At this moment, seeing that all ten captains and vice-captains had gathered, the host spoke once again:
"Next, His Majesty, along with Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Master Ning, Sword Douluo, Jade Phosphor Douluo, and Tyrant Dragon Douluo, will personally present the qualification certificates and rewards to the five teams advancing to the ranking tournament."
Emperor Xue Ye stood in the center, with Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo seated on either side of him. Chen Xin (Sword Douluo) and Huo Lie (Tyrant Dragon Douluo) sat beside Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo. With five people present, each was assigned to award one team.
As Blazing Academy ranked second, the one presenting their award was Ning Fengzhi.
After a slight bow of thanks, Mu Yang received the qualification certificate and a gold soul coin card from Ning Fengzhi, who wore a warm smile and exuded an air of refinement.
The qualification certificate was merely a handwritten document—practically useless, much like a kindergarten teacher awarding a red flower sticker. Its symbolic significance far outweighed its actual value.
After all, could the tournament committee not know which five teams had qualified from the preliminaries?
As for the prize money, this came from the Heaven Dou Empire, or more accurately, from the royal treasury. It wasn't about anything else—just a simple reward to encourage outstanding participants.
"One hundred thousand gold soul coins?!"
Mu Yang was momentarily stunned as he stared at the 100,000 gold soul coin denomination on the card in his hand.
In the previous Continental Soul Master Tournament, though he hadn't participated, he had watched the matches.
If he remembered correctly, in the preliminaries, regardless of whether a team ranked first or fifth, the reward had only been 10,000 gold soul coins.
How had it suddenly jumped to 100,000 gold soul coins this time?
Could it be that Emperor Xue Ye had found money on the ground today?
"Hehe~, His Majesty is in a good mood, so all five teams benefit."
Ning Fengzhi chuckled and gave a simple explanation.
Instantly, Mu Yang understood.
That nuisance Salas was done for, and the thorn in Emperor Xue Ye's side, the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall, had been smashed to pieces by Tang Hao. How could Emperor Xue Ye not be overjoyed? Ever since that night, he had been smiling constantly, even walking with a spring in his step.
Emperor Xue Ye: "A joyful mood like never before—starting from the fall of Salas and the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall."
Since the Emperor was pleased, there was no need to discuss a grand amnesty for the empire. It was common for him to casually bestow some rewards.
Besides, even with 100,000 gold soul coins per team, the total prize for all five teams was only 500,000 gold soul coins.
For Emperor Xue Ye, ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, this was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
'Tsk~! You all should be thanking me!'
Sweeping his gaze across the five teams, Mu Yang secretly spoke to the other participants in his heart.
If not for his clever scheme of manipulating others to eliminate his enemies, Tang Hao wouldn't have destroyed the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall. If Tang Hao hadn't done that, Emperor Xue Ye wouldn't be so happy. And if Emperor Xue Ye weren't this happy, then the prize money for the five qualifying teams would have likely remained at the same modest level as in past tournaments.
Of course, Mu Yang was also well aware of the saying: "Good deeds should not be credited to oneself."
Such small favors were best left unmentioned, lest he end up on the receiving end of a giant hammer.
With the awards presented to all five teams, the host then handed the floor to Emperor Xue Ye.
Slowly rising from his seat, Emperor Xue Ye swept his gaze over the representatives of the five advancing teams, pausing for a few extra seconds on those who had already reached the five-ring Soul King level—Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Mu Yang, Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, and Tang San—before finally smiling and speaking:
"First of all, to the elites of the empire, I offer my congratulations.
You have successfully qualified for the advancement stage of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. As the supreme ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, I am proud of you all. You are the future hope of the empire!
Furthermore, as captains and vice-captains, your strength has played a crucial role in your teams' success.
Therefore, I have decided to confer upon you ten individuals the noble title of Viscount, while the rest of your team members will receive the title of Baron. Once you graduate, the gates of the imperial court will always be open to you, and your fiefs will be officially allocated after your graduation."
The titles of Baron and Viscount that Emperor Xue Ye was granting were not mere honorary titles like those given to Soul Masters who pledged allegiance to the Heaven Dou Empire after reaching the three-ring level. These were true noble ranks that came with land and authority.
Generally speaking, a Baron's fief consisted of a town and its surrounding villages, while a Viscount's fief included a small city along with its subordinate towns and villages.
For example, the remote city of Nuoding, along with Saint Soul Village and other nearby settlements, belonged to a certain Lord Xiao, who held a noble title and governed the area as his feudal domain.
As Emperor Xue Ye finished speaking, Mu Yang and the others did not immediately respond.
After all, those standing here were the top elites of their generation in the Soul Master world, each with a bright future ahead. While noble titles were tempting, they were not necessarily what everyone desired.
Fortunately, Emperor Xue Ye could more or less guess their thoughts, so he did not demand an immediate response. Instead, he continued:
"In addition to this, I have another promise for you all.
If any one of your teams manages to win the championship and claim victory in this tournament, the entire team's noble titles will be elevated by one rank. Moreover, your academy will receive substantial financial support from the empire."
A rank increase in noble titles meant that if one of these five teams won, their captains and vice-captains would be promoted to Earls, while the rest of the team members—including substitutes—would be granted Viscount titles.
Of course, there was no such thing as a free lunch, and noble titles in the Heaven Dou Empire were not given away so easily.
If the recipients chose not to join the empire, their noble titles would remain in a suspended state—only becoming official once they pledged allegiance. Otherwise, the empire would be drained dry by opportunists.
After discussing rewards and benefits, Emperor Xue Ye briefly introduced details about the upcoming ranking tournament:
"The next stage of the competition will still be held within the empire, but the venue will change from the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena to the Royal Hunting Grounds.
At that time, ten teams from the five kingdoms and duchies under the empire's rule—who have also qualified through their own preliminary rounds—will compete against you in the ranking tournament.
I hope that your five academies will secure top positions in this stage and gain an advantage in the finals.
The ranking tournament is also an excellent platform for showcasing your personal strength. The three students with the most victories in this round will be granted a soul beast of their choice for their next title advancement.
Any soul beast under 30,000 years of cultivation—regardless of type—the empire will provide it."
After delivering his impassioned speech, Emperor Xue Ye finally reached the conclusion of his address:
"The ranking tournament will take place one month from now. I hope you will use this time to improve further and achieve even greater success. Victory shall belong to the Heaven Dou Empire!"
"Long live the Empire!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
The deafening cheers erupted from the audience, echoing throughout the entire Great Soul Arena.