Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 291 Making money isn't shameful (10,000 words per day)

"The fluctuations of his soul power far surpass those of ours. Judging from those fluctuations, he's probably at the fifth ring level."

"What?" Wang Dong was taken aback.

"That's impossible. Judging from his appearance, he's not much older than us. He should be a reserve member of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. How could he be a Soul King?"

"It should be right."

Huo Yuhao stroked his chin and said, "The reason why Xiao Hongchen suddenly came to provoke us is perhaps not only because he wanted to test our strength, but also because he felt anxious."

"From his perspective, I look a few years younger than him, but I'm already a four-ring Soul Master, and a four-ring Soul Master with a hundred thousand-year Soul Ring. It's normal for Xiao Hongchen to feel anxious."

"We might be able to take advantage of this in the upcoming Soul Battle. It's just unclear whether this guy will participate. But I have to say, his talent is already on par with Brother Long Aotian and Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao."

Wang Dong frowned slightly, her large pink-blue eyes revealing a hint of worry. "If even the reserve team is like this, it seems the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is even stronger than we imagined. Fortunately, as the runner-up last year, we shouldn't encounter them in the round-robin tournament."

Huo Yuhao's eyes were calm. "Actually, what we need to worry about more is five years from now, when we step onto the stage of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament as regular team members and encounter Xiao Hongchen. In this battle, at least we still have the senior brothers and sisters from the Inner Academy to help us stand in front of us."

Wang Dong couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. His opponent's cultivation speed was indeed too fast. The competition gave everyone the same amount of time. Only by making the most of his cultivation time could he narrow the gap with Xiao Hongchen.

"So, keep cultivating. After I absorb my third spirit ring, I might just reach level 33 in one go. Don't fall behind."

Huo Yuhao's words immediately made Wang Dong jump onto the bed and mutter, "I'm left behind? You're kidding! I'll cultivate in bed and show you the cultivation speed of a cultivation genius today."

As he spoke, Wang Dong stretched out his fair hands, gesturing for Huo Yuhao to begin cultivating immediately.

The first round of elimination matches in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament has finally come to an end.

The audience members who had watched the battle in Xingluo City were completely aroused, and people lined up early every night.

Although Xingluo Square has a large area, the number of people it can accommodate is ultimately limited, and it cannot fully meet the needs of the public.

In order to control the overcrowding in the queues, the Star Luo Empire government naturally raised the admission fee, ostensibly to limit the number of people allowed in.

If the audience seats at the Soul Arena hadn't been packed every time the price was raised, Huo Yuhao might have actually believed their lies.

Of course, the final rewards for this competition were also provided by the Star Luo Empire. This was the case for every competition. However, there were no explicit regulations regarding the rewards.

No country is stingy.

The reward was really just a few dollars, nothing compared to the more than 60 million gold soul coins that make up the revenue of hosting a continent-wide advanced soul master competition.

Why is the first round of the competition a knockout tournament? Besides reducing the number of participating colleges, it's also to make the competition more exciting and intense!

The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament has now become the most important official competition held by various countries across the continent.

Exciting matches are essential to keeping this event popular. This once-every-five-years grand event on the mainland naturally requires various methods to propel it to its peak.

Although the organizers did their best to avoid casualties, nearly two hundred participants still suffered injuries of varying degrees after the first round of elimination matches, and more than a dozen even died due to the severity of their injuries.

However, as the saying goes, the compensation for the deaths of a few people is nothing compared to the profits from the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. In order to pocket the gold soul coins, which are equivalent to half a year's tax revenue, the Star Luo Empire wished the scene could be even bloodier.

In the midst of such a high-impact, adrenaline-pumping competition, the soul masters who died in the intense and fierce elimination rounds became insignificant.

In the eyes of the public, these bloody and brutal scenes greatly increased the entertainment value and were one of the scenes they most wanted to see when watching the game.

For those students who died in battle, the Star Luo Empire would give them a generous compensation and publicly declare that they died for honor, which was extremely glorious.

With the knockout stage over, the second stage, the round-robin tournament, will begin. While the round-robin isn't as intense as the knockout stage, it has its own advantages, namely a variety of different competition rules.

The three competition modes were determined by a draw. It's safe to say that each match offers a unique and exciting experience.

Moreover, after the first round of elimination, the remaining college teams will be even stronger. The competition is naturally incredibly exciting. This has resulted in a situation where tickets for Xingluo Square, which can accommodate over 200,000 people, are extremely difficult to obtain.

Every day, the area around Xingluo Square is completely jammed. Even those who couldn't get in line don't leave; they simply continue queuing for the next day. Meanwhile, those who watched the game on the first day, even the wealthiest people, have no chance of getting in line the next day.

This isn't about treating everyone equally; rather, it's about arousing the spectators' desire, giving them a sense of scarcity, and making them unable to resist, which in turn can ignite their enthusiasm for watching the game.

This is why the competition must be held in four different countries in rotation—because it's a sure-fire way to make money.

In addition, the authorities will also openly and covertly set up betting platforms to manipulate the market, earning a considerable amount of tax revenue in one go, but it is not enough to satisfy their insatiable desires and appetites.

Whenever there's a Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, as long as gamblers are interested, they'll always find various betting platforms to place their bets. The official organizers never lose money; the commission from each match is enough to make them incredibly wealthy.

In other words, once the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament begins, the organizers often earn a huge amount of tax revenue for one or two years, or even two or three years. This windfall is then completely devoured by the rulers and their cronies throughout the empire.

Today marks the fourth day of the competition. Early in the morning, the shouts of the audience echoed throughout Xingluo Square.

There's only one reason: today, the Shrek Academy team, which they most want to see, is going to play again, and they'll be playing in the very first match.

Even His Majesty the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, who only occasionally came to the city walls to watch the battles, ascended the city walls early in the morning to wait patiently. This showed Shrek Academy great respect.

(End of this chapter)