"Both teams, enter the arena!"
As the voice of the Chief Referee, amplified by the spirit tool loudspeakers and resounding through the sky, fell, the massive refined iron gates of Star Luo Plaza slowly rose, emitting a heavy metallic grinding sound.
"Rumble—"
At this moment, the gazes of hundreds of thousands of spectators in the audience instantly focused on the tunnel entrance on the left.
That was the tunnel belonging to the challenger, and also the tunnel belonging to the strongest dark horse of this tournament—no, it should now be called the "New King."
The first to step out was none other than the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy Team.
Walking at the very front was still that upright and handsome youth—Liu Yuan.
Behind him, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Ma Rulong, and the other main team members lined up in a V-shape, everyone's face filled with absolute confidence and composure.
The moment their figures were completely exposed to the sunlight, the entire Star Luo Plaza erupted.
"Sun Moon! Sun Moon!"
"Liu Yuan! Liu Yuan! Liu Yuan!"
The cheers were like a tsunami, one wave higher than the next, even drowning out the noise of any previous match.
Once upon a time, the Sun Moon Empire team could only hear boos, mocking voices, and hostile silence here.
As the mortal enemy of the three countries belonging to the original Douluo Continent, they had always been regarded as "invaders" and "opportunists who only use external objects."
But today, everything has changed.
In the world of Spirit Masters, the strong are respected.
Liu Yuan used his powerful strength to shatter Shrek's ten-thousand-year-old myth, and also shattered the prejudices in people's hearts.
At this moment, in the eyes of countless spectators, he was the Incarnation of power, a God of War worthy of worship!
"Tsk tsk, this popularity, I'm afraid even Shrek back in the day was no better than this."
In the VIP seats, Jing Hongchen listened to the cheers filling the arena, playing with a teacup in his hand, the corners of his mouth stretching almost to his ears.
He even deliberately puffed out his chest, enjoying the gazes of envy, jealousy, and hatred cast by the team leaders of other academies around him.
Immediately after, the right tunnel opened.
As the host, and also the last remaining team from the three original Douluo Continent countries in this tournament—the Star Luo National Academy Team—slowly walked out.
Dressed in golden athletic gear, the team members looked heroic and spirited.
Walking at the very front was the princess of the Star Luo Empire, and the Soul of this team—Xu Jiujiu.
However, compared to the overwhelming cheers for the Sun Moon Team, the applause greeting the Star Luo Team, while enthusiastic, was clearly lacking in fervor and carried a bit more tragedy and heaviness.
In fact, those in the know could all see it.
Although the Star Luo Team had made it to the grand finals, the element of luck involved could not be ignored.
In terms of overall strength, they were most likely the third place in this tournament.
The first tier was the Sun Moon Team with Liu Yuan, which was a class of its own.
The second tier was originally the Shrek Team; although not as good as the Sun Moon Team led by Liu Yuan, their hard strength was definitely above that of Star Luo.
It was just a pity that fate played tricks on people.
Shrek had the bad luck of running into the Sun Moon Team in the Round of 16 and was sent home early by Liu Yuan.
As for the Star Luo Team, because of the advantage in the grouping, they perfectly avoided the Grim Reaper that was the Sun Moon Team, fought their way through, and only then stood on the stage of the finals.
"Sigh, although it's our Star Luo Team, I really don't think they can win."
In the audience, an old Spirit Master sighed and said to his companion beside him.
"Yeah, the gap is too big. Even Shrek was beaten until they had no power to fight back, our Star Luo Team… it's looking grim."
Although the spectators' discussions were not loud, that atmosphere of not being optimistic hung over the Star Luo Team like a dark cloud.
On the arena.
The two teams stood facing each other from a distance, separated by a hundred meters.
"Captain Liu Yuan, I have long admired your name."
Xu Jiujiu looked at the calm youth opposite her, took a deep breath, and tried hard to maintain her royal dignity and elegance.
But if one observed carefully, one could discover that her hands hidden in her sleeves were tightly clenched, her knuckles slightly white from excessive force.
She was under too much pressure.
Facing a monster who could shatter an eighth-rank soul tool with his bare hands, any so-called tactics and schemes seemed pale and powerless.
"Captain Xu is too polite." Liu Yuan nodded slightly, his tone as calm as if he were greeting a neighbor. "Let's begin. Let's end this early so everyone can rest early."
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