The Continental Elite Soul Master Academy Tournament was a joint venture hosted by the imperial families of Heaven Dou and Star Luo, co-organized by Spirit Hall. It stood as the most grand and prestigious competition in the soul master world, where only the most outstanding young talents on the continent were permitted to participate.
To maintain the integrity of the event, several core rules had to be strictly observed.
First, participants had to be under the age of twenty-five, and each academy was required to field a team of seven members for every match.
Second, the competition emphasized friendly exchange. Participants were expected to avoid inflicting permanent disability on their opponents, and death was strictly forbidden. Any act of killing would result in the immediate expulsion of the offending academy, in addition to liability for the loss.
Beyond these mandates, the rules were designed around the principle of absolute fairness. For instance, the use of any drugs or food not created by a Food-type or Healing-type soul master present on the stage was prohibited. This meant that if a team wanted combat replenishment, they had to dedicate one of their seven active slots to a support-type soul master, preventing teams from smuggling in pre-prepared spiritual boosts.
Regarding equipment, the use of any weapons other than one's own Martial Soul was strictly forbidden.
The qualifiers were conducted by region. Within the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City served as the central hub. All advanced academies within the empire's direct territory—excluding those belonging to kingdoms or duchies—competed in the Heaven Dou City division.
Academies within the four kingdoms and one duchy competed in their respective local divisions. Including Heaven Dou City, the empire was split into six qualifying zones. Except for the Seeded Team from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, which was granted direct entry to the finals, these six regions fought for the remaining fifteen slots.
Heaven Dou City, being the imperial hub with a high density of elite academies, was allocated five slots. Each of the other five regional divisions was granted two slots. The Star Luo Empire followed an almost identical structure.
Through the qualifiers, thirty teams would emerge to join the grand finals. However, before the finals commenced, there was a ranking stage known as the Promotion Competition. This stage was essentially a seed-sorting round to determine the match order for the finals.
The format for the qualifiers and the promotion round differed significantly. The qualifiers utilized the standard team combat format—a single round-robin where teams earned points for victories. The Promotion Competition, however, was a stage for individual prowess.
In this round, each academy still fielded seven students, but they faced off in one-on-one duels. The winner remained on the stage to face the next opponent from the opposing team, while the loser was replaced. This continued until one side ran out of members. While the qualifiers showcased teamwork, the Promotion Competition was a stage for personal brilliance, allowing the high-ranking officials from the empires and Spirit Hall to scout exceptionally gifted individuals.
Finally, the grand finals would feature thirty-three teams in a brutal knockout format. These thirty-three consisted of the thirty regional qualifiers plus the three seeded teams: Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Star Luo Imperial Academy, and the Spirit Hall Academy. This was a privilege of the three major powers. Though it was a privilege, history showed the championship was almost always claimed by one of these three; for other academies, the tournament was often little more than a prestigious showcase.
Ranking in the Promotion Competition offered significant advantages in the finals. The first round of the finals would see the three seeded teams receive a bye. The remaining thirty teams would compete, leaving fifteen winners. In the second round, the eighteen remaining teams (including the seeded three) would fight, with the two highest-ranked teams from the Promotion Competition receiving another bye. This pattern continued until only six teams remained—the Final Six—at which point the byes ceased.
To ensure absolute fairness, the final three teams were determined through a mix of individual and team combat. First, they fought in a "King of the Hill" individual elimination format. The winning academy from this round advanced directly to the grand final. The two losing academies then fought a team battle to determine who would face the individual winner in the ultimate championship match.
As the staff ushered the students toward the entrance, the air was filled with the deafening cheers of the crowd. In front of the central square stood a magnificent golden podium, behind which lay the newly renovated VIP section.
The arena was vast, with a diameter exceeding one hundred and fifty meters. Teams had already begun lining up in the center as an announcer introduced each academy. Finally, the last team made their entrance.
"The final group to enter is the Shrek Academy team. Formerly known as the Blue Tyrant Academy, they changed their name to Shrek one year ago."
"Look at their distinctive, vibrant attire! They have ten students competing under the slogan: 'Champions Without Rivals.' A bold slogan indeed; we hope to see an outstanding performance from them."
Laughter erupted from the stands. The Shrek Academy uniform was, to put it mildly, bizarre. It wasn't a standard green, but a shade somewhere between yellow and green—most accurately described as "poop green." Even worse, stitched across the back of each uniform in bright red silk were six large characters: Sponsorship Wanted. Below that, a line of smaller text read: For advertising inquiries, please contact Principal Flender.
In a private VIP box, Gu Xuan watched through the glass and couldn't help but let out a cold, stifled laugh. He truly couldn't fathom how such an academy continued to exist. No other advanced academy was as impoverished as Shrek. Even after merging with Blue Tyrant, Flender insisted on this shameless display. Gu Xuan realized this was likely because it was Flender's first time on such a grand stage; Shrek had never been qualified before.
Setting the uniforms aside, Gu Xuan was curious to see how the team was composed without Rongrong and Xiao Wu. He recognized most of them: Tang San, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun were joined by Meng Yiran and the four original talents from Blue Tyrant: Tai Long, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and Jiang Zhu. Ten members in total.
While Gu Xuan was composed, Qin Ming was noticeably agitated. Shrek Academy was his alma mater. Although the Emperor Team was seeded and exempt from these rounds, Qin Ming had brought them to watch the opening to build their competitive spirit. With Gu Xuan at Rank 56, he knew they were more than just favorites—they were a force of nature.
Seeing the familiar name, Qin Ming squinted at the field. He didn't see Flender, who was likely busy hunting for advertisers, and he had never met Yu Xiaogang before, so he couldn't be sure. He decided that as soon as the ceremony ended, he would go to the Shrek encampment to confirm the truth.
(End of Chapter)
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