The morning sunlight pierced through the clouds, its golden beams falling upon the land like threads of shimmering silk.
Bathed in this radiant light, the Pope's Palace shone even more brilliantly. Perched atop the mountain, it resembled a dazzling gem—solemn and majestic.
In front of the palace, two rows of Hall-Protecting Knights stood in perfect formation, clad in bright silver armor. The heavy knight swords in their hands reflected sharp flashes of light under the sun, as if they were ready to fight for their faith and honor at any moment.
Their presence filled the entire Pope's Hill with a chilling sense of grandeur and oppressive authority.
Early in the morning, the three teams that had entered the final three of the tournament were already gathered in the plaza before the Pope's Palace.
They stood quietly, fully prepared to face the challenges ahead.
The teachers of the three academies were also waiting around the outskirts of the plaza.
Watching their students stand before the Pope's Palace, pride and anticipation surged within them.
The final battle wasn't just a contest of strength—
it was a struggle for honor and dignity.
Teams that had been eliminated had no right to stand here and spectate.
With Pope Bibi Dong's permission, Tianshui Academy's captain and vice-captain Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu, as well as Blazing Academy's captain and vice-captain Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu, appeared at the edge of the plaza.
The four of them stood together with the teachers of the Godwind Academy team.
All stood silently, waiting for the final moment to come.
A short while later, a procession of people emerged from the side door of the Pope's Palace and walked to the front entrance, forming two rows of six on each side.
These twelve people wore red robes—Red-robed Bishops—second only to the Platinum Bishops in status within the Pope's Palace.
The leading Red Bishop raised his voice:
"His Holiness the Pope has arrived!"
"Long live, long live, long live!"
The thunderous chant echoed throughout all of Pope's Hill.
The massive, imposing doors of the Pope's Palace slowly opened, drawing everyone's eyes.
Bibi Dong finally appeared.
She wore a brilliant golden ceremonial gown, a purple-gold crown atop her head, and held a golden scepter in her hand. Her expression was solemn, her entire being radiating the majesty of the Pope.
All those belonging to the Spirit Hall dropped to one knee instantly.
"Greetings to Your Holiness the Pope!"
Bibi Dong walked forward at an unhurried pace.
Behind her followed four figures: Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Master Ning Fengzhi.
Anyone who exited through the front doors of the Pope's Palace held an extraordinary identity.
Although Ning Fengzhi was not a Title Douluo, his special status as an Honorary Elder of the Spirit Hall allowed him to be present.
Shrek's Seven Devils did not kneel, making them stand out immediately from the crowd.
Bibi Dong's gaze swept straight to those seven.
The Red Bishops and Hall-Protecting Knights all glared at the Shrek members, unable to believe they dared show such disrespect.
"How dare you! You behave disrespectfully before Her Holiness!"
Bibi Dong remained calm. She lifted her hand slightly, and the Red Bishop who shouted immediately fell silent, fear written across his face.
Her gaze settled on Tang San, and she smiled.
"You are Tang San, the disciple of the Grandmaster, correct?"
Tang San paused, then replied with neither arrogance nor servility:
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Bibi Dong nodded.
"Good. You truly carry a trace of your teacher's spirit."
"I am unworthy of comparison to my teacher," Tang San answered politely.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and the Godwind Academy members were all astonished. They hadn't expected the Pope to speak to Tang San first, or that she seemed to have known his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, long ago.
Bibi Dong did not linger her gaze on Tang San. She gently waved her scepter.
"Rise."
Everyone stood.
Bibi Dong then swept her gaze across the twenty-one young soul masters participating in the finals and said with a light smile:
"You are the elites of this year's Soul Master Tournament. I see hope in all of you. I expect to witness your fullest potential and strength. The final victors will receive the generous rewards prepared by the Spirit Hall."
As she ended her words, she waved her scepter lightly. Three points of light expanded in front of her, floating in mid-air.
They were three soul bones, each glowing with a different color.
A fiery red right arm bone.
A pale blue skull.
A dark green left leg bone.
The radiance alone showed their extraordinary quality.
"These three soul bones are the Spirit Condensing Wisdom Skull, the Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm Bone, and the Swift Gale Left Leg Bone, all taken from soul beasts of over ten thousand years. Among them, this Wisdom Skull came from a soul beast over fifty thousand years old—personally slain by the former Pope. It is a true treasure among soul bones."
Hearing Ghost Douluo's introduction, the crowd was stunned.
Soul bones were extremely rare and priceless—many soul masters never obtained even one in their entire lives.
For Bibi Dong to take out three at once showed how much she valued this tournament.
On the surface, all finalists were competing for these soul bones.
But anyone with discernment knew that these treasures were meant for the three Spirit Hall prodigies who had earned the Purple Record Badge.
Hu Liena, as Bibi Dong's disciple and a control-type soul master, was clearly meant to receive the Wisdom Skull.
The Flame Right Arm Bone perfectly matched fire-attribute soul masters—this was evidently for Yan.
The Swift Gale Left Leg Bone would greatly enhance Xie Yue's speed, clearly intended for him.
Even so, Tang San still wanted to compete. As a control-type soul master, obtaining that Wisdom Skull would greatly boost his spiritual power and help elevate his Purple Demon Eye to a higher realm.
Seeing everyone's anticipation, Bibi Dong said calmly:
"These three soul bones will belong to the champion team. And there will be only one champion. I hope each of you will give your all. The individual competition will begin soon—draw your lots."
"Your Holiness, please wait."
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke.
Bibi Dong turned her calm gaze toward him.
"Grandmaster, do you have an objection?"
Yu Xiaogang said evenly:
"Shrek Academy forfeits the individual competition and voluntarily enters the losers' bracket match this afternoon."
His decision shocked everyone.
Bibi Dong remained composed, as though she understood his intentions.
"Very well. As you wish. Upon forfeiting, Shrek Academy will automatically enter the losers' bracket."
No sooner had she spoken than Godwind Academy's leading teacher also stepped forward.
"Your Holiness, Godwind Academy likewise forfeits the individual competition and will enter the losers' bracket."
Bibi Dong smiled faintly.
This meant the Spirit Hall Academy team would directly enter tomorrow's championship match.
"Good. Then Godwind Academy and Shrek Academy will compete this afternoon in the losers' bracket for the final spot in the championship match."
According to the tournament rules, the three teams would normally first compete in an individual elimination round that morning. The team with the best performance would directly advance to the finals.
The remaining two teams would battle in the afternoon for the other finals spot.
This format was clearly most advantageous to the Spirit Hall Academy, whose members all had soul power above level forty-five. It would be effortless for them to secure the final spot while remaining in perfect condition.
The other two teams, after competing individually, would still have to fight a team battle in the afternoon—consuming both stamina and soul power, with great risk of injury.
That was why Yu Xiaogang chose to forfeit.
As long as Shrek defeated Godwind Academy in the losers' bracket, they could still enter tomorrow's final battle.
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