The contestants from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy stared wide-eyed, their gazes fixed on the grand structure rising from the sea before them as if their souls had been sucked out—their worldview utterly shattered. If even the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy were so dumbfounded, one could imagine how the other contestants from all over the continent felt. Many still wondered if they were dreaming. The sight before their eyes was simply too overwhelming, almost unbelievable.

What stood before them was a colossal man-made island—a floating marvel with a diameter of 3.2 kilometers—the Eye of the Abyss.

The entire structure was designed as a massive hexagonal honeycomb of floating islands, constructed from 1,080 meticulously crafted soul-guided metal plates.

These plates were tightly connected using soul power interlocking technology, while seven gigantic soul-guided chains anchored the bottom of the island, plunging deep into the ocean floor, all the way down to the dark abyss, ensuring the island’s stability.

Above the island, nine spiraling, ring-shaped floating spectator stands elegantly rose in the air, each level separated by fifty meters and connected by anti-gravity cloud stairways.

The enormous stands could accommodate up to 420,000 spectators; soon, this place would become a sea of cheers and shouts.

At the very center of the island’s base hovered the main arena, tightly enclosed by a transparent spatial barrier.

This transparent barrier not only perfectly isolated the shockwaves from battles—guaranteeing the safety of the audience—but also allowed them to watch the fierce and spectacular matches without any obstruction.

Furthermore, outside the island, there was a 360-degree ring-shaped wall of water.

This water wall was a marvel in itself; every single drop had been specially treated to serve as an independent projection unit.

Thanks to exquisite soul-guided technology, it could clearly project the scenes from the arena, allowing spectators on the shore to experience the battles as if they were right there, even without setting foot on the island.

Additionally, the spectator seats were equipped with soul force-sensing chairs. By simply grasping the pressure sensors built into the armrests, spectators could synchronize with the soul power fluctuations of the matches, feeling as if they themselves were in the heat of battle—experiencing the trembling power of soul skills clashing, all without any risk of harm.

The entire arena was constructed from 250 million precious memory metal units.

These memory metals had magical properties; within just thirty seconds, they could generate any terrain or landscape required by the match.

Whether it was icy glaciers, erupting volcanoes, or sandstorm-swept deserts, everything could be perfectly simulated, providing contestants with diverse combat environments and offering the audience a richer visual spectacle.

This man-made island—the Eye of the Abyss—represented the blood, sweat, and wisdom of countless people in Haiyuan City. Lu Jingming had invested an astronomical sum, gone through countless grueling negotiations, and signed who-knows-how-many unequal contracts to finally secure the personal assistance of Herta.

Herta dispatched a large number of tireless Herta puppets, who worked day and night. With Keqing’s design, they eventually created this world-famous arena.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Eye of the Abyss represented the pinnacle of soul-guided technology in Haiyuan City.

In fact, it was the pinnacle of soul-guided technology across the entire Douluo Continent—at least, the Sun Moon Empire could never have built such a man-made island at sea.

For Herta, constructing such a building might not have been too difficult, but for the resource-limited, technologically lagging Douluo Continent, the Eye of the Abyss was nothing less than a miracle—a perfect fusion of human wisdom and soul-guided technology.

For this building, and to bring unprecedented spectacle to all during the tournament, Lu Jingming had even employed the power of reality itself.

The memory metals that formed the arena did not originate from the Douluo Continent but were brought across space and time from a distant, alien world.

This Eye of the Abyss, which defied the laws of physics and exuded a magical aura, was Lu Jingming’s ultimate trump card for this Soul Master Tournament.

Judging from the sea of people on the shoreline, and the utterly stunned expressions of all the contestants, his goal had clearly been achieved—surpassing all expectations.

Under Lu Qingluan’s orderly guidance, the contestants boarded the soul-guided warships quietly docked at the shore.

The warships gleamed with a cold metallic luster; their streamlined design not only radiated technological beauty but also hinted at formidable power.

As the ships slowly set off, the sea breeze brushed past, waves splashing against the hull. The contestants, carrying both nervousness and anticipation, sailed toward the Eye of the Abyss.

Upon arrival, Lu Qingluan waved her hand elegantly, and a dozen tall and imposing Golden Guards stepped forward in perfect unison.

With steady steps, each Golden Guard led a team of contestants to their exclusive rest areas.

Members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Shrek Academy also followed the Golden Guards to their respective rest areas.

Several other teams had already boarded the Eye of the Abyss ahead of them.

At that moment, the members of those teams were waiting in their own rest areas. Even though they were supposed to be relaxing, their eyes were still full of shock and curiosity, constantly looking around this place filled with a sense of advanced technology and fantasy.

