Douluo Continent: The Eternal Dawn

Chapter 151 A Long Time Under the Guise of Popularity
On the city wall, Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire, dressed in a bright yellow robe and wearing an eight-treasure purple-gold crown, stood with his hands behind his back.

He was standing in the very center of the imperial city wall, which was also the best spot to watch the competition below.

Beside Xu Jiawei stood a blonde girl in a magnificent bright yellow palace dress. Her elegant and noble demeanor was even more striking than her stunning beauty; her every gesture seemed perfectly natural.

The girl was none other than Princess Xu Jiujiu of Xingluo, seventeen or eighteen years old, in the prime of her youth. Her long, smooth golden hair cascaded down her back, and her gaze was fixed intently on Ye Xixuan in the rest area not far away.

The civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire were located a dozen meters behind the two.

Ever since Ye Xixuan entered, she had been watching him closely. Seeing that he had disregarded the rules of the Star Luo Empire's organizers and entered the rest area without permission, a hint of anger appeared in her bright blue eyes.

Due to the power of Shrek Academy, the Star Luo Empire royal family had no choice but to submit to what happened back then, but she, who was always proud, was not convinced in her heart.

"Brother, he's acting so arrogantly, is he here to demand an explanation from us?!"

"Shut up!" Xu Jiawei's expression changed slightly as he sternly ordered the emperor to stop, a rare display of anger from this emperor who usually kept his emotions in check.

“Jiujiu, I know you’re not convinced. But regardless of his age, all you need to know is that Shrek Academy is behind him. Besides, his talent is undeniable, and he is the only heir to the Sea God Pavilion.”

"No matter how talented he is, his age is his weakness. Shrek Academy may not be able to defeat our Star Luo National Academy this time." Xu Jiujiu's attitude softened a lot, but she was still a bit stubborn.

"According to our information, Shrek Academy has encountered some kind of misfortune this time, with key members, including Captain Ma Xiaotao, suffering serious injuries. Furthermore, with the addition of Dai Yueheng to our Star Luo National Academy, the outcome is still uncertain!"

"Jiujiu, I don't care about your competition with Shrek Academy on the field, but you absolutely cannot make any mistakes afterward. Also, you need to pay attention to your attitude." Seeing Xu Jiujiu soften her stance, Xu Jiawei's emotions calmed down considerably. After all, she was his most beloved younger sister.

Moreover, Xu Jiujiu is one of the few direct descendants who inherited the Xu family's Star Crown Martial Soul, and she is also extremely talented in cultivation, which makes her highly valued by him.

Xu Jiujiu couldn't help but hesitate and ask, "Brother, we finally obtained that thing with great difficulty. Are we really going to give it away so easily?"

“Even the most precious things need someone to use them, and besides, we need to use them to show our sincerity.” Xu Jiawei sighed helplessly. In the end, this was all trouble caused by Xu Jiujiu.

Xu Jiujiu clearly realized this as well, and lowered her head in shame. After a moment of contemplation, she seemed to suddenly realize something and said something surprising.

"Brother, why don't we try proposing a marriage alliance with Shrek Academy?"

"You...and that Ye Xixuan?" Xu Jiawei hesitated for a moment, then scrutinized Xu Jiujiu with a serious expression. If the marriage between the two could be successfully completed, it would undoubtedly be of great benefit to the Star Luo Empire's royal family.

Xu Jiujiu nodded, her pretty face slightly flushed, and said firmly, "As a royal princess, one must always make some sacrifices for the country. In that case, why not maximize the benefits? Compared to Dai Yueheng and the White Tiger Duke's Mansion behind him, this Ye Xixuan is clearly more valuable!"

After that incident, the Xu family of the Star Luo Empire's royal family and the Dai family of the White Tiger lineage were basically at odds, but they hadn't openly broken off relations yet.

Although Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger clan did not express any dissatisfaction with the Xu family, how could the Xu family dare to gamble on his loyalty? Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will naturally take root and sprout invisibly until trust completely collapses.

Moreover, what happened later made them even more wary. During the time that Dai Yueheng had joined Xingluo National Academy, he had been trying to curry favor with Xu Jiujiu, and everyone knew his intentions.

"Let's talk about this later." Although Xu Jiawei was tempted, he considered things more carefully than Xu Jiujiu.

Even if the Star Luo Empire's royal family made such a request, would Shrek Academy necessarily agree? After doing such a thing, it's unlikely that Shrek Academy's higher-ups, or even Ye Xixuan himself, would have a good impression of him.

Put yourself in their shoes. Who could truly feel at ease sleeping in the same bed with a woman who had schemed against them?
There were so many spectators that it took a full half hour just to get everyone in.

