The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament had officially begun.
On the morning of the opening ceremony, Zhu Ziyang stepped out of his bedroom. Moments later, Ma Xiaotao followed, her face flushed and radiant—clearly, she had slept very well the previous night.
A few minutes later, the members of the Shrek Academy team gathered in the suite's spacious living room. They stood neatly in two rows: the main team in front and the reserve members behind them.
From left to right in the front row stood Jiang Nannan, Qian Lingyi, Wu Huan'er, Ning Tian, Chu Hua, and Zhou Tianhe. Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao stood before them, leading the lineup.
Zhu Ziyang deliberately avoided looking at the faces of Jiang Nannan and the other two girls. Their expressions were filled with resentment and frustration—after all, for the past few days, Ma Xiaotao had completely monopolized him.
Among them, Wu Huan'er was the most composed. She and Ma Xiaotao shared a sisterly bond, and her bold, passionate personality meant she didn't care much whether Ma Xiaotao was around or not when she got close to Zhu Ziyang.
But Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi were different. Both were far more reserved. They couldn't bring themselves to act so openly, and their dissatisfaction had been simmering. They had even complained to Zhu Ziyang, but Ma Xiaotao had brushed it off under the guise of "official business," paying no heed to their protests.
Fortunately, such a situation wouldn't last long. With the tournament starting today, even the most jealous hearts had to be reined in.
"Ahem!" Zhu Ziyang cleared his throat, instantly drawing everyone's attention. "The results of yesterday's draw are out," he said. "We got a bye in the first round—which means we've automatically earned twelve points."
"Huh?" The group exchanged confused looks, unsure whether this was good news or bad.
"Senior Brother, isn't getting a bye a good thing?" asked Cao Jinxuan, one of the reserve members, raising his hand like an eager student.
"It's both good and bad," Zhu Ziyang replied with a faint smile. "The good part is obvious—we advance directly to the second round without fighting. The bad part is that we've lost our chance to set the tone early. You all know that, in every previous tournament, it was our Shrek Academy that opened the games. That first match has always been a mark of honor."
"In that case," grumbled Xie Huanyue, another reserve member, "aren't we getting shortchanged?"
"Haha, not exactly," Zhu Ziyang said. "The Sun Moon Empire's intention is clear enough—they want their Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to have the spotlight for the opening match. It's their home turf, after all, and they want to show off. Perfectly understandable."
His tone cooled as his eyes gleamed with quiet steel. "But make no mistake—this is also a provocation. So when we face them later, remember this: whoever dares to challenge Shrek Academy must be prepared to pay the price. Understood?"
"Understood!" everyone shouted in unison.
"Good. Let's move out," Ma Xiaotao said with a confident smile. "Even if we're skipping the first round, we still need to attend the opening ceremony. And besides, we can take the chance to size up the competition."
Zhu Ziyang nodded. Together, he and Ma Xiaotao led the Shrek team out of the hotel and toward the grand tournament grounds.
The Sun Moon Empire had built the venue on a vast open plain outside Mingdu. The wide, flat terrain could accommodate hundreds of thousands of spectators, as well as colossal fighting platforms designed for large-scale battles.
A total of 367 teams were participating in this year's tournament. The first round alone would eliminate half of them. With Shrek Academy receiving a bye, only 183 teams would advance, joining Shrek for the second round—making 184 in total. Each subsequent round would again halve the number: from 184 to 92, then from 92 to 46, until the final 32 teams remained. Those thirty-two would enter the group stage, marking the end of the preliminary rounds.
Every stage of the tournament followed a mixed format of individual duels and team battles. A team's theoretical maximum score per round was twelve points. By the end of the preliminaries, overall ranking would be determined by total points— the fourteen teams with the fewest points would be eliminated.
When the Shrek team arrived at the venue, the sight that met their eyes was nothing short of overwhelming.
The tournament grounds were located east of Mingdu, and what was usually an empty expanse of land had turned into a sea of people. The Sun Moon Empire's military alone had deployed over 30,000 soldiers just to maintain order. That alone spoke volumes about the magnitude of this event.
The vast area was divided into two zones: the spectator area and the competition area.
The spectator area was arranged in countless square sections, each capable of holding up to five thousand people. Surrounding it at the center was the massive battle arena—the heart of the tournament.
The main arena was breathtaking. Standing ten meters high and over a hundred and twenty meters in diameter, it gleamed with a metallic silver sheen. The entire platform was constructed of solid metal, its scale and precision enough to leave even the most experienced soul masters speechless.
But what truly drew attention were the mysterious grooves encircling the arena. From each groove rose a translucent golden barrier that stretched upward—so high that even Zhu Ziyang couldn't see its end.
That alone made him pause in awe.
To project a soul barrier five thousand meters into the sky required soul power equivalent to that of a Soul Sage—or a vast array of soul tools channeling that level of energy.
There were hundreds of those grooves.
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but wonder if the Sun Moon Empire had really assigned three hundred Soul Sages just to maintain the barriers.
Surely, he thought, they wouldn't go that far just to show off... would they?
The purpose of the golden light barriers was simple—they marked the arena boundaries. Since they reached such incredible heights, knocking an opponent out of bounds was practically impossible. Victory could only be earned by utterly defeating the opposing team.
Beyond the main platform, massive soul tool projection screens were positioned every hundred meters. Each one spanned over twenty square meters, displaying live footage of the arena from multiple angles.
There were more than a hundred of these screens—one for nearly every spectator zone. Only the Sun Moon Empire could afford such extravagant technology. The other three empires were still decades away from this level of advancement.
The competitors' rest area was located to the east of the main arena, divided into multiple sections by status and privilege. The closest sections were lavishly equipped—with canopies, cushioned seats, and personal attendants. Only two teams enjoyed such luxury: Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
Behind them were the ordinary rest zones, each progressively less equipped—the farthest had no cover at all, just rows of simple wooden benches.
When Zhu Ziyang and his team arrived, many competitors were already there. Some sat quietly, others whispered among themselves—but when they saw the Shrek team, countless eyes turned their way, full of envy, awe, and hostility.
Zhu Ziyang ignored them. With composed dignity, he led his team into the best rest area—Shrek's section—and took the central seat on the plush sofa without hesitation. Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Nannan sat on either side of him, making it look, quite literally, like he was "embraced on both sides."
The male members of the team could only watch with jealous admiration.
As Zhu Ziyang scanned the other teams arriving, he spotted many familiar faces:
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, led by Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, whose rest area was separated from Shrek's by only a thin curtain. Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Nannan caught Meng Hongchen's flirtatious glance toward Zhu Ziyang immediately—and their simultaneous glare made her quickly look away.
The Star Luo Royal Academy, led by Xu Jiujing.
The Snow Demon Sect, commanded by Princess Weina.
The Tang Sect team, led by Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao.
And finally, the Frand Academy team, which included Yang Zhenzhen—who had already visited Shrek's group the night they arrived in Mingdu, spending a whole day touring the city with Jiang Nannan.
Before long, every team had arrived. The rest zones were full—proof that all the officially recognized participants were present.
At that moment, a new sound rose over the crowd—drums, horns, and the unified roar of the opening ceremony beginning.
The grandest tournament in the world was about to begin.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10