Douluo: Manifesting the Black Abyss and White Flower at the Start

Although their hearts were filled with reluctance, losing to the powerful reigning champions, St. Freya Academy, was not something to be ashamed of.

At the very least, at this moment, the audience outside the arena erupted into thunderous applause, grateful for the spectacular battle they had just witnessed.

"First round-robin match: St. Freya Academy wins!"

As Dan Heng's clear and resonant voice rang out, the name of the Qianling Advanced Soul Master Academy gradually dimmed on the big screen, leaving only St. Freya Academy's name shining brightly.

The cheers, like a surging tide, exploded as Dan Heng announced the result, igniting the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

Whether it was Qianling Academy's performance in the match or Firefly's terrifying, jaw-dropping destructive power, both opened the audience's eyes. Their emotions were thoroughly stirred, and the entire arena was immersed in a boiling excitement.

Having defeated Qianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, St. Freya Academy's first round-robin match had come to a perfect close.

In the first round of the group stage, they secured their first victory, earning two points and temporarily ranking first in their group.

The round-robin schedule allowed for a match every other day, so St. Freya Academy's next match was set for two days later.

…

In a flash, two days passed, and the first round of the round-robin had ended.

Compared to the elimination stage, the intensity of the round-robin was noticeably lower, with each academy adjusting its tactics accordingly.

After all, in the round-robin, unlike the knockout stage, losing a match didn't mean immediate elimination.

Just like Qianling Academy. Although they lost the first round to the formidable St. Freya Academy, as long as they remained undefeated in subsequent matches, they still had a chance to advance from the group stage.

However, unfortunately, their group not only included the mighty St. Freya Academy but also the renowned Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy.

Otherwise, given Qianling Academy's own strength, they would have had a decent shot at advancing in other groups.

Precisely because of this, all the academies began to hold back in the round-robin, no longer going all-out as they did in the elimination stage.

Though quite a few contestants were injured during the elimination stage, thankfully, Haiyuan City provided advanced healing soul tools, and those injured received timely and effective treatment, which didn't affect their participation in the coming round-robin.

In summary, most academies deliberately conserved their strength in the first round of the round-robin—except for teams like Qianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, who, seeing no hope of advancement, chose to go all in.

But it was obvious to all that this first round of the round-robin was merely the calm before the coming storm.

As the matches progressed, the intensity of the round-robin would surely rise, possibly even surpassing the elimination stage in ferocity.

While the intense battles of the soul master academies captured everyone's attention, some soul engineer academies were equally impressive.

They showcased the might of soul tools, letting everyone witness their formidable power.

Given that Haiyuan City—the host city—was the most advanced place for soul tools, with state-of-the-art equipment everywhere, high-tech soul tool devices frequently appeared on the field.

This series of displays gave many academies a brand-new and profound understanding of the power of soul tools, making them realize that the influence of soul tools in the world of soul masters was increasing day by day.

Ningguang keenly seized this business opportunity. Taking advantage of the tournament's high popularity, she held a small auction every night, specializing in selling various soul tools.

Notably, Ningguang had returned to Haiyuan City for the Soul Master Tournament and had personally taken over the city's commercial operations.

With her brilliant methods, the Jade Chamber's small auctions quickly gained a stellar reputation.

Each night, the auction was packed, bustling with activity—even Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy attended.

Shrek Academy participated mainly to make up for their weaknesses.

Lacking their full starting lineup, with some main players still recovering from injuries in the early round-robin matches, they had to field substitutes. To strengthen the team, they urgently needed to acquire powerful soul tools through the auctions to enhance their combat power for better results in upcoming matches.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, on the other hand, came specifically for Herta's soul tools.

After all, it was well-known that behind the Jade Chamber was Haiyuan City, and Lady Herta of Haiyuan was a legendary figure in soul tool circles.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's soul engineers had long coveted these soul tools and wouldn't miss such a rare opportunity, hoping to obtain one of Lady Herta's works at the auction.

However, for Lu Jingming and his team, there was no need to join their own auction.

If they wanted anything, they could simply take it directly—there was no need to compete for it at auction like everyone else.

"Inescapable Net!" Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo called out sweetly, unleashing their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

In an instant, countless blue strands of hair spread out, densely filling the air like an invisible net that sealed off all the opponent's escape routes.

