The announcer on one side of the VIP stands declared in a resonant voice, "Now, may we invite His Majesty the Emperor of the Tian Dou Empire to officially declare this tournament open."
Just as Tang San had guessed, the Emperor of the Tian Dou Empire — seated in the center of the front row of the VIP stands, clad in a crimson-gold robe — rose slowly to his feet amid thunderous applause.
He raised his right hand and gave a gentle wave toward the spectator stands and the competing Soul Masters below. The applause quickly died down, and the vast arena fell into hush.
His deep, resonant voice carried across the entire grounds through the amplifying Soul Guide. "I, Xue Ye, Emperor of the Tian Dou Empire, representing the Tian Dou Empire as well as the organizers of this tournament, hereby declare the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament officially open!"
Applause erupted once more, and cheers rose in waves. But Tang San, standing among the competitors, suddenly noticed that the smile on the Emperor's face looked rather forced — as though he wasn't truly excited about the tournament at all.
Once the applause subsided again, the Emperor continued, "Here, I hope that every Soul Master participating in this tournament will fully demonstrate their abilities and achieve outstanding results. You are the pride of the Tian Dou Empire. For the glory of the Empire, let your brilliance shine!"
Applause sounded for a third time, and this time the eyes of the Soul Masters in the competition area burned with fervent light. For them, a tournament of this magnitude was the finest stage on which to showcase themselves.
The Emperor returned to his seat, and the announcer's voice rang out again. "Next, may we invite Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to deliver an address for this tournament."
As Ning Fengzhi rose, applause returned once more — accompanied by a great deal of interested gazes. As the foremost support-type Soul Master in the entire world, who wouldn't want to catch a glimpse of his presence?
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly and pressed both hands down in a calming gesture. "It is a great pleasure to be invited as a guest for this tournament's opening ceremony. As the clan master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, this seat has witnessed the growth of countless Soul Masters over the years. As the most noble profession on the continent, every Soul Master's development requires enduring countless trials. But what I wish to say is this — the sharpest blade is forged in the finest whetstone, and the plum blossom's fragrance comes from the bitter cold. Every participant in this Soul Master tournament is without exception an elite of the younger generation. As His Majesty has just said, I hope you will bring honor to the Empire and to your respective academies. The Empire needs talents such as yourselves. Thank you."
Listening to Ning Fengzhi's address, a trace of genuine warmth finally appeared on the face of the Tian Dou Emperor.
The announcer spoke up. "Clan Master Ning, as the most powerful support-type Soul Master, I'd like to ask on behalf of all the spectators here — among the twenty-eight teams competing in the Tian Dou City regional preliminaries, which one do you favor?"
Ning Fengzhi maintained his smile. "Aside from the first team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy, which enters the finals directly as a seeded team, there is one other team among these twenty-eight that I have my eye on. I believe they not only have the ability to pass through the prelimines, but stand a very real chance of winning the final victory of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
"Oh?" The announcer sounded surprised. "Might I ask which team has earned Clan Master Ning's admiration?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled mysteriously. "As to which academy this team belongs to, forgive this seat for keeping you in suspense — I cannot reveal that just yet. But I am confident that the ultimate champion of this tournament will belong to the Empire."
Seated beside Emperor Xue Ye, the Platinum Bishop who had been sitting with his eyes half-closed until now opened them at this moment. His eyes appeared cloudy and dim, lacking any brilliance, as his gaze swept across the twenty-eight competing teams in the arena — as though searching for the very team Ning Fengzhi had mentioned.
By now the spectators had already broken into animated discussion, everyone speculating about which team Ning Fengzhi favored. The cleverer ones naturally understood that he couldn't be referring to the second team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy — after all, their strength didn't even match that of the first seeded team, so how could they possibly be the final champions? But with a total of twenty-eight teams in the preliminaries and only five set to advance, guessing the right one was no easy task.
Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat, and the announcer smiled. "What a pity — we weren't able to get Clan Master Ning to reveal which team he favors. Next, may we invite Lord Salas, Platinum Bishop of the Tian Dou City Martial Soul Holy Hall and representative of Spirit Hall, to conduct the draw for the first round of the preliminaries. Once the draw is complete, the second team of Tian Dou Imperial Academy will face their first-round opponent. That match will be the only one held today."
Platinum Bishop Salas rose slowly to his feet and, guided by a court attendant, walked over to the announcer to begin the draw. He seemed quite reluctant to speak, handing each paired matchup to the announcer to declare.
"First round of the preliminaries — Canghui Academy versus Purple Star Academy."
"First round of the preliminaries — Oakland Academy versus Blazing Radiance Academy."
"..."