As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 153 Who will win the flower?
On the spherical screen, the main stadium of Dawn Academy, which can accommodate 5,000 people at the same time, was packed to capacity.

The packed stands surrounded sixteen standard arenas that could simulate the effects of a real battlefield. Even before the contestants took to the stage, the atmosphere was so intense that it felt like the roof of the venue would be lifted off.

The highest quality Phantom Cards unleash incredibly realistic sound, light, and electrical effects. A dazzling array of colorful flames crisscross and coalesce into majestic heroic spirits and ferocious beasts, creating a scene of fierce battle.

As virtual giant swords and unstoppable claws swept over the audience, the scorching air currents even ruffled their hair, eliciting wave after wave of gasps and pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

Dawn City hasn't been this lively in a long time.

In this world where guardian spirits and sealing cards mean everything, the scale and level of the Spirit Control Tournament often symbolize the status and future of a city.

Only the headquarters and R&D centers of super corporations, those wealthy and thriving metropolises, have the strength to gather the most elite spirit masters in the entire Heroic Spirit Alliance to host the legendary super tournament.

If a city fails to make any significant impact in the Spirit Competition for several consecutive years, it often signifies a depletion of its financial resources, an economic crisis, a lack of appeal to businesses and talent, and a gradual decline into decline.

In the past few years, Liming Heavy Industry's rather stingy investment in the Liming Cup has made many insiders and even ordinary citizens worry about what kind of serious difficulties this pillar enterprise of Liming City has encountered.

The unprecedented success of this year's Dawn Cup has given a boost to everyone in the stands and even to all the citizens who are eagerly waiting in front of their screens.

Amidst the intense anticipation, a vice president of Liming Heavy Industry, as the opening guest, took the stage with a beaming smile and announced that the new mineral vein discovered by the company on the outskirts of Liming City had actual reserves three times higher than the estimated value, enough for Liming Heavy Industry to continue its past glory for the next thirty to fifty years.

To develop this unfathomably deep mine, Liming Heavy Industry's initial investment will reach two billion yuan.

In addition to the mine itself, a brand-new futuristic town using the most advanced sealing technology will be built around it.

The total investment is expected to exceed 10 billion!

To build a talent pool for its new development plan, Liming Heavy Industry has temporarily increased the rewards for this year's Liming Cup.

The champion's prize money will reach a staggering one million, an astronomical figure for the Youth Spirit Taming Competition.

Moreover, those who perform exceptionally well in this year's Dawn Cup will have the opportunity to sign a contract with Dawn Heavy Industry, become managers of a new development plan, and even receive shares in the new company.

This news completely ignited the entire audience.

From the athletes to the coaches to the spectators, the almost hysterical cheers and shouts spread directly from Dawn Academy to the entire city, even without being transmitted by television or radio.

The match began in an atmosphere that was almost out of control.

Hundreds of players competed fiercely in a single round-robin tournament, following a draw.

The youthful vigor and emotional intensity of teenagers, coupled with the "no loss" competition format, bring great excitement and uncertainty to the game.

Even unknown newcomers are sharpening their knives, trying to seize every opportunity to rank among the top in the previous competition, but they are also caught off guard and defeated by the experts who have studied them thoroughly.

As the champions and runners-up of the previous Dawn Cup, Wei Fang, the "Iron Man" of Brilliant Club, and Carlos, the "Golden Boy" of Shattered Star Club, made their appearances early.

They gave their opponents no chance and cleanly ended the battle within half a minute.

"After a year, Wei Fang and Carlos have both matured. Judging from their impeccable performance, they have completely surpassed the category of 'teenagers' and are now experienced and seasoned spirit masters!"

The team responsible for the live commentary of this year's Dawn Cup is also quite impressive.

Joe Foster, the head of the Spirit Master Technology Research Lab at Dawn Academy, is a seasoned Spirit Master in his sixties. A seasoned and battle-hardened expert, he fought against ancient monsters around Dawn City when it was still a mining town, protecting the safety of the mining sites.

Gu Xingzhou, the chief technical expert of the logistics and maintenance center of Liming Heavy Industry, is hailed as a senior card maker who can rival Dr. Hyde, the "Hand of Liming".

There was also a middle-aged woman who was not tall and had an unremarkable appearance, but whose life was the most legendary.

Born into a family of journalists, she began reporting from the front lines in the wilderness at the age of fifteen and worked as a war correspondent for twenty years. In order to capture the clearest images of the old ghosts, she lost an eye. She has only recently returned to the safe zone to recuperate and has been hired by Dawn Media as a special correspondent with a high salary.

All three commentators are well-informed insiders.

Yet, they were also infected by the ripples that seemed visible to the naked eye, created by the collision of youthful passion and the remnants of the past.

"At first glance, Wei Fang's 'cast iron arhat' is still at the peak of bronze level, just like last year, and has not been able to break through to the silver level."

Joe Foster couldn't help but exclaim, "But in my opinion, that's precisely where his brilliance lies."

"With Wei Fang's talent and diligence, it wouldn't be difficult for him to break through to the Silver level with 'Iron Arhat'. However, instead of choosing to significantly improve the data on paper, he took a longer and more difficult path, calming down, maintaining the Bronze level, continuing to solidify the foundation, hone his skills, and further improve his tacit understanding with his guardian spirit."

"And all of this happened after he won the Dawn Cup last year, after being overwhelmed by flowers, applause, glory and all sorts of temptations."

"Terrifying! This kid's personality is even more terrifying than his 'Iron Mountain Lean' stance. Although it's too early to say this now, I think Wei Fang has a very good chance of defending his championship title and upholding the glory of the 'Single Card Style'!"

"I actually think 'Golden Boy' Carlos is a bigger threat than he was last year."

As a senior card maker, Gu Xingzhou naturally prefers the multi-card strategy. "He is more composed than last year, and his timing for activating guardian spirits is more exquisite. He seems to have solved most of the magnetic field conflict issues between different guardian spirits. With just the combined skills of two low-level bronze spirits, he achieved an effect comparable to the core skills of high-level bronze spirits, bringing the essence of the 'multi-card strategy' to its fullest extent."

"It's hard for me to predict who will win the championship this year, but I believe that Wei Fang and Carlos will put on an even more exciting battle than last year!"

"You two—"

Wearing a black blindfold, with scars extending from the blindfold to her forehead and the corner of her mouth, war correspondent Kelly Gracie interrupted them, "Are you so sure Wei Fang and Carlos can both make it to the finals? Don't forget there's another seeded player worth watching in this Dawn Cup. Look, he's on the court, 'Blade Runner' Chu Zhifeng!"

(End of this chapter)