Early the next morning, before dawn had even broken, Old Snake, Shi Nian, the students of the Gem Academy team, and Dugu Feng set off for the Great Soul Arena.
Dugu Feng saw Old Snake again.
Today's Old Snake was no longer the same as before.
After years of stagnation, he had finally broken through to become a Soul Douluo.
Old Snake now walked with a confident, powerful stride, exuding an imposing aura, shedding the cold, shadowy demeanor he once concealed.
"Once the Soul Master Competition begins, Heaven Dou City will become a melting pot of all kinds. Some teams will even resort to underhanded tactics to target their opponents for the sake of victory.
During this period, no student is to leave the sight of me or the dean!"
As soon as they stepped out of Gem Academy's gates, Shi Nian issued a stern warning to everyone, his expression icy.
He and Old Snake positioned themselves at the front and rear of the group, guarding the students.
Dugu Feng thought it wise to be cautious. Soul Masters like Shi Nian, who had clawed their way up from the bottom, understood the darkness of the world all too well—and were even more adept at exploiting it.
But this time, the strength of the Gem Battle Team meant they wouldn't need Shi Nian's dirty tricks.
As they neared the Great Soul Arena, the crowd swelled.
The scene was one of deafening drums, fluttering banners, and streets emptied as throngs of people converged on the arena.
Dugu Feng shielded Ning Rongrong as they pushed through the crowd.
Their entrance into the Great Soul Arena was different from that of the spectators.
After passing through a side gate, they arrived at the competitors' rest area.
The spacious resting zone had over a thousand seats, designated for the various Soul Master academies to rest and await their Soul Duels.
Shi Nian led them to a spot.
But after just a few steps, laughter erupted from their group—Zhang Jingyang and the others seemed to have noticed something strange.
Dugu Feng also silently praised the coincidence. As expected, Gem Academy had run into Shrek Academy.
But with him and Ning Rongrong present, there would certainly be no conflict this time.
Flender hadn't changed a bit.
The Shrek Academy Team wore mustard-yellow Soul Master uniforms plastered with advertisements, making them the center of attention in the entire rest area.
"Wow, Zhu Qing, Third Brother, your outfits are so... unique!"
Ning Rongrong's mouth formed an 'O' shape.
She was stunned.
Even though they all wore masks, Ning Rongrong recognized them at a glance.
Besides, Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Liu Erlong were standing right beside them.
"Rongrong..."
Dai Mubai and the others removed their masks, their expressions awkward.
"Rongrong, are these your teammates from the Gem Battle Team?"
Flender asked in surprise.
"This is our instructor, Teacher Shi, and these are my fellow competitors!"
Ning Rongrong gave a brief introduction.
Flender nodded at Shi Nian.
The two had met before during their travels across the continent, but their acquaintance was nothing more than a passing one.
Shi Nian serving as an instructor meant he was now working for the Dugu Family.
A chill ran down Flender's spine—he himself was practically an unofficial member of the Dugu Family!
After all, he had been taking their money all this time.
Just what was the Dugu Family planning?
Flender was filled with suspicion.
"Hey, Xiao Wu, why aren't you wearing that ugly uniform?"
Ning Rongrong noticed something odd. While the other five monsters wore their Soul Master uniforms, Xiao Wu remained in her usual attire.
"Giggle, I'm not participating in the Soul Master Competition. I'm just here to watch you guys fight!"
Xiao Wu was smiling cheerfully, clearly in a good mood.
Ning Rongrong seemed thoughtful but didn't press further, as she had likely guessed the reason.
It must be due to Xiao Wu's special identity, which couldn't be exposed.
The other members of the Shrek Five Monsters, including Tang San, remained calm.
They had probably made similar conjectures.
Dugu Feng was startled—something had changed!
This must be Tang Hao's decision.
During the Soul Master Competition, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, Dugu Bo, and even Titled Douluo from the Spirit Hall might appear.
Xiao Wu no longer had the protection of the Immortal Herb, Lovesick Heartbroken Red.
Participating on stage now would be tantamount to revealing her identity as a Spirit Beast to the public, which was why she was joining the competition.
While Ning Rongrong chatted with Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Feng surveyed the entire Great Soul Arena.
The arena, capable of seating eighty thousand spectators, was grand in scale.
Audience members were still streaming in, and the VIP section was already packed.
Xue Ye the Great, Ning Fengzhi, and Salas—the three most prominent figures—sat at the center of the VIP platform.
In the second row, Qian Renxue, Prince Xue Xing, Meng Shenji, and Bai Baoshan were also seated.
The covert and overt struggles between the Spirit Hall and the empire would undoubtedly play out during the Soul Master Competition. Dugu Feng's gaze darkened as he keenly assessed the situation.
At the same time, he was searching for opportunities.
Conflict needed to be continuously escalated.
This was his greatest expertise.
After a while, once all the spectators had taken their seats, the Soul Master Competition was finally about to begin.
First came Xue Ye the Great's speech, which emphasized one thing above all else: the rewards.
Titles, fiefdoms! The prizes far surpassed those of previous Soul Master Competitions.
The entire Great Soul Arena erupted in thunderous cheers.
All the competing teams in the rest area grew restless. With rewards exceeding expectations, who wouldn't give it their all?
Next was Ning Fengzhi's speech, which was measured and conventional.
Finally, Salas drew the match order for the twenty-eight teams and announced that all Soul Masters who advanced to the finals could join the Spirit Hall's Sacred Temple, stirring another wave of excitement.
Dugu Feng could see that outstanding Soul Masters had become coveted assets for all factions.
It suddenly reminded him of the term "arms race."
Soul Masters were like military assets for nations on Earth. Now, the two great empires and the Spirit Hall were in a phase of buildup.
All were massively expanding their forces in preparation for the fierce conflicts to come.
"Haha, you're up in the very first match—the most high-profile opening bout!
Principal, did you sell them out? Did you pull some strings to have them go first so you could rake in advertising fees?"
Ning Rongrong couldn't stop laughing.
Even the Shrek Six Monsters cast suspicious glances at Flender—did you bribe Salas?
Flender's face flushed with embarrassment and irritation. "This is tempering the mind! A powerful Soul Master must first have a strong mentality!"
His words drew laughter from the Shrek Six Monsters and the Gem Academy team.
They were all ready for a spectacle.
Dugu Feng, however, believed that Shrek Academy's first-round appearance was indeed the result of behind-the-scenes manipulation—by Salas.
Tang San's strength was something all factions were curious about.
Naturally, they wanted him to compete first.
Tang San, standing nearby, directly assigned Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, Jiang Zhu, and Tai Long to the match.
He kept Oscar and Ma Hongjun in reserve.
Then, with an air of solemn determination, he led the team through the passageway toward the Soul Duel Stage.
The Heavenly Dou Royal Academy had once driven them out.
Tang San was here for revenge.
This time, Tang San didn't have the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, appearing much more ordinary with his Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit and the yellow-yellow-purple configuration.
It didn't cause any sensation in the arena.
On the other hand, Dai Mubai was the only Soul Ancestor in the entire Soul Duel Arena. When his fourth Spirit Ring appeared, it drew cheers from the crowd.
Their opponents, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team, didn't even have a single Soul Ancestor.
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