Chapter 52 - TOURNAMENT’S BEGINNING

After 4 months of training, Shrek Students were going toward the arena which will hold the 'Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament', There were three rounds in the tournament first Qualifiers which is also an elimination round, second is Promotional round both these round will be held in Heaven Dou City and the final round which consists of semifinals and final will be held in Spirit City where main headquarter of Spirit Hall is situated.

A lot of things happened in these four months, Shrek student relentlessly trained, The Tang Sect's initial face of development also started, four single attribute clan are now gathered and settled down in Heaven Dou City. With strength clans and Defense clans effort the living arrangements of these clans were resolved. The building of Tang Sect headquarters is also ready but they haven't installed the hidden weapons int the d.e.s.i.r.ed places. Tang San and Tang Chen fulfilled their promises and gave them the techniques and manual under heavenly oath. They also got their first business order for mass production of hidden weapons from Seven Treasures Pagoda clan.

The students also have improved in these four months. Under the guidance of their instructors, they learned their system and role it played in the team.

Dai Mubai's has improved very much, after constant combat against the teachers he learned to fight all the different systems of spirit master. Like Grandmaster after the secondary awakening of his spirit, he got a dark attribute from it. He learned to use this attribute in his fighting style and soul skills. He is now at rank 49 and was sure to have broken through to the rank of soul king.

Oscar has not only trained in the academy but after breaking the clan arrived at the city, he regularly visited the Clan head Yang wudi to learn to utilize his spear offensively as before his fighting style only based on counterattacking as nobody can truly teach him to properly use the spear. But with the arrival of breaking clan, this problem got solved. He is now at the peak of rank 46.

Tang brothers just sparred with their own parents in the last four months. Tang Hao and Ah Yin, trained their sons, in both power attack and control system. Both boys have everything they just polished it even further. The training of boys was not easy facing An ultimate and A super douluo when they are using their soul skills wasn't easy at all. Boys also improved their ranks now Tang Chen is at rank 55 and Tang San is at Rank 53.

Ma Hongjun's also learned how to use his true fire efficiently and destructively under the guidance of Liu Er long. His cultivation speed didn't decrease due to the ultimate element of his spirit because os ice-fire yin yang well. The well contains two ultimate elements and was the best mimicry environment for those two elements. He was a rank 47 spirits master.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing both trained under Flander to polish their ability as agility system spirit master. Both girls used these months to get a better understanding of their secondary awakened spirit. Both girls were at rank 48.

Ning Rongrong was also improved her Heart Separation skill of her clan. It was because of this skill combined with their spirit the Seven Treasures Pagoda clan was considered as foremost support clan of the continent. She was also a rank 47 spirit master.

They arrived at the arena where the opening ceremony of the tournament was going on. Being the largest spirit master competition within the spirit master world, this championship did not only attract the attention of Spirit Masters. From the imperial families, nobilities to the commoners, every single citizen in Heaven Dou City saw this competition as their biggest festival. The opening ceremony would be held in the Heaven Dou Grand Spirit Arena. As early as a month ago, the tickets to the ceremony had already been completely sold out. The price for these tickets was the same as the ones to enter the central arena ring of the Spirit Arena. Excluding the VIP section which remained in the entire north side of the area, the remodeled Spirit Area could now hold eighty thousand spectators at the same time. The revenue from the ticket sales was large, but so was the amount the Spirit Arena had spent.

For the next period of time, all matches of the qualifying phase in the Heaven Dou Division would take place here. The Shrek group with their teacher arrived at the participant's area. There were very many teams that came to participate in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, representing close to thirty academies. today was the opening ceremony, and the first day of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. Apart from the opening ceremony, there would only be one match. The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy secondary team would conduct the first match of the round-robin tournament against the first opponent they drew. It could also be considered to be a spirit masters fight with something of a show nature. Otherwise, with only the opening ceremonies it clearly couldn't attract the interest of the audience.

This Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament had a cash prize, and moreover unusually direct. Each preselection match victory would award five hundred gold spirit coins, and entering the promotion competition would reward an additional three thousand gold spirit coins. If they could enter the finals, Heaven Dou Empire would not only award the title of baron but would also reward each member of the team one thousand gold spirit coins, regardless of whether they were regular or reserve members. As for the bonus of the last finals, it would be even higher. It was to attract talented spirit master with no prominent background toward the Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial family.

The participating team then were invited on stage and introduced to the crowd. Some well known Academies got a great cheer from the crowd. Shrek was a relatively new and unknown academy so they didn't get the cheer. Tang Chen was examining the remodeled arena.

Around the enormous wide open space were countless shouting and cheering spectators. Just ahead in the middle was a platform against a golden backdrop, and behind the platform were the remodeled VIP seats. As his gaze fell on the VIP platform, he unexpectedly saw a few acquaintances. One of them was the one who originally drove them away from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, prince Xue Xing, and also Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's three Deans. They all sat in the second row of the VIP seats, and in the first row were only three people.

The man in the middle wore gold and red robes, on his head a brilliant gold crown, his face like an old moon, and though apparently a bit older than prince Xue Xing, they still resembled one another. The difference was, this man's bearing was far from what prince Xue Xing could compare to. Despite appearing a bit aged, sitting there straight-backed he has people a feeling of being central. As if everything in the surroundings centered on him.

Without need to ask, Tang Chen could guess this man's identity. If even prince Xue Xing sat in the second row, then the identity of this man in the first row was obvious; besides Heaven Dou Empire's emperor, who could sit in this seat? Sitting to his left was an old man even older than him. Dressed entirely in red robes, wearing a pentagonal platinum hat, both eyes small as if he was asleep, with slim shoulders and a slender build like a javelin.

The person on the emperor's right, Tang Chen wasn't just familiar with, but moreover knew well. Ning Rongrong's father, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's master, Ning Fengzhi.Today Ning Fengzhi wore white robes, on his head the emblematic seven treasures purple and gold hat. As the schoolmaster of one of the upper three sects of the seven great schools, he was perfectly entitled to sitting here. As for the red-robed man on the other side, from the pentagonal platinum hat, Tang Chen could determine that this was Spirit Hall's platinum bishop.

Spirit Hall's highest ruler was no doubt the Supreme Pontiff, and under the Supreme Pontiff were four archbishops, their identity symbolized by the pentagonal platinum hat. This person here was no doubt one of the platinum bishops. Able to qualify as platinum bishop, this person should be the hall master of Heaven Dou City's Spirit Temple.

At this moment, Ning Fengzhi apparently sensed Tang Chen looking at him. Gaze roaming, he just met Tang Chen's eyes, smiling faintly at him and nodding slightly. The Seven Treasure Pagoda's schoolmaster has a great regard for Tang Chen. Because of him, he was now a soul douluo and his spirit evolved, In few more years, he may become a Titled douluo. This was the reason that he especially placed a massive order for hidden weapons despite its hefty price. The hidden weapons were beneficial to the clans but he was also supporting Tang Chen financially to establish Tang Sect.

The officiants then politely asked the Emperor to declare the Tournament opening. Applause resounded across the arena. Emperor got up his seat Declared the Tournament's beginning. After that, both Ning Frengzhi and Bishop Salas said their piece to the gathered audience and spirit masters. Salas words were somehow hinted to rope the talented spirit masters to the Spirit hall. Not many people had caught his drift bot Tang Chen and Tang San easily caught it. Tang brothers understood that the conflict between Spirit Hall and the Empire was already growing deeper and deeper, almost to the degree where it couldn't be reconciled. Then Bishop Salas drew the lottery for preselection competition's first-round draw. Afterward, Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's secondary team will fight their first drawn matchup. This is also the only match today. He announced:

"Preselection competition first round, Blue Sunshine Academy versus Purple Star Academy."

"Preselection competition first round, Auckland Academy versus Blazing Radiance Academy."

"Preselection competition first round, Heaven Dou Imperial Academy versus Shrek Academy."