Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 418 The competition begins

The next day, the detailed rules of the competition were finally distributed to each participating team.

The rulebook was well-made, with the emblem of the Sun and Moon Empire clearly printed on it.

Huo Yuhao carefully flipped through the pages, his brows furrowing slightly.

The competition is divided into two stages: the preliminary round and the final round. Each match consists of individual and team competitions.

The individual competition adopts the common ring match format, with the winner remaining until all seven members of one side are defeated.

If you can achieve the feat of defeating seven opponents in a row, you will directly gain seven points! You will win immediately.

Team competitions are scored out of five points. This scoring system undoubtedly highlights the importance of individual competitions, where strong individual skills can completely influence the outcome of the entire competition.

A total of 168 teams participated in this competition, with sects and academies mixed together without distinction.

After fierce preliminary rounds, only 32 teams were able to emerge and enter the finals.

"The rules are clearly biased towards Soul Masters," Huo Yuhao said softly to his companions as he closed the manual.

The rules are extremely lenient regarding the competition venue and altitude restrictions, and even encourage aerial combat, which is undoubtedly extremely advantageous to Soul Masters who possess flying Soul Tools.

Subsequently, the three great empires and traditional soul master sects did not fail to lodge protests, but all of them were forcefully rejected by the Sun Moon Empire.

The official reason given by the Sun Moon Empire is grand and dignified: "The development of soul tools represents the struggle for air supremacy. If a true elite soul master cannot cope with or even control the airspace, how can they be called elite?"

This explanation left everyone speechless.

When Huo Yuhao found out, he had no choice but to accept it.

But he secretly thought that when the Sun Moon Empire discovered the "Natural Gate," which had at least three Soul Saints and was likely to have powerful aerial combat capabilities, he hoped they would still be so proud of this rule that did not restrict altitude.

To accommodate more spectators and allow Soul Masters to unleash their full potential, the competition venue was ultimately set up on a vast plain specially cleared out on the outskirts of Mingdu.

Under the strict escort of a large number of soldiers, 168 teams left the Ming capital in a grand procession.

Due to the unexpected appearance of "Natural Gate", the total number of participating teams became an even number, and the previously possible bye seats in the first round disappeared.

This thwarted the Sun Moon Empire's plan to secretly arrange for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy to replace Shrek Academy in the opening match—they couldn't possibly reduce a team in advance with foresight, and besides, it would be too embarrassing if discovered, the risk-reward ratio was too great, and it wasn't worth it.

When the team arrived at the suburban stadium, it was already packed with people. Tens of thousands of soldiers formed a tight cordon to maintain order.

In the sky, five hundred elite soul masters from the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Corps escorted the magnificent carriage of Regent Xu Tianran and his queen, Ju Zi, as it slowly descended beside a specially constructed high platform.

The two ascended to the high platform through a light curtain resembling a soul-guided elevator.

"quiet!"

A deep and authoritative voice instantly resounded throughout the arena, and the noisy scene immediately quieted down.

Gula's eyes flickered slightly as he recognized Long Xiaoyao's voice. Seeing Long Xiaoyao appear in Mingdu and assume a guardian-like role, Gula understood that this Dragon Emperor Douluo had probably been persuaded by Ye Xishui to participate in worldly affairs once again.

Immediately afterwards, the Regent's Consort Ju Zi, dressed in magnificent robes and exuding elegance, stood up and delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the Sun Moon Empire, officially announcing the opening of this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament.

As is customary, the previous champion should be the first to play in the opening match.

Originally, if Shrek Academy had a bye, the prize would have been awarded to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. However, now that the bye is gone, the Sun Moon Empire can no longer manipulate the game and can only watch as Shrek Academy, as the defending champion, is the first to step onto the field.

Orange smiled outwardly, her gaze sweeping over the Shrek Academy team. She appeared casual, but in reality, she was carefully observing each person.

However, she did not find that familiar figure in the group—Huo Yuhao.

