At this moment, all participating academies had entered the arena.
Cupid Academy was located in the center of all the teams, not exactly inconspicuous, but rather quite ordinary.
Yun Chuan didn't pay attention to this, but instead began to look around. This Great Soul Arena was undoubtedly the largest he had ever seen, with a grandstand capable of holding 80,000 spectators. It was decorated entirely with a silver-toned background, and although it was morning, the surrounding area was illuminated by special magical lighting, giving it not only a luxurious feel but also a grand and majestic one.
When his gaze fell on the VIP platform, he saw several familiar faces.
There were clearly four seats reserved in the first row of the VIP section, but only three people were sitting.
In the center was a person wearing a gold and red robe and a gold and diamond crown... Who else but Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire could sit in this position?
To Xue Ye's left sat an elderly man who was even older than him. Covered entirely in a long, crimson robe, and wearing a five-pointed platinum crown… Yun Chuan recognized this man; he was Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall. He was one of their own.
He was also familiar with the man to the emperor's right; he was Ning Rongrong's father, Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Handsome and wearing the Seven Treasure Purple Gold Crown, a symbol of his status, he was fully qualified to sit in this position as one of the top three sect masters among the seven major sects.
However, what puzzled many present was why four seats were prepared when there were only three people. Was there some important figure missing?
But who possessed such status to sit on equal footing with these three?
Only Yun Chuan, the person directly involved, knew who the absent one was.
Soon, accompanied by a hazy blue light,
a figure in white robes and black hair appeared on the open ground next to Ning Fengzhi, accompanied by dazzling blue light.
This person appeared to be in his early twenties, with an ordinary face, but a tall and imposing presence!
It was none other than Yun Chuan himself, finally arriving late.
While Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Salas were slightly startled by Yun Chuan's sudden appearance, they quickly regained their composure. The three greeted him casually.
"Blue Silver King, long time no see," said Ning Fengzhi.
"Blue Silver King, please take a seat," said Emperor Xue Ye. "Your Majesty Blue Silver
, I have long admired your name!" said Platinum Bishop Salas.
Their attitudes were all friendly.
After all, Yun Chuan's Blue Silver King persona commanded respect from everyone!
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Yun Chuan first bowed to Xue Ye upon arrival, then addressed Ning Fengzhi, "Sect Leader Ning, long time no see."
Recently, Ning Rongrong had frequently visited his Blue Silver King's residence, and through her, he had become acquainted with the Sect Leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. The sect leader had even invited him to banquets several times, saying it was to thank him for teaching his daughter. Therefore, their relationship was quite harmonious; they were old acquaintances.
"This must be Bishop Salas. I've long admired your name." He bowed to Salas one last time, and that was how they became acquainted.
Afterwards, Yun Chuan sat down in the fourth seat next to Ning Fengzhi. Undoubtedly, the fourth seat in the first row was reserved for him. Given his status, strength, and position, he was certainly qualified to sit there, or rather, no one else was qualified.
In the second seat behind the first row sat people of similar status to Prince Xue Xing and the three members of the Education Committee.
After the battle formations, the opening remarks were usually given.
The first to speak was Emperor Xue Ye.
The emcee on the side of the VIP platform announced loudly, "Now, please welcome His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire to declare the opening of this competition."
Emperor Xue Ye then slowly rose amidst thunderous applause. He raised his right hand and waved lightly to the audience and the participating Soul Masters below. The applause quickly ceased, and the vast square fell silent. His voice, amplified by the soul-guided amplifier, resounded throughout the arena, "I, Xue Ye, Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire and the organizers of this competition, hereby declare the Pan-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition open!"
Applause thundered once more, cheers erupting in waves.
But Yun Chuan, sitting beside him, could clearly see that the emperor's smile was somewhat forced, as if he wasn't genuinely excited about the competition. He knew why, of course; the threat from the Spirit Hall had been growing increasingly stronger recently. As the emperor of a nation, it was no wonder he was unhappy.
When the applause subsided again, the emperor continued, "Here, I hope that all the soul masters participating in this competition will fully demonstrate their strength and achieve excellent results. You are all the pride of the Heaven Dou Empire. For the glory of the empire, show your brilliance!"
Applause rang out a third time, this time, the soul masters in the center of the arena gleaming with burning passion. For them, this competition was the best stage to showcase themselves.
