Inside the vast and cold Pope's Palace, only four people were present—Pope Bibi Dong, Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena.
Bibi Dong sat upright on the papal throne, looking down at the three standing below. She smiled and said:
"The long-awaited day has finally arrived. After your first-round bye, you will compete in the next round. You must not be careless. The championship of this tournament must be secured."
"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope. We will give it our all."
As captain of the Spirit Hall Academy team, Xie Yue replied firmly—utterly confident in winning the championship.
Bibi Dong was clearly pleased. She continued:
"Apart from winning the championship, I have a secret mission to entrust to you."
Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena exchanged glances, uncertain about what kind of task the Pope would assign, though all of them were filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Bibi Dong suddenly rose from her throne, holding her golden scepter as she slowly approached the three. In a quiet voice, she said:
"In this year's tournament, a certain individual has appeared—someone who should not exist. That person is Tang San of Shrek Academy from the Heaven Dou Empire."
Hu Liena asked:
"Tang San? The soul master with twin martial souls?"
"That's right. But in truth, he isn't fully human. He is a hybrid born of a human soul master and a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."
"A… hybrid??!"
Xie Yue and Hu Liena looked at each other, stunned.
"Tang San is the son of Tang Hao and the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor. A union between human and beast. Whether for public reasons or personal ones—I cannot allow him to remain in this world."
The three immediately understood her meaning.
As members of Spirit Hall, they all knew that the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, died because of Tang Hao.
Spirit Hall would not spare anyone from the Clear Sky Sect—much less someone with such a special identity.
Xie Yue asked:
"Your Holiness, what would you have us do?"
Bibi Dong's smile turned icy.
"If you encounter Shrek Academy in the tournament, you are not to hold back against Tang San. If you can conveniently dispose of him, that would be ideal."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Bibi Dong intended to kill Tang San.
Although the tournament rules forbade lethal attacks…
Accidents happen. Especially in the intensity of the finals—everyone fights with full force.
Who could guarantee that no 'accident' would occur?
If Tang San died during the tournament, Tang Hao would certainly come for revenge.
And that was exactly what Bibi Dong wanted.
Having already reached level ninety-nine, Bibi Dong needed a powerful opponent to validate her strength.
If she could personally kill Tang Hao, her authority within Spirit Hall would solidify further, earning additional support from the Elders.
Of course, with figures such as Yu Xiaogang, Ning Fengzhi, and Dugu Bo present, killing Tang San wouldn't be easy.
Bibi Dong continued:
"This mission is secret, but do not feel overly burdened. If you cannot kill Tang San, seriously injuring him is acceptable."
"Yes!"
"There is one more thing. If you truly face Shrek Academy, do not underestimate them. Although they placed only fifth in the Heaven Dou division, that was not their full strength. With the theoretical master Yu Xiaogang behind them, anything is possible."
"Understood!"
Bibi Dong's words ignited even stronger fighting spirit in Xie Yue and Hu Liena. Both were eager to face Tang San as soon as possible.
Yan, however, remained calm. He understood Tang San and the Shrek team well—and had absolute confidence in defeating them.
Soon after, the three left the Pope's Palace.
Walking together, they discussed the coming matches.
Xie Yue suggested:
"Tomorrow let's first see which academy we draw. If the opponent isn't strong, the three of us don't need to take the field—we shouldn't reveal our strength too early."
"Alright."
Yan responded casually.
Hu Liena added:
"After the second round, only ten teams will remain—the top ten of the tournament. From the third round onward, all of us must participate."
"Mm. Nana is right."
Xie Yue then turned to Yan with a proposal:
"Yan-ge, if we do meet Shrek Academy, you restrain the others. Nana and I can use our fusion skill against Tang San and silently get rid of him. How does that sound?"
"Fine."
Yan answered without hesitation, as if completely uninterested in taking the credit for himself.
Xie Yue's plan sounded plausible. Once he and Hu Liena used Demonic Charm, the pink mist would envelop the battlefield. No one would know what occurred inside. An 'accident' in that situation would seem entirely natural.
But Yan knew—they couldn't kill Tang San.
Because Tang San was cunning and excelled at poison. His methods were unpredictable and far beyond their expectations.
Yan also knew that even if he warned the siblings now, they still wouldn't be able to guard against Tang San's Spider Poison.
In the end, he would have to take action personally.
And he had already prepared himself to fight one against seven.
After a day of rest, the second round of the tournament resumed.
In this round, the top-ranked teams of the two empires received byes.
The remaining three seeded teams and thirteen other teams would compete for eight spots, joining the two bye teams in the next round.
Yan and his teammates arrived at the resting area.
Before long, their instructor Lin Zhendong arrived as well.
"The drawing results are out. Your opponent is Star Luo Empire's Skywolf Academy, and you are in the first match."
Hearing that their opponent was Skywolf Academy, everyone exchanged knowing smiles.
Skywolf Academy's overall strength was mediocre. In the Star Luo division, they weren't even in the top five, and they had only two Soul Sects above rank forty.
Meanwhile, even Spirit Hall Academy's substitutes had soul power above rank forty.
Xie Yue asked:
"Teacher Lin, for the match against Skywolf Academy, the three of us don't need to appear, correct?"
Lin Zhendong nodded and looked at the team.
"Sun Chuantao will lead the lineup. To ensure absolute safety, Li Kai, Zhang Ping, and Xu Yu will also go up. Do not grow careless just because the opponents are weak."
"Understood!"
Half an hour later, the first match officially began.
There was only one tournament arena for the finals—every match was held here.
Located in the center of Spirit City, the massive stone platform was a hundred meters in diameter, built entirely from granite and reinforced with powerful soul tools.
Only an organization as wealthy as Spirit Hall could afford to construct such a place.
It could not accommodate many spectators; most of the audience consisted of nobles from the two empires and soul masters residing in Spirit City. Ordinary civilians had no right to enter.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, fourteen competitors—seven from Spirit Hall Academy and seven from Skywolf Academy—slowly ascended the stage.
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