After much anticipation, the so-called Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall Academy finally made their official appearance in the third round of the tournament finals.
The aura and confidence radiating from the three leading members were unprecedented for all the students present. This was a psychological advantage only possessed by those who had experienced countless victories and crushed numerous opponents.
"I've only seen this kind of aura in one person." Someone accidentally spoke their mind aloud, and immediately, many eyes turned towards Tianlin of the Emperor Battle Team.
At this moment, Tianlin was calmly watching the three members of the Golden Generation below. Compared to a few years ago, both their strength and temperament had undergone a complete transformation—utterly incomparable to their former selves.
At the very front was the captain, Xie Yue, whose neatly trimmed short black hair stood up like steel needles. His expression was calm, showing no emotion even upon seeing Tianlin again.
Next to Xie Yue were Hu Liena and Yan.
Hu Liena, the only woman among the three, had long black hair and bore some resemblance to Xie Yue in her features. The expressions of all three seemed almost identical as if molded from the same cast. At first glance, this girl didn't seem like a devastating beauty, but upon closer observation, one could sense a unique charm emanating from her.
"These three are the prodigies known as the Golden Generation by Spirit Hall, who received the Purple Record Medal at such a young age," the Grandmaster introduced to the Shrek Seven Devils.
Hu Liena gave a charming smile to the audience, and instantly, everyone subconsciously ignored the seven beauties of Skywater Academy, cheering solely for Hu Liena.
Skywater Academy was already at a significant disadvantage, and now, with this atmosphere, the girls of Skywater felt even worse. Previously, their appearance always drew the attention of the entire crowd, but now, no one looked at them. As fellow women, they felt both unconvinced and intimidated by Hu Liena.
"Hu Liena's charm technique is at least ten times stronger than before. She may not be the most beautiful, but she is the most captivating," Tianlin commented.
"So, Xiao Tian, are you rooting for Spirit Hall Academy?" Oslo teased with a mischievous grin. "Have you also fallen for Hu Liena's charms?"
"No, I support Skywater because I believe Shui Bing'er is in no way inferior to Hu Liena, don't you think so?" Tianlin replied decisively. His words weren't loud, but he used his spiritual power to make them resonate with the spectators.
The audience, who had been bewitched by Hu Liena, immediately snapped out of it. Upon closer inspection, they realized that Shui Bing'er from Skywater Academy was indeed very beautiful, and compared to the enchanting Hu Liena, she appeared even more pure.
"Miss Shui Bing'er, go for it! I'll always support you!"
Some of the support returned to Skywater Academy, restoring a bit of their confidence.
Shui Bing'er gave Tianlin a shy but grateful look. She knew Tianlin was helping her, but to say it so openly made her feel embarrassed—after all, she was a girl.
In contrast, Spirit Hall was not pleased.
"This Jun Tianlin is still so annoying," Yan said with resentment. To say that Shui Bing'er was more beautiful than his goddess Hu Liena felt like a provocation.
"Don't be impulsive, Yan. Don't forget we're representing Spirit Hall now—don't lose your composure," Xie Yue said. Though angry, he was now able to hide his temper much better than before.
Hu Liena lightly licked her finger. "Brother is right. I'll let Jun Tianlin see for himself how the girl he claims is prettier than me gets thoroughly defeated by my hand."
"Spirit Hall Academy versus Skywater Academy—let the match begin!"
With the referee's announcement, all fourteen contestants activated Martial Soul Possession, and the full strength of Spirit Hall Academy was revealed to everyone.
The three leading Soul Kings released overwhelming soul power, far surpassing Gu Ran, another Soul King. This indicated that they were far from being mere novices at this level.
"Hu Liena is at 54, and the other two are at 53. Truly monstrous geniuses," Titled Douluo Dugu Bo immediately saw through their strengths.
Originally, Hu Liena was the youngest of the three and thus slightly weaker in soul power, but thanks to a private intervention by Bibi Dong, she received a 50,000-year-old spiritual wisdom skull, allowing her to surpass the others.
As for Xie Yue and Yan, motivated to avenge their defeat by Tianlin years ago, they trained even harder, resulting in soul power even greater than in the original story.
The rest of Spirit Hall's team could not be underestimated either:
Sun Chuantao: Martial soul—Ringed Giant Blade, Level 48 Power Attack Soul Master.
Li Kai: Martial soul—Black-Horned Boar, Level 47 Power Attack Soul Master.
Zhang Ping: Martial soul—Golden Waist Flying Swallow, Level 47 Agility Attack Soul Master.
Xu Yu: Martial soul—Radiant Golden Scepter, Level 46 Support Soul Master.
Even their lowest-level support soul master was stronger than Skywater Academy's captain, Shui Bing'er. The gap in strength between the two sides was unimaginable.
"Is that the Radiant Golden Scepter?" Tianlin wasn't too interested in the Golden Generation, focusing instead on the support soul master.
The Radiant Golden Scepter was said to be a support martial soul almost as powerful as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. In Spirit Hall, there was a unique individual who, although not a Titled Douluo and thus not an elder, held a status equal to any elder.
His martial soul was the Radiant Golden Scepter, and his soul power had reached level 83, making him one of only two contenders for the title of the continent's top support, the other being Ye Lingling's mother.
In reality, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's limitation of only accommodating seven soul rings wasn't a real weakness for support soul masters, since it was difficult for them to cultivate further anyway. To date, there has never been a support-type Titled Douluo.
That is, the original Ning Fengzhi could not continue cultivating, while others could continue but never reached Titled Douluo status. With the power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, having one more soul ring made little difference.
The Radiant Golden Scepter and Nine-Hearted Begonia were the only two exceptions.
The over-level-80 Radiant Golden Scepter Douluo's support ability was on par with Ning Fengzhi, making him a formidable figure the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had always dreaded.
Of course, that was compared to the original level 79 Ning Fengzhi. Now, after evolving his martial soul and obtaining the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and his eighth soul ring, Ning Fengzhi's position as the continent's top support was unchallenged.