Caught off guard by this sudden attack, the opponent was instantly bound tightly by the blue strands, unable to move and forced to struggle in vain.

With this move's success, the second round-robin match ended, and St. Freya Academy won decisively.

In this second round-robin match, St. Freya Academy's opponent was a soul engineer academy from the Dou Ling Empire.

Judging by their performance, they were clearly a newly established academy with limited strength—their strongest members were only three Soul Ancestors.

Considering the opponent's strength, Lu Jingming deliberately sent Ye Guyi and the Lan sisters to compete, allowing them to gain combat experience in front of the crowd.

In the first match, Lu Jingming had arranged for Gu Yue and Ye Guyi to take the field.

Gu Yue, a Soul King, was extremely powerful, and although Ye Guyi was only a Soul Ancestor, she was still formidable.

With Gu Yue holding the line, Ye Guyi took on two Soul Ancestors alone and won decisively.

In the second match, the Lan sisters took the stage.

Though only at the Soul Elder level, the twins' strength far surpassed their peers thanks to St. Freya Academy's careful cultivation.

Facing an opponent combination of one Soul Elder and one Soul Ancestor, the sisters calmly responded and, at the critical moment, unleashed their powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill, defeating their opponents and securing St. Freya Academy's second elimination match victory.

Because they'd won the first two matches, according to the tournament rules, St. Freya Academy didn't need to compete in the third match.

As the matches progressed, although Shrek Academy also achieved consecutive victories, Huo Yuhao's disguise was gradually seen through.

People not only discovered that his six hundred-thousand-year soul rings were fake but also realized that his other teammates weren't Soul Emperors either—the highest real rank among them was only Soul Ancestor.

This odd performance from Shrek Academy made many other academies restless.

Although Shrek had lost their championship glory in the last tournament, they were still a legendary name for a thousand years, with immense prestige and deep foundations in the soul master world.

For many academies, defeating Shrek on the field was a golden opportunity to make a name for themselves—not only for fame and reputation but also to elevate their status in the soul master world.

Thus, Shrek Academy had become everyone's target. No matter what internal issues they faced, the other academies all aimed to defeat them, hoping this victory would bring unprecedented honor to their own schools.

The sun hung high, its rays pouring unreservedly onto the buildings of the Daydream Hotel.

Lu Jingming led his team out the hotel doors, heading for the Eye of the Abyss. Their opponent for today had already been determined.

The seaside was, as always, crowded and lively. Tourists in light summer clothes lounged on the beach, enjoyed sunbathing, or played in the shallow waters, laughter and joy echoing between sea and sky.

Today, however, the crowd was even more excited, a mood of anticipation and exhilaration filling the air. Today, the Eye of the Abyss would host a much-anticipated clash between St. Freya Academy and Dou Ling Royal Academy.

Champions versus last tournament's top eight—how could such a match not set hearts racing and stir the crowd's emotions?

As Lu Jingming led his teammates onto the Eye of the Abyss, the whole venue exploded in thunderous cheers.

The crowd had arrived early, waving flags and light sticks, their eyes shining with excitement as they welcomed St. Freya Academy.

In previous matches, St. Freya Academy had crushed their opponents with overwhelming, invincible strength, leaving a deep impression. The audience was eager to see them display their prowess once again.

As usual, whenever St. Freya Academy competed, their match was scheduled first. This was not only the privilege due to the reigning champions but also because they were the host team.

As the match time approached minute by minute, the stands grew ever more electrified.

This was the tournament's first clash between two top teams—everyone's eyes were glued to the field, eager to witness this pinnacle showdown.

"Teacher Wang Yan, who do you think will win this match?" Xiao Xiao asked curiously, turning to their teacher beside her.

"St. Freya Academy!" Wang Yan replied without hesitation, full of confidence.

He patiently explained, "Dou Ling Royal Academy is strong, but compared to St. Freya Academy, they're still a bit weaker. And in matches with two advancement spots, they won't reveal their trump cards or go all out against St. Freya."

"The result of this match is almost certain, but Dou Ling Royal Academy is still a threat. They might force St. Freya Academy to reveal some hidden strength, since several of their members haven't shown their full power yet."

Bei Bei and the others nodded in agreement.

In their hearts, they also believed Dou Ling Royal Academy would lose, but they were all curious—just how far could Dou Ling push St. Freya Academy, and how much of their strength would be forced out?