102: Chapter 102 Soul Master Competition

Several months passed in the blink of an eye.

Heaven Dou City.

The bustling streets that were usually crowded with people were deserted today, as everyone had flocked elsewhere, and the hotels of all sizes throughout the city were already fully booked.

Inside a luxurious suite in the hotel where the Tianshui Team was staying.

On the large, soft bed, Shui Binger lay curled up in Ji Xuan's arms, her water-blue hair cascading over his chest.

"A-Xuan," she said, her voice tinged with unease, "does she know about me?"

Ji Xuan's fingers combed through her long hair: "Not yet."

"Then what if she doesn't accept me?" She looked up, her small face tilted.

"She won't, don't worry." Ji Xuan rubbed her head.

Shui Binger pursed her lips: "Then can you tell me about her identity? I just want to understand a little more."

Ji Xuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I'm sorry, Binger, her identity is special, and I can't say it yet."

"...Alright." She stopped pressing him, her fingertips tracing circles on his chest, looking somewhat distracted.

After a while.

Ji Xuan patted her back, "Alright, it's time to get up. Get ready, we can't be late for the tournament opening ceremony."

With the tournament imminent, he didn't tease her too much, lest it affect her performance.

"I know." Shui Binger suppressed the unease in her heart.

The two got up, and the rustling sound of getting dressed filled the room.

...

Today was the day the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament opened.

Several months ago, after Ji Xuan had spent some time with Shui Binger in Element City, he returned to Heaven Dou City, spending most of his time Cultivating at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

During this period, due to the butterfly effect caused by Ji Xuan, many things within Shrek Academy had taken a completely different turn.

Because Xiao Wu was gone, Tai Long did not clash with Tang San, and naturally, the Strength Clan did not come to pledge their allegiance.

Ning Rongrong had listened to her father Ning Fengzhi's words and was quite concerned about Tang San.

However, her affection was unrequited.

Tang San only had Xiao Wu in his heart; even though her life or death was currently unknown, she still firmly occupied his heart.

Ning Rongrong's expressions of care ultimately failed to enter Tang San's heart.

And Oscar, who had always liked Ning Rongrong, saw all of this.

Furthermore, after he learned about the rules of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, that affection was gradually buried deep in his heart.

And between Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong, there was no longer the platonic relationship as it had been originally.

Yu Xiaogang feared that if Bibi Dong found out he and Liu Erlong were together, the consequences would be unpredictable.

But given Liu Erlong's temperament, how could she easily give up? She kept pestering Yu Xiaogang.

Just like at this moment, in the spectator stands, Liu Erlong was tightly clutching Yu Xiaogang's arm; with his low strength, Yu Xiaogang couldn't break free at all.

Furthermore, the Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao, who had disappeared for a long time, had also quietly returned to Tang San's side without anyone knowing when.

When he discovered Xiao Wu was missing, learned from Flender that she had been captured by the Spirit Hall, and further learned that the external Spirit Bone Tang San had just obtained had been forcibly taken by someone named Ji Xuan, he was instantly enraged.

He swore to grind Ji Xuan's bones into dust.

It was just that Ji Xuan was often in seclusion, and when he went to the imperial palace, he did so secretly, so Tang Hao hadn't been able to find him for the time being.

Two days ago, the various academy teams arrived in Heaven Dou City to compete.

Only then did Ji Xuan leave the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to find Shui Binger, whom he hadn't seen for several months.

...

Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

The huge circular stands were already packed, and the roar of the crowd rose and fell.

The various academy teams, wearing distinct uniforms, were guided by staff as they walked into the center of the arena one after another, receiving the attention and cheers of the entire audience.

Ji Xuan did not accompany the Tianshui Team.

After all, a male suddenly appearing in a team of beautiful girls would be too eye-catching and would inevitably attract unnecessary attention and speculation.

He chose to sit alone, quietly finding a relatively inconspicuous corner in the spectator stands, his gaze calmly scanning the arena.

In the VIP seats, Prince Xue Xing and the three committee members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy sat in the second row.

In the center of the first row sat the ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, Emperor Xue Ye.

However, the emperor's condition was clearly poor; sitting in the large chair, his body was slightly hunched, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Ever since Dugu Bo died, Qian Renxue had secretly increased the dosage of the poison, and he was now nearing the end of his life; being able to force himself to attend the opening ceremony was already a stretch.

On his left and right sides sat the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's Sect Master Ning Fengzhi and the Spirit Hall Platinum Bishop Salas, respectively.

Just then, an extremely conspicuous group of figures walked in from the entrance.

They were wearing strange, sh*t-green uniforms, with a green circular monster pattern printed on their chests, looking quite ridiculous.

"Hahaha, look quickly, what academy is that? Did they crawl out of a latrine?"

"Why do the green monster's ears look like trumpets? Hahaha, they're actually kind of cute."

A burst of laughter and discussion immediately erupted in the spectator stands.

The people arriving were none other than the Shrek Team.

They wore masks of a uniform style, and on their backs were the eye-catching words "Advertising Space Available," making them look like moving billboards.

The team consisted of ten people; in addition to the original six Shrek monsters, there were four students who had merged from Lanba Academy, and Tai Long from the Strength Clan had remarkably become an official team member.

Although Flender had received a large investment of gold coins from Ning Fengzhi, his stingy and miserly nature was hard to change.

In his calculations, if the Shrek Team could achieve excellent results in this tournament, it would not only make them famous but also bring in huge advertising revenue.

For Flender, the more money, the better.

It is worth mentioning that because Ma Hongjun was no longer affected by the evil fire, his figure had actually slimmed down quite a bit, though his demeanor and mannerisms had gained a touch of effeminacy.

"Next match, no matter what, I am not wearing this thing again, it's humiliating!" Ma Hongjun ripped the mask off his face, complaining in a shrill voice, "The Dean is clearly very rich now, yet he still insists on having advertising space."

"Exactly, we must make the Dean change it for us when we get back, it's really too embarrassing!" Ning Rongrong's pretty face hidden under the mask also flushed red, and she felt completely uncomfortable.

"Alright, everyone, calm down," Tang San comforted them, "We might not play today, so let's talk to the Dean together after we get back."

Xiao Wu, I don't know how you are doing right now.

A trace of pain flashed deep in Tang San's eyes; he made up his mind to lead the team into the finals and enter Spirit City.

Only when he got there would he have a chance to inquire about her whereabouts.

A long time later, the various academy teams had finished lining up in the center of the arena.

Whenever a team from an academy walked into the arena, a dedicated host would introduce them loudly, drawing waves of applause and cheers.

The last to enter was Shrek Academy.

When the host read out the phrase "The Champion with No Rivals," a burst of laughter and discussion erupted in the spectator stands.