"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to today's soul duel tournament! I believe you're all eager to witness this incredible showdown. So without further ado, let me introduce the two teams participating in today's duel."
The host stood in the center of the stage holding a microphone with a smile on his face. His voice carried through the amplifiers across the entire Great Soul Arena, drawing everyone's attention.
"First up, let's introduce our old friends—the Seven Beasts Team!" As the host's voice trailed off, seven figures rushed onto the stage like lightning. They lined up in neat formation, each radiating a powerful aura that left people in awe.
Immediately after, all seven activated their martial souls simultaneously. In an instant, radiant light flashed and various exotic martial souls manifested before everyone's eyes. Thunderous cheers erupted from the spectator stands, vibrating the metal floor of the Great Soul Arena so intensely that it felt as though the massive wave of sound might overturn the place.
"Whoa! The Seven Beasts Team truly lives up to their reputation! Just looking at their strength is overwhelming!"
"Yeah, look at their martial souls, every single one is a beast martial soul. This match is going to be amazing!"
"You said it, I've been watching them for a long time, and they rarely disappoint!"
The spectators discussed excitedly, full of anticipation for the Seven Beasts Team.
"All right, the team we're introducing next is rather special." The host paused slightly, whetting the audience's appetite before continuing, "That's because this team consists of only one person—the rising star of the soul arena, Lang Lei!"
Following the host's introduction, a youthful figure walked slowly into the Great Soul Arena. His steps were small, yet steady and powerful. However, compared to the grand entrance of the Seven Beasts Team, Lang Lei's appearance clearly failed to attract much attention. A burst of laughter immediately rose from the stands, laced with taunts.
"Ha, just him alone? He dares to join a soul duel?"
"Isn't this just coming to hand over free wins?"
"Look at that kid, did his parents fail to watch him and let him sneak in?"
Faced with the jeers of the crowd, Lang Lei acted as though he heard nothing. His gaze remained fixed ahead, as if he were the only person in the world. As he moved, a dazzling Genesis Radiance swirled around him like a shooting star, shrouding his entire body within it.
Suddenly, two purple Thousand-Year Spirit Rings rose slowly from beneath Lang Lei's feet. The powerful aura they emitted made the lower-ranked soul master spectators throughout the Great Soul Arena tremble. The audience, who had been laughing a moment before, instantly fell silent as if someone had choked them off, replaced by utter shock and silence as though no one could believe their eyes.
Such a tender face, looking like such a young child, and he was actually a Soul Grandmaster? And his first two spirit rings were actually millennia-old?
You had to know that the opposing Seven Beasts Team, despite being a team of Soul Elders, didn't even have a single thousand-year spirit ring! Now, the two thousand-year spirit rings floating up and down around Lang Lei were like a silent mockery of the live audience and the Seven Beasts Team across from him.
"All right, now everyone knows the extraordinary nature of young Master Lang Lei, so I announce this soul duel officially—begins!"
The moment the referee gave the order, three yellow spirit rings surged simultaneously. The Bear Martial Soul's muscles knotted like steel blocks, the Eagle Martial Soul's wings whipped up a hurricane that tore the air, and the Weapon Martial Soul's long saber slashed straight down, its blade-wind carving deep trenches into the ground as it locked all fatal strikes onto Lang Lei right away.
"Shatter for me!" The Bear Martial Soul Soul Elder roared, channeling his second spirit skill, Bear Tremor. The instant his double fists smashed into the ground, several earthy-yellow shockwaves spread in a fan shape, sending gravel flying wherever they passed. At the same time, the Eagle Martial Soul Soul Elder took flight, sharp claws wrapped in wind blades diving downward, while the saber-wielding Soul Elder spun to slash out a crescent-shaped wave of soul power. The three attacks sealed off all of Lang Lei's escape routes from different directions.
A purple glint ignited in Lang Lei's eyes, and his Genesis Radiance martial soul erupted abruptly!
"First Spirit Skill: Breath of Destruction!" He flicked his wrists sharply, and the Breath of Destruction in his palms instantly transformed into seven sharp light blades. Two crossed to block the saber Soul Elder's crescent wave, three slashed diagonally to cut open the Eagle Martial Soul's wind blades, and the remaining two shot like sharp arrows straight into the Bear Martial Soul's shockwave—amidst a thunderous collision, the booming soul power made people's eardrums ache. The light blades actually tore through the three attacks raw, retaining enough momentum to wrap around the ankles of all seven!
"Not good!" Just as the Soul Elders wanted to retreat, Lang Lei's second spirit skill summoned lightning!
"Thunder of Destruction!" He raised a hand toward the sky, and the purple radiance shot straight into the firmament. Seven bucket-thick, purple-gold lightning bolts instantly cleaved down from the pitch-black clouds, striking precisely upon the spirit rings entangled by the light blades. The lightning drilled along the spirit rings into their bodies, instantly tearing their soul power meridians. The Eagle Martial Soul Soul Elder shrieked as he plummeted from the air, the saber Soul Elder's weapon flew from his grip, and the Bear Martial Soul Soul Elder dropped heavily to his knees, spiderweb-like cracks spreading across his heavy armor.
Lang Lei did not stop, manipulating the Breath of Destruction to contract violently—the seven were dragged to mid-stage by the Breath of Destruction, their soul power completely chaotic. Radiance flashed in his palm, and the Breath of Destruction turned into chains of light that bound the seven tightly. He then raised a hand and slapped downward, a small bolt of thunder crashing into the ground, vibrating the seven into coughing up blood simultaneously while the glow of their spirit rings dimmed entirely.
When Lang Lei withdrew the Genesis Radiance, only the heavy sound of the seven collapsing limply on the arena floor remained. The crowd's cheers stalled for a moment, then erupted into even madder shouting. He lowered his gaze to sweep over the defeated opponents scattered across the ground, the two purple spirit rings beneath his feet fading slowly. The lingering warmth of thunder still remained at his fingertips, as though the thrilling slaughter just now was merely dust brushed away in passing.
Silence settled around them until Lang Lei departed, followed immediately by another round of discussions. Given their experience, they had never witnessed such a genius!
Yet none of this mattered to Lang Lei.
He had placed a bet on himself before the match, and now it was time to collect.
Though he wasn't short on money, as the saying went, nobody ever complained about having too much. Besides, money earned by one's own hands felt much better to spend, otherwise he always had this lingering sense of being kept by the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress...
Though he was this young, he probably couldn't be called kept, right?
"According to the odds, you should give me twenty million gold soul coins. No problem, right?"
At the gold soul coin exchange counter, Lang Lei held up a slip of paper and shook it at the staff member.
Right now, cold sweat was pouring down the staff member's face. Before the match, it was also he who had registered Lang Lei, back when he had secretly mocked Lang Lei for being overly confident, acting as if he were just delivering free money to them. Now that it had actually happened, he panicked...
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