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Feng Xiaotian tugged at Ning Tianchen's sleeve, signaling him not to act impulsively.
Ning Tianchen knew that the incident in Thunderclap Gorge was most likely orchestrated by Yu Luomian standing before him.
However, as the host, he had no reason to turn them away.
With a sudden smile, he said, "Vice-Sect Leader Yu, please come in quickly. The opening ceremony of the tournament is waiting for you."
Sometimes, those who smile at you may not genuinely wish you well—they might even want you dead.
"It's good that Young Nephew doesn't hold a grudge. In that case, I won't linger outside any longer," Yu Luomian replied with a slight bow before leading the teachers and students of Thunderclap Academy into the venue.
"What a hypocrite," Yu Die sneered.
"Yu Lao Er ('Yu Old Second') is a peak Soul Douluo. With our current strength, we shouldn't provoke him lightly," Ning Tianchen muttered, then joined the others as they headed toward the arena.
---
For this exchange tournament, the Seven Treasures team had temporarily set up an arena and spectator stands on the main training field.
The tournament would last ten days, and all vacant dormitories in the academy were allocated to visiting teachers and students from other academies.
The seven invited academies gradually entered their respective rest areas. As the principal of Seven Treasures Academy and the organizer of the tournament, Ke Jie stood on the high platform to preside over the opening ceremony.
After a brief introduction, Ke Jie announced the rules of the tournament.
The exchange tournament was divided into two parts.
In the morning, there would be free-for-all arena matches (non-official matches), allowing students from various academies to spar and exchange skills. Participants would compete in elimination rounds to determine the top sixteen finalists, who would then compete in the final round.
At the end of the tournament, the top four winners would receive rewards ranging from one hundred to one thousand gold spirit coins from Seven Treasures Academy.
Members of the eight college teams were not allowed to participate in this part of the competition. Any student from an advanced soul master academy could take part in the non-official matches.
The second part of the tournament involved matches between the eight college teams, starting after lunch and continuing until evening.
"I'm not here for the thousand gold spirit coins—I just want to test my skills against geniuses from other academies," one student wearing his academy uniform said with a grin from the spectator stands.
"Coincidentally, neither are we. We don't care about the gold spirit coins—we're here to meet talented individuals like yourselves."
"Haha, good brother, let's have a match later!"
---
After the opening ceremony ended, it was still morning.
At Ke Jie's signal, countless people rushed to the registration area, all aiming for the prize money and fame.
It was important to note that this tournament hosted by Seven Treasures Academy had attracted attention from across Tiandou City and even nearby cities.
Winning the non-official matches could still bring significant exposure. By then, major factions would likely offer valuable incentives to recruit the winners.
The members of the Shrek team, who had blended into the audience, gathered together.
Upon hearing the schedule, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but chuckle. "Do you guys want to participate in the free-for-all arena matches?"
Yu Tianheng confidently replied, "Uncle Xiaogang, since this isn't the main event, we can give it a try."
Tang San frowned and interjected, "Seven Treasures Academy hasn't set limits on the participants' spirit power levels or ages—any student from an advanced soul master academy can participate."
This rule left room for manipulation. Many advanced soul master academies weren't short of genius-level talents aged twenty-five or older.
These individuals, disqualified from the official tournament due to age restrictions, didn't necessarily lack strength. Some were even at the Soul King level.
Yu Xiaogang smiled. "While winning a spot in the top four seems unlikely, participating in this event will give you a chance to warm up and adapt to the competition rhythm. If you want to give it a shot, go ahead and register."
Worth noting:
Hearing that Dugu Bo was at Seven Treasures Academy, Xiao Wu claimed to be unwell earlier that morning and stayed behind at Shrek Academy.
Due to the large number of participants in the non-official matches, some of the early registrants had already been scheduled for matches.
The most comical scene unfolded when a Great Soul Master from Thunderclap Academy faced off against a Soul King from Chi Huo (Blazing) Academy.
Given the vast disparity in strength, the outcome was unsurprisingly one-sided.
Standing in line among the crowd, Tang San silently prayed, hoping he wouldn't encounter such an absurdly mismatched opponent.
---
As the hosts, the Seven Treasures team was already familiar with the arena environment.
The other seven teams, however, had to stand at higher vantage points and memorize every detail of the arena.
"Principal Ke deliberately excluded us from the free-for-all arena matches—it's quite considerate," Chen Huayu couldn't help but complain.
By not restricting age or strength but barring college team members from participating, it was clear that they didn't want the college teams competing for the championship.
Ning Tianchen lightly patted his head and chuckled. "This is actually a good thing. If we were to participate in these chaotic matches, our performance in the afternoon matches would inevitably suffer. Besides, without an age limit, even if we did participate, it'd be hard to achieve good results."
After a pause, he continued, "This afternoon, we have three arena matches against Auckland Academy, Flame Radiance Academy, and Thunderclap Team."
The tournament spanned ten days—the first three days for arena matches and the following seven for team battles. At the end, the team with the highest total score would be declared the winner.
"In the afternoon, each person will fight three matches. You must conserve enough soul power during the first match to have the stamina for subsequent battles," Ning Tianchen reminded them. "Don't overexert yourselves—after defeating two opponents, you must step down."
"As for Thunderclap Academy's team… heh, they'll get what's coming to them."
---
Time flew, and noon arrived soon enough.
Among the Shrek team, only Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Yu Tianheng participated in the free-for-all arena matches.
Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng drew the shortest straws—their opponents were Soul Kings around thirty years old from various academies.
Unsurprisingly, they were eliminated in the first round.
Tang San was luckier in the first round, facing an opponent who was only a Great Soul Master. However, in the second round, his opponent wielded a blade-type martial soul and was a Soul Elder.
His Blue Silver Grass was no match for the sharpness of the blade. To avoid revealing his hidden weapons or other trump cards, he had no choice but to concede.
"The skill gap in the free-for-all matches is huge—it's normal to lose. Don't dwell on it," Yu Xiaogang offered a brief word of comfort.
Yu Tianheng forced a bitter smile. "We were just unlucky. If our opponents hadn't been so ridiculously strong, we might've had a chance to win a few more matches."
Tang San shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about bad luck. Let's just watch the matches from the sidelines."
During lunchtime, the Seven Treasures team provided free meals for the visiting teachers and students.
Other academy students, however, had to pay to eat at Seven Treasures Academy's cafeteria.
The eight college teams ate lunch earlier than the others. After the free-for-all matches concluded, all teams tacitly gathered at the arena to familiarize themselves with the competition environment.
Upon seeing Ning Tianchen, Yu Tianxin immediately issued a challenge. "Ning Tianchen, my foolish brother may have lost to you, but I won't make the same mistake. For our team's match, dare you go first? Let's settle this once and for all!"
Ning Tianchen chuckled awkwardly. "I'll go fifth. If you can defeat the first four opponents, then we'll talk about fighting me."
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