A thought flickered in her mind, and she guessed that Huo Yuhao might be temporarily absent from the team for some reason, or perhaps he was hiding in the shadows.

Of course, she didn't reveal any of these thoughts, and Xu Tianran beside her remained calm.

The enormous soul-guided screen began flashing rapidly, drawing Shrek Academy's first opponent. Soon, the result was announced, and the referee loudly proclaimed:
"The first match is between Shrek Academy and Dragon Slayer Sect!"

On Shrek Academy's side, Gura's clone led the team members to sit in the best viewing seats.

He glanced around at the members who had originally been in the reserve team and casually asked, "Who wants to get off to a good start?"

Cao Jinxuan, the Lan sisters, and the others exchanged glances, all eager to try, yet hesitant.

After all, they were originally just the reserve team, representing Shrek Academy as the first team to perform. If they lost, the pressure would be immense.

Seeing their hesitation, Gula's clone directly named someone: "Then Wufeng, you go. Try to conserve your soul power. If you really can't, use the healing bottle to recover. Don't be stingy. This is your only chance to participate as regular team members, so don't embarrass me."

"Yes, Captain!" Wu Feng, with his fiery and straightforward personality, immediately stood up upon hearing this and strode onto the arena without hesitation.

Her opponent, a member of the Dragon Slaying Sect, also stepped onto the stage at the same time. He was an extremely burly and powerful young man whose martial spirit was none other than the Bronze Bull.

This martial spirit has an ordinary-sounding name, but it is a top-tier existence among bovine martial spirits. It combines offense and defense, and its power is astonishing. In particular, its pair of sharp bovine horns, which gleam with a metallic luster, exude an extremely strong sense of oppression.

The referee reiterated the rules: an individual match ends when one side is rendered unable to continue fighting or concedes defeat. Then, "The match begins!"

The young man from the Dragon Slaying Sect roared, his first spirit ring shone brightly, and his first spirit skill, the Power of the Savage Bull, appeared!
His muscles swelled again, his skin glowed with a bronze luster, his strength and defense were greatly enhanced, and he temporarily ignored pain, possessing a certain degree of invincibility.

This is one of the most suitable spirit rings for early-stage development, carefully selected by the Dragon Slaying Sect for disciples with the Bronze Bull Martial Soul over the past thousand years.

This is also where the ancient sects are stronger than academies; they specialize in a few types of martial spirits, and their legacy is the strongest foundation passed down through generations.

Wu Feng was not afraid at all. In terms of sect foundation, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind her was superior.

She is currently a level 55 offensive-type Soul King with a standard Soul Ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, and one black rings, just like her opponent.

With a sharp cry, her fourth spirit ring lit up—Dragon Soaring! Her figure transformed into a fiery red dragon shadow, ready to take flight.

However, she immediately felt her body sink and her movements slowed down noticeably.

It turned out that the opponent had activated their third soul skill, Bull's Gaze!
This soul skill automatically locks onto the opponent's mind when they act, and generates a powerful soul power suppression effect, reducing the enemy's speed. It is very compatible with the straightforward fighting style of the Copper Bull Martial Soul.

But Wu Feng remained calm. Even though his movements slowed, flight was still flight!
Moreover, "Dragon Flight" is essentially an acceleration soul skill, which perfectly cancels out the opponent's deceleration effect.

She transformed into a dragon shadow, swiftly flying low towards the Bronze Bull Soul Master. At the same time, her first Soul Skill, Dragon's Fire, dealt strong fire damage, and her second Soul Skill, Dragon's Fury, greatly enhanced her attack and defense, while also strengthening the effects of other Soul Skills!

As disciples of the same sect, Wu Feng, as the grandson of a Title Douluo and the designated next Guardian Douluo, has enjoyed resources and an understanding of martial souls far superior to that of an ordinary disciple of the Dragon Slaying Sect.

Moreover, her Red Dragon Martial Soul has an absolute quality advantage over the Bronze Bull Martial Soul!

The fiery red dragon shadow, carrying a scorching heat wave, nimbly circled around to the opponent's side and rear, delivering a fierce claw strike imbued with dragon fire and dragon rage, which landed solidly on the back of the Bronze Bull Soul Master.

"boom!

The blazing flames instantly engulfed the Bronze Bull Soul Master. His proud defense proved so fragile in the face of the Crimson Dragon Fire and its ultimate power. With a scream, he was blasted off the stage, crashing to the ground and losing consciousness.

Wu Feng easily ended the battle without even using his soul tool, and he himself was unharmed, only his soul power was somewhat depleted.

With a blank expression, she took out a baby bottle and began to recover her soul power. Her cold voice echoed throughout the arena: "Next."

The Dragon Slaying Sect was initially full of confidence, thinking that even if Shrek Academy held the title of number one, it was only the number one they had before when no powerful sects participated. They never expected that the first member of the opposing team could defeat their disciple so easily at the same level.

The captain of the Dragon Slayer Sect had a solemn expression. After thinking for a moment, he sent out a second person—Feng Shen, whose martial soul was the Lightning Falcon. He was also a standard five-ring Soul King.

This is a top-tier agility-based martial soul that excels in attack and speed.

Their strategy was clear: they realized that Wufeng couldn't fly at high altitudes for long periods, so they planned to use the extreme speed of the Lightning Falcon to outmaneuver and wear it down.

If Wu Feng uses his fourth soul skill to force his way into the air, Feng Shen can fly using his martial soul instinct, which consumes less energy, so they will still have the advantage.

The effects of Dragon's Fury on Wu Feng had not yet worn off. She tentatively threw a few balls of Dragon's Fire at Feng Shen, who was moving at high speed in the air, but he easily dodged them with his superb speed.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Wu Feng simply stood still, adopting a posture of waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out.

Feng Shen circled around continuously, launching several feint attacks to test the waters. After seeing Wu Feng try to grab him but fail due to insufficient speed, he felt certain.

He seized an opportunity, suddenly increasing his altitude, his spirit rings lighting up one after another, and his speed continuously increasing.

Surprisingly, a phantom image of a purple lightning falcon with a wingspan of over three meters appeared on his body.

This is a trace of the true power of the martial soul that can be used ahead of time only after the soul ring and martial soul have reached an extremely high degree of compatibility and the soul skills have a synergistic effect.

Although it may only be one percent, in a battle at the Soul King level, it is an advantage that can be described as a dimensional reduction attack!
Feng Shen's speed instantly surged to a terrifying level, making it extremely difficult for ordinary Soul Kings to even catch a glimpse of him.

He transformed into a real purple lightning bolt, descending from the sky and piercing straight at Wu Feng.

Wu Feng appeared to be at a loss, but in reality, he had been preparing for battle for a long time.

Just as Feng Shen entered the three-meter radius around her with the force of thunder, her third spirit ring suddenly shone brightly—Dragon Explosion!

"Boom!"

Centered on the witch's wind, the air within a three-meter radius seemed to ignite, causing a violent fire explosion, and the raging fire energy instantly swept outwards.

Feng Shen excels in both attack speed and defense, but his defense is his weakness.

He was caught off guard by Wu Feng's soul skill, which was specifically designed for close-range agility-type soul masters. His protective soul power was instantly shattered, and he screamed in agony, spitting out blood and his speed plummeted.

Wu Feng seized this fleeting opportunity, closed in, and delivered a straight punch imbued with dragon fire, sending him flying out of bounds.

However, Wu Feng himself was not having an easy time either. The Sun Moon Empire's rule of not restricting height gave Feng Shen enough distance to unleash his fifth soul skill and charge it up. The power of that attack had already touched the threshold of the Soul Emperor realm.

At the moment of the collision between the Dragon Explosion and the Dragon Explosion, the level-six defensive soul tool on Wu Feng's body triggered automatically, forming a light shield that offset most of the impact. Otherwise, she and Feng Shen would likely have been seriously injured.

Even so, in order to support the instantaneous consumption of the level six defensive soul tool, her soul power instantly dropped by more than 70%, almost losing her ability to continue fighting.

She dared not delay and immediately took out the baby bottle again, focusing all her efforts on restoring her soul power, hoping to win another match.

"That's... a defensive soul tool?" In the stands, many discerning spectators and contestants noticed the clue and immediately began to discuss it.

The team members in the stands looked even more serious.

Princess Xingluo's eyes flashed with a strange light; she hadn't expected the Shrek Academy team members to be equipped with such advanced soul tools.

"Is this the standard equipment of Shrek Academy, or the treatment the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School gives to its own disciples?" she wondered to herself. As a princess, she knew very well the origins of Ning Tian and Wu Feng.

As Wu Feng predicted, she managed to defeat the third Soul King from the Dragon Slaying Sect with her remaining soul power and the powerful physique of the Dragon Martial Soul. However, her own soul power was completely exhausted, and she had no choice but to admit defeat in the fourth match against a Soul King in full condition.

Wu Feng stepped off the stage, his face pale, but his eyes remained stubborn.

Gula's clone nodded slightly, his tone calm: "Well done. One against three of our own level is enough to demonstrate our strength."

Zhang Lexuan smiled gently from the side, "Junior, don't be so harsh. I think Junior Sister Wu Feng did a great job. Not only did she eliminate three people without revealing her fifth soul skill, but she also successfully tested out some of her opponents' methods."

Ning Tian also quietly gave Wu Feng a thumbs-up in appreciation.

Wu Feng finally smiled when he saw Ning Tian's approval.

Gula's clone turned his gaze to the person next to him: "Zhou Sichen, I don't want this to drag on to the team competition. The remaining four are yours, any questions?"

Zhou Sichen adjusted his glasses, a confident smile spreading across his face, and shook his head, saying, "No, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

The individual tournament's arena mode is perfect for showcasing Zhou Sichen's Treasure Manual Martial Soul.

His direct combat ability is average, but his Treasure Book Martial Soul can summon the soul beasts represented by the soul rings to fight.

With five soul beasts fighting in front, he can safely use the milk bottle to recover his soul power in the rear. Coupled with the other auxiliary or defensive soul tools he carries, he is simply a soul master born for the arena.

As soon as Zhou Sichen stepped onto the stage and the starting bell rang, the magic book in his hand rustled as five spirit rings flashed in succession!

Earth Bear, Flame Tiger, Thorn Forest, Netherworld Python, and Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Ghost-Faced Moth!

Five different-shaped and ferocious-looking soul beasts or plants were summoned at the same time, almost occupying half of the arena.

Summoning five powerful summons at once instantly consumed more than 70% of Zhou Sichen's soul power, and maintaining their existence continued to consume soul power.

But he didn't care at all. He had already taken out a high-end baby bottle and began to leisurely recover his soul power. The consumption and recovery of soul power were almost in balance.

Everyone watching, including the other participating teams, was somewhat stunned by what they saw.

"There's this kind of fighting style?!"

Moreover, the second Shrek Academy player also used a soul tool. Does this mean that the popularization and application of soul tools is now completely unstoppable?
The remaining four members of the Dragon Slayer Sect were all only at the Soul King level.

Faced with a combination of various soul beasts led by a ten-thousand-year-old Ghost-faced Moth, they were powerless to break through. Under the fearless attacks and strange abilities of the soul beasts, such as the Ghost-faced Moth's mental interference and the entanglement of the Thorn Forest, they were defeated time and time again and eliminated.

Ultimately, Shrek Academy won the individual competition with a huge advantage of 7 to 1, scoring 6 points.

Because of the individual victory, the team competition was skipped, and five more points were awarded.

Shrek Academy achieved a resounding victory in their first match, accumulating a total score of eleven points!

Leaving aside the formidable strength Shrek Academy displayed in this victory, their use of soul tools was a major focus. It seemed to be a harbinger, announcing to the entire continent the new combat style brought about by the combination of soul tools and traditional soul masters, sparking endless reflection and discussion.

(End of this chapter)