Three Soul Sages
"Ah!" A Tianshui team member who was closest to the explosion point didn't even have time to react. He only managed to let out a short cry of surprise before being blown away by the violent shockwave. He was thrown out of the arena like a kite with a broken string and landed heavily on the ground.
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On the stage, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!
The ice fortress shattered with a deafening roar, and the powerful shockwave sent a Tianshui team member flying out of the game. Meanwhile, Dongfang Yao moved like Gui Mei through the swirling ice dust and lingering chill. The glittering stardust surrounding him seemed to possess a spirit, completely isolating him from the remaining Ice and Snow Storm and cutting cold, allowing him to move freely even in this harsh environment.
"Haha! It's my turn to shine!" He laughed loudly, pushed off with his feet, leaving behind a trail of dazzling dust (the Return to Dust) that shimmered like starlight, before his figure blurred and vanished instantly.
The next moment, he appeared as if by teleportation in front of Qiu Ruoshui, a member of the Tianshui team whose formation had been scattered and who was still in shock due to the destruction of the fortress.
"Watch out! This is the first move of the Star Swordsmanship, created by this genius!" He shouted the nonsensical name, but his two swords moved with lightning speed, weaving a net of Star Sword that instantly enveloped Qiu Ruoshui.
Qiu Ruoshui was skilled in defense rather than speed, and in the rush, she was powerless to resist such a swift and unpredictable attack. She barely managed to parry twice before being knocked away.
Having barely managed to steady herself and avoid falling off the stage, Dongfang Yao appeared beside her in a flash, and then...
A gentle push!
Dongfang Yao ignored the furious Qiu Ruoshui and, without pausing, his figure flashed again, appearing on the flank of the Power Attack System Yu Hairou amidst the shimmering stardust.
"Take this! Pursue Stars - Super Accelerated Version!" His figure moved like lightning, spinning rapidly Yu Hairou, with sword light attacking from all directions.
Yu Hairou fought back with all her might, but her defenses were pale and powerless in the face of Dongfang Yao's absolute speed and unpredictable movements. She was quickly found to have a weakness, and the spine of the sword struck her waist. She groaned and fell to the ground, and was sent off the arena by the following star power.
If he hadn't accompanied each move with a cringeworthy line and a slightly showy gesture, the elimination process would have ended much faster!
In just a few breaths, Skywater Academy lost two more key players! Only Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, and the Ice Phoenix Maiden who was confronting the Light Light-Dark Holy Tiger remained on the field!
Meanwhile, within the Mirror Space, Baili Shouyue's sniper fired another fatal shot!
"Chirp--!"
A crimson-gold phantom of the Vermilion Bird, Entanglement in specially made sniper bullets, tore through space and accurately shot towards the dense dark cloud in the sky that was still unleashing a blizzard and concealing Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's true forms!
Boom!!!
Another violent explosion rang out in the air, and flames and thick smoke instantly engulfed the dark cloud!
However--
A streak of icy blue light broke free from the Light-Dark Holy Tiger's entanglement with astonishing speed, forcefully intercepting the sniper bullet's trajectory! It was the Ice Phoenix Maiden!
"Freeze!"
With a clear shout, a massive, incredibly thick ice wall, gleaming with an absolute zero chill, instantly solidified in front of her!
Bang--!!!
The sniper shell slammed into the ice wall with a deafening roar! The ice wall trembled violently, cracks spread wildly, and it almost shattered, but it ultimately withstood this long-planned attack! The aftershocks of the explosion cleared a large area of the surrounding ice and snow.
The Ice Phoenix Maiden hovered in the air, her aura slightly disordered. Her icy blue pupils swept over the Hell White Tiger and the Light-Dark Holy Tiger below, who were eyeing her menacingly, as well as the extremely fast Dongfang Yao. She then glanced at Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu behind her, whose faces were pale and whose auras were unstable due to the violent impact of the fusion technique.
The situation is clear. Teammates have been eliminated one after another, the defense has been breached, while the opponent's main force is almost unscathed.
We can't hesitate any longer.
She took a deep breath, her icy voice, carrying an undeniable resolve, echoed throughout the arena:
"You may all leave!"
Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were taken aback upon hearing this. Looking at the figure in the air, they instantly understood her intention.
Shui Bing'er gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes filled with resentment and helplessness, but even more so with trust and determination in her companion's decision. She exchanged a glance with Xue Wu, and without hesitation withdrew her Soul Power, causing the blizzard to quickly weaken and disappear.
The two took a deep look at the unstoppable Star Luo Team, then jumped off the stage, voluntarily forfeiting.
