Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 354 Undisguised

The moment that majestic voice rang out.

All the murmurs vanished instantly in that low voice, and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the entire competition venue and spectator area became completely silent in an instant, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Ji Lin's lips twitched. Such powerful pressure could only come from a Limit Douluo. Clearly, the one who spoke was the Dark Holy Dragon, the Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao. This was truly unexpected. The Dragon Emperor Douluo personally came to bolster the Sun Moon Empire's prestige and made no attempt to conceal the pressure of a Limit Douluo. This was a blatant declaration to all the Title Douluos present that the Sun Moon Empire had a Limit Douluo.

Those below the Title Douluo level cannot discern the strength of the person speaking, but Title Douluos are very clear that this is something only Limit Douluos can do.

The Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult are no longer willing to hide; clearly, they have enough confidence and are not afraid that the original Douluo Three Kingdoms might be prepared.

This is only natural. After the passing of Sea God Pavilion Master and Dragon God Douluo Mu En, there are no Limit Douluos on the mainland in the open. Apart from the hidden sects, the Holy Spirit Sect is practically the number one sect on the Douluo Continent now. With two Limit Douluos in charge, victory is guaranteed.

Under the imposing presence of the Dragon Emperor Douluo, the entire arena fell silent.

Only then did Ju Zi clear her throat. Her melodious voice was amplified by the soul tool and transmitted to everyone's ears. If Long Xiaoyao's voice was a display of supreme strength, then Ju Zi's voice was a display of the high technology of the Sun Moon Empire's soul tools.

"Fellow citizens of the Sun Moon Empire and distinguished guests from afar, on behalf of His Highness the Regent, I welcome you all. At the same time, on behalf of His Highness the Regent, I hereby declare the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament to begin."

The opening remarks were remarkably simple, devoid of unnecessary words or flowery rhetoric. This was Xu Tianran's style: let his abilities speak for themselves. In his view, uttering even a single unnecessary word was disrespectful and a waste of time.

"Long live the Regent! Long live the Regent! Long live the Regent!" The people of the Sun Moon Empire knelt down and paid their respects to the Regent, who, though in a wheelchair, was about to ascend the throne as the new emperor.

Xu Tianran smiled and gestured to Ju Zi. After Ju Zi sat down beside him, he said calmly, "My dear ministers, please take your seats."

Only then did the ministers of the Sun and Moon Empire dare to sit down. Each seat had a corresponding nameplate, and they could not sit in the wrong seat, as each seat corresponded to the minister's rank.

Sitting on the other side of Regent Xu Tianran was not the high-ranking and powerful Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen, but a middle-aged man wearing a black robe with gold trim.

The man was expressionless and pale. What was even stranger was that there seemed to be a layer of mist over his face, making it impossible to see his features clearly.

Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen sat on the other side of the orange.

"Now, let's read out the competition rules." A loud voice rang out, followed by the reading of the rules for this year's competition, which were the same as those given to each team.

After the rules were read aloud, an elderly man walked to the megaphone in front of the podium and announced loudly: "The first match of the preliminary elimination round is between the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and the Dragon Slayer Sect. Both sides will send seven members to the waiting area."

The waiting area is located in front of the rest area under the shade pavilion. It is a special area, which is actually just seven chairs placed 20 meters apart.

According to the rules of previous competitions, the first match should be played by the previous champion.

Shrek Academy received a bye in the first round of this competition, so the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, which was the runner-up in the previous competition, appeared in the first match of the first round. This was undoubtedly a little trick played by the Sun Moon Empire.

No wonder the Sun Moon Empire was so generous, giving Shrek Academy a bye; it turns out they were waiting for this!

Whether it was intentional or not, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's first opponent, the Dragon Slaying Sect, was a sect with little reputation, just like the Free and Easy Sect.

Soon Ji Lin saw Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen walking at the front, followed by young soul instructors who had also studied at Shrek Academy, and they entered the waiting area directly.

Looking at it this way, it's clear that all the participants from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy this year are familiar faces.

The unlucky Dragon Slayer Sect, which encountered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy in the first round, has also sent seven people into the waiting area.

However, the seven contestants from the Dragon Slayer Sect were full of confidence, showing no fear whatsoever because their opponents were the runners-up from the previous competition, and were full of momentum.

However, it's understandable. Not all sects respect academies. Academy instruction has time limits, but sect instruction doesn't. Entering a sect usually means spending your entire life there. Many sects with long histories have their own unique characteristics.

Although the Dragon Slaying Sect is not well-known, it is a sect with a history of thousands of years. It comes from the Douling Empire and is a traditional Soul Master sect. They look down on Soul Guidance Devices and Academy Disciples, believing that the academy is just a game. They have a deep-rooted aversion to both.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team, with their soul tools and academy-related equipment, drew disdain from the Dragon Slayer Sect disciples, who didn't believe it was a match they were destined to lose.

