Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 345 Thick Thighs? Shield?

If Ji Lin knew what Gu Yuena was thinking, he would definitely cry foul, arguing that he was not pretending to be weak while actually being strong. He really was a Soul Saint, and he was neither pretending to be weak nor was there any tiger for him to eat.

His victory was clearly overwhelming, so how did it become associated with "pretending to be weak while actually being strong"?

However, since Gu Yuena wanted to participate in the competition, Ji Lin had no choice but to agree. After all, the Silver Dragon King was still a powerful force. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. As long as she wasn't brain-dead, with her strength, she could even challenge a first-level god. She was one of Ji Lin's trump cards. If the Sea God were to project his power into the mortal realm, at least Gu Yuena could go out and draw the fire. As long as it wasn't his true form descending, Gu Yuena wasn't afraid.

Unless the God of Destruction stands by and watches as the Sea God violates the laws of the divine realm and descends in his true form.

Seeing that Ji Lin agreed, Gu Yuena nodded in satisfaction and sat down at the long table in the council hall. Now that she had joined the group, she naturally wanted to hear what the next topic was about.

Ji Lin said helplessly, "Since there are eight participants, then Nana, you can be the substitute."

Nana nodded. She didn't care whether she was a starter or a substitute. She wasn't interested in those things anyway. She was willing to do anything to repay the debt of gratitude.

Ji Lin nodded to Xu Jiujiu, signaling her to continue.

Xu Jiujiu nodded and said, "After research by the Sun Moon Empire, a new competition format has been decided."

Xu Jiujiu took out a piece of white paper and said, "The new competition will be named the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition. Because there are too many participating teams, we will directly adopt an elimination tournament until the top 32 are determined. The top 32 will be divided into four groups, and the top two from each group will advance to the top eight. From the preliminary rounds, group matches to the final stage, all the competition formats will be the same. That is, individual elimination tournaments plus team matches."

"Each team can send seven players to each match, and only seven. Once the roster is finalized, it cannot be changed once the match begins. The first event is the individual elimination round. Each side sends one player to the stage to defeat their opponent and continue fighting until they lose. Teams can also automatically forfeit during the match. One point is awarded for each victory. The final winner of the individual elimination round will also receive two additional points. After the individual elimination round, a seven-on-seven team match will be held. The participants will still be the same seven players from the individual elimination round, with no rest time in between. If one team has seven players who are injured and therefore not full, then all seven players will participate. The winner of the team match will receive five additional points. In the preliminary elimination round, the team with the higher total points at the end of the match will win."

Upon hearing about this new competition format, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao, who had participated in the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, both showed thoughtful expressions.

Compared to previous competitions, the new rules of this competition place more emphasis on individual strength rather than team strength. If a player wins all the individual elimination rounds, then there is no need to play the team competition; the player will directly win with nine points, since winning the team competition only earns five points.

This new competition format is very advantageous for Ji Lin and his team. It's unclear what the Sun Moon Empire was thinking. This format is clearly unfavorable to Soul Masters. Soul Masters are notoriously weaker in one-on-one combat than traditional Soul Masters. Soul Masters are strongest in group combat, that is, team battles. However, the individual elimination tournament is very disadvantageous to Soul Masters. Making Soul Masters and Soul Masters fight one-on-one on the stage means that, apart from a few powerful Soul Masters like Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen, most Soul Masters are weaker than Soul Masters of the same level.

Time flies. More than a month has passed since Ji Lin returned to Xingluo City, and there are still three days until the start of this year's All-Continent Youth Soul Master Competition.

Ji Lin, Chi Yuan, and Gu Yue Na, along with three others, had packed their belongings and gathered at the entrance of Zizai Gate.

Besides the eight participants, the team leader is Chi Yuan. With Chi Yuan, Ji Lin, and Gu Yue Na on the team, they are confident that they can escape unscathed no matter what happens on this trip.

Xu Jiujiu, having exceeded the age limit for participating in the competition, led the Star Luo Royal Academy as the Star Luo Princess, accompanied by three Title Douluo for protection.

The two sides met outside Xingluo City and then traveled together to the Sun and Moon Empire.

Although Zizaimen and Xingluo Royal Academy are ultimately rivals, they both represent the Xingluo Empire in the battle. If Zizaimen wins, the Xingluo Empire will also gain glory.

Meanwhile, Shrek Academy, led by Zhang Lexuan and with Bei Bei as captain, set off from Shrek City for the Sun Moon Empire, accompanied by Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, He Caitou, Ning Tian, ​​Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue, Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Huo Yuhao, and others.

Unlike Ji Lin's team, which only had one substitute, Shrek Academy was well-prepared, with seven main players and seven substitutes. Although they felt that Shrek Academy might not be able to win the championship this time, they still had to try their best and not give up easily.

Because they were heading to the Sun Moon Empire, a den of dragons and tigers, Shrek Sea God Pavilion dispatched Elder Xuan, the pavilion master, and several other titled Douluo-level elders to secretly follow them. No one knew if the Sun Moon Empire would suddenly go mad. After all, they knew that the Sun Moon Empire was colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult, an evil soul master organization. Although they couldn't find out the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters or personnel composition, or even how many combat forces the Holy Spirit Cult's high-ranking members had, it didn't stop them from taking precautions and preparing for the worst.

For Soul Masters traveling, aside from top-tier experts tearing through space, flying Soul Tools are still the fastest way. Ji Lin and his group are all equipped with flying Soul Tools. In terms of Soul Tools, the Star Luo Empire is the second most important after the Sun Moon Empire.

This time, Nan Qiuqiu didn't need Ji Lin and the others to carry her; she had already learned how to use the flying soul tool.

Having learned her lesson the hard way, Nan Qiuqiu is now very serious about learning how to use a flying soul tool.

Each of their flying soul tools activated, and everyone took to the air, their destination: Mingdu.

The new Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament is touted as a return to its roots. This is because, long ago, this tournament, with its ten-thousand-year history, originally allowed sects to participate. It was only in the last thousand years that its scale was reduced, allowing only academies to participate.

This time, at the suggestion of the organizer, the Sun Moon Empire, and with the agreement of other countries, it was finally decided to reinstate the previous participation qualifications. The participation of sects was also added. The competition format was also changed.

This made the scale of this year's All-Continent Youth Soul Master Competition unprecedented.

Even a genius Soul Master who wants to become a top-tier expert at the Title Douluo level absolutely needs a large amount of resources to support them. This determines the strength of sects.

On the mainland, the number of sects far exceeds the number of various Soul Master or Soul Master academies.

For various academies, achieving good results in the Continental Youth Soul Master Competition is a great opportunity to make their academy famous and has immense benefits for their development and student recruitment. The same applies to sects.

Unlike academies, sects have stronger constraints, but they also invest more wholeheartedly in their disciples. The more talented and skilled individuals are, the more likely they are to join a powerful sect.

After the format of the new competition was confirmed to be changed, almost 60% of the sects on the mainland chose to register.

Even the Earth Dragon Sect, whose young master was abducted by Ji Lin, is preparing to participate in the competition under the leadership of Nan Shuishui. They don't expect to win the championship; they only need to enter the top 32 to attract a large number of talents to join. The development of any sect cannot do without talents.

If the organizing committee hadn't ultimately decided to limit participants to twenty years old and also require that at least five members of each sect's registered participants have a cultivation level above the fourth ring, the number of participating teams in this year's competition would probably be ten times that of the previous year.

Even with these restrictions, the final number of participating teams was capped at 167, significantly more than the previous edition.

Moreover, precisely because of these restrictions, the overall strength of the teams participating in this year's competition is far superior to that of the previous year. The competition will undoubtedly be even more intense.

As the wealthiest nation on the Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Empire hosting such a grand competition was naturally no big deal for them. However, even so, they spent three whole months preparing for it. Mingdu, the continent's largest city, also expanded its hotels, increasing the number of rooms to accommodate more guests, especially merchants from other regions, hoping to maximize their profits.

As the leading Soul Master nation on the continent, the Sun Moon Empire spared no expense in this competition. The final prizes were no longer Soul Bones, but Soul Tools. The champion team would receive a level nine Soul Tool, the runner-up a level eight, and the third-place team a level seven.

