123: Preliminary round, ability demonstration

As soon as Qiangu Dongfeng finished speaking, ripples like water appeared on the floor of the venue, and various phantom spirit souls rose from the ground. There were majestic giant dragon spirit souls circling and roaring in the air; agile and cute Soft Bones Rabbit spirit souls hopping around; and elegant, mysterious Goshawk spirit souls soaring with spread wings. These phantom spirit souls were lifelike, as if they could step out of the illusion at any moment. They surrounded the entire venue, letting out cheerful cries, as if telling the people about the deep Origins between the Spirit Pagoda and spirit souls.

"Those... are all Artificial Soul Spirits!" The audience members' expressions changed one after another; the World had never expected the Spirit Pagoda's technology to have reached such a level.

"What truly allowed the Spirit Pagoda to change the landscape of the Spirit Master's world was the birth of Artificial Soul Spirits." Qiangu Dongfeng waved his hand lightly, and all the phantom spirit souls suddenly turned into data streams and vanished into the ground. A crystal-clear spirit tool display stand rose in the center of the venue. Inside the stand, a diamond-shaped crystal emitting a soft light rotated slowly, the patterns flowing on its surface resembling the halo of a spirit ring.

"This is the second-generation artificial spirit soul core we spent decades developing. Its appearance has broken Spirit Masters' absolute dependence on natural Spirit Beasts."

Along with the explanation, the scene of a Spirit Pagoda laboratory was projected around the crystal stand—hundreds of spirit tool experts and Spirit Masters gathered in front of a giant instrument, various precision spirit tool devices constantly flashing with light, and the air filled with dense Soul Power fluctuations.

"By analyzing the power of the Origin of over a hundred types of Spirit Beasts and combining it with the characteristics of human Soul Power, we have created energy lifeforms capable of condensing autonomously." Qiangu Dongfeng's voice was filled with pride. The projected image switched to a youth merging an Artificial Soul Spirit into his body. Instantly, brilliant spirit rings lit up around him, and his originally ordinary Spirit, with the enhancement of the Artificial Soul Spirit, burst forth with a powerful light that exceeded its own quality.

"Today, the Spirit Pagoda's Artificial Soul Spirit technology has iterated to the fourth generation." The crystal stand burst apart with a bang, and thousands of light points reorganized into four beams of light of different colors. At the top of each beam floated an Artificial Soul Spirit of a corresponding age. From the faint white light of ten years to the black lightning of ten thousand years, every Artificial Soul Spirit displayed the Spirit Pagoda's unmatched achievements in this field.

"We have even achieved attribute customization—Power Attack, Control, Support; any requirement can be met through Artificial Soul Spirits."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shocked.

This old geezer is planning to use this competition to promote the Spirit Pagoda, isn't he? This was the uniform thought in the minds of the countless factions present.

"And today, we are holding this Youth Genius Competition to discover more outstanding talents, inject new vitality into the Spirit Pagoda, and cultivate hope for the future of the Douluo Continent." Qiangu Dongfeng did not hide his intentions at all. His words were full of passion, and warm applause rang out in the venue once again.

As the applause died down, Qiangu Dongfeng raised his hand slightly, and the lights in the venue suddenly became soft. A group of dancers dressed in magnificent costumes walked gracefully onto the stage from the wings. Their costumes were decorated with exquisite spirit tool devices, which, as they danced, constantly changed into brilliant colors and light-and-shadow effects. The dancers' movements were elegant yet full of power, as if they were interpreting the development history of the Spirit Pagoda.

They sometimes simulated intense battles between Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts, sometimes showed heartwarming scenes of spirit souls and humans coexisting in harmony, and sometimes depicted the scenes of Spirit Pagoda researchers working hard in the laboratory. Accompanied by stirring music, the entire stage seemed to turn into a World full of stories.

When the dance performance reached its climax, countless petals suddenly descended from above the stage. These petals were not ordinary petals but were condensed from Soul Power, emitting a faint fragrance. The moment the petals fell, the dancers on the stage simultaneously exerted their Soul Power, echoing the petals to form a beautiful picture. The audience was immersed in it, enchanted.

When the dance ended, the venue once again rang with long-lasting applause. Qiangu Dongfeng stepped forward and said with a smile, "The glory of the Spirit Pagoda is inseparable from the efforts of every Spirit Master and the trust of all supporters on the Douluo Continent. In the future, we will continue to uphold our original intentions, constantly explore, and contribute even greater strength to the development of Spirit Masters and the peace and prosperity of the Continent."

Applause rang out like thunder. Qiangu Dongfeng stood in the center of the light, his expression solemn. "Now, I announce that the Spirit Pagoda Shrek City Youth Genius Competition has officially begun!"

With Qiangu Dongfeng's announcement, a deafening cheer erupted in the venue, the sound waves almost lifting the roof. In this warm atmosphere, the contestants were guided to their respective preliminary venues one after another. This preliminary round had a total of thirty-two venues, and it comprehensively tested the abilities of the geniuses.

First was the Spirit characteristic display. A huge Soul Power testing platform rose in the center of each venue, its surface covered with complex patterns that could accurately sense and analyze the Soul Power fluctuations released by the Spirit.

A youth was the first to step onto the testing platform. He took a deep breath, and his Soul Power suddenly erupted. In an instant, a phantom of a giant dragon entwined with lightning emerged from behind him. The giant dragon roared to the heavens, spreading outward from the testing platform.

"That's... the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!" The originally noisy venue fell silent instantly. The audience was shocked by this powerful Spirit that had been passed down for twenty thousand years.

The patterns on the testing platform flashed with light. A moment later, a light screen rose, displaying detailed data on the contestant's Spirit attributes, strength, potential, and more.

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, fifteen years old, Rank 32 Battle Spirit Elder, total potential score: 98!" The head evaluator's voice was full of surprise. The judges on the sidelines also nodded one after another, showing their approval of the youth's talent.

"I didn't expect that among the descendants of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects from twenty thousand years ago, there would still be someone who inherited this Spirit." Shen Guyan leaned on the railing, looking with interest at the various areas where the preliminaries were taking place.

The youth raised his fist toward the audience and said proudly, "My name is Yu Longyue, and I come from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! Don't try to imitate me; I'm just a legend."

"Quite a show-off!" Shen Guyan couldn't help but chuckle.

"As the top-tier Beast Spirit in the Spirit Master's world, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon can still hold its own against the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger Spirit today. It shouldn't be underestimated." Shen Yue rolled her eyes at him and reminded him.

At this time, Zhou Hanyou, Zhou Tianer, and Wang Dongqi were clearly a bit dazzled as they watched the displays of various powerful Spirits below. Every venue had breathtaking performances.

These geniuses from various academies and Sects across the Continent used their strength and talent to bloom with their own unique light on the stage of the preliminaries.

And the Spirit Pagoda's carefully designed preliminary events gave these geniuses a full opportunity to display themselves, while also selecting truly capable contestants for the subsequent matches.