With Thunder Academy's humiliating defeat, the Heaven Dou City preliminary tournament officially concluded. Shrek Academy, with a perfect undefeated record, had undeniably claimed the top spot.
The five great elemental academies—Shenfeng, Elephant Armor, Blazing, Tianshui, and Thunder—had all fallen to Shrek's unpredictable tactics and Captain Ye Yin's seemingly endless supply of Curses. Each had been left with a bizarre or tragic story that would likely follow them for decades. The name Shrek Academy now echoed throughout the empire. Its captain, Ye Yin, had earned a collection of terrifying yet laughable titles, including the King of Curses, the Arena Terminator, and the Bane of the Five Elements.
Following the tournament's end, the much-anticipated awards ceremony was held. On a high platform, Emperor Xue Ye sat on a central throne, a majestic and satisfied smile on his face. Ning Fengzhi and Bishop Salas were seated on either side of him, with the other committee members, Prince Xue Xing, and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe arranged in order of rank.
Below the platform, the five teams that had qualified for the promotion rounds stood in neat formations. At the very front, of course, were the members of Shrek Academy, standing proudly with their undefeated record. Though their team uniforms were still odd, no one dared to underestimate them anymore. Their shining spirit rings and calm, confident auras spoke for themselves.
The other qualifying teams, however, told a different story. Feng Xiaotian from Shenfeng Academy wore a hat with a low brim and kept his head down the entire time, looking as if he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. Huo Wushuang of Blazing Academy stood with his sister, Huo Wu. With Ye Yin's help, she had recovered from her ordeal and her aura even seemed stronger than before. When she looked at Ye Yin, the hatred was still there, but it was now mixed with an unexplainable sense of confusion.
Shui Bing'er of Tianshui Academy had regained her cold and aloof demeanor, but whenever her gaze drifted toward Ye Yin, a hint of annoyance and helplessness would flash in the depths of her ice-blue eyes. Thunder Academy's captain, Yu Tianxin, was absent. The official reason given was that an old injury had flared up, requiring him to rest. In his place stood Vice-Captain Lei Dong, who looked completely lifeless. His eyes were vacant, as if his soul had already left his body.
Emperor Xue Ye slowly rose to his feet, his majestic gaze sweeping across the entire venue. The noisy square fell silent at once.
"The Heaven Dou Empire Spirit Master Grand Competition preliminaries, which have lasted for over a month, have successfully concluded today!" his voice, amplified by a spirit tool, boomed across the square. "Five brave and skilled teams have emerged victorious, earning their qualifications for the promotion rounds! You are the pride of the Empire and the future stars of the Spirit Master world!"
The crowd listened intently.
"Next, I shall personally announce the results and bestow the title of Imperial Viscount, hereditary and perpetual, upon the captains and vice-captains of the qualifying teams!"
A gasp went through the crowd, followed by an eruption of enthusiastic applause and exclamations. A Viscount! And a hereditary title at that! This was a true noble title, an immense honor and a source of security even for established Spirit Master families. For the students of Shrek Academy, most of whom came from common backgrounds, it was a life-changing reward.
Emperor Xue Ye's gaze passed over the five teams. "First place: Shrek Academy!"
As he spoke the name, a cheer like a tsunami swept through the venue.
"Congratulations to the captain of the Shrek Academy team, Ye Yin!"
Under the watchful eyes of thousands, Ye Yin calmly walked forward and ascended the steps to the high platform. Emperor Xue Ye personally pinned a beautiful, sapphire-inlaid badge symbolizing the Viscount title onto Ye Yin's chest, smiling as he patted him on the shoulder.
"Viscount Ye Yin, a young prodigy and a pillar of our nation. I hope you will continue your efforts and bring even more glory to the Empire!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ye Yin replied with a slight bow, his posture perfect and a grateful smile on his face.
"Congratulations to the vice-captain of the Shrek Academy team, Dai Mubai!"
Dai Mubai stepped forward next, his expression filled with emotion as he received a badge of the same design. Following them, the captains and vice-captains of the other qualifying teams came forward to receive their titles. Each of their faces glowed with honor, but as they received their badges, they all couldn't help but glance at Ye Yin, who stood beside the Emperor with a gentle smile.
When Shui Bing'er stepped forward, Emperor Xue Ye offered her special encouragement, praising Tianshui Academy for their glorious performance even in defeat. A rare blush appeared on Shui Bing'er's cold face as she bowed. Standing to the side, Ye Yin's smile seemed to deepen. Shui Bing'er noticed it, and her ears instantly turned a shade redder as she quickly lowered her head.
[Resentment from Shui Bing'er +10!]
After all the titles had been conferred, Emperor Xue Ye looked down with satisfaction at the vibrant young Spirit Masters. "My Lords Viscounts, I hope you will live up to the Empire's high expectations in the promotion rounds—"
He hadn't finished his sentence when Ye Yin took a step forward and bowed slightly. His clear, gentle voice rang out.
"Your Majesty, esteemed sirs, I'm deeply grateful for your kindness. I, Ye Yin, am honored to represent Shrek Academy and would like to say a few words from the bottom of my heart."
The entire venue fell silent again. Every gaze—filled with curiosity, anticipation, and in some cases, vigilance—was fixed on Ye Yin.
Emperor Xue Ye looked slightly surprised, but then he nodded with a smile. "Viscount Ye Yin, please speak."
Ye Yin's face held an incredibly sincere smile as his gaze swept over the teams below, lingering for a few extra seconds on the members of the Five Element Academies.
"First, I thank His Majesty for his grace and the Empire for its recognition," he began, his tone filled with genuine gratitude. "Second, I want to sincerely thank all the opponents who participated in the preliminary round! It was your strength that tempered our will! It was your struggle that ignited our potential!"
Hearing these official-sounding pleasantries, the members of the Five Element Academies couldn't help but twitch their lips. Tempered our will? Ignited our potential? Are you sure about that?
"Especially," Ye Yin's tone shifted, and the smile on his face grew even brighter, "I want to especially, especially thank all of you from the Five Element Academies!"
Here it comes! Everyone in the audience leaned forward, their spirits lifting in anticipation.
Somewhere in the crowd, Feng Xiaotian's team members felt a collective shiver. Huo Wu unconsciously clenched her fists. Shui Bing'er's heart skipped a beat. Lei Dong shivered, and Hu Yanli's face darkened. They all had a very bad feeling about this.
"Thank you, Shenfeng Academy!" Ye Yin's gaze seemed to pierce through the crowd, landing on a certain corner where the team was gathered. "Captain Feng Xiaotian's powerful opening cheer, and the touching brotherhood and selfless sharing spirit of his team, allowed us to deeply experience the charm and diversity of competition!"
"Pfft!" Someone in the audience burst out laughing. The members of the Shenfeng Academy team all flushed bright red, wishing they could dig a hole and crawl into it.
"Thank you, Elephant Armor Academy!"
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