Of course, Liu Yuan did not have his Heavenly Eye activated.
Thus, at this very moment, he was completely unaware of the turbulent undercurrents surging beneath the surface.
After delivering all the critical intelligence to Jing Hongchen—regarding the lurking foreign forces and Xu Tianran's unauthorized troop mobilizations—Liu Yuan returned to his own rhythm and focused on preparing for the remaining matches of the Soul Master Tournament.
In Liu Yuan's view, he had already fulfilled his responsibility by issuing the warning. What followed—the struggle for power—was a matter for the upper echelons of the Sun Moon Empire.
Although he had taken the opportunity to teach Shrek Academy and the Body Sect a harsh lesson during the tournament, his core objective had never changed.
To win the championship.
Only by claiming the final victory could he complete the System-issued task and obtain that incomparably precious reward—the Primal Kyogre god-bestowed spirit ring.
For Liu Yuan, his current strength was still far from sufficient.
Though he could be considered invincible among his peers, what he truly sought was invincibility across the entire Douluo Continent—and perhaps even beyond, in the God Realm itself.
Because of that, he still needed to grow stronger.
And so, in the days that followed, Liu Yuan deliberately ignored the shadowy power struggles unfolding behind the scenes and devoted all his attention to the arena.
As the schedule advanced, the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament entered its final sprint.
The most threatening opponents—the Shrek Academy Team, the Body Sect Team backed by the Body Sect itself, and the Star Luo National Team—had all already been crushed by Liu Yuan and eliminated in earlier rounds.
As a result, the pressure faced by the Sun Moon Royal Team in the quarterfinals and semifinals dropped to nearly nothing.
While the remaining teams could still be considered elites of their respective nations, before Liu Yuan—who had already condensed a Soul Core and possessed a top-tier Spirit—they were not even worthy of forcing him to take the field personally.
In these matches, Wang Qiuer fought at full strength, and with the support of Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, the Sun Moon Royal Team advanced with overwhelming ease.
Every battle ended within three minutes.
They marched smoothly and without suspense into the grand finals.
However, when the final matchup was announced, a cold glint flashed in Liu Yuan's eyes.
Their opponent was a team named the Holy Spirit Sect.
Liu Yuan knew their background all too well.
This was no righteous sect, but a team composed entirely of Evil Soul Masters.
In his memories of the original timeline, they were merely pawns pushed to the forefront by the Holy Spirit Cult—to establish their presence in Bright Capital and harvest negative emotions.
Liu Yuan had never harbored even the slightest goodwill toward Evil Soul Masters.
In his view, there were countless legitimate paths for Spirit Masters to grow stronger. But gaining power by harming living beings and manipulating souls—methods that were fundamentally anti-human—was an unforgivable crime.
What's more, these people were henchmen secretly nurtured by Xu Tianran himself.
On the day of the finals, the atmosphere inside the Bright Capital Grand Arena reached an unprecedented peak.
Yet unlike the passionate excitement of previous matches, the moment the seven members of the Holy Spirit Sect stepped onto the arena, a cold, putrid, oppressive aura spread throughout the stadium.
Clad in pitch-black robes, the Evil Soul Masters emanated a chilling presence. The ghostly green and dark crimson light flickering within their exposed eyes made the crowd instinctively shudder.
At the opposite end of the arena, emerald light shimmered faintly around Liu Yuan.
He turned his head and spoke softly to Xiao Hongchen and the others behind him, "For this match, stay where you are. Don't move. I'll handle it."
Wang Qiuer clenched her golden dragon spear. She had wanted to say something, but after sensing the nearly tangible killing intent radiating from Liu Yuan, she silently stepped back.
The captain of the Holy Spirit Sect—a Soul Sage–level Evil Soul Master—let out a hoarse, teeth-grinding cackle.
"Liu Yuan, I've heard you're strong," he sneered. "But before our Myriad Soul Banner, your physical body will be nothing more than the finest nourishment—"
Liu Yuan didn't answer.
He simply raised his left hand, slender fingers coming together.
Standing on the referee platform, even the referee felt the nauseating tension on the field. Without wasting any words, he confirmed both sides were ready and brought the flag down sharply.
"The finals—begin!"
The instant the referee's voice fell, Liu Yuan moved.
This time, he showed no restraint. No probing. No testing.
"Extreme Speed."
With a cold snort, Liu Yuan's spirit power erupted in full, driven by his Soul Core.
In that moment, his figure vanished completely from the audience's sight.
He didn't bother stacking Spirit Abilities—against this group of Evil Soul Masters, there was simply no need.
Swish!
An emerald streak of lightning tore violently across the arena.
The Holy Spirit Sect's captain hadn't even finished summoning his Spirit when a terrifying, overwhelming force slammed into his chest. The sound of shattering bones rang out as his so-called Evil spirit power defense collapsed like a fragile bubble.
Liu Yuan was at full power, his speed surpassing the limits of human vision.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosive impacts echoed in rapid succession.
One by one, the black-robed figures were sent flying, their bodies twisting grotesquely in midair from the immense force.
Liu Yuan's attacks were ruthless and precise. Every strike targeted a vital point, harvesting lives with merciless efficiency.
Less than ten seconds passed.
When Liu Yuan reappeared at the center of the arena and slowly withdrew his right fist, all seven members of the Holy Spirit Sect lay scattered across the battlefield—completely devoid of life.
The eerie aura that had blanketed the stadium vanished instantly, crushed beneath Liu Yuan's vast and domineering Dragon Divine Might.
The arena fell into stunned silence.
Then, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
"We won! Sun Moon Royal Academy is the champion again!"
"Beautifully done! Those vile Evil Soul Masters deserved to die!"
The crowd roared with excitement. Had Liu Yuan killed ordinary competitors, there would have been accusations of cruelty. But Evil Soul Masters were different—no one believed they had the right to stand on this stage in the first place.
The referee glanced at the lifeless bodies scattered across the arena, a flicker of satisfaction flashing through his eyes. He stepped forward and announced loudly:
"I declare that the final champion of this All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament is—the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy Team!"
Bathed in golden sunlight, Liu Yuan stood calmly, his expression unchanged.
And at the exact moment the result was announced, a crisp, mechanical voice rang out within his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for successfully completing the task and winning the Soul Master Tournament championship!]
[Task Evaluation: Perfect. You swept all opponents with absolute dominance.]
[Reward obtained: Random Primal Kyogre god-bestowed spirit ring ×1!]