Strange devices emitting soft light from the walls, mysterious patterns hidden in the floor—every detail sparked their desire to explore.

After safely escorting the teams to their rest areas, the Golden Guards quickly and efficiently withdrew, leaving no sign of delay or disorder.

Wang Yan led Ma Xiaotao, Bei Bei, and the other Shrek Academy members into their luxurious rest area.

No sooner had they entered than they were enveloped by a strong technological atmosphere.

A huge projection screen hovered in the air, gently flickering with light as if waiting to be activated. All sorts of uniquely shaped, mysterious soul tools were scattered around. Along the way, Wang Yan and the others had already witnessed much of the wondrous technology of Haiyuan City—though still in awe, they were gradually becoming accustomed to the shock.

“What’s this?” As soon as they entered, Xiao Xiao’s crisp voice broke the brief silence.

She immediately spotted a delicate booklet, quietly placed on a gleaming metal table.

Wang Yan walked over, picked up the booklet, and flipped through a few pages. He instantly understood its purpose and couldn’t help but marvel at Haiyuan City’s meticulous preparations—even the rest area’s user manual was so thorough.

Following the instructions, Wang Yan soon discovered the many powerful hidden features of the rest area.

The projection system could display real-time matches in ultra-high clarity, and with an intelligent analysis system, it could dissect opponents’ fighting styles and tactics for the team.

The soul-guided knowledge base was a true treasure trove, storing detailed data from previous tournaments and information about all kinds of martial souls, all collected by Haiyuan City.

They could use the knowledge base to learn specific details about their opponents’ martial souls, since not everyone recognized every martial soul.

At least for Xiao Xiao and the others, many martial souls were unknown to them, so the knowledge base offered invaluable information.

Of course, the knowledge base only covered a portion of martial souls—not all—since Douluo Continent was home to countless varieties and new mutations appeared every year. The database couldn’t possibly be complete.

In a corner stood a soul-guided healing pod, providing health assurance for the team. Simply lying inside would quickly heal injuries and relieve fatigue, allowing contestants to compete in peak condition.

Most exciting of all was the sand table simulation feature. Based on information the team had collected, it could construct virtual battle scenarios for practice matches, allowing them to familiarize themselves with opponents’ tactics in advance—provided their data was accurate.

Such a complete and powerful rest area left veterans like Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen—who had participated in the previous tournament—utterly stunned.

They clearly remembered the rough conditions of the rest area at the Heavenly Soul Empire’s tournament. Compared to this high-tech luxury, the difference was like night and day.

For first-time contestants like Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, who had no such comparison, the shock was less, but their eyes were still full of awe and curiosity.

As contestants continued to enter, spectators began to pour into the floating stands above the Eye of the Abyss.

These were the lucky ones who had secured tickets early. With limited capacity, only ticket holders could set foot on this marvel at sea and experience the fiery passion of the tournament up close.

Those unable to get tickets could only watch from afar on the shoreline, or return to Haiyuan City to watch the matches on massive projection screens.

Of course, such remote viewing couldn’t compare to the live experience—after all, on-site spectators had paid real money for a unique, immersive thrill.

“This is truly breathtaking—the City Lord gave us all a huge surprise!” On the stands, Wei Qianqian and Lan Yu sat in luxurious soul-guided seats, gently caressing the armrests and marveling at the delicate, comfortable feel.

Their daughters, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, were on the Saint Freya Academy reserve team—about to take part in this grand soul master event—so they wouldn’t miss such a rare opportunity.

Moreover, this tournament’s venue was unprecedented, so they were determined to experience the shock firsthand.

“Ah! It’s Miss Robin!” Suddenly, a deafening cheer erupted, drawing all eyes to the last team to board the Eye of the Abyss.

A team in elegant white and lavender uniforms walked slowly under the spotlight.

At their head was Lu Jingming, tall and imposing, followed by Robin, March 7th, and seven other members.

As hosts, Saint Freya Academy made a stunning, climactic entrance, instantly igniting the crowd’s enthusiasm.

Robin was hugely popular with the public; her gentle, sweet image was deeply beloved.

And, as a local academy in Haiyuan City, Saint Freya enjoyed a natural home advantage, with Robin’s passionate fans numbering beyond count.

At that moment, Robin wore her trademark gentle smile, waving to the cheering audience and interacting warmly.

Every gesture drew even louder screams and shouts, pushing the atmosphere to new heights.

“Robin’s popularity is honestly terrifying!” March 7th exclaimed, covering her ears—the thunderous cheers had her eardrums ringing painfully, though her eyes sparkled with excitement at being part of such a passionate scene.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep