At this, Shui Bing'er paused, her expression turning serious.
"I brought him to the Soul Fighting Arena because I want to invite him to join Skywater Team and prepare with everyone for the upcoming All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
The moment she said this, the atmosphere in the Soul Fighting Arena froze.
The few team members who had followed them exchanged bewildered looks.
Xue Wu sized Xue Tianyu up, her brows knitting slightly as open skepticism filled her eyes.
"Bing'er, you're not joking, are you?"
"Let him join the team?"
"Just look at him—he can't be more than twelve, and he hasn't even grown a hair yet!"
"The Soul Master Tournament is a real fight to the death. Are you planning to send him out there as a mascot?"
Faced with Xue Wu's barrage of questions, Shui Bing'er didn't get angry. Instead, she deliberately kept them in suspense.
"Xue Wu, don't judge a book by its cover."
"Tian Yu is far stronger than you can imagine. Even I'm no match for him."
At that, Xue Wu and the others drew in sharp breaths.
How was that possible?
Shui Bing'er was Skywater Academy's once-in-a-century genius. She had reached the rank of Soul Ancestor at just over ten years old.
Could this boy, who hadn't even outgrown his childhood, really be stronger than a forty-third-level Soul Ancestor?
"I don't believe it!"
Xue Wu shook her head without hesitation and stepped forward, her long, straight legs striking the ground with a heavy stomp.
"Talk is cheap. In the Soul Master World, strength is what matters."
"Kid, since Bing'er makes you sound so incredible, do you dare to spar with me?"
Xue Tianyu lowered his eyelids, not even glancing at Xue Wu's challenging stance.
"Not interested."
His blunt refusal only roused Xue Wu's competitive spirit even more.
She puffed out her ample chest, a provocative smile curling her lips as she boldly stepped closer.
"What's wrong? Afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of a girl?"
"How about this—we make a bet."
"If you can beat me, I'll give you a kiss in front of everyone. Think of it as your reward. Dare to take me up on it?"
At that, Shui Bing'er instantly grew frantic and stamped her foot as she shouted at her.
"Xue Wu! What are you doing? Stop fooling around and back off!"
She had witnessed Xue Tianyu annihilate a mercenary group in an instant. She was terrified that Xue Wu would anger this terrifying powerhouse.
Standing behind Xue Tianyu, Ice Empress's eyes turned cold.
A mere human ant dared to flirt with Tian Yu in such a frivolous way right in front of her!
She was asking for death!
Ice Empress clenched both fists, and a rush of icy cold swept up around her. A thick layer of frost instantly spread across the blue crystal floor beneath her feet.
Just as she was about to step forward and attack, Xue Tianyu turned his head slightly and gave her a calm yet imposing glance.
Ice Empress froze. Though her heart was filled with resentment, she could only grit her teeth, rein in her icy aura, and glare fiercely at Xue Wu.
Xue Tianyu turned around and calmly regarded the silver-haired girl with the striking figure.
"I don't like taking advantage of women. Forget this pointless bet."
"If you want to fight, then let's change the terms."
"If I win, you'll give up the position of Skywater Team's captain, and I'll take it."
At his arrogant words, Xue Wu and the girls around her laughed in disbelief.
What a big mouth!
He hadn't even revealed his Martial Soul, yet he was already demanding the captain's position!
Xue Wu planted her hands on her hips and laughed twice.
"Fine! If you have what it takes, you can be captain for all I care!"
"Enough talk. Show me what you've got!"
Before she had even finished speaking, Xue Wu was about to summon her Martial Soul by rousing the Soul Power within her.
But in the next instant, she froze in place.
Boom!
Without the slightest unnecessary movement, a terrifying pressure, almost tangible, erupted from Xue Tianyu's lean frame.
The air in the entire Soul Fighting Arena seemed to be sucked away, growing so heavy it felt as though it had turned to lead.
Suffocating waves of Soul Power swept outward like an avalanche.
Xue Tianyu didn't even summon his Ice Phoenix Martial Soul.
He simply released his Soul Power Level.
Hum—hum—hum—hum—hum—
Accompanied by five ear-splitting resonances, five rings of deep, pitch-black light slowly rose from beneath his feet.
The black light pulsed violently in the air, radiating the savage aura of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
Level 58!
Five Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings!
Silence.
The vast Soul Fighting Arena plunged into a deathly silence that sent chills down everyone's spines.
Everyone stood frozen, as if they had been struck by a spell, motionless as wooden statues.
The smile on Xue Wu's face stiffened completely. Her beautiful eyes locked on the five black Soul Rings, and she stopped breathing.
What kind of monster was this?!
A twelve-year-old Soul King?!
This didn't just shatter the Soul Master World's all-time cultivation record—it trampled everyone's common sense into the dirt.
The team members watching were even more horrified, their mouths gaping wide enough to fit a fist.
An all-black Soul Ring Configuration!
Hadn't the Soul Master World always maintained that Soul Rings had absolute age limits?
The First Soul Ring could only withstand a little over four hundred years. Trying to absorb one beyond that limit would only make you explode and die.
Yet this boy's First Soul Ring was already at the ten-thousand-year level!
It made no sense at all!
Shui Yue'er was completely transfixed.
Her eyes shone as she gazed at Xue Tianyu's peerless profile, composed beneath the black rings of light.
The oppressive aura tossed the hair at his forehead, and his domineering presence, towering above all others, branded itself deep in her newly awakened heart.
He was so handsome!
How could a man be so perfect?
Shui Yue'er could hear nothing but her own heartbeat pounding in her ears like a war drum.
Xue Wu, standing opposite Xue Tianyu, was filled with regret.
Under the terrifying pressure of a level 58 Soul King, her mere level 38 Soul Power was suppressed so completely that she couldn't circulate even a trace of it.
Her legs felt as heavy as lead, and her bones even creaked under the strain.
Level 38 against level 58?
What was the point of fighting?!
His sheer presence alone could crush her to pieces!
Shui Bing'er stood nearby, watching Xue Wu's horrified, trembling, stupefied expression, and nearly burst out laughing.
I told you not to provoke him, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've kicked an iron plate.
Ice Empress folded her arms and looked at the Skywater Academy students, all stunned out of their wits, with disdain.
What a bunch of ignorant frogs in a well.
This little display was all it took to scare them witless.
Xue Tianyu glanced at Xue Wu and eased the overwhelming pressure just a little. His tone remained calm.
"Do you still want to fight?"
As the pressure eased, Xue Wu gasped for breath. Her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.
She shook her head like a rattle, with none of her earlier swagger remaining.
"I'm done! I'm done!"
"I concede! I'm completely convinced!"
Before you continue