The once empty Xingluo Square was now overcrowded. Fortunately, rows of iron fences separated the area into sections, and soldiers maintained order from the side, which prevented it from becoming too chaotic.

"Your Majesty." An elderly man dressed in a bright red civil official's robe stepped forward quickly and bowed respectfully behind Xu Jiawei. From the python pattern embroidered on his robe, one could tell that this old man's status was extremely high, even comparable to that of a minister of the highest rank.

"Everything is ready."

"Then let's begin," Xu Jiawei said with a smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The old man bowed and took his leave to make the arrangements.

"Silence!" A loud voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire area. Upon hearing this, all the soldiers in Xingluo Square stood at attention, raising their spears high. An atmosphere of chilling solemnity arose and quickly spread throughout the square. The previously noisy Xingluo Square fell silent abruptly.

"Your Majesty is here!"

"Whoosh—" The crowd immediately knelt down in large numbers. The scene of hundreds of thousands of people making the same move at the same time was truly shocking.

The soldiers knelt on one knee, while all the participants were notified in advance that they were exempt from kneeling, but were required to bow at a 90-degree angle to show respect to the emperor.

In stark contrast, Ye Xixuan, Zhang Lexuan, and Tang Wutong, who were sitting on the sofa in the Shrek Academy rest area, did not get up.

However, everyone else present was busy bowing, and only a very few noticed this.

Xu Jiawei led Xu Jiujiu and the civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire to the front of the city wall. Everyone saw the unconventional behavior of Ye Xixuan and the other two, but no one dared to make a scene in public.

As the sole heir to the Sea God Pavilion Master, Ye Xi Xuan Hai Shen Ge originally possessed a status no less than that of the original emperors of the Douluo Three Kingdoms. Zhang Lexuan, as a prospective elder of the Sea God Pavilion and the vice dean of the Martial Soul Department, was no different.

Tang Wutong was once the young sect leader of the Haotian Sect, the number one sect in the world. She disregarded worldly emperors, and no one could find fault with her.

After all, all confidence stems from strength.

"All of you may rise." Just as Xu Jiujiu was about to say something, Xu Jiawei raised his hand to interrupt her. The emperor's voice was amplified by the amplifying soul tool and spread throughout the entire Star Luo Square.

"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is the most important event in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent. I am very pleased that it is being held in our Star Luo Empire this time. On behalf of the Star Luo Empire, I would like to welcome the representatives from various academies, led by Shrek Academy, who have come from afar. I hope that you will show your true colors in the competition over the next month."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The leaders and students of the remaining 132 academies bowed again.

Xiao Hongchen caught a glimpse of Ye Xixuan and the others sitting calmly on the sofa out of the corner of his eye, and felt a pang of resentment.

"What a Shrek Academy! How arrogant! But you certainly have the right to be so ostentatious." If it were their Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, anyone who dared to show the slightest disrespect in front of the Sun Moon Emperor would likely be implicated immediately.

This is the essential difference between their Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and Shrek Academy.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is only the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy of the Sun Moon Empire, while Shrek Academy is the Shrek Academy of the entire continent.

Meng Hongchen, standing next to Xiao Hongchen, covered her cheeks with her hands and gushed over her love, saying charmingly, "Brother, don't you think he looked really cool just now when he refused to submit to the powerful?"

"Idiot!" Xiao Hongchen, already on edge, smacked his sister on the head and growled angrily.

"Don't you want to listen to what you're saying?! Shrek Academy is the most powerful and influential institution on the continent, of course they won't submit to the powerful! What are you thinking about every day?!"

"Alas—" Meng Hongchen cried out in pain, looking at her brother with a pitiful expression, but dared not utter a sound.

At the same time, Xu Jiawei's voice rang out again amidst the booming of the cannons, thus unveiling the grand event.

"Now I hereby declare the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament officially open!"

The host then replaced Xu Jiawei and announced in a loud voice: "According to the rules of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, the first round will be an elimination tournament. A total of 133 Soul Master Academies and Soul Master Instructor Academies are participating in this tournament. One academy will receive a bye by drawing lots. The first round of elimination matches will consist of 66 games and will be completed over the next three days."

The first match is about to begin. The two teams are the Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy from the Douling Empire and the Shrek Academy, the continent's number one academy, boasting countless honors and having won almost every championship in the past thousand years!

The moment the host announced the start of the competition, the atmosphere at Xingluo Square reached its peak.

Xu Jiawei stood atop the city wall, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally falling on the Shrek Academy's rest area below. Just as Zhang Lexuan had said earlier, this Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy was the opponent that the Star Luo Empire organizers had specifically arranged for Shrek Academy.

He needed to witness Ye Xixuan's talent and strength firsthand.

(End of this chapter)