These three soul tools are worth more than soul bones.

Especially the level-nine soul tools that the champion team can obtain, which are basically priceless in today's world. Only the Sun Moon Empire possesses level-nine soul tools; the other three great empires simply do not have the conditions or technology to produce them. This is the source of the Sun Moon Empire's confidence in overwhelming the other three countries.

Without external interference, the Sun Moon Empire could easily crush the original Douluo Three Kingdoms even if it were fighting against three other nations.

With such generous rewards, all participating teams are eager to compete and strive for higher rankings. This is not only a great opportunity to make a name for themselves, but also a chance to reap substantial benefits!

The major empires and sects also know the value of level nine soul tools.

Beyond its market value, it also holds profound strategic significance. If we could analyze a level-nine soul tool, whatever it might be, it would undoubtedly significantly narrow the gap between our soul tool technology and that of the Sun Moon Empire.

Therefore, they are determined to win this championship.

For modern Soul Masters, Soul Tools are just as essential as Sacred Marks in that they can enhance their strength. Sacred Marks are indispensable, but Soul Tools are equally indispensable.

We need to do both to achieve greater results.

Unfortunately, the exorbitant price of high-level soul tools puts them out of reach for the vast majority of soul masters. To become a powerful figure, money is absolutely essential.

Stigmata are much better in this regard, as they are more affordable in order to be widely available as soon as possible.

Mingdu, the imperial palace of the Sun and Moon Empire, and its back garden.

The wheelchair moved slowly along the wide bluestone path in the back garden. Plants of all shapes and sizes were neatly scattered throughout the garden. Every design element was ingenious: the small waterfall in the artificial hill, the clusters of royal patterns, and the towering trees. The entire Sun Moon Empire's royal back garden felt like entering a beautiful forest.

Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair with his eyes closed, a thin blanket covering his legs, exuding a gentle sense of ease. This ease blended perfectly into the tranquility of the back garden.

A series of steady, crisp footsteps sounded from behind. Xu Tianran, still with his eyes closed, asked softly, "How is Father Emperor doing?"

The person who came was Ju Zi.

Today, Orange wore a pale yellow dress that accentuated her fair and delicate skin, making her look noble and elegant, just like a true royal princess.

Now, she exudes a calm and composed demeanor, and her beautiful eyes occasionally flash with a captivating and wise light.

"His Majesty's health is probably failing. The imperial physician said that His Majesty has been frequently unconscious in the past few days," Orange said softly.

Xu Tianran kept his eyes closed, as if the frail old man Ju Zi mentioned had nothing to do with him at all.

"My father was always diligent and conscientious, seeking neither merit nor fault. How many golden opportunities he missed! In the future, he will only be a mediocre emperor. What is the military's reaction?"

Ju Zi said, "The military is very calm. After we took control of the Mingdu Garrison, at least two-fifths of the Empire's army is directly under our control, two-fifths are in a wait-and-see state, and the last one-fifth are mostly powerful generals on the border. Some of them have been bribed by other princes, and some are your old enemies."

A smile played on Xu Tianran's lips. His smile was handsome, but for some reason, when Ju Zi saw it, her heart felt as cold as if it had fallen into an ice cellar. She knew very well that whenever Xu Tianran displayed such an expression, it meant he was about to unleash a massacre.

"No rush. Wait until I ascend the throne. If they remain stubborn to the end, then you can go and make a trip," Xu Tianran said with a smile.

Ju Zi's delicate body trembled slightly, but she still nodded and said, "Yes."

Xu Tianran turned around, glanced at her, and asked, "Ju Zi, what do you think of the Holy Mark?"

Ju Zi smiled calmly and said, "The appearance of the Holy Mark does indeed have the power to change the landscape of the continent, but this power needs time to take effect, and it takes a hundred years. It poses no threat to our Sun Moon Empire in the short term."

Xu Tianran nodded slightly and said, "You're right. The Holy Marks will only be effective in the future. Right now, the Holy Marks can only barely replace the role of Soul Beasts and don't pose much of a threat to us. We won't give them enough time."

(End of this chapter)