Douluo: AFK to Become a God

At this moment, the emcee asked again:"Master Ning, you are known as the strongest auxiliary-type soul master on the continent. On behalf of the 80,000+ spectators watching today, may I ask—which of the 28 teams participating in the preliminaries of the Heaven Dou City regional qualifier do you think has the best chance of winning?"

"The strongest auxiliary-type soul master on the continent"—this flattery pleased Ning Fengzhi quite a bit.

He had heard his share of flattery before, but being praised in front of 80,000 people? Even someone as dignified as a sect master couldn't help but feel delighted.

After all, in life, people chase nothing more than fame and fortune. And for someone like Ning Fengzhi, with power and influence, fame outweighed fortune.

"This young man knows how to talk. He has a bright future," Ning Fengzhi thought.

Still smiling, Ning Fengzhi replied,"Aside from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's main team, which has already been seeded for the finals, there's another team among the 28 I'm optimistic about.

In my opinion, not only do they have the strength to pass the preliminaries, but they may even take the final victory of this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!"

As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi subtly glanced at the Blue Tyrant Academy team where his beloved daughter Rongrong and Chu Chengzhou were.

There was a good reason for this. According to reliable intel, Chu Chengzhou had acquired a Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear summoning beast upon reaching the fourth-ring Soul Ancestor level.

Given the terrifying power of a super soul beast like that, even if it only exhibited the strength of a 2,000–3,000-year-old beast, it could easily overpower opponents in a tournament where the highest-level participants were barely five-ring Soul Kings.

"Oh?" The emcee asked in surprise. "May I ask which team has earned such favor from Sect Master Ning?"

Ning Fengzhi smiled and shook his head."I'm afraid I must keep that a secret for now. But I firmly believe the champion of this tournament will belong to the Empire!"

As soon as he said this, Salas, sitting to the left of Emperor Xue Ye, opened his slightly cloudy eyes. Though his face remained expressionless, he inwardly sneered at Ning Fengzhi's bold declaration.

As a Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall and the head of the Heaven Dou City branch, Salas was well informed of his own faction's strength in the tournament.

With Hu Liena, personal disciple of the Supreme Pontiff, and the young prodigies Xie Yue and Yan, dubbed the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall, all at five-ring Soul King level... Did Ning Fengzhi really think some local "wild teams" could win?

"You're dreaming, Ning Fengzhi!"

Meanwhile, the spectators were abuzz, trying to guess which team had gained Ning Fengzhi's secret favor.

It was obvious he wasn't referring to the Royal Academy's second team, as that group was made up of rejects who didn't make the cut for the main team. No way the leftovers were stronger than the chosen ones. But with 28 teams in total, it was hard to guess.

Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat, and the emcee said with a smile:"Unfortunately, we weren't able to get the name of the favored team from Sect Master Ning.

Now, let us welcome the host of Heaven Dou City's Spirit Hall, Platinum Bishop Salas, to conduct the first round draw for the preliminaries.

Once the drawing is complete, the Royal Academy's second team will compete against their drawn opponent. This will be the only match held today."

Salas stood slowly and, guided by a court maid, walked to the center to conduct the draw.

"Round 1: Auckland Academy vs. Flame Radiance Academy."

"Round 1: Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Tianshui Academy."

"Round 1: Blue Tyrant Academy vs. Blazing Fire Academy."

Once the matchups were announced, the audience began heated discussions.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team was set to face Tianshui Academy, one of the Five Element Academies. If it had been the main team, this would have been a headline match.

Historically, Heaven Dou Royal Academy had always performed better than the Five Element Academies due to their superior faculty and the strong backing of the Empire.

But now, it was the second team facing off—and even top officials such as Emperor Xue Ye, his cousin Prince Xue Xing, and the three Royal Academy commissioners were all pessimistic.

The second team was nowhere near the level needed to challenge Tianshui Academy, which had consistently reached the finals in past tournaments.

As for Blue Tyrant Academy, everyone was more focused on their own upcoming match—especially Chu Chengzhou's team, who turned to eye the Blazing Fire Academy, their opponents for tomorrow.

After the draw concluded, Salas addressed the crowd:

"I swear on the honor of Spirit Hall—this drawing was completely fair and unbiased.

Furthermore, I declare that any student who reaches the finals of this tournament will be allowed to join Spirit Hall directly."

With that, Salas leisurely returned to his seat.

He didn't expect many of the students here to qualify for the finals—those he cared about were already aligned with major factions and unlikely to join Spirit Hall. Still, his offer wasn't really for recruitment.

It was to spite Emperor Xue Ye.

"Direct admission into Spirit Hall?"

While the audience stayed calm, the students present were shocked.

Spirit Hall's internal structure was highly hierarchical, and the Spirit Temple—only found in the capitals of the two empires—was one of its most prestigious institutions, second only to the Pope's Palace, Douluo Palace, and the Elder's Hall.

