radicalducati Chapter 720 Advancement Tournament Round 1
Chapter 720 Advancement Tournament Round 1
Chapter 720 First Round of the Advancement Tournament
These fifteen teams are all top performers who have emerged from the preliminary rounds of the six major regions of the Heaven Dou Empire, and they are all ranked among the top teams in their respective regions.
Among them, the Tiandou City preliminary round was personally organized by the Tiandou Royal Family, encompassing all advanced soul master academies in the Tiandou Royal City circle and the five provinces directly under the Tiandou Royal Family, with a large number of participating teams.
Therefore, there are five qualifying spots, which are awarded to the top five teams in the preliminary rounds.
These five teams are the Spirit Hall Second Team, the Tianshui Academy Team, the Blazing Fire Academy Team, the Divine Wind Academy Team, and the Shrek Seven Devils Team.
The other ten teams come from five regions of the five kingdoms and duchies, each with two qualifying spots.
These spots almost all went to the academies directly under the royal families of the five kingdoms and ducal kingdoms, as well as the advanced soul master academy teams belonging to their respective strongest soul master forces.
These include Barak Academy and Beast Academy in the Barak Kingdom, Häagen-Dazs Academy in the Häagen-Dazs Kingdom, Silvis Academy in the Silvis Kingdom, as well as Fabia Academy, Silas Academy, Plant Academy, and so on.
With the fifteen teams gathered in the center of the training ground and the distinguished guests already seated, the qualifying rounds of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament soon began.
"Now, please welcome His Highness Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, to announce the official start of the Heaven Dou Empire Division Qualifying Round of the All-Continent Elite Tournament for Advanced Soul Master Academies."
There was no opening ceremony for the qualifying rounds. After the emcee took the stage, he only gave a few brief remarks and introduced the distinguished guests before handing the stage over to Qian Renxue, who was disguised as Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Thunderous applause and shouts erupted like a tsunami.
Although there were no spectators, tens of thousands of royal knights had gathered there, eager to offer their utmost loyalty and enthusiasm upon hearing the speech of their empire's crown prince, who would also be their future monarch.
He slowly rose from his seat in the center of the first row of the VIP section, then raised his hands and gently pressed them down on the Heavenly Dou Royal Knights, who were packed tightly around the entire competition venue.
The Royal Knights are, after all, the elite of the elite, and the fundamental principle of strict obedience is deeply ingrained in their very being.
The thunderous applause and cheers quickly ceased, and the vast camp fell silent.
At this moment, the gentle, refined, and magnetic voice of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Heavenly Dou Clan was amplified through the soul-guided speaker:
"By order of my father, I, Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, will represent my father and the Heaven Dou Empire in this Pan-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament qualifying round."
"The qualifying rounds will officially begin today. Over the next fourteen days, we hope that all the academy teams will give full play to their strength and show the style that Soul Masters should have."
"Now, I, the Crown Prince, declare the qualifiers of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament to begin!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami erupted in unison, resounding loudly from everyone present.
"Long live the Empire! Long live the Empire! Long live the Empire!"
Swords were drawn, banners were raised high, and the clanging of armor and the booming shouts of the Royal Knights were perfectly synchronized and earth-shattering, instantly startling the young Soul Masters participating in the competition.
The grandeur of the Heavenly Dou Empire was unmistakably displayed at this moment.
Amidst the thunderous cheers, a gentle smile appeared on Qian Renxue's feigned calm face as she nodded slightly and returned to her seat in the VIP section.
Then, the most anticipated part for all the participating teams came quickly: the draw.
This time, the draw ceremony will be conducted by Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the three forces that make up the organizing committee of the event.
Ning Fengzhi rose from the VIP section, a refined and approachable smile on his face. He waved to the audience, then slowly walked to the emcee's side to begin the drawing of lots.
Each time a pair of opponents is drawn, the announcement is made via a megaphone held by the master of ceremonies:
"The first match of the first round of the qualifying tournament is between Blazing Academy and Fabia Academy."
"The second match of the first round of the qualifying tournament: Tianshui Academy vs. Häagen-Dazs Academy."
"The third match of the first round of the qualifying tournament: Spirit Hall Academy versus Barak Academy."
"The fourth match of the first round of the qualifying tournament: Kamikaze Academy versus Silvers Academy."
"The fifth match of the first round of the qualifying tournament: Silas Academy versus Plant Academy."
"."
"The seventh match of the first round of the qualifying tournament: Heavenly Dou Royal Academy versus Beast Academy."
After the draw, none of the five teams from the Tiandou City region received a bye in the first round, and none of them faced each other in the first round. Their opponents were all from the five kingdoms and duchies.
The Spirit Hall's second team was clearly the most composed about the draw results. For them, it didn't matter which team they faced, as they were certain to win anyway.
But for the Shrek Seven Devils, this result made them somewhat happy.
Their opponents are a high-level Soul Master Academy from the Kingdom of Barak, and they happen to be playing in the last of today's seven matches.
Surprisingly, the team's captain was someone they had met before—Meng Yiran, with whom they had once had a dispute in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Their opponents, of course, were the Beast Academy team led by Meng Yiran.
Instead of immediately encountering some of the most formidable teams from the Heaven Dou City region, the Shrek Seven Devils faced teams from other regions, which was undoubtedly fortunate for them.
Compared to the other four teams from the Tiandou City region, the teams selected from the Five Kingdoms and the Duke region are obviously easier to deal with.
Although the organizers did not provide any information about the team members in order to protect the privacy of each participating Soul Master, the tournament organizers did not provide any information about the team members in this qualifying round.
However, in the eyes of the Shrek Seven Devils, no matter how strong those teams were overall, they could not possibly be as monstrous as the Spirit Hall's Second Team, the Blazing Fire Academy Team, and the Heavenly Water Academy Team.
It will definitely be much easier to deal with.
The draw ceremony has concluded, and the first match of the first round of the qualifying tournament is about to begin.
The first teams to compete are Blazing Academy and Fabia Academy. Both teams will have a short five-minute preparation time before the match begins.
As for the other teams that have not yet had their turn to play, they will return to the rest area to watch and wait.
The rest area was not separated; teams from different regions who had passed the qualifiers were all together, including the Spirit Hall Second Team. All teams gathered in the same rest area.
The Shrek Seven Devils naturally saw the Spirit Hall's second team and their old rivals from the other two elemental academies.
Ruiwen, Fengxian, Yelan, Jin Yue'er, Zhu Zhuqing, Bai Chenxiang, Xiao Mingyue, Shui Bing'er and her sister Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, Feng Xiaotian, and many others were all present.
Looking at these people, each of the Shrek Seven Devils couldn't help but have a strange expression.
Especially when their gazes fell on the seven girls of the Spirit Hall's second team, the seven men's expressions changed almost instantly.
Looking at Raven and her six companions, Tang San's face was gloomy, his eyes flashing with deep fear and hatred.
Xiao Wu didn't even pretend; she gritted her teeth and grimaced, wishing she could rush up and give each of the seven girls in the Spirit Hall's second team a waist bow and an Eight-Stage Explosive Throw.
Dai Mubai stared intently at the Spirit Hall's second team, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. However, this time, the figure reflected in his eyes was not his former fiancée Zhu Zhuqing, but Jin Yue'er, who was wearing a long golden dress.
Even though the other person had the same long, smooth, golden hair as him, Dai Mubai felt no sense of familiarity. Instead, he felt a chill that made his legs tremble.
Looking at Jin Yue'er's charming figure, Dai Mubai's eyes were filled with hatred and resentment, and of course, deep in his heart was also a strong sense of fear.
His brother, the source of his manhood, was destroyed by the other man, ruined by the other man's feet. How could he not hate him?
Ma Hongjun was also looking at the Spirit Hall's second team opposite him, but his eyes were only on Bai Chenxiang. Although he didn't feel hatred like Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Dai Mubai, he felt a deep fear.
He was terrified of being beaten.
He still vividly remembers being chased and beaten up by Bai Chenxiang in the air during the final match of the qualifiers.
Looking at the seven girls of the Spirit Hall's second team, Yu Tianheng's eyes were solemn, revealing a hint of fear, but at the same time he was eager to try, full of fighting spirit, wanting to face them head-on again and fight another round.
Ning Rongrong and Oscar weren't afraid at all, nor did they harbor any hatred. After all, they weren't going to participate in the qualifying rounds, so it was Tang San and his group who should be the ones having a headache.
The Spirit Hall's Second Team did not pay much attention to the gazes of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Jin Yue'er glared back at Dai Mubai, a wicked smile playing on her lips. She coldly made a cutting gesture towards his lower body, infuriating Dai Mubai.
…………
"In the first round of the qualifying tournament, our opponents are the Beast Academy from the Kingdom of Barak."
During the break, Yu Xiaogang gathered the Shrek Seven Devils around him and gave them a brief explanation of their opponent's background:
"We have limited information about this academy, only that it belongs to the Dragon Serpent Mansion, the most powerful soul master force in the Barak Kingdom."
"The Dragon and Snake Mansion is a Soul Master force controlled by an elderly couple known as the 'Peerless Dragon and Snake'."
"Its overall strength is extremely powerful, second only to the world-renowned seven major sects. It can be said to be the second-tier existence among all the soul master families and sects in the Douluo Continent. Within the Barak Kingdom, it is enough to dominate. Even the Barak royal family does not dare to provoke them and even has to be restrained by them."
"With such a powerful background, the strength of the Beast Academy is naturally not to be underestimated. This team won the championship of the Barak Kingdom regional qualifiers."
After explaining the background and origins of the Beast Academy, Yu Xiaogang's gaze shifted slightly, sweeping over all eleven team members, including four substitutes who were just there to make up the numbers. He then began to call out names and arrange the battle lineup:
"Now I will announce the starting lineup."
"Xiao Wu, you're first, Tang San is second, and then Dai Mubai."
Everyone was still listening intently, but Yu Xiao stopped abruptly when she mentioned Dai Mubai's name.
Everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Xiao Wu, the most short-tempered of them all, couldn't hold back any longer. She tilted her head and looked at Yu Xiaogang, asking with a puzzled expression:
"Huh? Is it just me, Xiao San, and Dai Laohu helping out? Master, weren't we supposed to send seven people for the qualifying rounds?"
Upon hearing this, the Shrek Seven Devils all turned to look at Yu Xiaogang, clearly puzzled as well.
Yu Tianheng and Ma Hongjun stared intently at Yu Xiaogang. They also really wanted to fight, to test their improved strength in the qualifying rounds, and to show off their skills.
Yu Xiaogang seemed to have already discussed the Shrek Seven Devils. He put his hands behind his back, met everyone's gaze, smiled calmly, and shook his head, saying:
"No."
"There is no absolute requirement for the number of players in the qualifying rounds. As long as there are more than one player and less than seven players, it is acceptable."
"The goal is to defeat all seven of the opponent's players before all of our own players can take the field."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang glanced indifferently at Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Dai Mubai, whose names had just been called:
"Besides, don't the three of you have any confidence in finishing the game?"
"Although the opponents in the qualifying rounds are a bit stronger than most of the teams in the preliminaries, they are not stronger than the Spirit Hall's second team and the Three Elements Academy team."
"After all, one-on-one doesn't require cooperation; it's all about individual skill. Do you understand?"
The Shrek Seven Devils suddenly realized what was going on:
"Oh—I see."
Yu Xiaogang's simple words not only answered the questions of the Shrek Seven Devils team members, but also ignited their fighting spirit.
Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they all saw an unwavering belief in victory.
…………
Just as the Shrek Seven Devils were discussing their lineup, Blazing Fire Academy and Fabia Academy arrived at the edge of the training ground, ready to go into battle.
"The first match of the first round of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Heaven Dou Empire Division, is now officially starting: Blazing Fire Academy versus Fabia Academy."
Five minutes later, the first match of the first round of the qualifying tournament began immediately.
The first to appear representing Blazing Fire Academy was their captain, Huo Wushuang.
It's obvious that the Blazing Academy team has a very clear idea: not only do they want to win this first match, but they also want to score as many points as possible.
In the final rankings of the qualifying rounds, in addition to the total points, the points difference between wins is also extremely important. If there is a tie in a major match, the ranking will be determined by the points difference.
Fabia Academy is not particularly strong. The entire team only has two Soul Masters above level 40, while the rest of the members are Soul Venerables above level 30.
As expected, Blazing Academy emerged victorious.
Blazing Fire Academy didn't even send out Huo Wu; they only deployed Huo Wushuang and the twin brothers Huo Yun and Huo Yu, and they easily defeated Fabia Academy.
Huo Wushuang is now a Soul Master with a Soul Power level of 45, making him much stronger than he was in his original destiny.
In this first major match, he single-handedly defeated five opponents in a row until his soul power was completely exhausted, at which point he finally succumbed to defeat.
There is no time for rest during continuous battles.
This is what makes the qualifying rounds more interesting than the preliminary rounds; it tests not only the strength of each individual on the team, but also the personnel arrangement and the order of appearance.
Even the most powerful Soul Master will find it difficult to defeat an opponent single-handedly.
After all, no matter how powerful a soul skill is, soul power is still limited.
(End of this chapter)