While Chen Yi and the others discussed how to send off the two veteran in a spectacular fashion, the true centerpiece of this incident quietly arrived in Spirit City.
At the hotel where the Star Luo Royal Academy team was staying, Dai Weisi descended the staircase in a calm and noble manner fitting his royal status. Yet upon closer inspection, it was impossible to hide the gloom and frustration in his eyes.
Almost at the same time, another group led by Tang San appeared from the opposite corridor. Both teams belonged to the Star Luo Royal Academy, representing the same empire, but at this moment, a clear gulf separated them. There was not even the barest hint of eye contact; the atmosphere was frigid and tense.
Just then, two figures appeared like ghosts in the hallway—Bo Saixi and Tang Xiao.
On seeing them, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun immediately stopped and bent slightly in greeting. Whatever feelings they harbored inside, they could not show disrespect before the Ultimate Douluo and the heads of the three great sects.
However, Bo Saixi's gaze swept over them with complete indifference, as if merely glancing at unremarkable ornaments, not stopping for even a moment. Tang Xiao simply glanced their way, said nothing, and then looked to Tang San.
"Focus on preparing for the battle. I'll handle everything," Bo Saixi's voice was gentle yet brimmed with utter confidence. With that, she walked straight to the most luxurious suite reserved for them and vanished behind its doors.
Despite being utterly ignored, Dai Weisi's expression remained calm and steady as if accustomed to such treatment. But his fist, clenched at his side, pressed nails deep into his palm, sending sharp pain through his hand—a pain trivial compared to the humiliation and killing intent boiling in his heart.
This humiliation and injustice all began with the formation of the Star Luo Royal Academy team.
Originally, as the eldest son of the emperor, possessing outstanding strength and flawless teamwork with Zhu Zhuyun, Dai Weisi's position as captain and core member was self-evident. Yet, with the intervention of Clear Sky Sect and Bo Saixi, and Tang San's powerful group joining, everything changed.
Tang San and his companions had a clear goal—to seize control of the team, especially the captain position. They weren't content to merely participate; they wanted dominance.
But in Star Luo Royal Academy, and throughout Star Luo Empire, there had always been an unwritten rule: so long as the direct line of royalty was involved with the team, only a member of the royal family could serve as captain. This red line of royal dignity and authority could never be crossed.
How could Dai Liang, Dai Weisi's father, ever agree to such a disgraceful demand?
Negotiations entered a deadlock. In the end, Dai Liang's insistence forced an uneasy compromise: the empire's third prince, Dai Mubai, would take over as captain.
This arrangement was a triumph for the Clear Sky camp and Dai Mubai, who succeeded in ousting Dai Weisi from the core leadership. But for Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, it was outright humiliation—they, the once captain and vice-captain, were reduced to regular members, wholly at the whim of their younger siblings.
That wasn't all. Immediately after assuming leadership, Dai Mubai began to "purge" the team, attempting to expel Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun entirely—he even tried to relegate them to the reserve squad.
This finally pushed Dai Weisi to his limits, sparking a direct confrontation with Dai Mubai during training. By right of age and soul power, Dai Weisi, seven years older than Mubai, should have held an absolute advantage. But at the crucial moment, Tang San intervened.
By then, Tang San had already begun training in the Clear Sky Hammer using the Seagod's Light. His strength soared—so much so that, even if Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun joined forces, they couldn't come close to a match. Unable to bear seeing his son so badly humiliated, Dai Liang finally set aside words and issued a direct imperial command: Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun must remain part of the main team; relegation to the reserves was strictly forbidden!
Normally, the Clear Sky Sect might have ignored such orders, and Bo Saixi cared little for a human emperor's opinion. But this time, Dai Liang made a crazed move—he mobilized 200,000 elite troops directly from critical border cities and provincial capitals neighboring the Heaven Dou Empire. Combined with the 200,000 imperial guards already stationed at the capital, 400,000 troops encircled Star Luo City, charged with a chilling aura.
This action shocked the Clear Sky Sect and alarmed even Bo Saixi. Four hundred thousand elite soldiers, protected by Star Luo City's own defense systems and Dai Liang's determination to fight to the end—this kind of force wasn't something even the Ultimate Douluo could take lightly. Moreover, such a drastic move could cause chaos within the empire, and even attract interventions from powers like the Spirit Hall.