To be allowed direct entry into the Spirit Temple was a fast track to strength and recognition for any soul master without a strong background.

Of course, most didn't know that the Elder's Hall required Titled Douluo status (nine rings), and the Offering Hall demanded at least Level 96 Titled Douluo to qualify as a Worship Elder.

When Salas made his power move in front of him, Emperor Xue Ye's face darkened. It was a blatant show of disrespect!

If not for Spirit Hall's dominance—commanding over half the continent's soul masters and boasting numerous Titled Douluo—Xue Ye would have shown Salas "why flowers are red."

"The first match of the preliminaries—Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Tianshui Academy—will begin in half an hour.

All other teams, please exit the field. Teams competing shortly, prepare yourselves."

Sensing the growing tension between Xue Ye and Salas, the emcee wisely steered the conversation back on track.

In the Grand Arena, on the participant platform...

"Boss Chu, tomorrow we're up against the Blazing Fire Academy. What's the plan?"

Glancing at the curvaceous redhead in a short skirt from the other team, Ma Hongjun swallowed hard and asked Chu Chengzhou.

"You want to go on?"

Chu replied lazily.

"Heh heh, Boss, I'm still single. Give me a chance to shine!"

To Ma Hongjun, the Soul Master Tournament was a stage not just for strength—but also for showing off to the ladies.

Sure, he was a bit chubby. Maybe a little sleazy sometimes. But hey—a funny soul beats a pretty face any day, right?At 14, already a Level 39 Soul Elder, he considered himself a rare catch.

Hearing this, the others turned their attention to Chu Chengzhou too.

Since they came to this tournament, of course everyone wanted a chance to perform.

Scanning the group, Chu Chengzhou said:"You all know our team's strength. Most of the opponents in the preliminaries will be weaker than what we'll face in the later rounds.So, Tai Long, Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan—I'm assigning you four to play in all the prelim matches. Any objections?"

Chu's intention was clear—prelims would be handled by a mix of main and substitute players. Later rounds, only the core members.

"Thank you, Captain! No objections!" Tai Long responded gratefully.

The other three nodded too.

After all, as substitutes, they hadn't expected much time on the field. But now, Chu was giving them main team treatment—for the entire prelims!

It was more than they'd hoped for.

"Brother, what about the remaining three spots?"Little Xiao Wu, ever eager, jumped in.

"The Five Element Academies are no joke. As captain, I need to both give chances and act as insurance—so I'll take one spot.As for the other two, the six of you will draw lots.Whoever gets picked goes on. The rest wait for the next match, and we rotate from there."

Chu was being very fair.

"That's not fair! Why do you get to go every time?!"

Ning Rongrong pouted.

"Rongrong, I'm the Captain!"

Chu waved his hand decisively.

Thirty minutes later, the first match began.

Under golden beams from the Soul Tool spotlights, both the Royal Academy's second team and the Tianshui team entered the field.

The emcee announced each member and their spirits.

Appearance-wise, both teams were eye-catching.

The Royal team wore pale gold uniforms embroidered with "Heaven Dou" on the chest and seven silver stars on the back—like golden suns under the lights.

But Tianshui Academy, clad in blue mini-skirts, long legs, and blue stockings, had the crowd—especially male spectators—cheering wildly.

Honestly, even compared to the main team of Royal Academy, Tianshui's all-girl squad was winning the popularity contest.

Meanwhile, the arena had transformed. During the short half-hour, the combat ring had been set up:

10 meters tall

30 meters in diameter

Circular, wide, and imposing

This was just one ring—five would be active tomorrow to speed up the schedule.

Each of the 28 teams would play 27 matches in the prelims. One win equals one point. After 27 rounds, the top five teams by score would advance to the next stage.

"Huh? Xiao Ao, isn't that your half-brother from another mother? I remember he used to be a member of the Royal Fight Team's main squad, right? Why is he in the sub-team now?"

In the stands, Ma Hongjun, who had been ogling the ladies of the Tianshui Team, suddenly pointed at a handsome young soul master leading the Royal Fight Team's sub-squad on the stage. He turned to Oscar curiously.

"Fatty, I've said it before — just because his name, Oslo, sounds similar to mine, Oscar, doesn't mean he's my half-brother!"Oscar grumbled in dissatisfaction.

'Oslo from the Royal Fight main team?'

Hearing this, Chu Chengzhou — who had been secretly holding Ning Rongrong's hand while sweet-talking Xiao Wu — paused for a moment and looked toward the arena.

At that moment, following the referee's signal, the surplus members of both the Royal Fight sub-team and the Tianshui Team stepped off the stage, leaving only the designated seven for each side. They then released their spirits and spirit rings.

The first match of the Soul Master Tournament preliminaries was about to begin.

