Yu Yuanzhen left. He had arrived in low spirits and departed in even lower ones; after staying for several days, he hadn't heard a single piece of good news, and he feared his lifespan would shorten if he stayed any longer.
As for the matter of Tang San, he could only handle it with cold indifference for now. Although this affair had some impact on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the losses were not significant. With the foundation the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had built over many years on the continent, they could still endure it—after all, they still had the Clear Sky Sect standing at the forefront.
As long as the fact that Yu Xiaogang was an unfilial son of the sect was spread, and the direction of public opinion was shifted, the fire could be redirected onto Yu Xiaogang personally. It was highly likely that the soul masters of the continent would simply lament the misfortune of the Yu Family. By then, the impact on the sect would diminish, and after some time passed, no one would care anymore.
Because of the affair involving Tang San and his father, the Heaven Dou soul master world was in a state of turmoil, but the Soul Master Academy Competition had to continue.
Yun Ming watched as the Empire Team defeated their final opponent on the stage, completing the Preliminary Round with a perfect record of twenty-eight wins. He nodded in approval. Aside from the gifted Immortal Herb users and Feng Xiaotian, the performances of Niu Bi, Gong Ming, and Ye Qingyin were all quite good; they had not wasted the training plans Yun Ming had personally customized for them.
This was the final match of the Heaven Dou Division Preliminary Round, and with the Empire Team's match concluded, the top five academies of the competition were officially determined.
The captains and vice-captains of the top five teams headed to the podium to receive their qualification certificates.
First place in the Preliminary Round: Empire Academy, twenty-eight wins, zero losses.
Second place in the Preliminary Round: Thunder Academy, twenty-seven wins, one loss, having only lost a single match to the Empire Academy.
Third place in the Preliminary Round: Godwind Academy, twenty-six wins, two losses. Although they had lost their star player, Feng Xiaotian, their aerial combat style ensured they would be hard to find rivals in team battles during the Soul Ancestor and Soul Elder stages.
Fourth place in the Preliminary Round: Skywater Academy, twenty-five wins, three losses.
Fifth place in the Preliminary Round: Blazing Academy, twenty-four wins, four losses.
Because of Tang San's absence, the Blue Tyrant Academy's strength plummeted, and naturally, they had no possibility of competing for a seat.
The subsequent procedure involved Emperor Xue Ye, Sect Leader Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Platinum Bishop Salas presenting the qualification certificates and prize money to the five teams that had advanced from the Preliminary Round.
After distributing the certificates and prize money, Emperor Xue Ye, just as in the original timeline, began bestowing titles upon the ten captains and vice-captains of the five teams, granting each of them the rank of Viscount. Furthermore, he promised that after the Soul Master Competition concluded, he would grant each of them a fief, which meant that what Xue Ye was giving was not an empty title, but a genuine noble status.
Naturally, Salas was unwilling to see Xue Ye act this way! He pointed out on the spot that it was against the rules. However, Xue Ye retorted that this was not a competition reward, but purely because he found these ten young people pleasing to the eye, and that Martial Soul Hall had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Empire, leaving Salas speechless on the spot. Ning Fengzhi stood to the side watching the show, not helping either side.
Finally, Xue Ye informed everyone that the Promotion Tournament would be held at the Royal Hunting Ground, mentioned the rewards for the top three in the Promotion Tournament—which included hunting for Spirit Rings—and announced a one-month break before declaring the assembly dismissed. Everyone left the venue.
Walking out of the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena, many spectators who had not yet left saw the members of the Empire Team and cheered them on.
"Empire Team, you must win the championship this time!"
"Empire, rise up!"
"Empire Team, charge!"
"..."
Compared to the start of the Soul Master Academy Competition, when they only had fans of their looks, after a month of constant victories, they had gained quite a few fans who appreciated their strength, with their fan count rapidly catching up to the Skywater girl group. Just walking through the outer perimeter of the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena took quite a bit of time.
After exiting the crowd, the members of the Empire Team returned to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Yun Ming led everyone to the training ground.
Yun Ming looked at the group and first offered them some encouragement.
"In this Soul Master Competition Preliminary Round, our Empire Team has achieved a complete victory. First, I want to express my encouragement to you all here; you have done very well!"
"Let us applaud for our victory, for the rewards we have earned through our hard work, and to praise ourselves!"
After speaking, Yun Ming took the lead in applauding.
The others in the Empire, hearing Yun Ming's praise, also wore smiles, puffed out their chests, and began to applaud along. They felt honored, because Yun Ming rarely praised them, so receiving his recognition was quite motivating for them.
A short while later, Yun Ming pressed his hands down to signal them to stop, and everyone ceased. Yun Ming continued.
"However, the Preliminary Round is merely the beginning. For us, whose goal is the championship, remember not to be arrogant or complacent. Do you hear me?!"
Empire members: "Yes, Captain!" x8
"So I have decided—"
Yun Ming paused slightly before speaking again.
"Starting tomorrow, we will officially enter the next round: special training!"
"Ah~!"
Hearing that there would be more special training, the lazy couple, Ning Rongrong and Oscar, were the first to cry out in protest.
Ning Rongrong was the first to speak.
"Captain, the Preliminary Round just ended, we should at least get some rest!"
Oscar chimed in.
"Yeah! We've been fighting in the soul arena for a month, shouldn't we get to have some fun?!"
Yun Ming looked at the two with a "kind" expression and smiled.
"Alright, how about I give you two a month off, and then when the Promotion Tournament starts, you can make up for the training time you missed this month by doubling it? You don't have to participate in the matches anyway."
"How about that?"
Ning Rongrong and Oscar looked at Yun Ming's smile and cold eyes, and upon hearing his proposal, they quickly refused.
"Just kidding. Just kidding. No need."
"Training is actually quite good."
Although Ning Rongrong and Oscar were Support System soul masters and their training volume was much lower than that of battle soul masters like Feng Xiaotian and Yang Yi, if they had to make up for it by doubling the training, they feared that from the moment they opened their eyes until they closed them during the Promotion Tournament, they would have nothing left but training. No, that was too devilish; the two didn't even dare to think about it.
If this request had been made by others, it might have been different, as Feng Xiaotian and the others were constantly fighting one-on-two or one-on-three and were indeed likely exhausted.
But Ning Rongrong and Oscar had spent this time watching the show from the soul fight stage or the spectator area, and had basically never moved a finger. Now that they wanted even more rest, it was already generous of Yun Ming not to increase their training load. Seeing the two back down, Yun Ming didn't say anything more.
However, since the Preliminary Round had just concluded, Yun Ming did not leave the Empire Team members without any time to rest.
It was only noon, and the special training would not begin until tomorrow, so they still had half a day to get some proper rest.
Yun Ming said to the group.
"You have half a day of rest left, so feel free to do as you please this afternoon."
"Tonight, gather at the academy. I will invite the Chief Royal Chef to prepare a Royal Banquet for everyone as a celebration. How does that sound?"
Upon hearing about the royal feast that evening, everyone showed great interest. After all, even for Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan, such meals were not something they ate often, and they all responded in unison.
"Yes, Captain!"
While Yun Ming was preparing for the celebration of the Preliminary Round and the subsequent special training, things were not quiet elsewhere.
Not far outside Heaven Dou City, a secret chamber located at the summit of a towering mountain amidst a range finally opened once again after more than a year.
A man over two meters tall, with a broad back and thick waist, an imposing figure, and short, graying hair walked out of the secret chamber.
Having been away from the sunlight for so long, he felt slightly dazzled for a moment. After shielding his eyes with his hand to adjust for a while, he finally lowered his hand from the sunlight.
The man's eyes were like torches, bright and piercing, and his face looked as if it had been carved by a knife or axe; he was not exactly handsome, but he possessed a very masculine air.
The man whispered to himself.
"It has been a long time since I was home; it is time to go back and take a look."
ps: Seeking monthly tickets and recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader