There was no opening ceremony for the advancement tournament. The matches could start immediately the next day, and this tournament was quite special.
First, the battles had changed from group fights to one-on-one duels. Second, no team would be eliminated in the advancement tournament—even if a team lost all fourteen matches, they would still proceed to the finals, though their ranking would be lower.
At first glance, this tournament might seem somewhat pointless, but it was essential. This was the most direct way to judge a soul master's strength, and it was also the best opportunity for the kingdoms and duchies to select talented individuals.
Qin Ming soon led the Emperor Battle team to the tents assigned to them in the military camp to discuss the next day's match. The opponent for the first round had already been decided—it was Barak Academy.
It seemed that the Emperor Battle team had truly stolen Shrek's protagonist role. In the preliminaries, they eliminated Elephant Armored Academy before Shrek, and now in the advancement tournament, they got Barak Academy, which should have been Shrek's opponent.
"Barak Academy's strength isn't too great. They only have two Soul Ancestor-level members: Captain Lofchy and Vice-Captain Orby, both at level forty-one. I plan to let…"
Just as Qin Ming was about to assign roles, Tianlin suddenly stepped forward and said, "Teacher, can I take the lead tomorrow?"
"You want to go up?" Qin Ming was surprised. He didn't understand what about Barak Academy was worth Tianlin's attention. Could it be he wanted to settle a grudge with the Ao family? "Xiao Tian, the past is behind us. Only by having a broad mind can you reach a higher state."
Qin Ming instinctively tried to advise Tianlin. Hearing this, Tianlin realized Qin Ming had misunderstood. He had no interest in Orby; his true target was Lofchy.
"Don't worry, Teacher Qin. I won't use the tournament as an excuse for revenge—that would be too petty," Tianlin promised.
"Well, then, today's strategy meeting ends here. Everyone, go back and rest." Qin Ming nodded. As long as Tianlin understood his meaning, that was enough.
"Sigh, Yu Feng, the advancement tournament is seven vs. seven, but Teacher Qin only assigned Xiao Tian. What about the rest of us?" Huanyin asked her boyfriend in confusion.
Yu Feng shrugged helplessly, "If Xiao Tian is taking the field, do you think any of us will get a chance?"
Just as they were settling in, two guests arrived outside their tent—Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe.
Tianlin stepped forward and said, "Uncle Ning, Brother Xue, what brings you here?"
Today, Xue Qinghe wasn't wearing her crown prince attire but was dressed in ordinary noble clothes, making her seem like just a regular noble. Especially standing next to the elegant Ning Fengzhi, she looked like a mere sidekick, not drawing attention at all. Her control over her aura was truly masterful.
Xue Qinghe smiled gently. "Of course, I came for you. This time, I was fortunate enough to accompany my royal father to watch the advancement tournament and came by to check on you. How is it here? Are you comfortable? If not, I can arrange for you to move elsewhere."
Tianlin hurriedly shook his head. "No need, it's already great here. Thank you for your concern, Brother Xue."
"Good, I'm glad you like it. Xiao Tian, I can't stay long; there's still much to handle at the palace. Here, all I can do is wish you the best of luck," Xue Qinghe said with a smile. "But I've already spoken to Father. When the finals arrive, I'll personally escort you to Spirit Hall City and cheer you on with all my might."
Unfortunately, because they were afraid of being discovered by the Titled Douluo beside Ning Fengzhi, Snake Lance Douluo didn't come today. Otherwise, if he'd heard Xue Qinghe's words, he would surely have twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Even though Young Master, you and Her Holiness the Pope don't get along, you're still technically on the same side, right? No matter what, shouldn't you be supporting Spirit Hall Academy? Now you don't even bother to hide your favoritism for outsiders?
"All right, Xiao Tian, Qinghe and I just came to see you. Don't let your guard down in the tournament, and we'll be leaving now," Ning Fengzhi advised before taking Xue Qinghe and leaving.
...
The next morning, the advancement tournament—testing the individual strength of these elite soul masters—finally began.
Unlike the preliminaries, the advancement tournament didn't have multiple matches happening at once. There was only a single arena: the Royal Knights' grand training ground.
Fifteen teams were participating in the advancement tournament, with fourteen rounds of round-robin matches—one round each day, with one team having a bye each day, for a total of seven matches per day. All matches were held in this same arena.
The grand training ground had been remodeled, with a hundred-meter-diameter area marked out as the competition field. Compared to the preliminaries stage, this space was much larger and allowed contestants to better display their abilities.
On the north side of the training ground, a temporary VIP and referee stand had been set up, facing south. There were fewer VIPs here than last time.
There were fewer nobles. Looking around, except for the first row—where Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Platinum Bishop Salas sat—the rest of the seats were occupied by military officers and some high-ranking members of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Hall.
There were also royal representatives from various kingdoms and duchies, all here to recruit talent. If someone stood out, they would try to recruit them.
Team battles tended to be chaotic and difficult to judge, but the advancement tournament was different. Every participant would display their individual strength before everyone, making it the best opportunity to assess a soul master's capabilities.
Pity the auxiliary-type soul masters, though—they had no place to show their worth here.
When the time came, Emperor Xue Ye stood from the VIP stand and announced through a soul amplifier, "The advancement tournament officially begins today. Over the next fourteen days, I hope each academy's team will do their best and display the spirit of soul masters."
As soon as he finished, a thunderous cheer erupted: "Long live! Long live! Long live!"
The Royal Knights raised their lances high; the clanging of armor and their loud shouts fully displayed the grandeur of a great nation.
The first match had already begun. The first to enter was none other than Godwind Academy. Their opponent: a team called Fabia Academy.
Surprisingly, the first contestant representing Godwind Academy was the official captain of Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Wushuang. Just like in the original story, the Blazing Fire Academy members had joined Godwind, exploiting a loophole in the rules. Although Blazing Fire lost and couldn't enter the advancement tournament, there was no rule against transferring to a qualifying academy to continue competing. Not only did they aim to win this first match, but they also wanted to win by a large margin.
With the combination of two top academies, Godwind instantly became a strong team consisting entirely of Soul Ancestor-level soul masters. Apart from Spirit Hall Academy and Emperor Battle Team, probably no other academy could easily defeat them.