Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 124 The Empress

The entire arena is 100 meters wide and 5 meters high. There are 108 metal pillars surrounding the arena. These are not decorations, but actual protective soul tools. Once the competition begins, 108 soul masters will oversee the arena's defenses. These metal pillars will form a protective shield to prevent any soul skills from leaking out, thus avoiding damage to the imperial city or harm to innocent people.

The construction of this competition platform alone cost a huge sum of money, and the mobilization of 108 Soul Masters to serve the competition for more than a month requires national-level resources.

At this moment, Xingluo Square was deserted, with no one in sight except for the soldiers in the distance.

Only the hustle and bustle emanating from outside Xingluo Square revealed the prosperity of this city.

The last time the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament was held in the Star Luo Empire, a stampede occurred. This time, the Star Luo Empire's royal family took it very seriously, not only dispatching a large army to maintain order, but also coming up with many new methods.

The square was lined with iron fences, each about 1.5 meters high, which, while not obstructing the view of most people, divided the square into distinct zones. There were separate entrances and exits for both spectators and visitors. This made it much easier for the soldiers to maintain order. The number of people allowed in each zone was also clearly limited.

The imperial palace is located on the north side, facing south, while a luxurious rest area has been set up on the west side of the competition arena, specifically for the participating teams from each academy. However, the rest area can only accommodate about seventy academies. Clearly, no seats have been prepared for academies eliminated in the first round. This can be considered a way to avoid waste, and it also serves to further motivate the participating students.

Since the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament adopted its current format, apart from the final stage of the competition, the most exciting part is actually the first round of elimination matches, which is far more exciting and even brutal than the subsequent round-robin matches.

The round-robin tournament allows for tactical arrangements and even tactical failures. But the first round is a direct knockout tournament; the loser is eliminated, and every participating academy must pass this stage. Even the reigning champions, Shrek Academy, are no exception. While the tournament offers byes by drawing lots, no academy enjoys the privilege of an automatic bye.

Early in the morning, the teachers leading the teams from each academy will arrive in the imperial city to draw lots. After the draw, officials from the Star Luo Empire will tally the results. Once the competition order is announced, the final preparations for the major competition will be complete.

The sun slowly rose from the distant east, casting golden rays that warmed the entire world. In this peaceful and beautiful moment, Star Luo City, located in the center of the continent, was also bathed in this warm glow.

On the city wall of the imperial city, Xu Jiawei, dressed in a bright yellow robe and wearing an eight-treasure purple-gold crown, stood with his hands behind his back. His position was the very center of the main gate of the imperial city, the best spot to watch the competition below.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman in magnificent palace attire, respectfully and gently accompanying him. On his other side, a beautiful young woman also stood atop the city wall, gazing down; she was Ji Lin's fiancée, Xu Jiujiu. A few steps behind were maids and guards.

"Your Majesty." An elderly man dressed in a bright red civil official's robe stepped forward quickly and bowed respectfully to the man. From the python patterns embroidered on his robe, it was clear that this old man held an extremely noble position. He could be described as a minister at the pinnacle of power.

"Prime Minister, how are the arrangements going?" Xu Jiawei asked with a smile.

The Prime Minister respectfully said, "Everything is arranged. The draw is over, and the order of the matches has been determined. The surrounding area is orderly. The public can now enter."

Xu Jiawei smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, pass on my orders: begin letting people in at each checkpoint, control the speed, and maintain order. Anyone responsible for a particular area who causes problems will be severely punished."

"Yes." The Prime Minister took a few steps back before turning and leaving.

Xu Jiawei said to the beautiful woman beside him, "Your Majesty, I have waited twenty years for this grand event. I really miss my youth! It's a pity that there are too many rules in the royal family, otherwise I would have really wanted to participate once."

The Empress smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty has always had the heart of a warrior."

Xu Jiawei smiled and said, "Look, the students from each participating academy have already entered the arena. However, they can't use the rest area today. Only those who win the elimination rounds are eligible to enter the rest area. It's said that Shrek Academy only sent ten people this time. Many of the participating team members are very young. One of the leading team members is Dai Hao's eldest son. There's also Jiu Mei's fiancé, and that kid Ji Lin is one of them, and he's even on the official roster. I really envy that kid!"

The Empress listened gently, and when she heard Ji Lin's name, she glanced at Xu Jiujiu in surprise. She had met Ji Lin before and even attended Ji Lin and Xu Jiujiu's engagement ceremony. She remembered that Ji Lin was not even fifteen years old, yet he was already representing Shrek Academy in the Battle Soul Competition.

He's truly outstanding! No wonder His Majesty and the other officials value him so highly. They betrothed Jiu Mei to him so early on.

But she made no comment; as the First Lady, she couldn't say too much.

Especially with numerous civil and military officials on both sides. Those military officials are all powerful Soul Masters, and their hearing is extremely sharp.

Just then, people began to enter Xingluo Square from all directions, and under the guidance of the soldiers, they converged into the square like long dragons.

Watching the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament isn't free. The daily admission fee isn't too expensive, just two gold soul coins. However, while Star Luo Plaza has strictly controlled the number of spectators, it can still accommodate over 200,000 people simultaneously. Two gold soul coins is just the base price. The closer to the arena, the more expensive the admission fee. In the spectator area closest to the arena, each person needs to pay one hundred gold soul coins to enter.

This was a large sum of money for ordinary people, but for some merchants and nobles, it was nothing.

The Star Luo Empire adopted a policy of treating all spectators equally. Having money might get you a better seat, but the treatment was the same: everyone had to stand. There were no seats available. This was to accommodate more people.

The Star Luo Empire earns approximately two million gold soul coins daily from entrance fees alone. That adds up to sixty million gold soul coins per month. Even after deducting military expenses and other costs, the empire still makes a substantial profit. This is one of the reasons why the four great empires are so willing to host the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament.

(End of this chapter)