"Tsk, tsk..."
"So making Soul Beasts feel excited can trigger a burst of faith power!"
Lin Yue's eyes lit up. This was another way to gather faith power!
And he felt this method suited him even better.
It was much more effective than deceiving humans.
From now on, he only needed to show the Soul Beast Clan more scenes like this.
Lin Yue wasn't in a hurry to leave. He leaned there and quietly watched a group of Soul Masters keep fighting over a hundred-year-old Lightning Rabbit.
He didn't care who among the Soul Beast Clan was watching. Everything around him was being shown to them, but Lin Yue's gaze lingered mostly on Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu.
Who could blame him? The two girls, as incompatible as ice and fire, were quite the sight.
Huo Wu's figure blurred into a streak of crimson as she lunged at the panicked yellow bolt of lightning at top speed!
"Xue Wu, control the field!" Shui Bing'er reacted just as quickly. She knew that in this kind of chaos, speed and control were equally essential.
Her cool voice carried an unquestionable command. At the same time, her Second Soul Ring flashed. "Ice Ring Armor!" A layer of crystal-clear ice instantly covered her and several of the key students beside her, providing them with protection.
Xue Wu understood at once and immediately used her Soul Skill. "Ice Seal!" A biting chill spread outward from her, not toward the Lightning Rabbit, but across the ground in front of the crowd rushing toward it.
Crack! A thin sheet of ice instantly formed, trying to slow the ordinary Soul Masters and civilians charging forward and buy their academy a little space and a head start.
"Dream on!" Huo Wu spotted the frost on the ground and snorted.
She was closer to the Lightning Rabbit, and it was almost within reach.
"Repelling Fire Ring!" Without hesitation, she unleashed her Third Soul Skill. A scorching ring of fire, carrying a powerful repulsive force, exploded outward from her!
Boom!
A wave of scorching flames surged outward, aimed straight at the Skywater Academy group chasing her, especially Shui Bing'er at the front!
Huo Wu hadn't considered whether she might hurt anyone innocent. She only had eyes for the Lightning Rabbit. Anyone who got in her way was an enemy!
"Ice Wall!"
Shui Bing'er's pupils contracted, but she reacted swiftly. A thick wall of ice instantly rose from the ground in front of her.
Hiss—!
The raging flames of the Repelling Fire Ring slammed into the ice wall. Ice and fire collided, unleashing a piercing burst of energy and a cloud of scalding white steam!
The ice wall shook violently. Its surface melted and cracked at once, but in the end, it held against the sudden attack.
"Huo Wu! Have you lost your mind?" Shui Bing'er glared at Huo Wu through gaps in the rapidly melting wall.
That attack had covered a wide area. If she hadn't defended in time, she would have been thrown back, and the students behind her, along with the chaotic crowd held up slightly by the ice, might have been burned as well.
"Hmph! Anyone who stands in my way is an enemy! Blazing Fire Academy is claiming this Soul Beast!"
Without even looking back, Huo Wu took advantage of the ice wall blocking Shui Bing'er and charged toward the Lightning Rabbit again. Startled by the Repelling Fire Ring's blast, it had veered slightly off course.
"Fire Crane Wings!"
The faint image of flame-forged wings appeared behind her. One of her teammates had used a support Soul Skill on her, boosting her speed once more!
"Not a chance!"
How could Shui Bing'er let her have her way? Her Second Soul Ring lit up again, and a winding path of ice instantly stretched out beneath her feet, chasing after Huo Wu. Frost spread wherever it passed, trying to slow Huo Wu down.
Huo Wu felt a chill creep up from beneath her feet. Her speed faltered, just as Shui Bing'er had intended.
"Annoying ice!" she shouted angrily. Her Third Soul Ring lit up again. "Repelling Fire Ring!" Another ring of flame erupted, this time blasting downward and smashing into the frozen path beneath her.
Bang! Ice shards flew everywhere, and the violent flames temporarily drove back the cold.
