Tang San was somewhat puzzled. Why was everyone staring at him like that?
Dai Mubai didn't say much and directly took the gold soul coins from Tang San's hand.
Five hundred gold soul coins—Tang San must have saved up for a long time!
The impression Dugu Yan and the others had of Tang San, already poor, worsened further.
What a petty, money-grubbing little man!
The Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena was already packed. The audience filled not only the seats but even the aisles.
Despite the crowd, no one seemed the least bit inconvenienced.
This was, after all, an anime world, complete with black technology that left Dai Mubai in awe.
Four giant screens in the arena allowed every spectator to view the match clearly from all angles.
Neon lights flickered incessantly. Though it was early morning, no sunlight penetrated the arena. The space was illuminated entirely by various soft or brilliant lights.
The host, Dou Dou, hailed from the Soto Great Spirit Arena. Her martial spirit was a dove, granting her the ability to fly and better fulfill her duties as a commentator and host.
Perhaps all Spirit Arenas were part of the same network; otherwise, how could the host from Soto City's arena preside over the preliminaries of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?
As Dou Dou warmed up the audience,
Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi concluded their opening speeches.
As expected, Salas performed the draw!
Distracted as he was, Salas skipped the ceremonial hand-holding with the presenter.
When the violet soul ring dropped into the arena, his figure appeared at its center, signaling the start of the draw.
Shrek's first match? Against the Royal Fighting Team II!
Though Salas didn't understand the reasoning behind this arrangement, he dutifully followed the directive.
With a pulse of his soul power, the 28 team emblems rotated around him before pairing off into 14 matches.
"The first match: Heaven Dou Royal Academy versus Shrek Academy!"
The announcement ignited the audience. Almost all of them were fans of the Royal Fighting Team II. After all, Heaven Dou Royal Academy represented the pride of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The cheers, shouts, and applause erupted in waves, one louder than the next.
Over in Shrek Academy's rest area, everyone was dumbfounded.
Dai Mubai had won!
Against all odds—a 1-in-27 chance—he had actually won!
Tang San, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun were utterly flabbergasted.
Especially Tang San. The combined bets of Oscar and Ma Hongjun didn't even come close to his own loss!
Dai Mubai, ignoring Tang San's mournful gaze, casually gave his instructions.
"For this match, I'll go up with Sister Yan, Lingling, Tang San, Fatty, Huang Yuan, and Jing Ling. The rest of you, take a break."
Dai Mubai didn't bother explaining himself. He always reserved a spot for himself in every match—after all, the God Exam was no trivial matter.
As for his lineup choices? No particular reason.
For a match that was guaranteed to win, the arrangement didn't matter much.
Meanwhile, the Royal Fighting Team II was far from relaxed.
Sweat beaded their foreheads, and chills ran down their spines.
Months earlier, the departure of their Vice-Captain, Dugu Yan, along with the team's support members, to join Shrek Academy had caused quite the uproar.
Even Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, had personally intervened to facilitate Dugu Yan's transfer.
As arrogant as the Royal Fighting Team II might have been, they couldn't have missed such significant news.
Dugu Yan, after all, had been the strongest member of the Royal Fighting Team I, a Rank 49 Soul Sect.
It had been half a year since then—had she already reached the Soul King level?
The members of the Royal Fighting Team II wiped the sweat from their foreheads while their coach wore a similarly grim expression.
He couldn't help but wonder if Salas had deliberately set them up for failure.
Any academy capable of convincing Poison Douluo to personally handle a transfer couldn't be underestimated!
"Teacher, what should we do?"
The Royal Fighting Team II wasn't entirely without merit; aside from the Five Elements Academy teams, their overall strength was decent.
"Leave it to fate, I suppose!"
The coach shook his head and sighed helplessly. What else could he do?
Many participants from other academies turned their attention to Shrek Academy.
This unheard-of academy, so unlucky as to compete first—what kind of cannon fodder were they?
In the VIP seating area, Prince "Xue Qinghe," Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin, seated beside Ning Fengzhi, frequently glanced toward Shrek Academy.
Qian Renxue was observing Dai Mubai.
Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were also watching Dai Mubai.
They were all curious to see what kind of performance Dai Mubai would deliver!
Emperor Xue Ye, seated between Salas and Ning Fengzhi, though aged, was a shrewd man.
Noticing how often Salas and Ning Fengzhi glanced in the same direction, he couldn't help but suspect there was more to the story.
"Sect Master Ning, Bishop Salas, you both keep looking in that direction. Is there a particular reason?"
Emperor Xue Ye's expression remained calm as he gestured toward Shrek Academy.
Ning Fengzhi and Salas exchanged a brief look of mutual puzzlement, as if silently asking, Why are you looking when I'm looking?
"Your Majesty, my daughter is a member of Shrek Academy's team and is currently competing," Ning Fengzhi explained with a polite smile. Surely, watching his daughter compete was reason enough.
"I see. It seems Sect Master Ning has high hopes for Shrek Academy," Emperor Xue Ye remarked with a chuckle, stroking his beard.
"Indeed," Ning Fengzhi replied without his usual modesty.
"I believe Shrek Academy may very well bring the championship to our empire this year."
For Ning Fengzhi, this was an unusually bold statement.
After all, if a prodigy like Dai Mubai couldn't secure the championship… Wait! Dai Mubai was the third prince of the Star Luo Empire!
Damn!
Ning Fengzhi's face darkened as he realized his slip. Could he take back what he had just said?
Emperor Xue Ye and Salas both froze in surprise. Ning Fengzhi, typically so reserved, had openly vouched for Shrek Academy.
A mediocre team? Impossible!
Salas, recalling the earlier voice transmission, grew even more suspicious. His gaze toward Ning Fengzhi became increasingly peculiar.
"How wonderful!"
Emperor Xue Ye turned away with a pleased expression.
He knew Ning Fengzhi well. If Ning Fengzhi said something was promising, there was at least an 80% chance of success.
Salas, meanwhile, feigned indifference.
"I was merely curious to see what kind of academy Shrek is. I never expected Sect Master Ning's daughter to be among their ranks."
Salas' tone was flat and unemotional. After all, everyone here was a master of deception. The game was to see who could lie more convincingly.
Hearing Salas' explanation, Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi both nodded but refrained from further comment.
As for Salas' words? Worth listening to, but hardly worth believing.
(End of Chapter)