The final stage was completely reserved for the Ice Phoenix Maiden in the sky, whose aura began to rise infinitely, as if she were about to merge with the entire frigid realm!
In the end, only the lone Ice Phoenix Maiden remained on the field, facing the complete four main members of the Star Luo Team!
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The pair of crystal-clear ice phoenix wings on the back of the Ice Phoenix Maiden suddenly burst forth with a dazzling ice-blue light. She was like a reverse-shot ice arrow, rushing straight into the sky at an astonishing speed, instantly leaving the core area of the arena battlefield, and her figure rapidly shrank in everyone's eyes.
"What is she going to do?" The same question arose in the minds of countless spectators in the stands. Her Martial Soul Fusion Skill had lasted so long, enduring intense offense and defense, and even withstanding a sniper attack—hadn't her Soul Power been exhausted yet?
The next moment, the sky provided the answer—an answer that left everyone speechless and chilled to the bone!
High in the sky, the Ice Phoenix Maiden stretched out her arms, and a massive amount of terrifying Soul Power poured out like a burst dam, stirring up the ice elemental power of the entire world!
Winter's Hymn: The Ice Meteor Catastrophe!
The already gloomy sky, Snowfall, instantly became even darker and more oppressive! Countless enormous ice-blue magic circles unfolded layer upon layer in the sky, covering almost the entire arena!
Then--
Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!!
A series of deafening roars, as if the sky itself were shattering, resounded one after another!
One... two... three...
Six massive ice meteorites, each over a hundred meters in diameter and resembling small mountains, trailed long, icy tails and crashed down indiscriminately onto the arena below with an aura of utter destruction!
Their size was so enormous, and the force of their descent so terrifying that the spectators in the stands could feel the suffocating pressure and chill! This was power that Soul King could not possibly wield!
"Are you crazy?!?!" "Is this Soul Power infinite?!" Exclamations of shock echoed through the stands like a tidal wave; everyone was stunned by this apocalyptic scene.
If Titled Douluo or even Soul Douluo were to display such power, they wouldn't be so shocked, but this is just the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of two Soul King!
The expressions on the faces of the Star Luo Team members instantly turned extremely serious!
"Mirror image! Quick!" Dai Weisi roared urgently.
Without needing much prompting, the supporting Soul Master Li Yang had already pushed his Soul Power to its limit! Two massive Reflecting Mirror instantly appeared in front of the Hell White Tiger and the retreating Dongfang Yao.
The enormous body of the Hell White Tiger crashed into the mirror without hesitation, Dongfang Yao also transformed into a streak of starlight and entered another mirror, instantly disappearing from the arena and fleeing into the relatively safe Mirror Space to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.
The Light-Dark Holy Tiger in the air reacted even more swiftly! Its pair of strange and magnificent wings suddenly burst forth with their strongest power, golden-red flames and dark purple light intertwined and boiled, propelling its body into the sky like a rocket.
On the arena, in an instant, it seemed that only the Light-Dark Holy Tiger soaring high and the six giant ice meteors crashing down like divine punishment remained!
The shadow of destruction loomed over everything!
The Ice Phoenix Maiden hovered high above, her face as pale as snow, her body swaying slightly, her aura plummeting to the bottom, clearly indicating that this attack had completely drained all her strength. But her icy blue eyes coldly gazed down at the Light Light-Dark Holy Tiger, which appeared so "tiny" under the shadow of the ice meteorite yet still tried to resist.
Sudden...
A faint ripple of space, almost completely obscured by the high-altitude gale and the roar of falling ice meteors, quietly spread out very close behind her. It was a miniature mirror, no bigger than a palm, meticulously calculated and swept into the clouds by the previous blizzard!
Baili Shouyue can use this small mirror channel for observation or to launch extremely brief attack projections!
"Chirp--!"
A sharp, murderous cry, seemingly ringing directly in her ears, suddenly erupted!
There wasn't even time to react! Not even time for the pupils to contract!
A highly condensed, crimson-gold phantom of a Ice Phoenix Maiden squarely in the back, leaving her completely unprepared!
"Puff--!"
The terrifying penetrating power and explosive fire-attribute Soul Power erupted instantly within her body! The Ice Phoenix Maiden coughed up a mouthful of blood, which was instantly frozen into ice crystals by the residual cold energy around her the moment it left her mouth.
The ice phoenix armor on her body made a cracking sound as it could no longer bear the weight, and the ice phoenix wings on her back broke off and disappeared inch by inch.
The light in those icy blue eyes quickly dimmed, leaving only disbelief, shock, and disorientation.
