Douluo: Trinity, I run through the timeline.

Chapter 185 Opening Ceremony
"Xiao Hongchen, I know you're eager to try, but there's one thing I need to remind you: Shrek Academy has always been the champion team of the Soul Fighting Tournament!"

Old Ma looked at Xiao Hongchen with a stern tone, then looked around at everyone and gave them instructions.

“None of you can be careless. Customizing ten rare metals is enough to raise your strength by one level, even if you only get one spot in the end. Take Ma Rulong as an example. With a suitable piece of spirit metal, he can at least make and easily use a level seven soul tool!”

The creation itself isn't the problem. If they really push themselves to the limit, all the Soul Master geniuses present can create Soul Tools that are beyond their level. After all, it's only a matter of a fifth-tier Soul Master creating a sixth-tier Soul Tool, and a sixth-tier Soul Master creating a seventh-tier Soul Tool.

If you keep at it, you'll eventually be able to make one or two pieces.

However, whether or not it can be used is another question.

Soul tools are made for soul masters to use, not to be used as decorations.

"I even tailored a level seven soul tool for him that he could use, with power that could even reach the level of a level eight soul tool."

"Want this spot? If you do, don't make a mistake. There are ten custom spots for the champion. Whoever performs well in the battle will definitely get one spot. But if you're the runner-up, there are only three spots. How are you going to divide them?"

"After the collision of the two continents, thousands of years have passed, and the Soul Fighting Tournament, held every five years, has been held hundreds of times. We have never been able to win the championship, so don't think that just because you are the chosen ones, you can definitely defeat Shrek Academy."

"I want you to give me 120% effort and take this competition seriously!"

Old Ma's words silenced everyone.

He no longer laughs and jokes at the world.

In hundreds of major competitions, the Sun Moon Empire has never won a championship.

Old Ma's words weighed heavily on everyone's mind.

Shrek should not be underestimated.

Su Ming was well aware of the quality of this year's Shrek team. To be honest, if he hadn't been there, a fully-fledged Shrek team would have definitely won the championship.

The Shrek team attends a small auction every day, only to leave disappointed.

There were no auctions featuring spirit metal.

The Blacksmiths' Association seemed to have suddenly lost interest in money, and surprisingly failed to seize the opportunity to auction off spirit metals before the competition.

"Everyone, get some rest. We have an exhibition match at the opening ceremony tomorrow."

Today, Xingluo City is different from others. As the first rays of sunlight shine into Xingluo City in the morning, this capital of the empire exudes a solemn atmosphere.

All streets around Xingluo Square were blocked off by soldiers. Thousands of soldiers were also stationed around the Xingluo Royal Hotel, where members of various teams were housed. The road leading to Xingluo Square was only open to participating teams to ensure the smooth running of the competition.

The arena used for this Soul Battle Tournament was built in front of the imperial city gate, so that the Star Luo Emperor could watch the battle from a high vantage point on the city wall, which not only provided the best view but also ensured his safety.

The arena is 100 meters wide and 5 meters high, surrounded by 108 metal pillars. Each pillar is not just for decoration, but a real defensive soul tool. Once the competition begins, the 108 soul masters will control it to form a protective shield that prevents all soul skills from leaking out, so as to avoid damaging the imperial city or harming innocent people.

The imperial city is located on the north side, facing south. A luxurious rest area has been built on the west side of the competition platform for the participating teams to use.

The other two sides are for the spectators. This plaza, thanks to the Star Luo Empire's meticulous planning, is large enough to accommodate 200,000 spectators. Of course, watching the competition isn't free. Regular seats cost two gold soul coins, and the closer to the arena, the more expensive the seats. The closest row costs one hundred gold soul coins per person to enter.

The most outrageous thing is that in order to save space and allow more people to watch, the Star Luo Empire officially limited the space for each audience member, so they could only stand and watch, even the richest people in the innermost seats.

As the Sun and Moon Royal Team entered the arena and observed the situation with the audience in the preparation area, Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but question, "Wouldn't it be easier to manage if we arranged some seats? One person per seat wouldn't waste much space. The Star Luo Empire is really obsessed with money. Besides, I see that Star Luo City has a stadium, so arranging it in the stadium would eliminate the need to build seats."

If it were held in Mingdu, it would attract at least a million viewers. Seating arrangements and soul-guided screens would also be provided, so even those who couldn't get a seat could watch the live broadcast in various squares throughout Mingdu.

Old Ma glanced at the audience, not really caring about such things.

The competition is the most important thing.

"quiet!"

A loud sound echoed throughout the square, and all the soldiers around the square raised their spears. A chilling aura filled the square, and the once noisy square immediately fell silent.

"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"

Xu Jiawei appeared on the city wall, with the Empress and civil and military officials lined up beside him.

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is the most important event in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent. This year, it's our Star Luo Empire's turn to host it, and I'm very pleased. Here, on behalf of..."

After some pleasantries, Xu Jiawei got down to business.

"Before the competition begins, I will explain the competition process to the participating teams."

"The first round of the preliminary round is an elimination round, where the loser is eliminated. It is expected to be completed within three days. After that, the teams will be divided into groups for a round-robin tournament, followed by the qualifying rounds and the finals."

"As is customary, the Star Luo Empire will award the champion of this competition with three soul bones and one million gold soul coins. I have already selected ten soul bones from the treasury, and the winning team can choose three of them as a reward."

"In addition, this Soul Fighting Tournament is different from the past. We have received sponsorship from the Blacksmith Association, and the top three in this tournament will receive additional rewards."

Xu Jiawei paused for a moment after saying this.

He looked down at the imperial city and saw many puzzled gazes.

"The champion will receive ten custom-made spirit metals, the runner-up three, and the third-place winner one. The Blacksmith Association guarantees that the custom-made spirit metals will be completed within one year and will be of the highest quality, forged a thousand times!"

I really don't know, I'm completely baffled.

Those who knew about spirit metals were now filled with fervor.

Indeed, most people are unaware of the gold content of spirit metals.

Su Ming had anticipated this.

After this competition, news of spirit metal will officially spread throughout the continent, no longer limited to the top echelons of various forces.

"Thanks to the Blacksmith Association for sponsoring this event, in addition to an exhibition match between Shrek Academy and a randomly selected lucky team, there will also be a blacksmithing demonstration at the opening ceremony of this competition."

A forging demonstration?
At this time, the atmosphere in the square was still gloomy.

The audience simply doesn't understand what's so interesting about forging.

(End of this chapter)