The competition had concluded, and Emperor Xue Ye delivered yet another impassioned speech to inspire and motivate everyone. The Grand Finals would begin soon after. That was where the true battle to determine the strongest academy on the continent would take place.
As the sovereign, Emperor Xue Ye naturally could not leave Tian Dou City. After his address, he announced that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe would represent him as the Tian Dou Empire's envoy to oversee the judging of the finals. As for the fifteen teams from the Tian Dou Empire, the Crown Prince would personally escort them to a city at the border of the two great empires for the final Grand Finals. The finals would be hosted and organized by Spirit Hall.
The participating teams were given only three days to adjust. After that, all fifteen teams, along with their teachers and an escort of five hundred Royal Knight soldiers—over a thousand people in total—set out for the host city of the Grand Finals: Spirit Hall City.
The finals had not originally been scheduled to take place in Spirit Hall City, but for reasons unknown, Spirit Hall had suddenly changed its plans. This year's final showdown would be held in Spirit Hall's main city. This city belonged almost entirely to Spirit Hall. Situated at the border of the two great empires, neither empire held any sovereignty over it. Most importantly, one of the two most sacred halls of Spirit Hall—the Papal Hall—was located right within Spirit Hall City.
This newly constructed Papal Hall was hailed as the most magnificent structure in all of Soul Land. And it was precisely because of this new Papal Hall that Spirit Hall City had become the holy land for all Soul Masters—Spirit Hall's own self-proclaimed capital.
The journey from Tian Dou City to Spirit Hall City would take roughly twenty days. The Grand Finals would not last very long, since the entire tournament was single-elimination. With a total of thirty-three teams, the winner would be decided in fewer than ten days.
Spirit Hall placed enormous importance on this Grand Finals. Even while the advancement tournament was still underway, Spirit Hall City had already set aside a dedicated venue for this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament Grand Finals. At the same time, Spirit Hall issued a decree: during the duration of the tournament, non-Soul Masters were strictly forbidden from entering to watch the matches. Not even nobles were exempt. This only added to the air of mystery surrounding the final tournament.
Commoners did not resent Spirit Hall's decree. After all, Soul Masters had always been figures who towered above ordinary people. Spirit Hall was nothing less than their temple, their holy ground. When the Pope himself issued a decree, who dared to object?
The procession of over a thousand departed in grand fashion. Although each academy operated independently, they were all representing the Tian Dou Empire, and the tension between them was far less than it had been during the preliminary and advancement rounds. Several academies with better relations even traveled together.
Shrek Academy remained the most attention-grabbing of the group, but the lesser-accomplished academies were reluctant to get close to them. The Four Elements Academy, perhaps humbled by their defeat in the advancement rounds, had also become considerably more low-key.
To allow the competing teams to rest more comfortably, the Tian Dou Empire had specially commissioned fifteen enormous luxury carriages for the participants. These carriages even incorporated some basic Soul Guide technology, providing excellent shock absorption. The ride was remarkably smooth. Of course, the Soul Guide technology that had been passed down across Soul Land was limited to these rudimentary applications.
From the day of departure, one person had been notably absent from Shrek Academy—a very important person. The Great Master.
Not even the Shrek Seven Devils knew where he had gone. The Great Master had not told even Tang San. The day after the advancement tournament ended, he had quietly slipped away alone, without even bringing Liu Erlong. Emperor Xue Ye, who had sent someone to invite him, was deeply disappointed.
"Xiao Wu, your godmother's temper has been rather awful these past few days! What's going on?" Ning Rongrong whispered to Xiao Wu as they sat in the carriage.
Xiao Wu shook her head helplessly. "I don't know either. But Mom's temper has never been great to begin with. Everyone should be careful these days. Whatever you do, don't anger her, or you'll only have yourself to blame."
Ma Hongjun chimed in from the side, "Who would dare provoke the Tyrant Dragon? One that breathes fire, no less."
Dai Mubai glared at him. "Keep your voice down—do you want to get us killed? If I'm not mistaken, Teacher Erlong's foul mood recently probably has something to do with the Great Master's departure. But since she hasn't exploded yet, she probably knows where he went. That's strange, though—Xiao San, how come you don't know where the Great Master went either?"
Tang San smiled faintly. "How would I know what Teacher intends to do? Boss Dai, you should focus on recovering your injuries. Otherwise, if you can't fight in the Grand Finals, wouldn't that be miserable?"
Dai Mubai snorted. "It's only been three or four days, but the wounds on my body have already closed up. Regardless, winning against Yu Tianxin's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul is more important than anything else. Anyway, let's not waste any more time. These carriages are excellent—you can cultivate in them without any issue. Most of you are on the verge of breaking through. Start training now. Try to gain another level before the tournament begins. That way, we'll have a better chance."
Tang San nodded, his gaze sweeping across the group. "For us, the real threat still comes from the team Spirit Hall has sent. Only by defeating them can we claim the ultimate championship. That will be the greatest test the Shrek Seven Devils have ever faced since we came together."
The moment that team was mentioned, everyone's expressions grew somber. They had already learned from Tang San just how formidable their future opponents were. In particular, those three opponents who held Spirit Hall's Purple Registry Medal and had broken through to the fiftieth level before the age of twenty-five. Although the Shrek Seven Devils had similar potential after consuming the precious medicinal herbs Tang San had given them, they had not yet reached that level.
Facing such opponents in the tournament would be extraordinarily difficult with their current strength. But the opponents existed, and they could not run away.
How to defeat them had been the question occupying their minds for days. But with the Great Master absent, no one was arranging their tactics, so they could only drill with Tang San at the center.
Tang San looked at the heavy expressions on everyone's faces and let out a soft sigh. "What worries me most isn't actually those three opponents above the fiftieth level. If their lineup is simply three Soul Masters above level fifty and four in their forties, we still have a chance. My Eight Spider Lances and Twin Martial Soul should be able to hold one. The remaining two could be handled by Boss Dai and Zhuqing's Martial Soul Fusion Technique. We also have Rongrong and Xiao Ao providing support. We'd still have a fighting chance. What concerns me most right now is whether they possess Soul Bones and Martial Soul Fusion Techniques. If those factors come into play, we'll have almost no chance of winning."
Oscar spoke up. "Xiao San, didn't you say before that the championship prize Spirit Hall has put up is three Soul Bones? If the prize is Soul Bones, it's probably meant to motivate the Spirit Hall academy team members. That being the case, the chances of them already possessing Soul Bones are extremely slim. After all, Soul Bones aren't something you can just find anywhere. The fact that Spirit Hall is offering three is already a massive show of generosity."
Tang San nodded. "You're right. So what we need to watch out for is whether they can use a Martial Soul Fusion Technique. In our tactical framework, we have to be especially careful about controlling for that."
A faint light flickered across Tang San's face, and a cold gleam appeared in his eyes. He pressed his palms together before his chest, and with each pulse of light in his gaze, the air around him warped ever so slightly. A faint purple-gold shimmer drew the attention of the other six Shrek Seven Devils, but no one interrupted him. They all knew that Tang San must have thought of something.
"Bros from the Blazing Fire Academy, may I come in?" Feng Xiaotian called out as he walked alongside the Blazing Fire Academy's carriage.
After his match with Tang San, he had suffered severe injuries, but Tang San's words had also given him a glimmer of hope. Now that his body had barely started to recover, he had rushed over to see the one who occupied his heart.
"Brother Feng, what brings you here?" The carriage curtain was lifted to reveal Huo Wushuang's face.
Feng Xiaotian smiled awkwardly. "It's nothing really—is Sister Huo Wu in there? I came to apologize to her."
Huo Wu's gorgeous face peeked out from beside Huo Wushuang. "What do you have to apologize to me for? You didn't do anything wrong."
The moment Feng Xiaotian saw Huo Wu, his eyes lit up—only for a look of anguished regret to immediately wash over his face. "Sister Huo Wu, I let you down! I couldn't fulfill your request. I still lost to Tang San. I..."
"Stop, you did nothing wrong." Huo Wu cut him off. "I didn't expect that Tang San was still holding back his true strength. He's far too powerful. But since he's a descendant of the Haotian Sect, all of that is easier to explain. A loss is a loss. Right now, I just want to see whether he can crush the other opponents in the Grand Finals—and what rank he'll achieve."