"Referees, enter the arena. The first-place finishers from each individual elimination round will now enter the arena," came the voice of the elderly man in charge of the event from the podium.

The referee was an elderly man in his fifties, whose cultivation level was not discernible until he released his martial spirit.

Meng Hongchen was the first to take the stage from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, demonstrating the importance they placed on this first match. It concerned the face of the Sun Moon Empire, and they not only had to win, but they had to win convincingly.

Sending Meng Hongchen to the stage first is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—a waste of talent.

On the Dragon Slaying Sect's side, a young man of short stature appeared. His appearance was somewhat unusual; his head was flat, and although he was not tall, he appeared very heavy. His hands were particularly large, spread out on both sides of his body like palm-leaf fans.

At this moment, the onlookers in the distance remained silent. The tight schedule meant they hadn't fully recovered from the pressure exerted by the Dragon Emperor Douluo earlier.

"In an individual elimination tournament, the match ends when one side is rendered unable to fight, concedes defeat, or the referee decides the winner. Do not injure your opponent as much as possible, understand?" the referee said to both sides in a deep voice.

"Understood." The young man representing the Dragon Slayer Sect looked capable and answered. He then turned and walked in his direction without even the most basic greeting. According to the competition rules, before the battle begins, both sides must stand at one end of the arena, a distance of 100 meters apart. This is fairer for Soul Masters and Soul Instructors who are good at ranged attacks.

Seeing the other party's rudeness, Meng Hongchen's eyes flashed with cold light. She snorted and turned to walk towards the other edge of the competition stage.

Soon, both sides stood at one end.

The referee raised his right hand high, and the moment his palm fell, the first battle of the new Continental Youth Soul Master Tournament officially began.

"Bang!" The referee's right hand had just landed when a low rumble erupted from beneath the feet of the young man from the Dragon Slayer Sect. The hard metal ground was so hard that he kicked out a dent, and his short, stocky body shot towards Meng Hongchen like a cannonball.

Although he looked down on Soul Masters, the young man from the Dragon Slaying Sect knew that the first thing to do when fighting a Soul Master was to get close. At the same time, five Soul Rings with the best ratio of two yellow, two purple, and one black rose from the young man's body.

It's important to know that in previous competitions, participants at the fifth ring level were already quite formidable, and only a very few top academies could boast a sixth ring level.

In the previous competition, most of Shrek Academy's main players were five-ring Soul Kings.

Although the Dragon Slaying Sect is not well-known, its millennium-old heritage is indeed quite profound, no wonder it looks down on the academy.

The fact that the Dragon Slaying Sect immediately fielded a five-ring Soul King caused a number of academies to look serious, as many academies, like the previous year, already had five-ring Soul Kings as their trump cards.

A slight smile appeared on Meng Hongchen's lips. Instead of using her usual soul-guided armor, she walked forward as if taking a leisurely stroll.

A halo of ice-blue light spread out from beneath her feet, and seven spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—slowly rose from her body, causing all the Dragon Slayer Sect contestants watching to change color.

Apart from Shrek Academy and Zizai Gate, who already knew Meng Hongchen's true nature, all the other participating teams were shocked.

It should be noted that in the past, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, which only academies could participate in, the strongest were mostly Soul Emperors. Even the Shrek Academy, which has been the champion for generations, rarely had Soul Saints under the age of twenty participating. Only occasionally would one or two super geniuses break through to Soul Saint before the age of twenty appear.

The various sects, who had previously looked down on and despised the academy, finally felt immense pressure upon seeing the soul rings released by Meng Hongchen.

It should be noted that Soul Saints are already among the highest-level combatants on the continent. Soul Saints, who possess the True Body of a Martial Soul, have unparalleled suppressive power over Soul Masters below the Soul Saint level.

Only a few geniuses can disregard this kind of suppression.

Seven rings? Under twenty years old? Is this really something a Soul Master can do? This was the thought in the minds of all the sect disciples present.

Just as their hearts were wavering, the young man from the Dragon Slaying Sect had already arrived in front of Meng Hongchen.

Although the soul ring on Meng Hongchen's body caused his pupils to shrink drastically, the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released; he had no way out.

"Moo—" A deep roar came from Bi Nian of the Dragon Slayer Sect. His short, stocky body suddenly swelled up, and a pair of thick, sharp bull horns, two feet long, emerged from the thick muscles on his shoulders on both sides of his neck. His thick, powerful muscles completely burst his shirt, revealing a bronze-colored, majestic body that looked like it had been cast in bronze and iron.

(End of this chapter)