Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the side and back of the VIP section, where Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was speaking in hushed tones with several important imperial officials, wearing a gentle smile.

Not far from Xue Qinghe, Queen Eva, dressed in her finest attire, was smiling as she accepted the compliments from the surrounding noblewomen.

A complex emotion flickered deep in Salas's eyes.

……

The opening ceremony began with the master of ceremonies' booming voice.

The lengthy and eloquent speech, with its vision for the Empire, the Spirit Hall, and the future of Soul Masters, was amplified by the Soul Guidance loudspeaker and resounded throughout the venue.

The audience was thrilled, while the students from various academies were mostly distracted, their eyes darting between their opponents, assessing and remaining vigilant.

Emperor Xueye's speech was brief and powerful, emphasizing the empire's focus on cultivating Soul Masters and its expectations for the younger generation. His voice, transmitted through a Soul Guidance Device, though slightly weak, still commanded awe and silence from the entire audience.

Ning Fengzhi's speech was like a gentle spring breeze. On behalf of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he expressed his support for the Soul Master cause and his expectation to see a wonderful showdown. His words were impeccable and made everyone feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Salas's speech was the briefest, almost a formulaic expression of the Spirit Hall's support for the competition, before it ended abruptly.

It was obvious to everyone that the platinum bishop was in a bad mood.

……

According to the competition rules, in addition to the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, which is the host and has one guaranteed spot to enter the qualifying round, the Heavenly Dou Empire will also determine fifteen qualifying spots in the preliminary round to participate in the subsequent qualifying round.

However, the political structure of the Heavenly Dou Empire is not monolithic.

The four kingdoms—the Kingdom of Barak, the Kingdom of Silvis, the Kingdom of Hagendas, and the Province of Fasno—though nominally provinces, were in a semi-independent state.

And the Duchy of Colt, which, like a separatist kingdom, ruled independently on the empire's territory.

Of the fifteen qualifying spots, the four kingdoms and one duchy, thanks to their relatively independent status, directly divided up ten spots.

Their respective regional selections are not connected to the central competition area of ​​Tiandou City.

Only five spots were truly reserved for the Heaven Dou Competition Zone, the core ruling area of ​​the Heaven Dou Empire.

All the Soul Master academies not under the jurisdiction of those five kingdoms and duchies must squeeze into the narrow track of the Heaven Dou Division to compete for those five precious qualification spots.

This means that the competition in the Tiandou Division is far more brutal than in other divisions.

Within the empire, there are dozens of academies with some reputation, plus some private and aristocratic academies, totaling nearly a hundred.

A hundred schools of thought contend, all vying for just five spots.

Blood and sweat, dreams and glory, will all collide and ignite the most intense sparks before these five narrow bridges.

However, despite the fierce competition, the five qualifying spots in the Tiandou Division have actually formed a relatively fixed pattern over the years.

The five major elemental academies—Thunder Academy, Divine Wind Academy, Heavenly Water Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, and Elephant Armor Academy—almost always manage to secure three to four spots each year, thanks to their long-standing traditions, unique martial spirit cultivation systems, and abundant resources.

The remaining spots are usually rotated among the second teams of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy.

For a weak academy to stage a comeback is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

This is not only a contest of strength, but also a battle of resources and foundation.

Chapter 382 Lottery Results

At this moment, in the waiting area of ​​the participating colleges, teams from all sides have arrived one after another.

Young Soul Masters, dressed in various school uniforms representing their respective academies, gathered together, forming a sea of ​​colors.

The air was filled with youthful vigor, a burning desire for battle, and a faint smell of gunpowder.

Among the many colleges, one team's attire stood out.

It was a color that was hard to describe accurately, somewhere between yellow and green, with low saturation, yet it was exceptionally eye-catching.

To describe it through Dai Mubai's gritted teeth afterwards, it was "shit-green".

That's right, poop green.

For this highly anticipated college competition, Dean Flander meticulously commissioned this brand-new school uniform for them.

According to him, it was woven from a rare silkworm silk mixed with ice spider silk. The material was of superior quality, breathable and warm, and it was indeed soft and comfortable to wear. It also had a slight promoting effect on the flow of soul power.

but!

That color!

Each of the Shrek Seven Devils looked at their clothes with an expression as if they had swallowed a fly.

This is not finished.

On each person's chest, embroidered with a vibrant, almost dripping emerald green silk thread, was a pattern that nearly covered the entire front of their chest: the Shrek logo, a menacing monster with a gaping mouth. The combination of emerald green and turquoise green was visually disastrous.

If that's all there is to it, perhaps it can be勉强 explained as a unique feature or distinctive characteristic of the college.

But Flanders's stroke of genius came from behind the scenes.

Behind each person, six large characters were embroidered in striking red thread:

We are seeking title sponsorship advertising.

Below this line of text, there is a smaller line of text:

Please contact Mr. Flander, the Dean of Shrek Academy, for a face-to-face discussion regarding advertising fees.

"..."

When the Shrek Academy group entered the waiting area wearing these battle robes, the entire area fell into a brief silence.

Immediately, low snickers, undisguised pointing and whispering, and strange looks came from all directions.

Oscar covered his face in anguish, wishing he could disappear into the ground: "The dean is shameless when it comes to money..."

Ma Hongjun tried to use his obese body to cover the words behind him, but it was obviously in vain. He lamented, "My image as a fat man is completely ruined... How am I supposed to find a confidante in Tiandou City now..."

Dai Mubai's face turned ashen, his evil eyes flashing with cold light as he swept his gaze over those who were mocking him, startling several students who were nearby into quickly looking away.

But he himself felt uncomfortable and subconsciously hunched over, trying to make the words behind him less noticeable.

Zhu Zhuqing's aura grew even colder, and the killing intent in her cat-like eyes almost materialized. She glanced coldly at Flander, who was chatting and laughing with other academy leaders in the distance, looking smug, and then silently turned away.

Lin An remained expressionless, his purple eyes calm. He simply swept his slightly curly black hair behind his shoulder, subtly obscuring the red characters on his back.

Tang San frowned slightly, but quickly regained his composure. He glanced at Cinderella beside him, who was also wearing the same clothes but still stood tall and had a calm expression, and the slight discomfort in his heart dissipated.

If his sister doesn't care, why should he care?

But... this color is really ugly.

Cinderella felt the various gazes directed at her from all around. A hint of helplessness flashed in her azure eyes, but more so, she remained calm.

She even had the mind to carefully scan the bustling crowd in the waiting area.

Her gaze swept over the young soul masters, each with their own unique attire and extraordinary bearing, and soon she spotted several familiar figures.

In the Blazing Academy area, a girl with fiery red hair and bright eyes was talking to her teammates. She was none other than "The Little Match Girl" Leah.

There were a few other figures who looked vaguely familiar, but they couldn't be seen clearly through the crowd.

We're all from the same hometown.

Cinderella sighed softly to herself.

So many characters from different fairy tales have been introduced and grown up on their own, and now they've all come together at this highest-level Soul Master Tournament on the entire continent...

The future is becoming increasingly uncertain.

She withdrew her gaze, her eyes regaining their resolve.

She will not admit defeat no matter what.

She must go all the way in this competition.

……

In the VIP section, the lengthy speech finally came to an end.

Emperor Xueye leaned back in his chair, looking slightly tired. Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded to him, while Salas remained expressionless.

The master of ceremonies announced loudly: "Now, please welcome His Excellency Platinum Bishop Salas, representative of the Papal Palace, to draw the pairing order for the first round of the preliminary rounds for each participating academy!"

Salas slowly rose and stood before a golden divination tube held by a servant. Inside the tube were soul guide tokens representing the various academies.

He reached inside expressionlessly, stirred it casually, then pulled out two plaques, glanced at them, and handed them to the emcee beside him.

The emcee took it, channeled his soul power, and his loud voice resounded throughout the venue through the amplified soul guide:

"First round of the preliminary rounds: Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Purple Star Academy!"

A cheer and murmur rippled through the audience. As one of the Empire's flagship teams, the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy's second team naturally garnered significant attention.

Salas continued drawing. "First round of the qualifiers, Auckland Academy vs. Flamebringer Academy!"

……

As the matchups were announced one by one, some were happy while others were worried.

Strong teams naturally find it easy to play against weaker teams, while teams of similar strength are eager to compete.

In the waiting area, the Shrek Academy students listened intently.

Flander rubbed his hands together, his small eyes gleaming, and whispered to Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong beside him, "Don't let our first opponent be too strong. Let us get used to the venue first, and by the way... hehe, let's show off the advertising space on our school uniforms."

Yu Xiaogang pushed up his glasses, ignoring Flander's greed, and said in a deep voice, "No matter who the opponent is, according to the plan, only three people will go up in the first round."

His gaze swept over the Shrek Seven Devils behind him and the other four substitutes selected from the original students of Blue Tyrant Academy: the strength-type Tailong, the power-attack type Huang Yuan, the agility-attack type Jingling, and the healing type Jiangzhu.

According to Yu Xiaogang's tactical arrangement, during the preliminary rounds, not all of the Shrek Seven Devils will play. Only three of them will be sent out each time, along with four substitutes, including Tailong, to form a seven-person team.

This way, the Shrek Seven Devils' true strength and trump cards can be concealed, the substitute players can gain experience in major competitions, and potential powerful enemies can be misled.

After all, in Yu Xiaogang's view, Shrek Academy's real challenge lies in the qualifying rounds and the finals.

The qualifiers are just a warm-up and training ground.

Just then, Salas drew two more number plates.

The emcee took it and announced loudly:

"First round of the qualifiers, Canghui Academy vs...."

He paused, his gaze seemingly glancing in a certain direction, a subtle, strange glint in his voice: