Chapter 164: The End of the Preliminaries
Luo Ling put away his scythe, casting a brief glance at the chaotic crowd before turning toward Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu on the stage.
"Do you want to continue?" he asked with a raised brow.
Pale-faced, Shui Bing'er bit her lip before finally replying, "We concede."
The referee, who had been too stunned to react until now, quickly called out, "Heaven Dou Royal Academy versus Tianshui Academy—Heaven Dou Royal Academy wins!"
As his words fell, the arena—aside from the collapsed section—erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.
Once again, they had witnessed the impossible—one versus seven. Yet unlike the mysterious and eerie style of the so-called Demonic Warlock, Luo Ling's battle had been raw, simple, and direct.
No tricks, no theatrics—just dominance through sheer power.
"Well fought," Luo Ling said politely to Shui Bing'er with a faint nod, before vanishing from the stage.
In the VIP seats, Emperor Xue Ye showed no anger over the damage to the Great Spirit Arena's wall. On the contrary, his expression was bright with satisfaction.
Luo Ling had showcased overwhelming strength—just like the legend of the Demonic Warlock. But Luo Ling was his academy's student, which made the victory even sweeter.
Platinum Bishop Salas watched calmly, though his neutral face couldn't hide the gleam of excitement in his eyes.
In Shrek's rest area, Ning Rongrong looked at Luo Ling with pure admiration, barely restraining herself from running over to the Heaven Dou section.
Even though she was well aware of his strength, witnessing this live—accompanied by the deafening cheers of the audience—made her heart race.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu also stared in awe, their eyes glimmering with intrigue.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun and Oscar, who had no direct enmity with Luo Ling, only felt a deep sense of envy.
Tang San and Yu Tianheng, however, were grinding their teeth in frustration.
For a brief moment, even Yu Xiaogang felt an overwhelming sense of despair at Luo Ling's sheer power. But he steadied himself quickly and turned to Tang San and Yu Tianheng.
"Don't lose heart," he said firmly. "Luo Ling may be powerful now, but don't forget—we have something he doesn't."
"Luo Ling is just a mortal. No matter how talented, he remains nothing more than that—a mortal!"
His words reignited their determination. Tang San and Yu Tianheng exchanged glances, understanding exactly what he meant.
They were followers of gods. If they continued their sacrifices and faith, a day would come when Luo Ling would be trampled beneath their feet.
They believed that without question.
…
Because Luo Ling had damaged the Great Spirit Arena, the matches were temporarily suspended—but only briefly.
Fortunately, the collapse caused only minor injuries among a few spectators.
Emperor Xue Ye immediately ordered healing-type spirit masters to tend to them and even handed out gold soul coin compensation.
The displaced audience members were then relocated to other seating areas, and within half an hour, the tournament resumed.
Next up was Shrek Academy versus Blazing Academy.
Perhaps shaken by Luo Ling's performance, Tang San and Yu Tianheng made numerous mistakes during their match.
In the end, they were completely defeated by Huo Wu's blazing "Inflaming Sun Dance."
Even so, Shrek Academy still managed to secure advancement. For an anonymous academy of humble origin, that was no small achievement.
With that battle concluded, the preliminary rounds officially ended.
Aside from Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the qualifying teams were Blazing Academy, Godwind Academy, Tianshui Academy, Thunderclap Academy, and Blue Tyrant Academy's Shrek team.
Finally came the awards ceremony and the granting of advancement certificates.
Each team received a reward of 10,000 gold soul coins.
When the prizes were distributed, Emperor Xue Ye addressed the gathered representatives from the top teams.
His gaze swept across the stage, lingering briefly on Luo Ling before he spoke with a smile.
"Children, allow me to congratulate you on earning your place in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament."
"As Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, I take great pride in your strength and accomplishments."
"You represent the empire's future. As the leaders and vice-captains of your teams, your performance has been exceptional. Therefore, I decree that the ten of you shall be granted the noble title of viscount."
He paused, then continued, "The remaining participating students shall receive the title of baron. Upon graduation, the imperial gates will be open to you, and your fiefdoms will be assigned accordingly."
As in the original events, the Emperor used the titles to win their loyalty.
Especially Luo Ling—when bestowing his title, Emperor Xue Ye even exchanged a subtle look with Ning Fengzhi.
After all, Luo Ling was publicly known as a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
What the Emperor didn't know, however, was that Luo Ling—and even the entire sect—had long since allied with Spirit Hall.
Just as in history, Bishop Salas stepped forward to challenge the Emperor's generosity, and the two exchanged polite verbal thrusts, while Ning Fengzhi remained smiling and silent.
In the end, Emperor Xue Ye ignored Salas entirely and even promised a bonus reward—one free spirit ring hunt for a beast under thirty thousand years.
With that, the preliminaries officially concluded.
After leaving the arena, Luo Ling began preparing for his next goal: obtaining new spirit rings.
Due to the tournament schedule, he hadn't been free to travel, but with a full month before the promotion matches, he had ample time to acquire two sixth spirit rings.
As for the Emperor's offer of spirit rings from a thirty-thousand-year beast—Luo Ling scoffed inwardly.
With his current power, he could easily endure the ring of a seventy- or even eighty-thousand-year spirit beast.
And once his two new rings fused, he might even achieve a one-hundred-thousand-year ring.
He was genuinely excited by the thought. For his upcoming sixth abilities, he hoped one of them would grant an illusion-type skill.
Instead of returning to Heaven Dou Royal Academy with Dugu Yan and the others, Luo Ling planned to visit Ghost Douluo. Hunting high-level spirit beasts would be faster with help.
As he strolled through the streets of Heaven Dou City, Luo Ling suddenly sensed someone following him.
He turned into a side alley, and the shadow trailing him followed as well.
It was Porcupinefish Douluo, whom he had seen several times before.
"Elder Cixue, what brings you here?" Luo Ling asked calmly.
"Your Highness, the Holy Son," the elder said respectfully, "the Young Master wishes to meet with you."
Luo Ling arched an eyebrow. Being discovered didn't surprise him.
Porcupinefish Douluo's respect only confirmed his growing authority.
"Qian Renxue wants to see me?" Luo Ling said with a faint smile. "Very well, lead the way."
Without further words, they headed straight for the Crown Prince's mansion.
Inside, Luo Ling entered Qian Renxue's chambers. She was no longer disguised, having returned to her true form.
Seeing this, Luo Ling chuckled softly to himself. "So she's stopped bothering with the disguise around me."
"Luo Ling," Qian Renxue said sharply as he stepped inside, "do you remember what you promised me?"
(END CHAPTER)
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