The light from the three soul bones dazzled, and Spirit City erupted in excitement.
Except for insiders, who knew the final prize in advance, who could have guessed it would be three soul bones? Their radiance alone showed their extraordinary quality. Even Spirit Hall's members couldn't hide their greed.
Usually, the appearance of even a single soul bone would spark bloody competition, let alone three.
If this weren't the Pope's Palace, and if not for the deterrence of several Titled Douluo, someone would have already tried to snatch them.
These were soul bones—the rarest treasures for soul masters.
Among soul bones, quality varies greatly. Aside from external soul bones, the higher the level of the soul beast, the greater the effect.
These three, just by looking, were top-tier.
At this moment, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei stepped forward and introduced them in his deep voice: "These three soul bones are: the Tranquil Crystal Torso for focus and calm, the Flaming Right Arm for explosive attack, and the Swift Wind Left Leg for speed. All come from ten-thousand-year soul beasts. The crystal torso is over twenty thousand years old; the other two are over thirty thousand years old. Any one is a top-grade soul bone."
The crowd was even more tempted. All three were ten-thousand-year soul bones, with two over thirty thousand years. Even though the crystal torso was only twenty thousand, as a rare torso bone, its value was even higher than the others.
"It's not the Wisdom Skull Bone? Looks like Bibi Dong gave her disciple a special favor," Tianlin thought, having noticed in the previous match that Hu Liena's powerful mental strength came from a new head bone.
"Xiao Tian, these are all great soul bones. The flaming right arm and swift wind left leg are for attack and speed, with strong fire and wind attributes. The crystal torso is a rare gem-type torso bone—if I'm not mistaken, whoever absorbs it will recover spirit and power very quickly in battle," Skydream Ice Silkworm said excitedly.
But Tianlin didn't want any of them—the crystal torso suited Ye Lingling best, and the others were not important to him.
He knew of many hundred-thousand-year soul beasts; instead of these, he'd rather get a hundred-thousand-year soul bone in the future.
"There's only one winner, only one champion. So, all three soul bones will go to the champion team. I hope you all give your best," Bibi Dong said calmly.
No matter the rank, soul masters all showed desire at the sight of the soul bones, and the fighting spirit among the contestants surged.
Bibi Dong continued, "This morning, each of your three teams will send seven for individual elimination matches. The last team standing will have the advantage and go directly to the finals tomorrow. The other two will fight for the remaining spot. Now, send out your first contestant."
At this moment, the Grandmaster suddenly spoke. "Wait, Your Holiness, Shrek forfeits this elimination round."
He chose to give up—wisely, since against Spirit Hall's Golden Generation and the Sword Prince, Shrek had no advantage in single combat.
Ning Rongrong, as a support, couldn't compete, and the others would only get injured, impacting future matches.
Only in team fights, using his hidden strategies, could they hope to win.
Bibi Dong looked at the Grandmaster. "Why?"
The Grandmaster calmly replied, "No reason. Forfeiting is our right."
His words, though reasonable, were addressed to the Pope herself—an act of defiance to the highest authority in the soul master world.
Anyone above level sixty could see the Grandmaster's strength was weak, not even rank thirty, yet he dared defy the Pope.
But unexpectedly, Bibi Dong simply nodded to the Grandmaster. "You're right, it's your right. I was being unnecessary—my apologies, Elder Yu."
Her conversation with the Grandmaster happened in front of all Spirit Hall's powerhouses and spectators. By calling Yu Xiaogang an honorary elder of Spirit Hall, she elevated his status, protecting him.
Otherwise, defying the Pope, even if Bibi Dong herself didn't mind, other soul masters who admired her would never let him go. The chance of the Grandmaster dying in the streets would have greatly increased.
But now, no one would dare—assassinating a Spirit Hall honorary elder would be like challenging Spirit Hall itself.
"How boring," Tianlin thought with disdain. Bibi Dong was so exceptional, but for some reason, so devoted to Yu Xiaogang.
But that was not his concern. Tianlin subtly conveyed something to his teacher Qin Ming.
Qin Ming looked at Tianlin in confusion but didn't ask, only nodded and stepped forward. "Your Holiness, in that case, our Heaven Dou team will also forfeit the individual matches and enter the losers' bracket."
"Your Spirit Hall team is so strong, I'd like more time to study tactics, so our match can wait until tomorrow."
Unlike Yu Xiaogang, Qin Ming had to explain his reasoning.
Though it seemed odd—was Sword Prince afraid of the Golden Generation? Only if three of them joined forces could they challenge Tianlin.
But the reasoning was irrefutable, and Qin Ming's flattery left no room for criticism. Bibi Dong could only nod. "Then, this afternoon, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will face Shrek. The winner will enter tomorrow's final."