Damn it, another sneak attack! Baili Shouyue is such a loser!
The six giant ice meteorites that had already fallen into the air lost her Soul Power guidance and control. Their surfaces were instantly covered with chaotic cracks, their descent trajectory became unstable, and their energy began to violently surge, as if they might collapse and explode in mid-air at any moment!
"Zhaojun, Zhen Ji!" Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, and the others below the arena exclaimed in shock, their eyes wide with horror as they stared at the falling figure.
Inside the Mirror Space, Baili Shouyue slowly exhaled, wisps of smoke rising from the muzzle of the Vermilion Bird Sniper Cannon in his hand, his eyes remaining calm. This shot was executed flawlessly in terms of timing, position, and mindset.
After fighting for so long, Wang Zhaojun and Zhen Ji were exhausted, and they had just been unleashing their Soul Skill at full power, without any warning of what was happening behind them.
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Throughout the entire stadium, everyone's heart sank along with that falling figure.
No one expected that this exciting and thrilling showdown would come to an end in such an abrupt and regrettable way.
The Star Luo Royal Team's tactics were indeed unexpected!
Insidious!
Chapter 229 Three Soul Saint
Just as Qian Xunji had predicted, after the most exciting, intense, and unexpected showdown between the Star Luo Royal Team and Skywater Academy so far in this tournament, the subsequent qualifying matches seemed rather dull.
Some matches were just two mediocre teams fighting each other, with rough tactics and uninspired Soul Skill clashes. They were back and forth but failed to arouse any interest, and the cheers from the audience were much sparser.
Some matches are clearly divided between strong and weak teams. For example, a top-seeded team like Heaven Dou Royal Academy First Team would almost always crush teams from small kingdoms or duchies that barely managed to field their full squad. Often, shortly after the match began, the stronger team's main player would make their move, and the opposing team would crumble like a house of cards, ending the battle quickly. These matches, aside from showcasing the overwhelming strength of the top teams, offer absolutely no entertainment value or suspense.
Qian Xunji, who was sitting high in the main seat, even covered his mouth and yawned out of boredom.
Although boring, this single-elimination system is much more efficient than the lengthy round-robin format of the qualifiers.
With 34 teams and this format, the final champion can be determined in no more than five or six days, making it extremely efficient.
This format is indeed a "speedrun" compared to the round-robin format of the qualifiers, avoiding unnecessary waste and waiting, and making the competition process extremely compact.
However, the drawbacks of this competition format are equally obvious. Apart from the ultimate champion, whose prestige is beyond doubt, the runner-up, third place, and even the top five positions can all be won by luck.
Just like Skywater Academy, with their two pairs of special Martial Soul Fusion Skill, their strength was enough to secure a place in the top five, and even a shot at the top three was not entirely impossible. Unfortunately, they were unlucky and encountered the Star Luo Royal Team too early, so they could only stop there and couldn't even get a ranking.
In this brutal single-elimination format, skill and luck are magnified infinitely. For top teams aiming for the championship, this is undoubtedly the most direct and efficient format; but for those strong teams that are not top-tier and aim for a good ranking, it is full of uncertainty and regret.
Qian Xunji withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to the losers. For the Spirit Hall, it was enough to focus on the final champion; the others were merely embellishments.
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Soon it was time for the match between the Sea God Island Team and the Spirit Hall First Team.
The players from both sides take the field.
Sea Spear Douluo stood in the preparation area, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. His sharp gaze swept over the Spirit Hall First Team, a lineup that could be described as extravagant, and then looked at Pope Qian Xunji, who stood calmly on the opposite platform. The feeling of being deliberately targeted grew stronger in his heart.
Of all the participating teams, only the Spirit Hall First Team's average level was consistently higher than that of Sea God Island. Yet, in the very first round, they were "luckily" drawn against this toughest opponent! Sea Spear Douluo absolutely refused to believe that the Spirit Hall tactics. It was clearly an attempt to give Sea God Island a warning, or even to crush their biggest dark horse in the preliminary rounds!
But...
Sea Spear Douluo clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He had his doubts, but he couldn't actually rush forward to question the draw and demand a rematch. The Soul Master World was ultimately a place where strength spoke volumes. Arguing now would only make Sea God Island appear cowardly and unable to accept defeat. If they swallowed their pride and fought with all their might, even in defeat, they would still have honor. But if they made a scene now, and in the unlikely event that they ultimately lost to the Spirit Hall in the finals, Sea God Island would truly lose face and be branded as unreasonable and argumentative.