After Ju Zi's opening speech, the Chief Referee took the stage to announce the tournament rules.
Of course, Zhu Ziyang and the others were already well aware of them, so they merely listened in silence. Once the recitation was complete, it was time for the official start of the tournament.
Ordinarily, the opening match would feature the defending champions—Shrek Academy—but since Shrek had drawn a bye in the first round, automatically advancing to the second, the honor naturally passed to the previous runner-up: the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
Thus, the first match of the Continental Tournament was set—
Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy vs. Dragon-Slaying Sect!
Everyone in Shrek's suite recognized the first team well enough. Zhu Ziyang didn't pay much attention to them, focusing instead on the seven members of the Dragon-Slaying Sect. Surprisingly, they all wore confident, even arrogant expressions.
They certainly knew the Sun Moon Academy's reputation, which meant their confidence came from deep-rooted pride. They looked down on academy-trained soul masters.
Zhu Ziyang could only shake his head with a helpless smile. Typical sect arrogance. Some things never change.
It was true that, throughout history, soul masters raised by sects were generally stronger than those from academies. However, the sects' overconfidence and isolation often led to their downfall.
When the referee gave the signal, the first match began.
The Sun Moon Imperial team's opening fighter was none other than Meng Hongchen, their vice-captain. As the host nation and defending finalists, they naturally wanted a spectacular opening performance.
The moment Meng Hongchen stepped onto the stage, the audience erupted into thunderous cheers. Her beautiful figure appeared on the massive soul projection screens floating over the arena, accompanied by gleaming lines of text:
Meng Hongchen, 19 years old. Vice-Captain of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy Team. Student of the Academy and member of Mingde Hall.
It was a short introduction, but it ignited the crowd's passion like wildfire. To the citizens of the Sun Moon Empire, this elegant young woman embodied their nation's pride.
The Dragon-Slaying Sect fighter stepping onto the platform from the opposite side received no such treatment. In fact, this privilege was reserved exclusively for the Sun Moon Academy members—a "home field advantage," so to speak.
"Wow, they really know how to put on a show!" Ma Xiaotao clicked her tongue in admiration. "Even I'm starting to feel jealous. Do you think we'll get such treatment too?"
Zhu Ziyang chuckled. "Hehe, don't get your hopes up, Sister Xiaotao. If we did get that kind of attention, I'd be the one feeling uneasy."
"Brother, stop talking and watch the match," Jiang Nannan said, tugging at his sleeve with a hint of playful jealousy.
On the stage, the battle began—and ended just as quickly.
The Dragon-Slaying Sect's representative was a Soul King with the optimal configuration of spirit rings, but his opponent, Meng Hongchen, was a Soul Emperor with the same perfect configuration. It was an unfair match.
Within minutes, Meng Hongchen dispatched the opponent effortlessly.
The second Dragon-Slaying Sect contestant didn't fare any better—she used the same tactics and defeated him just as cleanly.
After back-to-back victories, Meng Hongchen looked completely unruffled. Just as the audience began to expect her to sweep all seven opponents by herself, she surprised everyone by surrendering voluntarily and stepping down.
The next fighter from the Sun Moon Academy was a Soul King, or more precisely, a Class Five Soul Engineer.
The Dragon-Slaying Sect responded by sending out their captain—also a Soul King. The ensuing match was much closer. After a grueling fight filled with explosions and clashing light, the Sun Moon Academy's contestant narrowly claimed victory using an ingenious soul tool tactic.
With their captain's defeat, the Dragon-Slaying Sect lost their morale completely. Their remaining members were easily overwhelmed.
And so, the much-anticipated clash between the Academy faction and the Sect faction ended with the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's flawless victory.
Few were surprised by the result.
With an impressive total of eleven points, the Sun Moon team smoothly advanced to the second round. Other than a handful of deluded sects still clinging to pride, no one dared question the outcome.
As soon as the opening match concluded, the second match began immediately. The first round, having the most participating teams, was the most time-constrained—366 teams, 183 matches, all to be completed in just five days. That meant at least 38 matches per day.
Despite the tight schedule, the battles were spectacular and thrilling. The intensity of the fights and the diversity of tactics made the entire event highly entertaining to watch. Though a few matches became brutal, the Sun Moon Empire's referees handled everything professionally, preventing any fatalities.
By noon, twelve matches had finished. Twelve teams advanced, twelve were eliminated, and the defeated teams had no reason to linger.
Among the morning's victors, aside from the Sun Moon Imperial Academy, one other team stood out—the Snow Demon Sect of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Their leader was Princess Weina, but the fighter who had gone on stage was her companion, Mu Xue, the young Sect Master of the Snow Demon Sect and a powerful Soul King.
After a short half-hour lunch break, the afternoon matches began, followed by an evening session after a brief dinner intermission.
Although only eleven matches were held that night, they left a deep impression.
The most striking feature was the illumination of the arena itself.
When darkness fell, the entire venue remained as bright as day. Hundreds of soul tool lamps floated high above, emitting a soft but brilliant light that bathed the arena in a steady glow.
The audience was astonished—another testament to the Sun Moon Empire's technological dominance.
By around nine o'clock at night, the first day's matches had concluded. Out of the 366 teams, 38 had advanced to the next round. Among them were several long-established academies and a few promising new sects.
However, despite many fierce battles, not a single "one-versus-seven" sweep occurred that day.
Which team would earn the glory of the tournament's first full sweep remained to be seen.
Later that night, after returning to their hotel, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan went to the lounge on the first floor.
They ordered two glasses of wine and settled into a plush sofa, relaxing quietly as they watched the bustling crowd.
"Brother, I wish it could always be like this," Jiang Nannan murmured softly, curling up in his arms. Her slender hands playfully traced the lines on his fingers as her voice grew tender and lazy.
Zhu Ziyang smiled, lowering his chin to rest against her hair. "Whatever you wish, Nannan. I'll follow your lead."
"You two are unbelievable," came an exasperated voice.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan didn't even need to look up—they knew who it was.
"Xiao Ya, what took you so long?" Jiang Nannan asked lazily, not moving from her spot in Zhu Ziyang's embrace.
Tang Ya plopped down opposite them with a helpless but envious smile. "We were out gathering intel on our next opponents. Unlike you two, some of us have to work, you know? Ah, I'm so jealous…"
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister Nannan!"
Huo Yuhao approached hand-in-hand with Xiao Xiao. They joined the others, and Xiao Xiao immediately curled into Yuhao's lap. He, naturally, wrapped his arm around her waist without hesitation.
Tang Ya gawked. "Seriously? You two as well?!"
"Hehe, but Teacher Xiao Ya, it really is comfortable like this," Xiao Xiao said with a sweet smile. "Right, Yuhao?"
"Mm-hmm!" Yuhao nodded earnestly, eyes shining.
He and Xiao Xiao had been together for half a year now, their relationship growing warmer by the day. Though the matter of Wang Dong'er still hung over them like a delicate shadow, the bond between Yuhao and Xiao Xiao was genuine—and sticky as glue.
As for what would happen with Wang Dong'er… Yuhao could only scratch his head awkwardly. He was learning from his Senior Brother Zhu Ziyang—and, by the looks of it, learning well.
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