Another day passed, and finally, the fifth round of the finals arrived.
The format of the final round differed from the previous four rounds, including both individual and team competitions.
First, the individual competitions determined the winners' and losers' brackets, then the losers' brackets competed, and finally, the two winning teams faced off in a championship duel.
However, judging from team strength, the Royal Fighting Team and the Spirit Hall Golden Generation Team completely overwhelmed the Thunderclap Academy Team.
The Thunderclap Academy Team's entry into the top three was largely due to luck.
Although luck is also a part of strength, Thunderclap Academy knew they couldn't compete with the other two teams. To save time and face, they had already conceded yesterday.
Therefore, the originally complex competition format suddenly became simple; only one more match was needed to determine the champion.
Early that morning, Lin Mu led the Royal Fighting Team to the finals venue.
Unlike the previous matches, this final was held in front of the Supreme Pontiff's Palace, showcasing Spirit Hall's prestige.
Before long, everyone arrived at the square in front of the Supreme Pontiff's Palace.
Before they arrived, the Spirit Hall Golden Generation Team, led by Yu Xiaogang, had been waiting for a long time.
"Lin Mu, you will surely be defeated by me today."
He paused, then put his hands behind his back, adopting an air of superiority, and arrogantly declared, "Let the world see that even the most outstanding Soul Master genius is nothing but a brute before me, Yu Xiaogang."
These words stunned not only the members of the Royal Fighting Team, but even Xie Yue and the others looked at Yu Xiaogang in disbelief.
Did this guy have anything to do with the actual outcome of this match? Moreover, the match hadn't even started, and he was already claiming all the credit.
They had never seen such a shameless person before, and they truly couldn't understand why the Pope had such a fondness for this kind of person.
"How dare you embarrass yourself here!"
Before the words were even finished, Yu Tianheng had already rushed over and kicked Yu Xiaogang in the stomach, sending him flying several meters before he crashed heavily to the ground.
"Pfft—"
Suffering such a heavy blow, Yu Xiaogang, who had lost all his cultivation, spat out a mouthful of blood, staring at Yu Tianheng in disbelief.
At the same time, his desire to destroy the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan grew even stronger. Rather than letting Yu Tianheng inherit the position of Clan Leader and lead the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to decline, he would rather destroy it himself.
"Teacher, are you alright?"
At this moment, Ma Hongjun hurriedly helped Yu Xiaogang up, looked up at Yu Tianheng, and said angrily, "Yu Tianheng! My teacher never provoked you, yet you attacked him so viciously. Do you really think we, master and disciple, are easy to bully?"
"Think what you will."
Yu Tianheng shrugged indifferently. If Yu Xiaogang hadn't embarrassed himself, he wouldn't have bothered to do it.
After this match, he would find a way to bring this traitor who had brought shame to the clan back to his grandfather for punishment.
"Damn it! I'll never let you off the hook in the competition!"
Seeing Yu Tianheng's attitude, Ma Hongjun's eyes turned bloodshot. He gasped for breath, and his voice became noticeably shrill.
Yu Tianheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he sneered, "You two, master and disciple, are truly a match made in heaven."
"What did you say!"
Just as Ma Hongjun was about to erupt in anger, a commotion broke out in front of the square. Twelve cardinals emerged from the side of the Supreme Pontiff's Palace.
They walked to the entrance of the Supreme Pontiff's Palace and stood on either side, six on each side.
The one at the head of the group announced loudly, "The Pope has arrived!"
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
Three shouts echoed throughout Spirit City like a landslide and a tsunami.
This sound gathered the cries of the vast majority of Soul Masters in Spirit City; to them, the Pope was the highest faith.
At this moment, Ma Hongjun dared not say a word and quickly led Yu Xiaogang back to the ranks.
Not long after, Bibi Dong emerged from the Supreme Pontiff's Palace, clad in a long, shimmering gold dress from head to toe, wearing a purple-gold crown and holding a jeweled scepter.
The moment she appeared, all the Soul Masters of Spirit Hall knelt on one knee.
However, Lin Mu's Royal Fighting Team stood ramrod straight, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
On the high platform, Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes gazed down, her gaze quickly landing on Lin Mu.
In just a moment, she withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the members of the two teams.
"I see hope in you. Before the Supreme Pontiff's Palace, I hope to see your full talent and strength. The ultimate victor will receive Spirit Hall's greatest reward."
As her voice fell, she lightly waved her scepter, and three points of light instantly magnified, floating in mid-air.
These were three different objects, none large in size, shaped like human bones: a right arm bone, a skull, and a left leg bone.
They shimmered with fiery red, pale blue, and dark green light respectively.
These were three ten-thousand-year Soul Bones!
Even for a Titled Douluo, these were extremely rare treasures, considering Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't even possess a single ten-thousand-year Soul Bone.
However, Lin Mu didn't care. Not only did he already possess two hundred-thousand-year Soul Bones, but the three ten-thousand-year Soul Bones he hadn't absorbed yet were already more valuable than the three Soul Bones offered by Spirit Hall.
Of these three Soul Bones, only the Spiritual Wisdom Skull was of good quality; the other two were only average.
Clearly, Bibi Dong harbored ulterior motives, wanting to use this opportunity to benefit her disciple. A Spiritual Wisdom Skull over 50,000 years old could significantly enhance Hu Liena's strength.
At this moment, Chrysanthemum Douluo, protecting Bibi Dong, had a cold glint in his eyes, thinking to himself, 'Bibi Dong, someone like you will be abandoned by everyone sooner or later.'
After her speech, Bibi Dong finally announced the start of the competition.
At this time, Lin Mu had already arrived at the spectator area.
"Brother Lin, I knew you would definitely make it to the finals. I wonder if you are confident in winning the championship?"
Xue Qinghe quickly came over and started chatting with Lin Mu familiarly.
Hearing this, Lin Mu glanced at her and said meaningfully, "His Highness the Crown Prince has visited the Royal Fighting Team's training sessions quite a bit, and even talked with me until late at night. Do you truly not know the strength of our team?"
Hearing this, Xue Qinghe immediately gave a forced smile. If her grandfather hadn't told her that she had been exposed, she would still be in the dark.
This bastard clearly knew her identity, yet he used it to toy with her body and mind at will. It was simply despicable!
With her years of undercover experience and intelligence, she was completely fooled by Lin Mu, even reaching the peak with him multiple times, and was tormented to the point of unconsciousness several times.
"Hmph, you have the nerve to say that? You've deceived me for so long, how are you going to settle this score?"
"When have I ever lied to you? Besides, you offered yourself up."
Lin Mu said calmly.
Seeing his self-righteousness, Qian Renxue was instantly furious.
Wasn't this implying she was offering herself up for free?
Thinking this, Qian Renxue immediately grabbed Lin Mu's sleeve and pulled him away from the viewing area.
Not far away, Ning Fengzhi noticed their actions and frowned, thinking to himself, 'Is Lin Mu's relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince really that good?'