The first round of the competition held little suspense. For the academies with real potential, there were no unexpected upsets. Teams like Shrek and the New Godwind made short work of their opponents, who were little more than fodder. Tang San didn't even find it necessary to summon his Clear Sky Hammer.
The Seven Treasure Team followed suit, with Dugu Yan choosing to remain hidden, not stepping onto the stage at all.
By the second round, the three seeded teams were no longer exempt from the fray and made their appearances. It is worth noting that the opponents for Spirit Hall Academy and the Star Luo Imperial Academy were quite weak. Consequently, the three members of Spirit Hall's "Golden Generation"—all Soul Kings—did not take the field. Similarly, Star Luo's Captain Dai Weisi and Vice-Captain Zhu Zhuyun secured victory without participating.
However, the Heaven Dou Imperial Team had no substitutes, so Gu Xuan was forced to go up. Even so, upon taking the stage, Gu Xuan didn't even release his Martial Soul. He simply stood casually beside the lovely Ye Lingling, the two of them whispering softly to each other as if they were on a stroll.
Their opponents were three Soul Ancestors from the Star Luo Empire division, a team that posed no real threat. The referee and the spectators, seeing Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling refrain from even summoning their martial souls, initially thought the pair was incredibly arrogant.
But the whispers died down quickly. The sheer power displayed by the other five members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Team was enough to silence any critic.
Vice-Captain Yu Tianheng possessed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, hailed as the world's number one beast soul. To everyone's shock, Yu Tianheng was revealed to be a Rank 51 Soul King! The remaining four members—Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Osler, and Yu Feng—boasted soul power ranks of 49 and 48, respectively.
Once the five of them released their martial souls and the referee announced their levels, the crowd finally understood why Gu Xuan hadn't bothered. A Soul King leading four high-level Soul Ancestors against three low-level Soul Ancestors and four Soul Elders? There was absolutely no suspense.
What truly sent shockwaves through the audience, however, were the ranks of Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling. Even without summoning their martial souls, their levels were announced as part of the official team introduction.
As the captain, Gu Xuan's strength was expected to be high, but no one anticipated a Rank 56! 'This is a tournament for the younger generation! Is a Rank 56 even human at that age?' the crowd thought. And it wasn't just him; Ye Lingling, a Support Type, had reached Rank 53.
A single team with four high-level Soul Ancestors and three Soul Kings? Even the Spirit Hall team wasn't this terrifying. In the first round, Spirit Hall had only shown seven Soul Ancestors. Seeing the Heaven Dou Imperial Team's lineup now, everyone's jaws dropped.
On the VIP stand, the teacher from Spirit Hall Academy frowned deeply. Their aces consisted of two Rank 52s and one Rank 51. Now, the Heaven Dou Imperial Team had three Soul Kings, and two of them were at Ranks 56 and 53. Were geniuses really this common now?
The Golden Generation—Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue—were not present, as they were practicing their Spirit Fusion Skill. They had been keeping an eye on the competition through Salas's reports from Heaven Dou City; they knew about Tang San's twin martial souls and the New Godwind. But now it was clear: their greatest threat was the Heaven Dou Imperial Team. The Spirit Hall teacher didn't even finish watching the match—there was no point. He rushed off to inform the Golden Generation of this shocking news.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe watched the team with a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He had harboured certain thoughts before coming here, but they weren't fully solidified yet. 'Rank 56... Xiao Xuan, you've hidden it for so long. I still don't know your true strength. I hope you can show me something truly special,' he thought to himself.
With the referee's command, the match was over in less than ten seconds. Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling looked like they had simply gone up to strike a pose. After the victory was announced, Gu Xuan took Ye Lingling's hand and elegantly left the stage.
Yu Tianheng and the others finally tasted the thrill of being in the spotlight. After two months of waiting, they had finally made their debut. Osler and Yu Feng were already busy trying to exchange contact information with some of the prettier girls in the crowd, only to drop those notes immediately when Gu Xuan shot them a warning look. They didn't want to be "extra-trained" by him; during the last two months, even with Yu Tianheng's help, the five of them had never even managed to force Gu Xuan to summon his Martial Soul. He had suppressed them entirely, using only his bone wings and the Darkgold Terrorclaw.
Tang San and Feng Xiaotian were utterly stunned by Gu Xuan's rank. 'I knew you were strong, but is this level of strength even necessary?' they wondered. They had previously viewed Gu Xuan as their only rival within the Imperial Team, assuming the rest were fodder. Now they realized the entire team was a pack of monsters. This wasn't a "dark horse" team; this was the final boss of the game.
For the first time, a sense of powerlessness rose in Tang San and Feng Xiaotian. If first place was out of reach, they would have to fight for second.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong watched from the stands, their faces darkening as Gu Xuan walked off with Ye Lingling. 'We're all fiances, so why does Ye Lingling get the special treatment?' they fumed. Dugu Yan was more determined than ever to find a way to get Gu Xuan all to herself. It was frustrating to see her man being enjoyed by her "sister" while she sat on the sidelines.
(End of Chapter)
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