Leading the Tianshui Team was Shui Bing'er, who possessed the Ice Phoenix Spirit.

Leading the Royal Fight sub-team was Oslo, an agility-type soul master with the Ghost Panther Spirit.

Seeing Oslo's four spirit rings — yellow, yellow, purple, purple — Chu Chengzhou frowned slightly.

He vaguely remembered that in the original story, whether at the Great Soul Arena of Soto City or in the tournament, the Royal Fight Team never changed its lineup — always the same seven.

So the question was: Why would Oslo, already a four-ring Soul Ancestor, step down from the main squad to join the go-nowhere sub-team?

'Could it be that he was replaced?'Chu Chengzhou thought to himself.

If Oslo was squeezed out of the main squad, it could only mean one thing — someone stronger replaced him.

After all, the Heaven Dou Empire hadn't won a Soul Master Tournament in several years. In Emperor Xue Ye's eyes, the Royal Fight Team was the empire's greatest hope for saving face against the Star Luo Empire and Spirit Hall.

The only way to join the Royal Fight main team was by using your strength to defeat a current member without weakening the team's synergy — ideally making it even stronger.

Anything else, whether relationships or connections, meant nothing.

After thinking it over and lacking further information, Chu Chengzhou gave up on figuring it out.

After all, the Royal Fight Team's strength was so high that even the Star Luo Royal Team with the Nether White Tiger fusion skill might not win against them. With that kind of power, it wasn't worth wasting mental energy.

Unless Spirit Hall sends Qian Renxue herself, the championship this time is mine — Chu Chengzhou!

The match between the Royal Fight sub-team and the Tianshui Team began.

But it ended just as quickly.

As expected — just like in the original — the Royal Fight sub-team lost badly, even with Oslo at the four-ring level.

The only difference was that, in the original, they lost to Shrek at the start. Now, they lost to the Tianshui Team.

Shui Bing'er opened with an area-of-effect freezing skill, instantly immobilizing four of the Royal Fight sub-team, including Oslo. The other girls followed up with their soul skills to mop up. In less than thirty seconds, the battle was over.

"First round, first match of the preliminaries: Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Tianshui Academy. Winner: Tianshui Academy!"

The referee had barely taken a sip of water before returning to the stage to announce the result.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

"Xiao Ao, I think I've fallen in love!"

In the stands, Ma Hongjun turned to Oscar.

Voiceover: Spring is here, life awakens — it's mating season again.

"???"

Oscar looked utterly baffled.

"Xiao Ao, do you believe in love at first sight?"

Ma Hongjun gazed longingly at Shui Bing'er, who was smiling in victory.

An Ice Phoenix Spirit! That's a perfect match for his Lava Fire Phoenix, right?

"Fatty, wake up! That's not love at first sight, that's lust at first glance!"

Chu Chengzhou shot him down mercilessly.

Shui Bing'er had both talent and beauty — easily one of the top-quality girls on the continent.

If Ma Hongjun had good character, maybe there'd be a chance.But unfortunately, he wasn't handsome. That meant a bad first impression.

And once someone looked into his background — yikes, the Little Prince of the Brothel District? Even worse.

No decent girl would give him a shot.Even if he wanted to change, he'd never get the chance.

Liking pretty women isn't wrong, but if you want to win over a high-quality girl, aside from skill, you gotta be handsome!

Like me, Chu Chengzhou!

"Boss Chu, I'm serious!"

Ma Hongjun said solemnly.

Chu Chengzhou: "…"

Great. Another massive simp is about to be born on this continent.

There was only one match today. After the Tianshui Team's victory, the other teams started leaving the stands.

In the exit tunnel, Chu Chengzhou and his group happened to encounter the dejected Royal Fight sub-team members coming down from the stage.

Honestly, for the Royal Fight sub-team, losing a match wasn't a big deal.

Historically, the Five Element Academy teams were just below the Royal Fight main team and usually secured all five spots for the Heaven Dou division. The sub-team was just made up of leftovers. Losing to Tianshui was expected.

But starting off the tournament by getting crushed? That would dampen anyone's mood.

"Oslo, hold up!"

Chu Chengzhou called out to the disheartened Oslo.

"Uh... You're from... Shrek Academy?"

Hearing someone call him, Oslo turned around. Recognizing Chu and the others after a moment's thought, he remembered.

Although more than a year had passed since that fateful battle at Shrek, the memory of his crushing defeat was still fresh.

"Yeah, that's us. But now we're with Blue Tyrant Academy. Say, I have to ask — weren't you in the Royal Fight main team? Why'd you end up on the sub-team?"

Chu Chengzhou nodded and asked curiously.

He knew it might come off as rubbing salt in the wound, but hey, they weren't exactly best friends. No harm in asking.

Oslo's mouth twitched.

The past is too painful to recall. Dude, did you really have to ask that so bluntly?

T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle