Right now, Shrek Academy looked like it had two extremely bizarre-looking members: one was a fat man with an excessively long beard, the other had wildly long chest hair. The rest, at least, looked relatively normal.
As for Yu Xiaogang, he wore a mask. His nose hair had grown too long, and he was terrified someone might see it, so he dressed in thick clothing to wrap it all up.
"Didn't expect that old guy to actually join Canghui Academy. Seems like their students aren't too bad." thought Flender, recalling the elderly man from Canghui.
"Teacher, who is that old man? You know him?"Ma Hongjun asked curiously.
"That old guy's name is Shi Nian. His spirit is quite special—a tangible but formless type that creates illusions to make opponents lose themselves and die by their own hands. It's called the Remnant Dream Spirit. He's extremely sinister and vengeful. Be cautious, all of you."
Flender turned to the Shrek group and said, "The opening ceremony is starting. Zhang Fan, take everyone inside. We'll watch your performance from the stands!"
"Whoosh..." Then they left.
They were the last team to enter. A wide, open square unfolded before them, surrounded by waves of cheering from every direction.
At the center was a golden stage—the podium—and behind it was the VIP section.
The plaza had a diameter of 150 meters.
"The last team to enter is the Shrek Academy team, formerly known as Blue Tyrant Academy. Their uniforms are the most elegant and eye-catching of this year. Let's hope they perform well."
As the host finished speaking, the audience also noticed the team's distinctive uniforms.
There was a cheer—not a single jeer.
"Wow… Boss Fan really is amazing! Designing such uniforms—he's making our academy proud!"Ma Hongjun shouted excitedly.
"Brother Fan is awesome!"Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong all gave Zhang Fan their approval.
All teams had now arrived, lining up in a row. The 80,000 spectators were all focused on the teams onstage.
Special soul tool lighting fixtures brightened the area.
In the VIP seats were a few familiar faces: Prince Xue Xing, and three education officers from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
At the center stood a man in a golden-red robe, wearing a golden diamond crown. His face was like a full moon, a bit older than Prince Xue Xing, and somewhat resembled him, but his aura was far superior.
He was none other than His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire—Emperor Xue Ye.
To the emperor's right sat Ning Fengzhi, wearing a white robe and a regal purple-gold crown symbolizing his status. As one of the leaders of the Upper Three Sects, he had the right to sit there.
On the other side was a man in a red robe with a five-point platinum crown, clearly the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall.
Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded at Zhang Fan below the stage.
On one side of the VIP stage, the host announced:"Next, let us welcome His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire to declare the tournament open."
Emperor Xue Ye slowly stood up, raised his right hand, signaling the crowd to quiet down.
"I, Xue Ye, Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, on behalf of the Empire and as the host of this tournament, hereby declare the Grand Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament—open!"
Thunderous applause erupted.
After a while, the crowd quieted again.
The emperor continued:"I hope all participating spirit masters perform to the best of their abilities and achieve excellent results. You are the pride of the Empire."
Applause rang out once more.
The emperor sat down.
The host announced:"Please welcome the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ning Fengzhi, to deliver a speech."
Ning Fengzhi stood up."I'm honored to be a guest at this tournament. As the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan..."
The host interjected:"Clan leader Ning, is there a team you favor this year?"
"Besides the seeded teams, I have my eye on another team. I believe they will be the ultimate winners of this elite tournament."Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.
"To think there's another team worthy of Clan Leader Ning's attention—may I ask which one?" the host asked in surprise.
"I won't reveal that for now, but the championship this year will belong to our Empire."
Ning Fengzhi gave a mysterious smile.
Emperor Xue Ye was clearly intrigued and glanced toward the 28 teams. But with so many of them, it was hard to guess.
"First round of the preliminaries: Canghui Academy vs. Purple Star Academy."
"First round of the preliminaries: Oakland Academy vs. Flame Radiance Academy."
"..."
"First round of the preliminaries: Heaven Dou Imperial Academy vs. Shrek Academy."
…
Some barely noticed Shrek Academy, but everyone paid attention to the Imperial Academy.
"What a coincidence!"
Oscar hadn't expected to face the Imperial Academy again—truly the narrow road of enemies.
"Perfect! This time, we'll show them our real strength!"Ma Hongjun said, fired up.
The audience below started shouting about cheating, assuming the Imperial Academy's second team had picked an easy target. After all, few had heard of Shrek Academy.
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After the draw, Platinum Bishop Salas scanned the crowd and said coldly:"I swear upon my position, the drawing is fair and just. Also, I declare that any participating student who makes it to the finals will be granted permission to join the Spirit Temple, an exception from the norm."
The crowd erupted.
The Spirit Temple—just below the Pope's Palace and the Douluo Hall—wasn't a place just anyone could join.
Emperor Xue Ye's face darkened slightly upon hearing this. Ning Fengzhi gave a subtle shake of his head toward him.
"Alright, the first match of the first round: Heaven Dou Imperial Academy vs. Shrek Academy. All other teams, please exit. The match will begin in half an hour."
"Brother Fan, can I go on?"Ma Hongjun looked at Zhang Fan, eyes full of hope.
"Yes. Just like before—me, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Oscar will play. The rest, rest up."Zhang Fan replied calmly.
They moved to the rest area.
"Nice!"Ma Hongjun cheered happily.
"Damn!"Tang San's face turned sour.
"Your fourth spirit ring is too weak. It's reasonable not to send you in."
Ma Hongjun chuckled, thinking he was being comforting, but it sounded more like mocking.
Tang San's face grew even darker.
"Fine!" No one else had any objections.
Soon, staff arrived to escort them out.
Zhang Fan led the team forward as staff guided the way.
They soon arrived at one side of the main stage.
Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's second team entered first. The words "Heaven Dou" were embroidered on the left side of their chests.
They looked sharp and heroic, like they were in their early twenties.
Each of them gleamed like golden suns.
"Damn, are we just here to make them look good?"Ma Hongjun fumed. "Just wait—I'll beat them so hard their moms won't recognize them!"
"You're the fertilizer, bro. You probably won't even need to fight—Boss Zhang could solo them with one hand!"Dai Mubai piled on the flattery.
"Baldy White!"Ma Hongjun was nearly driven mad by Dai Mubai's comment. That guy really knew how to push buttons.
"Let's go."Zhang Fan walked forward, the three girls following behind.
Their strength was enough—no need for the kind of fake modesty Tang San and the others used.
They could just bulldoze their way through.
(End of Chapter)