83: Chapter 81 The Competition Begins

"This is... a Domain?!"

Jiang Peng's knees buckled abruptly. Immediately, his eyes turned blood-red as he forcibly resisted the pressure, his entire body's bones emitting sharp, bean-popping cracks.

"You have some guts, but for me, it's not enough..."

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. Seeing that Jiang Peng could still stand under the pressure of his Domain's aura, he intensified that pressure a few notches further.

This time, Jiang Peng could no longer resist; his knees slammed onto the ground like heavy hammers, gouging two large pits into the conference room floor... blood flowing freely!

Jiang Peng's face was full of defeat. Being humiliatingly suppressed to the ground by Lin Feng's pressure, the pride on his face vanished in an instant.

How laughable that when he heard Lin Feng was only a Spirit King, he had thought about bringing him to heel, not realizing that the clown was actually himself?...

Regarding Lin Feng, he and the other starting team members didn't know much; they only knew he had been specially approved by the Tianhun Imperial Family, and his student status had been registered on the spot, just to participate in this Spirit Fighting Tournament.

They hadn't been at the academy when that incident occurred, and later the Dean had issued a gag order, which led to his serious misjudgment of Lin Feng's strength.

Otherwise, even if he were given ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to put on airs in front of someone who could beat a Spirit Douluo like a dead dog, let alone threaten him to withdraw from the team!

Vina looked at Lin Feng with glowing eyes, practically seeing stars; so strong, this was the man she wanted to pursue!

As for Qiuqiu, she had long since witnessed Lin Feng's power and wasn't the least bit surprised. She playfully stepped forward and hugged his arm, "Brother Lin Feng, you've finally appeared!"

Lin Feng chuckled and patted her head, saying in a gentle voice, "I was delayed by some things; I shouldn't be considered late, right?"

Vina smiled lightly, "How could that be? We start the meeting whenever you arrive!"

A smile appeared on Lin Feng's face. With a wave of his hand, he withdrew the pressure enveloping the conference room. He glanced at Jiang Peng, "Don't just stand there like a fool, let's begin?"

Jiang Peng felt as if ten thousand horses were galloping in his heart, but he suppressed his anger, slowly stood up, and sat back in his seat.

Seeing this, the others followed suit, one by one trembling like cicadas in late autumn, bracing themselves with utmost focus for fear of being made things difficult for by Lin Feng again...

After taking a deep breath, Jiang Peng began to explain the rules of the Spirit Master Tournament to everyone. Lin Feng listened quietly without interrupting.

Before coming, he hadn't studied this subject, so listening carefully now would ensure he wouldn't be like a headless chicken during the match.

The next day.

As the first ray of morning sunlight shone into Star Luo City, this capital of the Star Luo Empire radiated a solemn atmosphere.

All streets around Star Luo Plaza were blockaded by soldiers in bright armor; especially near the Star Imperial Hotel, there were over a thousand soldiers stationed there.

The street leading from here to Star Luo Plaza was under tight security, and only the participating team members from the various academies walking out of the Star Imperial Hotel could pass.

The people from Dio Academy came out of the hotel and walked down the street. On the railings on both sides of the street, the Star Luo citizens were shouting loudly, their emotions very high.

Nan Qiuqiu and Vina had never seen such a magnificent scene; their hearts surged, and their faces couldn't hide their excitement.

As for Lin Feng, he appeared much calmer; even facing the wave-like cheers, not a single ripple was stirred in his heart.

Perhaps a few years ago, facing such a scene, he would have been as excited as Qiuqiu and Vina.

But after experiencing years of life-and-death tempering, Lin Feng's heart had long since been forged into something incredibly resilient, and he would not feel excited or sad due to these external factors.

With thunder in one's chest but a face like a calm lake; perhaps that could vividly describe his current state of mind!

Lin Feng led Qiuqiu and Vina at the very front, while Jiang Peng led the remaining six starting team members behind them, and the reserve team was at the very back.

After last night's incident, Jiang Peng was completely won over by Lin Feng. When you are slightly better than others, you are met with ridicule and jealousy; when you are strong enough to be looked up to, you are met only with awe.

And Lin Feng was clearly someone they needed to look up to!

Soon, the group arrived in front of the competition stage.

The entire competition stage was one hundred meters long and wide, and five meters high. Around the perimeter of the stage were one hundred and eight metal pillars, all of which were genuine, large-scale defensive spirit tools.

After the competition began, one hundred and eight Spirit Masters would maintain the stage's protection. These metal pillars would form a barrier to block all Spirit Ability overflow, so as not to damage the imperial city or harm innocent citizens.

At this moment, Star Luo Plaza was vast and empty; apart from the soldiers, there was no one on the plaza.

The reason for this arrangement was because a serious stampede had occurred during the last event. This time, the Star Luo Empire attached great importance to it, not only deploying a large army to maintain order but also coming up with other methods.

The plaza was filled with iron railings. These iron fences, about 1.5 meters high, wouldn't obstruct the view of most people and could divide the plaza into different areas, ensuring that whether the audience was entering or leaving, there would be different exits.

In this way, it was much easier for the soldiers to maintain order.

On the west side of the competition stage, a luxurious resting area had also been built, specifically for the participating team members of each academy. However, the resting area could only accommodate about seventy academies.

With over one hundred and thirty academies participating, it was clear that there were no seats prepared for academies eliminated in the first round, which would further stimulate the fighting spirit of the participating academies.

The sun rose slowly from the distant east into the high sky, and Star Luo City, located in the center of the continent, suddenly warmed up.

On the city wall of the imperial city, a middle-aged man in a bright yellow robe and an eight-treasure purple gold crown stood with his hands behind his back. The position he stood in was the very center of the imperial city's main gate wall, and it was also the perfect place to overlook the competition stage below.

Beside him was a beautiful woman in luxurious court attire, accompanying him respectfully and gently. A few steps behind were the civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire.

Lin Feng looked up and could see him and the beautiful woman beside him.

Since that collision between the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Continent, the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire had changed from the White Tiger Dai family to the Star Crown Xu family.

It could be said that the outbreak of that war had completely changed the situation between the Sun Moon Empire and Star Luo. Not only did the Original Three Kingdoms experience significant turmoil, but the Sun Moon Empire didn't fare much better either.

As time passed, it took a full half-hour for the audience to enter, and the originally empty plaza suddenly became overcrowded. Fortunately, with those iron fences acting as barriers, it didn't appear too chaotic.

The sun was high in the sky.

"Quiet!"

A booming voice suddenly spread across the entire venue.

Hearing this voice, all the soldiers stood at attention and raised their spears. In an instant, a slaughterous Qi spread throughout the venue, and the previously noisy Star Luo Plaza immediately fell silent.

"His Majesty the Emperor arrives!"

"Whoosh—"

The masses knelt on the ground in large crowds; hundreds of thousands of people performed the same neat action simultaneously, a scene that was particularly spectacular.

Of course, as the team participating in this event, Lin Feng and the others did not need to kneel; they only needed to bow in salute.

"Rise, my subjects!"

Xu Jiawei surveyed the citizens of his territory with a gaze that was gentle yet dignified.

"On behalf of the Star Luo Empire, I welcome you all. The All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Spirit Fighting Tournament is a grand event for the entire continent, a tradition that has continued for tens of thousands of years from ancient times to the present."

"Now, I announce, the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Spirit Fighting Tournament officially begins!"

"Boom, boom, boom..."

As his voice fell, the roar of ceremonial cannons rang out from the city walls, continuing for one hundred and eight blasts before stopping. Star Luo Plaza had turned into an ocean of excitement and cheers.

"Next, for the first round of the competition, the two sides are: the representative team from the Tianling Advanced Spirit Master Academy of the Douling Empire."

"And the continent's number one academy, with countless honors, having swept almost all tournament championships for the past thousand years: the Shrek Academy representative team!"

The loud voice rang out across the entire Star Luo Plaza, and the atmosphere below instantly boiled over, with countless cheers and shouts erupting in an instant.

"Shrek!" "Shrek!!" "Shrek!!!"

The sound of people shouting "Shrek" covered almost the entire Star Luo Plaza; the honor accumulated over ten thousand years had long since placed them on the clouds.

Watching this scene before him, a strange arc appeared in Lin Feng's eyes.

The higher one stands, the more miserable the fall!

And what he had to do was to grind the invincible halo belonging to Shrek into pieces, bit by bit...