The first piece of information that was released was the venue for the event. It was going to take place in Bright City, rather than at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, as many people had expected.

The reason provided was that there was a more suitable venue at Bright City, and that it was only right to hold such an important event in the capital city.

Following the fall of Shrek City, Bright City had become the continent's number one city, and the true objective behind this decision by the Spirit Pagoda was to situate the event far away from the rebuilding Shrek Academy.

Through this joust for a spouse, they were going to attract attention away from the Shrek Academy rebuild. If they were to hold the event at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, which was very close to Shrek Academy, the competitors and spectators could easily be drawn to the situation unfolding at Shrek Academy instead, and that was not something that the Spirit Pagoda wanted to see. The last thing they wanted was for Shrek Academy to achieve the same level of influence as it had prior to its destruction.

At the same time, the federal parliament was being dominated by the Eagle Faction, and the Spirit Pagoda was one of the Eagle Faction's primary backers. As such, it could be said that Bright City was a fortress for them as the Battle God Hall was also situated there. Holding the event at Bright City would also attract more powerful beings of the younger generation to participate in the event, thereby further increasing the event's influence.

Three days after the venue announcement was made, another astounding announcement was released. In order to ensure that not all participants aside from the final victor went home empty-handed, the Spirit Pagoda was offering a variety of lavish rewards, including 100 black soul spirits!

That's right, 100!

This was a staggering number!

Following the emergence of man-made black soul spirits, the overall price of soul spirits had decreased slightly, but the price for black soul spirits remained extremely high. As such, 100 black soul spirits was an unimaginable reward to be offering.

This meant that the top 100 competitors would all receive a black soul spirit, and aside from that, there were other precious rewards such as custom-made suits of battle armor, spirit items, and more. The higher one's placing, the more rewards they would receive, and this astonishing display of wealth from the Spirit Pagoda had left the entire Soul Master world completely flabbergasted.

Even the Soul Masters who had denounced the joust for a spouse event were tempted to participate as the rewards were simply irresistible! The attraction of 100 black soul spirit instantly sent the entire Soul Master world into a frenzy, and many Soul Masters who were over the age limit were cursing themselves for not being born a few years later!

The promotion for the event was a massive success, and three days later, the Spirit Pagoda made another announcement that threw a lifeline to the overage Soul Masters.

The Spirit Pagoda stated that after consulting with Gu Yuena, it was decided that for every 10 ranks of soul power above the minimum 60, the acceptable age range would be increased by five.

This meant that all Soul Sages below 40, all Soul Douluos below 45, and all Titled Douluos below 50 could participate in the event.

This was a massive bombshell that completely changed the entire game, and the Spirit Pagoda's fierce promotional strategy was drowning both the news of the Shrek Academy rebuild and the negative press aimed at the Spirit Pagoda.

All of a sudden, the joust for a spouse event had become the biggest event in the entire federation.

......

"How long was I missing for?" Tang Wulin asked.

Using his soul communicator, he was able to inform his friends right away that he was safe, and he certainly wasn't going to return to the Great Star Dou Forest to challenge Di Tian again. After hurrying back to Shrek Academy, Xie Xie was the first person that he met.

"You've been missing for half a month, Boss! I'm so glad you're back! Are you hurt anywhere?" Xie Xie was ecstatic to see him.

"Half a month? That long?" Tang Wulin was stunned to hear this. Did this mean that he had walked along that golden path for half a month? That was truly a very long time. It looked like he would have to set aside substantial chunks of time when he decided to undergo future trials.

"That's right, but all that matters is that you're back. The situation on that day was truly perilous!"

Tang Wulin hurriedly asked, "How did you guys manage to get away after I was teleported away by the trident?"

This was the thing that he was concerned about the most; he had been extremely concerned that his friends may have perished in the Great Star Dou Forest. While making that call with his soul communicator, his heart had been filled with unease, but thankfully, all of his friends were still alive.

Xie Xie gave him a recount of what had happened on that day. That experience had completely erased the arrogance and complacency that had crept into their hearts, and it was truly a terrifying ordeal!

Four Great Beasts were far too fearsome for their current selves to be able to contend with, and the four Limit Douluos had told them that even they would struggle to escape from the four Great Beasts without at least one of them sacrificing themselves.

There was a considerable number of top-tier powerful beings in this world, and they were still quite some way away from reaching that level.

As such, during the past half a month, they had been working even harder in their cultivation while awaiting Tang Wulin's return.

"A massive silver claw?" Tang Wulin's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, "Did you manage to get a good look at it?"

Xie Xie shook his head in response. "It was concealed within a layer of silver light, and it sent that Bear Lord flying with just a single attack. Bear Lord was completely unable to resist, and we don't know why the owner of that claw decided to save us, but we heard the Great Beasts refer to it as their lord. Does that mean that the owner of that claw is even more powerful than Di Tian? Di Tian is already the most powerful soul beast; wouldn't that make the owner of the claw a god?"

A series of thoughts flashed through Tang Wulin's mind, and he said, "In any case, it's fantastic that all of you managed to come back alive. It looks we won't be able to go to the core region of the Great Star Dou Forest for now."

Xie Xie's eyes widened upon hearing this. "You're STILL planning to go there?"

Tang Wulin replied, "Someday, we'll rise to their level, and when that time comes, we have to go there again."

His voice was very calm and placid, but Xie Xie could detect immense confidence within it.

Indeed, they were going to reach that level someday as well.

"Has the academy's rebuild been progressing smoothly during my absence?" Tang Wulin asked.

Xie Xie replied, "Everything's been progressing quite smoothly. We made the right judgment; once the academy commenced its rebuild, none of the other powers dared to do anything. On top of that, we've managed to contact more and more of our upperclassmen, and all of them have expressed full support of our rebuild. The amount of resources we've received thus far has been extremely staggering, and the Tang Sect has provided us with sufficient soul tools. The barbed wire barrier is already complete, and it encompasses the entire area that extends a kilometer beyond the bank of the Sea God's Lake; the total area is even larger than the original Shrek City.

"The school buildings are also coming along nicely, and there are many areas where soul tool arrays have been set up to keep out the radiation from the lake."

Tang Wulin asked, "Why does it sound like there's something you're not telling me?"

A peculiar look immediately appeared on Xie Xie's face, and he seemed to want to say something, but was grappling with an internal conflict.

"What happened?" Tang Wulin's heart immediately tightened upon seeing this.

Xie Xie replied, "The Spirit Pagoda has made a move, and it's a completely unexpected one. Even the Limit Douluos found it to be quite perplexing initially, but after thinking about it, we all realized that they're targeting you."

"What did they do?" Tang Wulin asked.

Xie Xie replied, "They're holding a joust for a spouse event in less than two months. The news has spread through the entire federation and garnered widespread attention, and the rewards offered are extremely lavish, including 100 black soul spirits. All of the news outlets are reporting on this event, and the age limit is very loose, so many powerful beings are able to participate. The event has now become the hottest talking point of the entire continent."