But that brief delay was enough for Shui Bing'er to circle around from the side, bringing a chill with her. She reached out with her jade-white hand, icy air swirling around it, and grabbed for the Lightning Rabbit. "Come here!"
"Dream on!" Huo Wu struck almost at the same time, her flame-wreathed hand reaching for the same target.
She would never let Shui Bing'er get it!
Two fair hands, each carrying a completely opposite force, collided fiercely just inches from the Lightning Rabbit!
Sizzle—!
Ice and fire, two Ultimate Attributes of Soul Power, clashed head-on without any tricks! A violent surge of energy erupted from the point where their hands met!
Red and blue light flashed, intertwined, and annihilated each other! Scorching heat and bone-piercing cold crashed against one another, forming a visible shock wave that hurled several nearby Soul Masters and civilians with weaker strength off their feet. They screamed as they crashed to the ground.
Shui Bing'er grunted. Most of the ice crystals covering her arm melted instantly, and a searing fire toxin tried to seep into her meridians through the point of contact, leaving half her body tingling with pain and numbness.
Her face paled slightly, but her gaze grew even colder and more determined. The profound ice Soul Power within her surged rapidly, forcefully suppressing and driving out the fire toxin.
Huo Wu was no better off. Shui Bing'er's chill was incredibly pure, creeping up her arm until it felt as if her whole limb would freeze solid. Even her Soul Power began to circulate sluggishly. It was as though a basin of ice water had been thrown over her scorching flames, dampening their momentum.
She gritted her teeth and forced her Soul Power into action, trying to dispel the cold with even more intense flames.
The two remained locked in a stalemate. Neither could overpower the other, and neither could spare a hand to catch the Lightning Rabbit, so close at hand and yet seemingly a world away.
Their gazes clashed fiercely in midair, filled with undisguised hostility and an unshakable determination to claim victory.
In that moment, the clash of ice and fire became the brightest—and most dangerous—heart of the swirling chaos.
"Spectacular! Absolutely spectacular!"
Lin Yue thoroughly enjoyed the sight. Two beautiful women with completely different styles going at it—what a feast for the eyes.
An idea came to him at once: he wanted to claim both girls.
Then he could have them take turns, and experience the heights of ice and fire.
"No wonder these two girls are fighting so fiercely. They're both almost Level 40!"
"They need Soul Beasts, and I've got plenty."
A plan had already formed in Lin Yue's eyes.
He didn't even need any tricks. All he had to do was bring out Soul Beasts and let them choose.
"Whoosh—"
Amid the shock wave from the clash of the two Soul Skills and the chaotic currents of energy, the sly Lightning Rabbit used its lightning-fast speed and its slight ability to teleport.
It quickly became a streak of yellow light, darted into a narrower alley nearby where the crowd was thinner, and vanished in an instant!
It had also disappeared from Tiandou Imperial Capital for good.
That was because Lin Yue had taken it in at the first opportunity.
Once he had successfully taken in and tamed a Soul Beast, he could always take it in again after releasing it, as long as it wasn't too far away.
"Something's wrong! The Lightning Rabbit is gone!"
Someone rushed over first and quickly discovered that the Lightning Rabbit had vanished without a trace.
Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, and the other Soul Masters hurried after them, only to find that the Lightning Rabbit really was gone.
There was no trace of it anywhere nearby. No one knew where it had gone.
"Damn it! It got away!" Huo Wu immediately chased after it, but when she sensed her target had disappeared, she stamped her foot in anger and glared at Shui Bing'er. "This is all your fault!"
Shui Bing'er gave the empty alley entrance a cold glance, then looked at Huo Wu, her voice edged with mockery. "Likewise. If you hadn't attacked so recklessly, it might not have escaped."
They glared at each other as the Soul Power of ice and fire began to stir around them once more. Another clash seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
"If you two want Soul Beasts, come up and have a chat!"
Just then, a man's voice rang in both Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu's ears at the same time.