His Majesty the Emperor returned to his seat, and the master of ceremonies' voice rang out again, "Now, please welcome Mr. Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, to deliver a speech for this competition."
As Ning Fengzhi rose, applause erupted once more, but even more attention was drawn to him. As the number one support Soul Master
in the Soul Master world, who wouldn't want to see his brilliance? Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly and gestured with his hands, "I am very pleased to be invited as a guest to open this competition. As the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, I have witnessed the growth of countless Soul Masters. As the noblest profession on the continent, every Soul Master's development requires numerous trials. But I must say, 'A sharp sword is forged through tempering, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold.' Those participating in this Soul Master Competition are undoubtedly the elite of the younger generation. Just as His Majesty said, I hope you can bring glory to the Empire and to your respective academies. The Empire needs talents like you. Thank you."
Listening to Ning Fengzhi's formulaic speech, Emperor Xueye finally showed a genuine smile. Because the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School supported the Heaven Dou Empire, his words undoubtedly declared their stance. Naturally, this greatly pleased him.
At this moment, the emcee suddenly said, "Sect Master Ning, you are the most powerful support-type Soul Master. On behalf of the audience, I would like to ask you: among the twenty-eight teams participating in the Heaven Dou City regional preliminaries, which one do you favor?"
Ning Fengzhi still smiled, "Besides the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team 1, which entered the finals as a seeded team, I also favor another team among the twenty-eight. I think they not only have the ability to pass the preliminaries, but also have a very good chance of winning the final victory of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
"Oh?" The emcee asked in surprise, "I wonder which team has earned Sect Master Ning's favor?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled mysteriously and said, "As for which academy this team belongs to, I'll keep you in suspense for now. But I believe that the final champion of this tournament will definitely belong to the Empire."
At this time, the audience had already begun to discuss heatedly, all guessing which team Ning Fengzhi favored. Some quick-witted people thought that Ning Fengzhi was not referring to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team 2. As vice-captains, their strength should theoretically be inferior to that of the seeded team, the main team. Otherwise, they would be the main team, not vice-captains.
However, reality was the opposite of what they expected. The team Ning Fengzhi favored was indeed the Tian Dou vice-captain team—the team composed of Shrek Academy members who joined midway through the competition.
After speaking, Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat. The emcee then turned his gaze to Yun Chuan, who was sitting beside him, seemingly wanting to invite him to say a few words. After all, he was a dignified protector of the nation! But Yun Chuan shook his head and refused, saying, "No need. I am not good with words. His Majesty and Sect Master Ning have already said what needs to be said. I won't join in the fun." Yun Chuan was too lazy to say any polite words.
The emcee's smile remained unchanged, knowing that this important figure disliked ostentation. So, without giving the audience an introduction, he went straight to the point: "Now, please welcome the Hall Master of the Spirit Temple of Heaven Dou City, Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Temple, to draw lots for the first round of the preliminary rounds. After the draw, the vice-team of Heaven Dou Royal Academy will play against their opponents drawn in the first round. This will be the only match today."
Platinum Bishop Salas slowly stood up and, led by a palace maid, walked to the master of ceremonies to begin the draw. He seemed reluctant to speak, leaving each pair of opponents to be announced by the master of ceremonies.
"First round of the preliminary rounds: Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Purple Star Academy."
"First round of the preliminary rounds: Auckland Academy vs. Flame Radiance Academy."
"First round of the preliminary rounds: Azure Radiance Academy vs. Cupid Academy."
"..."
Upon hearing the name of the academy he would face in the first round, Yun Chuan, who was in the middle of the team holding his sword and resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips.
"Interesting, very interesting."
"I never expected my first match would be against Canghui Academy."
Yun Chuan was naturally familiar with Canghui Academy, having dealt with them before when he was a guest teacher at Shrek Academy. Back then, as their teacher, he had even slapped their master, severely injuring him.
Moreover, he remembered that in the original story, this academy seemed to have caused Tang San and his companions considerable trouble. It seemed he should go easy on them later. He should resolve the battle with minimal effort, letting them conserve their strength to cause Tang San trouble!
After the draw, the emcee announced directly: "Today's matches will only have two. Tian Dou Royal Academy, Zi Xing Academy, Canghui Academy, and Cupid Academy, please prepare. All other academies, please leave. The matches will officially begin in half an hour." Because it was
the opening ceremony, there weren't many matches on the first day. But with Tian Dou Royal Academy present, there would naturally be plenty of spectators.
====================
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