...
On the first day of the qualifiers, right after the opening ceremony, the main events were immediately arranged.
As the biggest focus and center of attention of this competition, Xuan Hao's "Royal Fighting Team II" was unsurprisingly scheduled for the first match.
After a public draw by Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, the team chosen as the first opponent for the Royal Fighting Team 2 was none other than Tianshui Academy, one of the five major elemental academies.
When the match list was displayed on the big screen, the atmosphere in the rest area of the Royal Fighting Team 2 instantly became somewhat strange.
Looking at the Tianshui Academy team on the opposite side of the court, all dressed in light blue uniforms, with dazzlingly long white legs and stunningly beautiful women...
Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others all turned their gazes toward Xuan Hao, who was drinking tea, their eyes filled with a strong sense of danger.
"Xuan Hao..."
Ning Rongrong narrowed her eyes, looked him up and down suspiciously, and asked in a low voice:
"Tell me the truth, you drew Tianshui Academy in the very first round... Were you pulling some kind of shady deal or being the mastermind behind it all again?!"
"fart!"
Xuan Hao's eyes twitched slightly, and he almost spat out his tea.
"This was a lot drawn by Salas in front of tens of thousands of people.
What does it have to do with me? Stop making baseless accusations against me!"
"Really?"
Dugu Yan crossed her arms and sneered, clearly not believing his explanation.
"You think we don't know about your relationship with that old bastard Salas? Don't you two have any special deals going on behind the scenes?"
Xuan Hao's true background had already been told to them.
His true identity is actually the personal disciple of Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Spirit Hall!
With Xuan Hao's extraordinary talent and strength, coupled with his noble status as a disciple of the Pope, his future position in the Papal Palace will undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Even if he really is as he claims, uninterested in the papacy and too lazy to deal with those messy political affairs, he is still at least a top elder with real power!
Salas, as the person in charge of the Spirit Hall's Heaven Dou City, was obviously aware of Xuan Hao's core identity.
If Xuan Hao had subtly hinted to Salas before the draw that he wanted to "spar" with a group of beautiful women in the first match...
How could that shrewd old man possibly refuse him? He would definitely hand over this "fat piece of meat," Tianshui College, to him!
Faced with the girls' scrutinizing gazes, Xuan Hao was utterly helpless.
"Fine, fine, believe it or not."
Xuan Hao rolled his eyes and slumped onto the sofa in a huff.
"Fine, I won't participate in this match, right? You ladies can go on your own! Perfect, the other side is also an all-female team.
It's all women fighting, pulling hair and scratching faces, so I don't need to worry about things like 'a good man doesn't fight with women' or how hard I should go."
Just then, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, walked out of the passage.
"I just spoke with the team leader and captain of the Tianshui team."
Xue Qinghe walked up to the group, glanced at Xuan Hao, and said with a strange expression:
"Although they were a little intimidated, they ultimately decided to challenge you, the fierce god, in this opening match.
However... they asked me to pass on a message to you, hoping that you would consider the impact a little, go easy on them, and not slap them in the face."
At this point, Xue Qinghe noticed that the atmosphere was a bit off and looked around in confusion:
"What's wrong with you all? Why are you all staring at him like that?"
"It's nothing."
Ning Rongrong pursed her lips and withdrew her suspicious gaze.
Even the Crown Prince, who is extremely controlling and prone to jealousy, didn't lose his temper on the spot. He even took the initiative to negotiate with the people from Tianshui Academy...
Then there's probably no shady dealings involved in this matter.
Otherwise, given Qian Renxue's personality, if she knew that Xuan Hao had deliberately chosen to draw lots to beat up beautiful women, she would have already secretly retaliated.
Xue Qinghe ignored the girls' little thoughts, approached Xuan Hao, and solemnly instructed him in a low voice:
"I'm warning you, this is the first official match of the opening ceremony, so you better watch out."
"In the end, this is the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies, a place for sparring and exchanging skills, not a bloody battlefield for you to kill and vent your anger!"
"Apart from Elephant Armor Academy, which has sided with the Spirit Hall, the other four of the five elemental academies are basically either leaning towards the Heaven Dou royal family or remaining neutral.
I plan to take advantage of this competition to completely bring them into the royal family's camp."
"Tianshui Academy is also a key target for us. If you cripple or humiliate their elite geniuses too badly in the first match, the impact will be too severe and will directly ruin my subsequent recruitment plan!"
Listening to Qian Renxue's long-winded speech, Xuan Hao's expression became extremely strange.
"no..."
Xuan Hao pointed to himself in disbelief and complained, "You want me, a Soul Saint, to fight a bunch of girls who are only Soul Sect level, and now you're warning me not to use my full strength?!"
"Are you suggesting that when I go up there, I shouldn't use any soul skills, but just stand there and play a game of eagle catching chicks with them?!"
"I'm just telling you to be mindful of your words!"
Xue Qinghe's face darkened, and she glared at him irritably.
"I'm telling you not to cripple or seriously injure them! But don't hold back too obviously, like you're flirting in the ring!
You still need to show the necessary overwhelming power and intimidation, but absolutely do not damage their foundation. Understand?!"
Xuan Hao sighed heavily and stood up with a look of utter despair.
"Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go, alright?"
As he walked towards the arena tunnel, he continued to mutter grumbling under his breath:
"Tch, hitting women, the most troublesome job!"
"If I hit her too hard, you'll say I'm cruel, insensitive, and disruptive to the political situation; if I hit her too lightly, you'll suspect I was flirting with a young girl on stage and had ulterior motives!"
"It's not as simple and satisfying as beating up a man. Who cares about his status or background?
Just go up and beat him up however you want, as long as you leave him with a breath left, no one will have any objections!"
...
With the booming opening music, the highly anticipated opening match of the preliminary rounds finally kicked off on the main arena in the center of the Heavenly Battle Arena.
Amidst deafening cheers from tens of thousands of spectators, the two teams began to enter the stadium.
However, when they saw what was happening on the stage, the cheers from the crowd suddenly stopped, and everyone was stunned.
On the other side of the arena, the seven main members of the Tianshui Academy team stood ready.
They were all dressed in light blue, tight-fitting team uniforms that accentuated their graceful figures.
The seven stunning beauties, each with their own unique style, standing together were simply a beautiful sight on the field.
However, on this side of the ring...
Representing the "Royal Fighting Team 2" was only Xuan Hao!
He stood alone at the edge of the spacious arena, hands in his pockets, yawning lazily. The passage behind him was empty; Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and the other team members were nowhere to be seen.
"What's going on?"
"Where are the rest of the Royal Fighting Team? Why is he the only one here?"
Just as the audience was completely confused, DouDou, the chief host of this competition, flew over from mid-air, flapping her pure white wings and using a megaphone to answer their questions.
"Dear audience, please be quiet! I'd like to explain the special situation that's happening on the field."
DouDou's sweet voice echoed throughout the arena:
"Because the captain of the Royal Fighting Team 2, Xuan Hao, is far too strong, in order to ensure the relative fairness and entertainment value of the competition, His Highness Crown Prince Xue Qinghe has specially formulated a special rule for his appearance!"
"In the upcoming preliminary rounds, if the opposing academy chooses to challenge Xuanhao, then Xuanhao will be the sole representative, facing their full squad of seven alone!"
"If the opponent feels that the strength difference is too great and does not want to fight him, then Xuanhao player will not be allowed to enter the arena, and other members of Huangdou Team 2 will go on stage to conduct a normal team battle."
"And every team that comes after that will have this choice once when facing the Royal Fighting Team II!"
DouDou smiled and stretched out her hand, pointing to the arena below:
"Clearly, the brave Tianshui Academy team chose to face this powerful Soul Saint head-on in their first match! Let's give them the warmest applause for their courage!"
After hearing this explanation, the entire audience erupted in uproar, followed by thunderous applause and screams.
One against seven!
A Soul Saint takes on an entire elite team composed of Soul Masters and Soul Venerables!
This kind of exaggerated spectacle that only exists in legends is actually going to happen at the opening ceremony!
Meanwhile, on the high platform...
Looking at Xuan Hao, who was alone facing seven beautiful women, Emperor Xueye's expression turned somewhat strange.
As the ruler of a country, he naturally knew that these girls from Tianshui Academy were rare water-attribute geniuses in the empire, and they were also very beautiful.
If they were to be damaged or disfigured, it would not only be a pity, but also have a bad influence.
"This..."
Emperor Xueye frowned, turned to look at Ning Fengzhi beside him, his tone tinged with worry and hesitation.
"Sect Leader Ning, the members of the Tianshui Team are all delicate girls. Xuan Hao... should know his place and not hurt them too badly on stage, right?"
Upon hearing Emperor Xueye's question, which was filled with hopeful anticipation, Ning Fengzhi's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and his eyes twitched violently twice.
To use excessive force?
Does that kid even know the words "show mercy" or "cherish the beautiful"?
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, put down his teacup, and looked at the bully below the stage who was rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Your Majesty, don't you know? Xuanhao never cares about such things when he hits people..."
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