In the face of such overwhelming pressure, the Clear Sky Sect and Bo Saixi reluctantly backed down, abandoning their plans to forcefully expel Dai Weisi and his partner.
However, staying didn't mean equality. In all subsequent training and team matters, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun remained ostracized and heavily restricted. Facing constant difficulty from Tang San and Dai Mubai, they seethed with frustration.
"…Phew…" Dai Weisi's eyes grew cold as he watched Dai Mubai throw a casual glance his way and then walk up the stairs with Tang San and the others, laughing.
"He uses his ancestors' legacy and the empire's dignity as proof of loyalty—nothing more than a lackey now."
Gently patting Zhu Zhuyun's cold hand, Dai Weisi whispered, "Let's return to our room."
…
Meanwhile, in the opulent suite's living room, after confirming Dai Weisi hadn't followed, Dai Mubai put on a fawning smile and sidled up to Tang San.
"I've never seen Dai Weisi sulk like this before—his sulking now is more interesting than all his expressions put together these last 18 years!"
"Haha, thank you so much!" Dai Mubai did his best to sound brotherly, but his sycophancy still slipped through.
Tang San smiled slightly, waving a hand. "Mubai, we're all classmates. It's only right to help one another. No need to be so uptight."
Tang San burned with ambition, especially now after being chosen as Seagod's heir. Be it Dai Weisi, Mubai, or the throne of Star Luo, to him they were mere stepping stones on the path to godhood. He was destined to become a god—why care about mortal power?
"Exactly! We're all classmates. I'm just being too polite, hahaha!" Dai Mubai laughed loudly, eyes shining with excitement.
"As long as I don't let Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun play in the next match, or only put them in the least important positions, they won't be able to perform. Let's see who dares doubt my right to be captain then!"
Tang San's gaze remained cold, giving the barest of nods without reply, clearly uninterested in court intrigue.
His eyes drifted out the window toward the residence of the Grand Martial Academy team, becoming ever colder.
"Chen Yi… see that? I am the heir of Seagod. However strong you are, you're still just a human."
"In this tournament, not only will I defeat your Grand Martial Academy before everyone, but I'll use your life to pay respects to my father and to Xiao Wu's spirit in heaven!"
In Tang San's heart, tragic memories of his father Tang Hao's death and the cruel scene of Xiao Wu being tormented by Chen Yi replayed vividly…
Swelling with killing intent, the living room temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Next to him, Dai Mubai, just moments ago so pleased with himself, suddenly shivered under the chilling murderous aura. His obsequious smile froze, he shut up instantly and backed away a half step, afraid to disturb his mood.
…
In another room, Tang Xiao frowned slightly as he watched Bo Saixi resting with eyes closed. In a low voice, he asked, "Elder, are we really safe here? This is the core of the Spirit Hall, the center of their power accumulated over years…"
It wasn't that he doubted Bo Saixi's strength—after all, she was famed as the invincible ruler of the sea. But this was Spirit City, the stronghold cultivated by the Angel God's inheritors for 10,000 years, the true home of the angelic bloodline. Even at his grandfather's peak, Tang Chen would have struggled to topple a thousand Spirit Hall experts here.
Now, as a master of Sea God Spirit, Bo Saixi's power was greatly diminished this deep inside. Against the angelic power dominating this central domain, her chances seemed lower than ever.
"Don't worry." Bo Saixi slowly opened her deep blue eyes, her gaze calm yet full of confidence. "As long as I'm here, Spirit Hall can do nothing to harm you."
Bo Saixi, one of only two undefeated Douluo in the world, was certainly proud, but she was also secretly displeased by Tang Xiao's hesitation and indecisiveness. In her memory, Tang Xiao had once been bold and courageous, but now was timid and wavering… The longer she pondered, the deeper her resentment toward Qian Daoliu and the Spirit Hall grew. Had they not oppressed him so long, how could things have ended up this way?
Seeing Bo Saixi's confidence left no room for further discussion, Tang Xiao could only stifle his unease and remain silent.
Amid public and secret power struggles between the various forces, time slipped by quietly.
At last, the long night passed, and the first rays of sunlight appeared on the eastern horizon.
A new day had begun.
The final stage of the Soul Master Tournament, fated to be anything but peaceful, was about to start…
…