Qian Daoliu slowly handed the secret letter to Golden Crocodile Douluo. Although they were not biological brothers, their bond transcended blood; thus, Qian Daoliu kept nothing hidden from him. After reading the contents, Golden Crocodile's expression mirrored that of the Grand Worship—his face broke into a broad, satisfied grin.
"A fifteen-year-old Soul King, this boy possesses extraordinary talent. If he cannot be united with Xue'er, he must be nipped in the bud. Otherwise, he will undoubtedly become a major threat in the future!" Golden Crocodile stated firmly.
Qian Daoliu sighed softly. "Xue'er has finally found someone she likes. If you were to strike him down, how do you think she would react?"
Golden Crocodile chuckled awkwardly. "I was only speaking hypothetically." He paused, thinking. "However, the boy is only fifteen, making him quite a bit younger than Xue'er. Plus, he's already engaged to two girls with significant backgrounds. That is indeed a tricky situation."
By "tricky," Golden Crocodile was referring to Qian Renxue's perspective. If they forcibly snatched Gu Xuan away or assassinated Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, Gu Xuan would never willingly be with Qian Renxue. This would effectively ruin the relationship. Yet, if they didn't take such measures, how could they ensure Qian Renxue became the primary wife while the other two took secondary roles?
Neither Qian Daoliu nor Golden Crocodile were narrow-minded men. For a man of such peerless talent, having several female confidantes was perfectly normal. However, they had to ensure that Xue'er was the matriarch—the "Big Sister" of the household.
Qian Daoliu contemplated for a moment before speaking. "The Continental Elite Tournament is about to begin, and that boy will certainly appear. Once he arrives in Spirit City, we will test him thoroughly. If he is worthy of Xue'er's devotion, then I shall personally go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to arrange a Heavenly Marriage!"
Golden Crocodile pondered this. "Big brother, this plan is feasible. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has always prioritized benefits. We are merely letting Xue'er take the senior position; it doesn't affect the boy's other two beauties. Our Xue'er is a peerless beauty with transcendent talent. Combined with the bridge of friendship you offer, the Clan won't lose out!"
The two old men then began discussing the logistics. They wouldn't care this much about anything else—they had even handed over the day-to-day power of Spirit Hall to Bibi Dong—but Qian Renxue's happiness was the most important thing in their hearts.
The final two months flew by. As the tournament approached, Gu Xuan broke through another rank, reaching Rank 56. Yu Tianheng and the others reached the peaks of their respective levels. Yu Tianheng was only a step away from Rank 50. The Shi brothers were equally impressive; Shi Mo had reached the peak of Rank 48, while Shi Mo, Osler, and Yu Feng had all climbed to the peak of Rank 47. Each of them possessed a combat depth that far exceeded their numerical rank.
Most notably, Ye Lingling had successfully broken through to Rank 50, but she had not yet obtained a soul ring because the tournament was beginning, and as the team's primary healer, she couldn't afford to be absent during the opening rounds, even if the main team was exempted from the preliminaries.
The day of the grand opening ceremony finally arrived. Heaven Dou City was transformed into a sea of people, a vibrant tapestry of banners and cheering crowds. This was the most prestigious event in the soul master world, a gathering of the brightest stars from every corner of the empire. From the lowliest commoner to the highest noble, everyone was caught in the fever of the competition.
The ceremony took place at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena. A month ago, pre-sale tickets had already sold out despite being priced as high as the entrance fees for the Central Spirit Arena. The ticket sales alone were enough to fill the imperial coffers to the brim.
As the main venue for the Heaven Dou division, the Great Spirit Arena had ceased all regular matches a month prior for internal renovations. All sub-arenas were merged with the Central Arena to form a colossal competition ground capable of holding eighty thousand spectators.
In the early morning, before the sun had even risen, the arena was already swarming with crowds. Every ticket had a reserved seat, but the audience arrived early just to catch a glimpse of the young soul masters at the ceremony. Among them were many young men and women looking for their ideal partners; since the total number of soul masters on the continent was less than six digits, those representing advanced academies were the elite of the elite. With a twenty-five-year age limit, they were the most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in the empire.
Even nobles gathered outside, eager to recruit talent. The tournament was a cradle for future powerhouses, and even those who didn't win were prime targets for recruitment. Some nobles even used "pets" they were bored with to lure commoner-born soul masters into their factions.
Currently, the area surrounding the arena is packed. For the past few days, every hotel in Heaven Dou City had been at full capacity, and the population had surged by nearly fifty percent. Five thousand city guards were deployed just to maintain order.
Today was the first day. Aside from the ceremony, there was only one match: the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's second team (the Vice Team) would draw an opponent for the first round of the round-robin stage. This was largely an exhibition match to satisfy the audience's excitement.
Gu Xuan's Emperor Team, as the Seeded Team (the Main Team), did not need to participate in the qualifiers. Along with the Star Luo Imperial Academy's main team, they were granted direct entry into the grand finals, exempting them from the preliminary selections.
(End of Chapter)
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