When Meng Shenji heard the news, he had already considered making a comeback through the revival match.
After all, this was just too unbearable.
Yun Feng alone could take on seven opponents.
However, the audience, unaware of the facts, immediately began to boo incessantly.
Many spectators were shouting "cheating." In their eyes, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was clearly picking on an easy target.
As for Lanba Academy, they didn't seem like a Soul Master team at all. Instead, they appeared more like a young master bringing his girlfriend along for fun.
Once the draw was completed, the Platinum Bishop Salas scanned the entire venue and frowned slightly before speaking in a calm tone:
"My draw is absolutely fair and without deceit."
"I swear on the honor of the Spirit Hall."
"Furthermore, I hereby announce that any participating student from the Soul Master academies who makes it to the final championship will be exceptionally permitted by the Spirit Hall to directly join the Spirit Hall Temple."
As soon as these words were spoken, the audience remained largely unaffected, but the Soul Masters within the venue erupted into an uproar.
What was the Spirit Hall Temple?
It was the highest institution within the Spirit Hall, second only to the Pope's Hall and the Douluo Hall. Across the entire continent, there were only two such temples, each located in the capitals of the two great empires.
The Pope's Hall was the exclusive domain of the Pope.
The Douluo Hall held symbolic significance.
Thus, the Spirit Hall Temple was, in essence, the highest-ranking institution within the Spirit Hall.
For a Soul Master, being able to directly enter the Spirit Hall Temple was akin to a shortcut to enhancing their strength.
Not only would they receive the best treatment, but the various cultivation resources and the prestige of the Spirit Hall Temple were also immensely attractive to ordinary Soul Masters.
Upon hearing the Platinum Bishop's words, Emperor Xue Ye's expression visibly darkened.
Ning Fengzhi, standing beside the emperor, gently shook his head.
Only then did Emperor Xue Ye's expression soften slightly.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi also glanced toward Yun Feng in the audience stands.
What he was thinking inside, no one knew.
After a brief glance, he turned his attention back to Emperor Xue Ye.
It seemed as though he was weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
This small detail went unnoticed by those around them, as they were positioned behind. The Soul Masters below were also too far away to notice.
However, it did not escape Yun Feng's spiritual perception.
He clearly discerned the underlying intricacies of the situation.
Yun Feng understood that the conflict between the Spirit Hall and the empire seemed to be deepening, nearing the point of irreconcilability.
Otherwise, the Platinum Bishop would not have dared to openly recruit talented Soul Masters in front of the emperor.
However, Yun Feng paid it no mind.
As the saying goes, the greater the storm, the more valuable the fish.
If you want to snatch chestnuts from the fire but lack the innate conditions, you create them.
Even if there were no conflict between the Spirit Hall and the empire, Yun Feng would find a way to create one.
Otherwise, how could he aspire to become an emperor or the like?
Without delving deeper into his thoughts, Yun Feng also withdrew his gaze and continued to indulge under the influence of Bi Ji and Miao Miao.
This made Liu Erlong, standing nearby, grit her teeth in frustration.
"Alright, the first match of the preliminary round will now begin, featuring Heaven Dou Royal Academy versus Lanba Academy."
"All participating academies, please exit the venue. The two academies competing next, please make your preparations. The match will officially begin in half an hour."
As the host's words concluded, all the academies dispersed.
Only the two academies on the field remained, exchanging a glance before realizing that the match would start in half an hour.
They all returned to the rest room.
After a brief discussion, Yu Tianheng realized that they had no chance of winning.
But soon, Meng Shenji utilized his connections with the Tiantou Royal Academy.
He obtained the list of participants.
This gave them a bit of fighting spirit.
However, Ye Lengleng seemed a bit distracted when she saw Dugu Yan's name on the list.
After all, Dugu Yan had once been the vice-captain of the Tiantou Royal Team.
Now she had defected.
And their first match was against her.
It was somewhat uncomfortable.
The others noticed as well.
Their expressions were varied.
But in the end, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After exchanging glances, they slowly said:
"Later, remember not to hurt Yun Feng's woman, just stop at the point!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Naturally, they wouldn't dare to touch her.
Not long after, the dedicated staff arrived, urging them to go on stage.
As they walked to the exit of the passage, the Lanba Academy team could hear the announcer outside loudly introducing each member of the Tiantou Royal Academy and their Souls.
A special golden beam of light shone down from a high platform set up on one side of the Great Soul Arena, escorting each member of the Tiantou Royal Academy as they made their entrance.
For the seed players of their empire, the treatment was indeed grand.
"Damn, they're clearly using us as green leaves to set off these red flowers," Tang San and the others said angrily.
Dai Mubai, standing nearby, sneered:
"Not quite, we're not the green leaves, but the cow dung. Flowers stuck in cow dung shine even brighter, don't they?"
For some reason, when Xiao Wu and the others took the stage, the lights went out, and the Lanba Academy participants slowly made their entrance amidst a wave of boos.
The arena had already undergone changes. In the short span of half an hour, the previously prepared stage had been set up.
The stage was ten meters high, circular, with a diameter of over thirty meters.
The area was quite vast.
Of course, this was just one stage.
When the preliminary matches truly began the next day, five stages would be set up here simultaneously.
Twenty-eight teams would go through twenty-seven rounds of preliminary matches.
Each team would face twenty-seven opponents.
A win would earn one point, while a loss would earn none.
After twenty-eight rounds, the top five teams with the most points would advance to the knockout stage.
Advancing to the knockout stage was equivalent to entering the finals.
This month-long preliminary stage was a test for any academy team.
Twenty-eight consecutive days of matches were enough to wear down teams with poor stamina.
In the entire schedule of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition, the preliminary stage alone took up half the time.
The knockout stage and finals would be held at the grand square in front of the Pope's Hall, at the border between the Tiantou Empire and the Xingluo Empire.
The final champion would be awarded the prize by the Pope himself. What an honor that would be.
Xiao Wu and the others' eyes also turned slightly cold.
After exchanging glances with her sisters beside her, she said:
"They're playing favorites!"
Ning Rongrong also clenched her fist and said:
"When I get back, I'll have my father teach them a lesson!"
Hearing Ning Rongrong's words, they all laughed.
After all, who in human society could compare to Ning Rongrong in terms of background?
It seems that someone is about to face some trouble.
Zhu Zhuqing raised her head and looked toward the second row of the VIP seats.
Prince Xue Xing was startled.
A sense of panic arose within him.
He was never a magnanimous person to begin with.
After learning about the academy Yun Feng was affiliated with, he had used his authority.
Although he had inte
rvened a little.
It was nothing significant.
But he never expected that they would suspect him first.
Emperor Xue Ye also noticed something was amiss.
However, considering the presence of two other important figures beside him, he chose not to say anything.
(End of Chapter)