommodate the volume of matches.
Twenty-eight teams would compete in twenty-seven rounds of preliminaries. Each team would need to face twenty-seven opponents in a round-robin format. The scoring was simple: winning a match earned one point, while losing earned no points.
After twenty-eight grueling rounds, the top five teams in total points would advance to the promotion rounds. Entering the promotion rounds was effectively equivalent to entering the grand finals.
This month-long preliminary round was a massive test for any academy team. Twenty-eight consecutive days of matches were enough to wear down teams with poor stamina or shallow rosters. Throughout the entire Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, these preliminaries alone would take up half the schedule.
The promotion rounds and grand finals would eventually be held in the large plaza in front of the Supreme Pontiff Palace, located at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. The final champion would receive prizes personally awarded by the Supreme Pontiff herself.
What an incredible honor that would be.
Tang San looked around the arena. The lights that had shone for Zuan Academy were gone. There was no fanfare for them.
It really is differential treatment!
Tang San's eyes narrowed slightly, feeling some anger burning in his heart at the disrespect. But on his face, he feigned a relaxed, indifferent expression. A faint hint of disdain still lingered at the corner of his mouth as he stared down his opponents. He would make them pay for the slight.
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