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The competition was finally drawing to a close.
"The Seven Gem Martial Souls performing the Seven Asura Illusion..."
Aside from Shi Nian's Remnant Dream Martial Soul and that particular head spirit bone, this was Su Wen's biggest harvest yet. Although it was simply a combination of similar Martial Souls that Su Wen could have eventually puzzled out through his own research, Canghui Academy had already done the heavy lifting. Their development of the technique saved him a significant amount of time. With just a single look, he had successfully replicated the seven Gem Martial Souls, effectively granting him the ability to manifest the Seven Asura Illusion himself.
The qualifiers had lasted for a full month and a half.
When the final points were tallied, Shrek Academy had actually managed to claw its way into the next round—the ranking matches. For a team without a single Soul Ancestor (Level 40+) to advance from the qualifiers into the ranking matches was enough to leave every other academy and spectator in a state of utter bewilderment.
One had to remember that the Heaven Dou City division only offered five precious slots to advance.
The sheer power of the Royal Team had exceeded everyone's expectations. Even with their captain and vice-captain sitting out the matches, they still fielded a formidable lineup consisting of one Soul Ancestor and six high-level Soul Elders (Level 36+). Although they had dropped two matches, the Royal Team's core strength remained perfectly preserved. Furthermore, the three members who had been stuck at Level 39—including Yu Feng—had gained immense experience through this grueling process.
Aside from the Royal Team, the Blazing Academy and God Wind Academy also proved to be powerhouses of overall strength, with each only suffering three losses throughout the round.
Shrek Academy, meanwhile, had only lost to the Royal Team, Blazing Academy, God Wind Academy, and the Thunder Academy. Aside from those specific defeats, they maintained a perfect winning record, solidifying their reputation as the ultimate dark horse.
One must consider that even teams like the Elephant Armored Sect and the Tianshui Academy had Soul Ancestors in their ranks. Tianshui, in particular, boasted two Soul Ancestors capable of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Yet, even they were outmaneuvered by Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps and his Eight Spider Lances. He had dragged the tempo of the match out until an opening appeared, allowing him to deliver a one-hit kill.
Tianshui Academy's fusion skill lacked explosive burst power but excelled in endurance; this was the exact weakness Tang San exploited to secure his victory.
Su Wen had watched the entirety of the qualifiers. He wasn't particularly surprised by Shrek's success. After all, with the presence of the Hell White Tiger fusion skill, Shrek did not lack the explosive means typical of a Soul Ancestor-level fighter. Furthermore, Shrek's "configuration" was top-tier. Not only did every member possess an optimal spirit ring ratio, but the quality of their Martial Souls was exceptional across the board. With the right strategy, victory was always within their reach.
The few matches they did lose—aside from the Royal Team—were instances where they were simply crushed by absolute, overwhelming power. The Royal Team, being intimately familiar with Shrek's arsenal, had employed a targeted strategy that secured them the win even without Yu Tianheng or Dugu Yan ever stepping onto the stage.
Of course, even though they had emerged from the qualifiers, most people expected Shrek's momentum to stop there. A team without a Soul Ancestor was destined to struggle in the later stages of the tournament. Almost every team that managed to reach the ranking matches was anchored by at least one Soul Ancestor, and powerhouses like God Wind, Blazing, and the Royal Team had multiple.
"The upcoming ranking matches will continue to be held within the Heaven Dou Empire, but the venue will shift from the Great Spirit Arena to the Royal Hunting Grounds. At that time, ten teams from the five duchies and kingdoms will arrive to compete alongside you five."
Emperor Xue Ye stood before the five advancing academies, offering his formal instructions. "I hope that you five academies can rank among the best in these matches. Doing so will allow you to seize the initiative during the grand finals."
The rules of the Spirit Master Tournament were notoriously complex. The qualifiers were standard enough—a single round-robin format where the top five were determined by points. However, the ranking matches involved no eliminations; they were purely a series of individual gauntlet battles used to establish a final ranking.
The grand finals in Spirit City followed an even more intricate structure, featuring three rounds of "byes" (skipping rounds).
Of the thirty-three teams in the finals, three teams would receive a bye in the first round, leaving eighteen teams to advance. In the second round, two more teams would receive byes. After those matches, ten teams would remain. From those ten, another two would receive byes to determine the final six. From there, the top three would be decided for the semi-finals.
The three semi-finalists would then draw lots; two teams would engage in an individual gauntlet match, with the winner advancing directly to the championship. The remaining two would fight a team battle to decide the second finalist. Only then would the true final take place.
The complexity of the format left many participants confused, leading most to simply resolve to give their all in every single fight. However, the team leaders had studied the system thoroughly and weren't fighting blindly.
During the interval, Shrek's Dai Mubai finally achieved a breakthrough. Instead of heading straight to the Hunting Grounds with the main group, the Shrek contingent took a detour to the Sunset Forest to obtain his fourth spirit ring.
"So, do you two still want to go watch the ranking matches?" Su Wen asked, looking at Lin Dong and Ye Luochen.
"We do," they replied in unison. Both were eager to witness the most prestigious competition on the continent.
"Very well. You'll be participating in the tournament yourselves eventually. Watching early to familiarize yourselves with the process is a good idea," Su Wen noted.
If he remembered correctly, the Spirit Hall would attempt to include the major sects in the next tournament five years from now. By then, Lin Dong and Ye Luochen would take up two spots on the Academy's (Xuegong) team. Combined with himself and Ning Rongrong, they would only need three more members to field a full squad.
The Royal Hunting Grounds
Su Wen arrived at the Hunting Grounds following Ning Fengzhi, with his two young "disciples" in tow.
"Little Wen, you watched the entirety of the qualifiers. Tell me, did you feel any spark for a breakthrough?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
He was asking if Su Wen had felt the threshold of Level 60. At this moment, Su Wen was already Level 59. Once he broke through that final barrier and obtained a spirit ring, he would be a Soul Emperor (Spirit Emperor).
He would be an unprecedented Soul Emperor on the stage of the Spirit Master Tournament—and he was only sixteen years old. Given the global attention the tournament received, once Su Wen revealed such a staggering achievement, the entire continent would be shaken to its core.
Despite having only just reached Level 59 before the qualifiers, he was already facing the massive bottleneck of Level 60. Attempting to break through within three months before the finals seemed like a fantasy to most. However, the thought of a Soul Emperor appearing on the final stage, revealing six spirit rings, was a vision too grand to ignore. Even the usually steady Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but indulge in a bit of wishful thinking.
"Uncle Ning, Level 60 isn't that easy to crack. I've been cultivating around the clock, but I expect the breakthrough will still take some time."
Su Wen had certainly fantasized about the image of himself standing on the final stage as a Soul Emperor. Unfortunately, he was simply a few steps short on time.
"I'm afraid you won't get to see me win this tournament with six rings."
Su Wen was already leaning toward choosing a ring from the Dark Devilgod Tiger for his sixth slot. Such a creature was exceptionally rare; finding and hunting one in such a short window was virtually impossible.
Sigh, what a pity... such a perfect opportunity to flex, and it's going to waste...
(End of Chapter)