Ning Rongrong looked at Yun Feng lying on her lap, gently massaging his temples as she softly asked:
"Yun Feng, as a playboy, what are your thoughts?"
Yun Feng chuckled and planted a kiss on Ning Rongrong's cheek.
"No thoughts."
Ning Rongrong noticed everyone in the hall staring at her, her face slightly reddening.
She remained silent.
After a brief chat with Yun Feng and the others, everyone settled down.
Yun Feng and the group also noticed a few familiar faces.
Dugu Yan, upon seeing the people across the room, turned her gaze to Yun Feng.
"Go ahead, don't mind me."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan smiled and quickly walked over to chat with her close friend Ye Lingling.
However, the others looked at Yun Feng with a hint of fear.
After all, Yun Feng's achievements were undeniable!
Not to mention the numerous forces backing him now!
They didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
Seeing Flender still chatting with Liu Erlong about trivial matters, Yun Feng almost lost his composure.
Perhaps sensing the tension among the others, or perhaps because Ye Lingling was now representing the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, they only chatted briefly before returning to their designated rest area.
Liu Erlong recognized the old man leading the opposing team and frowned.
"I didn't expect that old guy to join the Canghui Academy."
"It seems the quality of this year's participants from Canghui Academy is quite good. Could their earlier arrogance have been an act?"
Xiao Wu, hearing Liu Erlong's words, couldn't help but ask:
"Auntie, do you know them?"
Yes, under Yun Feng's influence, those younger than Liu Erlong had started calling her "Auntie."
Facing Xiao Wu's question, Liu Erlong nodded.
"That old man is called Shi Nian. His Soul is quite unique—a tangible yet intangible special Soul."
"It can create various illusions, causing people to lose themselves within them. With his current strength, he can make opponents trapped in his illusions harm themselves to death."
"We call his Soul 'Fading Dream.'"
"This old man is extremely sinister. Don't be fooled by his calm exterior; he's actually very vindictive. Flender's students might be in for some trouble."
"When I first met him, his Soul Power was already over level 60. Now, it's probably above level 70."
"Illusions? There's such a Soul?"
Xiao Wu was hearing about this for the first time.
Yun Feng, upon hearing the name, also smiled.
He wondered if Tang San would be as lucky this time.
"His Soul is quite troublesome. Even Soul Masters stronger than him usually avoid fighting him."
"Alright, the opening ceremony is about to begin. Let's get ready to enter."
"I'll take Miao Miao to the stands to watch your heroic display."
Yun Feng stood up with the girls and said to Liu Erlong:
"Auntie, don't forget about us!"
Liu Erlong smiled and replied:
"Then let's go together."
Sure enough, the staff of the competition soon entered the rest area, organizing the assembled students to begin their entrance.
Quickly, the staff led Xiao Wu and the others into the arena.
The vast and open square was surrounded by countless cheering and shouting spectators.
Directly in front of the central field was a golden-backgrounded main stage, behind which was the renovated VIP area.
The wide field had a diameter of over 150 meters, and the students who had entered earlier had already formed neat formations in the center.
As each student entered, a dedicated announcer on the main stage introduced them.
"Next to enter is Lanba Academy. In previous years, Lanba Academy's performance hasn't been great. Let's see how they fare this time. Let's give them a round of applause!"
After a round of applause, the host continued with some difficulty.
There was pressure from above, after all.
Xiao Wu and the others naturally heard this.
They were instantly angered.
What did they mean by "let's see how they fare this time"!
But considering the scale of this continent-wide competition, Xiao Wu and the others didn't say much.
Finally, all participating academies had entered. The Lanba Academy team stood in the center of all the teams.
The clueless spectators, seeing Lanba Academy fielding so many female Soul Masters, began to boo.
The preconceived notion had already taken root.
Ning Rongrong and the others ignored the mockery.
They were carefully observing their surroundings. This grand arena was undoubtedly the largest they had ever seen.
The stands could accommodate 80,000 spectators.
The entire area was decorated in a silver-themed background. Although it was morning, specialized Magic Devices were hung around to provide lighting, giving off not just a sense of luxury but also grandeur.
When her gaze fell on the VIP area, she spotted a few familiar faces.
One of them was Prince Xue Xing, whom they had met at the auction house. He was seated in the second row of the VIP seats.
The first row of the VIP seats had only three people.
The central figure wore a golden-red robe and a Golden Diamond Sky Crown. His face resembled an ancient moon, looking slightly older than Prince Xue Xing, with a similar bearing.
However, this person's demeanor far surpassed that of Prince Xue Xing.
Though he appeared somewhat aged, sitting there, he gave off a sense of being the center of everything. It seemed as if all around him revolved around him.
Without asking, everyone could guess this person's identity.
If even Prince Xue Xing had to sit in the second row, then the person in the center of the first row could only be the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire.
To his left sat an even older man.
He was covered in a crimson robe, wearing a Pentagonal Platinum Crown, his eyes slightly closed as if asleep. His shoulders were narrow, and his slender body resembled a spear.
To the emperor's right was someone everyone not only recognized but was very familiar with.
It was Ning Rongrong's father, Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Ning Fengzhi wore a white robe today, adorned with the Seven Treasure Purple Gold Crown, symbolizing his status. As one of the top three leaders of the seven great sects, he was fully qualified to sit in this position.
As for the crimson-robed man on the other side, everyone could tell from the Pentagonal Platinum Crown on his head that he was a Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall.
The highest authority in the Spirit Hall was undoubtedly the Pope. Below the Pope were four Platinum Bishops, symbolized by the Pentagonal Platinum Crown.
This person was undoubtedly one of the Platinum Bishops, capable of holding such a position.
He was likely the head of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Hall Temple, a position of great prestige.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi seemed to sense his daughter's gaze. His eyes shifted, meeting Ning Rongrong's, and he smiled slightly, nodding gently.
His lips moved
slightly, as if silently encouraging Ning Rongrong.
The Platinum Bishop, meanwhile, seemed to be scanning the area.
Noticing Ning Fengzhi's gaze, he also spotted the object of his search.
It was Lanba Academy.
(End of Chapter)