People were already beginning to investigate Yuan Hui's origins; in particular, the Spirit Pagoda was very quick to investigate the unknown three-word battle armor masters.

According to the results of the investigation, Yuan Hui was from the military. As powerful as the Spirit Pagoda was, even they couldn't know everything about every branch of the military, and they didn't dare to investigate any further.

Soul beasts had been gradually pushed toward extinction due to the rapid advancement of technology, and even the most powerful Soul Master in the world, the Atlas Douluo, had fallen to a pair of Godslayer missiles.

As such, the Spirit Pagoda knew that they definitely couldn't stand against the military.

The elimination matches were very cruel, and after the first day, close to 100 participants had already been eliminated. Practical combat was undoubtedly the best way to examine a Soul Master's overall abilities, and some of the matches between more evenly-matched opponents had been extremely intense.

This was an opportunity for everyone to display their own powers, so all of the participants were fighting with all their might, and injuries were a very common sight. Thankfully, the intervention of the referees and the self-restraint of the participants ensured that there were no deaths.

All of the major media outlets had broadcasted the important matches that took place on the first day, including the peak showdown between Chi Shanming and Yuanen Yehui. Following the commencement of the elimination matches, the joust for a spouse event became even more popular, and some favorites had already begun to emerge.

The most unexpected outcome on the first day was the elimination of Chi Shanming, which served to prove that the Soul Master world was filled with hidden powerful beings.

Tang Wulin's match was scheduled for the third day of the first round.

Due to his exceptional performance in the examinations and the fact that he was a Titled Douluo from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, his match also received widespread attention.

His opponent was a Soul Douluo, so everyone was speculating about whether this Soul Douluo would be able to create a miracle as Yuan Hui had on the first day and defeat the heavy favorite that was Tang Wulin.

After stepping onto the competition platform, Tang Wulin was greeted by the sight of his opponent. This was a Soul Master who appeared to be around 30 years of age with a medium build, but very wide shoulders.

He stood firmly on the spot like a stone block, and his eyes weren't very big, but they were very bright and piercing. He was appraising Tang Wulin with an intense gaze, and he remained completely expressionless.

The attention of the spectators was almost unanimously drawn to this match. During the past matches, they had discovered that battles between Soul Masters of a higher caliber tended to end more quickly; this was either due to a large disparity in power or due to victories being sealed by sudden and explosive displays of power.

In contrast, the more prolonged and grueling matches tended to take place between Soul Emperors. Up to this point, no mechas had appeared during any of the matches, clearly because they were too clumsy and maladroit.

On the rostrum, Gu Yuena was seated beside Qiangu Zhangting. Spirit Pagoda Chairman Qiangu Dongfeng wasn't in attendance as this was only the elimination stage.

"Nana, who do you think will win this match?" Qiangu Zhangting asked with a smile.

Gu Yuena replied in an indifferent manner, "There shouldn't be much doubt about the outcome considering the clear cultivation rank disparity."

Qiangu Zhangting asked, "So you think that Yu Longyue will emerge victorious? Don't forget about what happened to Chi Shanming on the first day; he's one of the most powerful backup Battle Gods of the Battle God Hall, yet even he lost to a Soul Douluo. If you ask me, anything is possible. Isn't the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon only good at controlling lightning?"

Gu Yuena asked, "Are you testing me on purpose? How can Fire Elemental Control compare with a martial soul of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's caliber? Even in the dragon clan, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons are very powerful beings. Not only are they adept at controlling lightning, they've inherited the immense strength and speed of the dragon clan as well. Even as far back as 20,000 years ago, this ancient family was extremely powerful and was one of the six founding clans of the Spirit Hall.

"After that, they gradually faded from the public eye, but there was even a Sea God's Pavilion Master that arose from the clan in the past. On top of that, records state that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul has the potential to evolve into the Holy Radiant Dragon martial soul. Yu Longyue is already a Titled Douluo at such a young age; who's to say he won't have second martial soul awakening?"

Qiangu Zhangting gave Gu Yuena a thumbs-up, and praised, "As expected of a high-achieving student from Shrek Academy; you know all this like the back of your own hand! You're right, I also think Yu Longyue has better chances in this match, but from what I've heard, his opponent is no slouch, either. He may only be a Soul Douluo, but if you ask me, he may not be inferior to that Yuan Hui."

"Oh? Do you know him?" Gu Yuena asked with an intrigued expression.

"I do, he's from our Spirit Pagoda, and he's one of the supervisors at the advanced Spirit Ascension Plane. He's participating in this event solely for training purposes, and his name is Ao Wuchang. He has a very special martial soul, and his nickname is 'Door of Summoning'. You'll see what I mean once the match begins. If that Yu Longyue gets careless, he could easily lose this match."

"Door of Summoning?" Gu Yuena was rather surprised to hear this.

Qiangu Zhangting nodded with a mysterious smile. "Just watch; I won't spoil any more of this for you. As for that Yu Longyue, even if he wins this match, if he encounters me later on, hehe, even if he's a dragon, he'll have to submit to my Coiling Dragon Staff martial soul!"

"Then what about me?" Gu Yuena asked with a roll of her eyes.

Qiangu Zhangting hurriedly put on a fawning smile, and said, "It's different for you, of course. You'll also be coiled, but you'll be coiled around me, and I'll have to do whatever you say!"

"That's more like it." Gu Yuena smiled a hint of purple light flashed deep within her eyes. Qiangu Zhangting faltered slightly at the sight of her, and a hint of purple light also flashed through his eyes.

"Three, two, one, begin!"

Tang Wulin's match commenced with the announcement from the electronic voice.

Door of Summoning Ao Wuchang!

Tang Wulin had already received information regarding this opponent in advance, and he was definitely a very interesting character.

As such, Tang Wulin wasn't in a hurry to win the battle as he was very interested in Ao Wuchang's martial soul.

Ao Wuchang immediately released his martial soul and battle armor from the get-go.

Specks of light appeared over his body, starting from the two sides of his collarbone, then slowly spread to his shoulders before trailing down his arms. At the same time, specks of light also emerged from his hips down to his legs.

It was as if a pair of 門 character had appeared on his body. [1]

Furthermore, his battle armor was also quite peculiar. The entire suit of battle armor was flat and planar in shape, completely different from the three-dimensional quality that was usually present in suits of battle armor.

This strange shape struck the beholder with the impression that each and every piece of his suit of battle armor was giving off a faint sheen. On his back was a pair of folded mechanical wings, and there were even propellers attached to them, sending him flying backward with an eruption of soul power. At the same time, eight soul rings appeared around him, every single one of which was black, presenting an incredible sight to behold.

[1] [1. 門 is the Chinese character for door.]