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"Ah, I see. But I've already gone to bed, and it's not convenient right now." Xiao Wu's heart nearly leapt out of her chest, but oddly enough, having Tang San just outside the door added a peculiar thrill she couldn't quite describe.
Behind her, Ning Tian's movements, advancing and retreating in rhythm, grew even more frequent.
Unaware of any of this, Tang San smiled and said, "Alright then, get some rest."
"Okay, you too."
Once Tang San left, Ning Tian released more Gold Devouring Beetles to seal the door and every possible gap in the room.
With that, Xiao Wu let go of her restraint and cried out freely.
…..
Over the next three days, Ning Tian spent his days cultivating and his nights slipping laxatives to Tang Hao to keep him away, then lavishing attention on Xiao Wu.
On the morning of the fourth day, the finals officially began.
For the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition finals, the Spirit Hall had specially prepared a dedicated arena in the heart of Spirit City.
The massive stage, a hundred meters in diameter, was constructed entirely of granite and reinforced with numerous soul tools, making it sturdy enough to withstand any attack from soul masters below the Spirit Emperor level.
Directly in front of the arena was the Pope's Hall, less than a kilometer away from the hill where it stood.
At the break of dawn, with the sky just beginning to brighten, all the competing academies arrived. Led by Spirit Hall staff, they made their way to the rest areas surrounding the arena.
Opposite the Pope's Hall was the VIP viewing platform, where representatives from the two great empires and the Spirit Hall would observe the matches.
The finals followed a single-elimination format.
A total of thirty-three teams, including the Spirit Hall Academy, the Star Luo Royal Academy, and Ning Tian's Heaven Dou Imperial Academy main team, would compete over four days.
Each round, except for the team that drew a bye, would eliminate half of the remaining teams.
The final three would compete in front of the Pope's Hall, where the Pope herself would personally award three soul bones to the champion; a temptation and honor few soul masters could resist.
As soon as Ning Tian and his team arrived, before they could even sit down, Zhu Qing was called away to draw lots.
Moments later, she returned with news of their opponent or rather, the lack thereof. In the first round, they had a bye.
Meanwhile, Shrek Academy faced the Blazing Academy, just as in the original story, and the result was the same: the Blazing Academy forfeited.
In the second round, Shrek had a bye, while the New Heaven Dou Battle Team faced the Sun Academy, a senior soul master academy from a duchy in the Star Luo Empire. With only two Spirit Ancestors, they were no match. Ning Tian and Zhu Zhuqing didn't even need to step in; the Shi brothers, Yu Feng, Osler, and Huang Jia—four Spirit Ancestors and one Spirit Elder, easily overwhelmed them.
The Blazing Academy, previously eliminated by forfeit, made a reappearance by merging with the Godwind Academy. Their combined team of seven Spirit Ancestors dominated their match with overwhelming strength.
Now, the third round was about to begin.
In the original story, this round pitted Yu Tianheng's Heaven Dou Imperial Academy main team against the Spirit Hall Academy, while Shrek faced the Star Luo Royal Academy.
This time, with the Spirit Hall and the two empires' representatives drawing lots together, ensuring no cheating, the matchups remained unchanged.
However, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy main team had undergone a complete overhaul, now replaced by the New Heaven Dou Battle Team.
The announcement of these matchups sent shockwaves through the arena.
Ning Tian and Zhu Zhuqing took it in stride, confident in their strength, but Dai Mubai was another story.
Upon learning that Shrek was up against the Star Luo Royal Academy, his face turned ashen.
"Mubai, what's wrong?" Tang San, ever sensitive to Dai Mubai's emotions since their martial soul fusion, especially under the influence of the Rakshasa's evil thoughts, immediately noticed his distress. Since the draw results were announced, Dai Mubai had been visibly downcast, even terrified and despairing.
"Third Brother, I'm going to die," Dai Mubai said, his face pale.
His words stunned not only Tang San but the entire Shrek team.
Ma Hongjun's eyes widened in fear. "What's going on? Is it Ning Tian? Did he steal your fiancee and now he wants to kill you too?"
In that instant, Ma Hongjun recalled the time during the qualifiers when he'd badmouthed Ning Tian and feared for his life.
A wave of dread washed over him again. 'I've said so much trash about him. Does he want to kill me too?'
At the mention of Ning Tian, Dai Mubai's anger flared, but he shook his head. "No, it's not him."
Oscar chimed in, "Come on, Boss Dai, just tell us. Whatever the problem is, we can figure it out together. Don't forget Third Brother; his dad is the Clear Sky Douluo. Even when I offended the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Third Brother's dad protected me. With him around, who'd dare touch you?"
Dai Mubai, who had been slumped in despair, suddenly perked up. He looked at Tang San with hope. "Little San, can your dad really save me?"
"Of course," Tang San replied without hesitation. To him, Dai Mubai was undoubtedly the most important person in Shrek besides Xiao Wu. Their martial soul fusion alone set him apart from the others.
Reassured, Dai Mubai felt a glimmer of hope. He took a deep breath and explained, "It all goes back to the Star Luo Empire's succession system. Both Zhu Zhuqing, that wretch and I are from the Star Luo Empire. I'm from the royal Dai family, and she's from the Nether Duke's Zhu family."
"I'm the third prince of the Star Luo Empire, and Zhu Zhuqing is the Zhu family's legitimate daughter. Because the White Tiger and Nether Spirit Cat martial souls can fuse into the Nether White Tiger, there's a tradition of marriage between our families. That's how my engagement to that wretch came about. The same goes for my older brother and Zhu Zhuqing's older sister, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, the captain and vice-captain of the Star Luo Royal Academy team."
"Once one of us turns twenty-five, we have to duel on that day. The winner inherits the Star Luo Empire's throne, while the loser… well, if they're lucky, they get their cultivation crippled and imprisoned for life. If not, they lose their life."
At this, everyone in Shrek except Xiao Wu gasped in shock. The succession system was brutal, akin to raising Gu, where only the strongest survived.
Tang San frowned. "So, your older brother is almost twenty-five? And when that time comes, you'll have to face both Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun alone?"
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