Ceremony of the Tournament On the day the tournament began, the sun shone brightly, golden sunlight bathing the earth, making the solemn and majestic Spirit Hall appear even more resplendent, like a temple.
Before the Papal Palace, two rows of guardian knights stretched from the palace gates down the mountain, their gleaming silver armor and heavy knightly swords lending the entire Papal Mountain an air of majesty and inviolability.
After the preliminary and qualifying rounds, only truly powerful and promising young people were qualified to stand in this plaza. The plaza was large, and the thirty-odd teams didn't feel crowded at all.
Only the participating students from each academy were allowed inside; even the accompanying teachers were not permitted to stand inside and could only wait on the outside.
Of the thirty-two participating teams, only thirty-one stood in the plaza, but the Spirit Hall Academy team was still nowhere to be seen.
"Your Highness, aren't we going to line up? His Majesty will be out soon," Hu Liena asked, looking at Qian Renyue who was still leisurely drinking juice.
"The protagonist always has to appear last," Qian Renyue put down her cup and straightened her skirt.
After a while, Yue Guan walked in and said to Qian Renyue, "Your Highness, His Majesty requests that you and Miss Na'er accompany His Majesty."
Qian Renyue was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, "Thank you for your trouble, Elder Ju. Nana, the task of leading the team is entrusted to you. Na'er, would you like to come with me?"
"Okay." Na'er stepped forward and took Qian Renyue's hand.
"The protagonist has arrived!" Yan stretched and walked behind Hu Liena, looking relaxed.
"Let's go." Hu Liena waved her hand, and everyone followed.
On the square, the arrival of the Spirit Hall team was like a pebble thrown into a calm pond.
Walking at the forefront was Hu Liena. Perhaps it was because the third trial of the gods allowed Hu Liena to see the original plot, causing her to grow rapidly, and now Hu Liena had become increasingly mature. Her aura was in no way inferior to Qian Renyue's, and her excellent performance had secured Hu Liena's position as vice-captain in the Empire Blade team.
In the Spirit Hall, Hu Liena was widely recognized as the Holy Maiden's most capable deputy. Because of Hu Liena's outstanding performance, Qian Renyue's approval of her grew.
Their pure white school uniforms, interwoven with gold patterns, bore the same design as the Spirit Hall Elder's Token on their left arm. Most striking were the badges they wore on their chests: a golden six-winged angel spirit with a blood-red longsword in the center. Even the Purple Record Medal personally awarded by the Pope paled in comparison.
Indeed, this badge was the unique emblem they had chosen for the Empire's Blade.
"Yanzi." Yu Tianheng, standing on the Royal Fighting Team, saw Dugu Yan standing at the Spirit Hall Academy and unconsciously clutched his chest, as if he had lost something important.
"Sister Yanzi." The other members of the Royal Fighting Team also looked grim.
"Rongrong." Oscar from Shrek Academy stared blankly at Ning Rongrong. He had thought about Ning Rongrong's words for a long time, but still believed that Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were his brothers, and that they were just joking without malice. Like Xiao Wu and Zhu Qing, they never joke about each other anymore. If Rong Rong were with him, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun probably wouldn't joke about her anymore either.
The five members of the Spirit Hall, led by Hu Liena, looked relaxed, their eyes gleaming with determination for the championship and faith in the Spirit Hall.
"Why are there only five contestants?" whispers arose from the crowd.
Just as everyone was wondering, a group of people emerged from the Papal Palace. Twelve cardinals, divided into two groups, stood before the Papal Palace. The leader shouted loudly, "His Holiness the Pope has arrived!" "Long live the Pope! Long live the Pope!
Long live the Pope!" The three shouts echoed throughout Spirit City like a landslide.
The man shouted again, "Her Highness the Holy Maiden has arrived!" "Long live the Holy Maiden!
Long live the Holy Maiden! Long live the Holy Maiden!" The three shouts echoed again throughout Spirit City like a landslide.
The shouts weren't just from the neatly lined-up paladins on Papal Mountain; they echoed throughout Spirit City from all the spirit masters forbidden from approaching it.
For them, the Spirit Hall, which provided free spirit awakenings and subsidies, was their faith, and the Pope was their highest devotion.
The massive doors of the Papal Palace slowly opened, and everyone's gaze involuntarily turned towards the opening. Everyone present felt their hearts race, even Hu Liena and others who rarely saw the Pope and Qian Renyue were affected by the atmosphere.
Bibi Dong stepped out, clad in a long, shimmering gold gown and a regal purple-gold crown, holding a scepter. Her solemn expression gave her an almost ethereal quality, imbuing her with an aura of immense grandeur.
Beside her stood a woman in a saintly palace dress, wearing a white-gold olive leaf crown and the same badge worn by the Spirit Hall Academy's participating students.
At this moment, all members of the Spirit Hall knelt on one knee, "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope! Greetings, Your Highness the Holy Maiden!"
The atmosphere instantly filled the Shrek Academy students with a sense of wanting to prostrate themselves in worship.
Behind Bibi Dong was a student in the same school uniform as the rest of the Spirit Hall Academy, though everyone was curious why she was standing beside the Pope and the Holy Maiden.
Following them were four Title Douluo elders in bright red robes: Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin. The other was Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and also Qian Renyue's teacher, the world's number one support hero.
Led by Bibi Dong, the group slowly walked out of the Papal Palace, and the students in the square knelt on one knee to show their highest respect to the Pope.
Meanwhile, the seven students from Shrek Academy stood out.
All eyes inevitably fell on them. Thinking of Qian Renyue lying on the verge of death in bed, Bibi Dong's gaze towards Tang San carried a hint of murderous intent. Tang San's hair stood on end, and he immediately activated his Purple Demon Eye to barely withstand Bibi Dong's gaze.
"How dare you disrespect the Pope!" A cardinal stepped forward and shouted.
Qian Renyue naturally knew what had just happened. She couldn't expect Tang San to say that Bibi Dong was making things difficult for a junior, or that he would be punished for not kneeling to the Pope. With so many people from the academy present, the Spirit Hall would never do such a thing.
Qian Renyue gently raised her hand. "It's alright, it'll happen sooner or later." Saying this, Qian Renyue looked at the Shrek Academy students, a slight smile playing on her lips, and continued, "She will have to kneel. Showing off for a moment means nothing. Your Excellency, you need not worry about it."
"Yes, Your Highness." The cardinal bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Bibi Dong looked at Tang San and asked, "Are you Tang San, Grandmaster's disciple?"
"Yes, Your Holiness," Tang San replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"No wonder, truly worthy of being master and disciple," Bibi Dong nodded, seemingly affirming, but her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.
Before Tang San could speak, Bibi Dong slightly waved her scepter, "Rise."
Everyone who had been kneeling stood up, their expressions complex as they looked at the Shrek Academy students.
A smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face as her gaze swept across all the Soul Masters participating in the competition from left to right. Bibi Dong slowly spoke, "I see hope in you all. Before the Pope's Palace, I hope to see even more of your talent and strength. The ultimate victor will receive the Spirit Hall's greatest reward."
Bibi Dong lightly waved her scepter, and five Soul Bones from different parts of the body appeared before everyone.
The appearance of the Soul Bones excited everyone present, and every student from every academy revealed their desire for the championship.
Bibi Dong continued calmly, "There can only be one champion. Therefore, I hope you will give it your all and compete with your best."
"Yes!" all the contestants answered loudly.
"Did you see that? His Highness personally persuaded the elders to prepare five Soul Bones for the five of us. Are you going to hand them over?" Hu Liena asked softly.
"No." The remaining four answered.
"Then what?"
"Kill them and take the championship." Yan spoke first.
Everyone laughed and echoed, "Kill them and take the championship!"
.....
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