Chapter 203: The Tournament Begins
Reaching the level of a twin winged dragon and unexpectedly awakening his domain meant Yu Tianlin had exceeded his goals for the year. After that, he returned to Thunder Academy with Yu Yuanzhen.
Since Yu Tianlin would be participating in the tournament, Yu Yuanzhen decided to personally oversee the event and watch the matches. The royal family of the Heaven Dou Empire somehow received the news and specially invited Yu Yuanzhen to serve as an honored guest. Yu Yuanzhen naturally accepted.
When Yu Tianlin returned to Thunder Academy, only a few days remained before the tournament began. He immediately rejoined the team.
His teammates were clearly dissatisfied. They had assumed Yu Tianlin had other matters to handle and would not participate, but now that the tournament was about to start, his sudden return shattered their hopes.
Resentment was unavoidable. Over the next couple of days, several teammates provoked Yu Tianlin, both openly and subtly. Yu Tianlin did not argue. Instead, he sparred with each of them.
After all, 3 of them, including Lei Tian, had broken through and stepped into the Spirit Ancestor realm. Their confidence had inflated, and arrogance naturally followed. Yu Tianlin simply wanted them to face reality.
Once they were completely crushed by his strength, the team finally stopped acting recklessly. Yu Tianlin's authority as captain was firmly re established.
In the following days, with Lei Bao leading the team, he explained the tournament format and rules to Yu Tianlin and the others in detail.
In truth, it was not complicated. The event was divided into 3 stages: preliminaries, qualifiers, and finals. As long as you kept winning and did not intentionally cripple opponents and get disqualified, there would be no issues.
And so, under the anticipation of countless people, the All Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, held once every 5 years, finally arrived. Before the matches officially began, an opening ceremony was required.
On the opening day, Heaven Dou City looked nearly deserted. Everyone had rushed to the Heaven Dou Grand Arena. Even before sunrise, the place was already packed.
The venue for the Heaven Dou regional preliminary rounds was the Heaven Dou Grand Arena, a massive structure that covered an enormous area.
Soon, led by Lei Bao, Thunder Academy's team entered the main arena's resting area. Several other academy teams had already arrived, including the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team.
Seeing his older brother and many familiar faces again after a year, Yu Tianlin's eyes lit up. Ignoring Lei Bao's request to gather, he strode over and greeted them.
"You're all here so early."
"Of course." Yu Tianheng laughed when he saw him. "We're Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Naturally, we have to arrive earlier. You're quite something, kid. I heard you're the captain of Thunder Academy's team."
"With my strength, being captain is only natural." Yu Tianlin chuckled. "Besides, Thunder Academy's goal this time is the championship. You'd better watch out. If we meet, I won't hold back."
"You really won't go easy on her?" Dugu Yan suddenly appeared, grinning as she pushed Ye Lingling forward. "Little Lin, are you really willing to go all out against Lingling?"
Dugu Yan's teasing instantly made Ye Lingling blush. The 2 girls immediately started bickering, half playful, half embarrassed.
Yu Tianheng shook his head with a sigh. "It'll be a long time before our teams meet. Our Heaven Dou Royal Academy first team doesn't need to participate in preliminaries or qualifiers. We're directly guaranteed a spot in the finals."
His expression carried a hint of regret.
"Honestly, I don't think being guaranteed a spot means much. It's better to fight your way through step by step. I'm even a little envious of you, Tianlin."
Yu Tianlin's mouth twitched.
So this was what it felt like to be hit with a smile while someone casually showed off.
At that moment, Yu Feng walked over, patted Yu Tianlin's shoulder, and spoke with a smug grin.
"Don't worry, Tianlin. If we really run into each other, we'll definitely go easy on you. We'll make sure you don't lose too badly."
In Yu Feng's eyes, the Royal Fighters were simply too strong. They even believed they could defeat Spirit Hall Academy, let alone Thunder Academy.
Yu Tianlin might be powerful, but he was still only one person. His teammates were far weaker.
Yu Tianlin was speechless at Yu Feng's confidence, but he did not bother refuting him.
After chatting with the Royal Fighters for a while, tournament staff entered the resting area and began organizing the teams to enter the arena.
First came the 1st and 2nd teams of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, then the Divine Wind team, and finally Yu Tianlin's Thunder team.
Aside from the 2 official teams being placed first, the entry order for the other academies was based on their ranking in the previous tournament. Divine Wind Academy consistently held a slight advantage over Thunder Academy thanks to their flight capabilities, so their placement was almost always ahead of Thunder Academy.
But this time would be different.
As Thunder Academy entered, the host's voice rang out across the arena.
"Next is the Thunder Academy team. Thunder Academy achieved a top 5 finish in the last tournament. All 11 members look full of energy. Their slogan, 'I am invincible, you are all free,' truly shows their confidence and momentum. We hope they can achieve an even greater breakthrough in this tournament!"
While the host introduced them, the Thunder team lined up and took their assigned positions, then waited for the remaining teams to enter.
As captain, Yu Tianlin stood at the very front. He casually surveyed his surroundings, then his gaze naturally lifted toward the VIP platform, where Yu Yuanzhen was seated.
Just then, a voice sounded beside him.
"Yu Tianlin, your slogan is pretty arrogant."
Yu Tianlin turned his head. The speaker was Feng Xiaotian. As Divine Wind Academy's captain, he also stood at the front, placing him right beside Yu Tianlin.
Among the 5 elemental academies, the rivalry between Divine Wind Academy and Thunder Academy was the fiercest. Feng Xiaotian choosing this moment to speak was completely normal.
"Feng Xiaotian." Yu Tianlin did not hesitate. "Whether it's arrogance or confidence, you'll find out soon enough."
Feng Xiaotian's expression did not change. "Is that so? Then I'll wait and see."
Wait and see, then. It'll be bright enough to sting your eyes.
The teammates behind them had clearly heard the exchange, and their reactions split instantly.
The Divine Wind members immediately stood with Feng Xiaotian, their expressions sharp and ready.
Meanwhile, the Thunder members looked at Feng Xiaotian with pure pity.
How dare he provoke their captain, that devil. He was asking to be taught a lesson.
Feng Xiaotian was finished.
Some people might still be alive, but their fate was already sealed.
.....
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