Before long, the broadcast sounded.
"Let the excitement continue!"
"Next, please welcome the Dragon-Cloud Duo and the Black Tortoise Team to Soul Fighting Arena Twenty-Two for their match."
Inside the private room, Yu Tianheng, Ling Yun, Shi Mo, and Shi Mo stood up.
Shi Mo said, "I didn't expect it to be our turn so soon!"
"Boss, it's not too late to back out. We can have little brother Ling Yun help you."
"Hmph! A man's word is his bond. I don't need Ling Yun's help. I can beat you two all by myself!"
Yu Tianheng straightened his back, held his head high, and strode out of the private room toward the arena.
He was a Power Attack System Soul Master, and his Martial Soul was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. His Soul Power was also higher than Shi Mo and Shi Mo's.
Even though their Black Tortoise Turtle Martial Souls were no weaker than his, he was still confident.
He was almost level 30. This was the perfect chance to push himself to his limits—he might even break through.
Sometimes, victory or defeat came down to a single moment.
"Good luck!"
"If you win, I'll reward you with a kiss!"
Dugu Yan still cared about Yu Tianheng, and she didn't think he could take on Shi Mo and Shi Mo by himself, either.
So she gave him a little encouragement.
After hearing her words, Yu Tianheng's fighting spirit soared, and his eyes shone even brighter.
Shi Mo and Shi Mo exchanged a glance, their own fighting spirit rising. The Black Tortoise Turtle Martial Soul was no weaker than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
In this battle, they would prove the strength of their Martial Soul.
The four of them soon reached the platform.
The host was a red-haired young man. His eyes were red, too, and he was dressed entirely in red.
Just standing there, he gave off a feeling of fiery enthusiasm.
"The Black Tortoise Team's members are familiar faces: the Soul Grandmasters Shi Mo and Shi Mo, brothers who possess the Black Tortoise Turtle Martial Soul."
"Before this, they had already won three consecutive two-on-two Soul Fighting matches."
"One member of the Dragon-Cloud Duo is also a familiar face: Yu Tianheng, a Soul Grandmaster who possesses the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul."
"As for this masked little friend, this is his first time at the Great Soul Arena. His Martial Soul is the Yin-Yang Mirror, a never-before-seen Martial Soul. Who knows what abilities it has? It's hard to imagine that he's only nine years old."
"What? A nine-year-old Soul Grandmaster!"
"What a terrifying talent!"
The audience below began discussing among themselves. They were all very familiar with the Great Soul Arena's rules.
Lower-level Soul Masters could apply to challenge someone a level above them, but that only happened when someone was invincible at their own rank and couldn't find a match within the same major tier. The Great Soul Arena wouldn't even entertain such applications from anyone else. There was no draw to it.
Besides, both sides on the same Soul Fighting Arena had to be Soul Masters within the same major tier.
The other three were all Soul Grandmasters, so Ling Yun had to be a Soul Grandmaster, too.
As soon as the audience thought of a nine-year-old Soul Grandmaster, they joined in the discussion.
The entire arena's atmosphere caught fire.
The host didn't stop them. The more people talked, the more heated the atmosphere became. After pausing for a dozen breaths, he continued, "The exciting Soul Fighting match is about to begin."
"The Black Tortoise Team belongs to the Defense System. One member of the Dragon-Cloud Duo belongs to the Power Attack System, while the other's system is unknown."
"Will the Dragon-Cloud Duo come out on top, crushing the Black Tortoise Team? Or will the Black Tortoise Team prove more skilled and claim victory? Let's wait and see!"
"Both sides, please take note: you have one minute to release your Martial Souls."
"The match will officially begin in one minute."
The host held an Amplifying Soul Tool and used Martial Soul Possession. Three yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet. His Martial Soul was a Fire Sparrow, and in the next instant, he had appeared high in the air.
On the platform.
All four released their Martial Souls.
The Shi Mo brothers were rather particular. Before releasing their Martial Souls, they even took off their shirts, showing off muscles like granite to the audience.
Their resolute faces and sharply defined muscles drove some people in the crowd wild. Most were young women, followed by older women, and then a handful of men.
The Soul Power fluctuations around Shi Mo and Shi Mo became more pronounced. Their Soul Power took on a dark yellow hue and surged toward their backs and abdomens, forming tortoiseshells. There was even a rune in the center of each plastron.
Two yellow Soul Rings rose beneath each man's feet, circling around their waists.
After their Martial Soul Possession, their arms and legs grew shorter, and they looked a bit chubbier.
Yu Tianheng's Martial Soul Possession was much more dazzling. A point of blue light appeared on his forehead and spread downward.
It soon turned into blue-purple arcs of electricity that gathered around his right arm. Then his sleeve burst apart, and his whole right arm swelled up. Blue-purple dragon scales covered it, and his five fingers became dragon claws—a striking sight.
His Soul Rings didn't rise from beneath his feet or circle his waist. They spun around his right arm, where lightning crackled.
Compared with the three Beast Martial Soul users' transformations, the process of releasing a Martial Soul for Ling Yun, a tool-type Martial Soul user, was simple.
The Yin-Yang Mirror appeared directly in his hand, and Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.
But their colors were yellow and purple. In an instant, the whole arena erupted.
"A thousand-year second Soul Ring? Good heavens!"
Quite a few spectators rubbed their eyes, thinking they must have seen wrong.
"Incredible! Simply incredible! Ling Yun of the Dragon-Cloud Duo actually has a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his second Soul Ring!"
"I'm a Soul Elder, and even I don't have a purple Soul Ring."
"I'm sure the match to come will be thrilling. Can the Black Tortoise Team make him use his thousand-year Soul Skill? Let's wait and see!"
The host was briefly stunned, then immediately used his Amplifying Soul Tool to voice his excitement and drive the atmosphere to its peak.
He was a professional host, after all.
"It's over! I bet on the Black Tortoise Team to win!"
"Me too!"
"Black Tortoise Team, go! You have to win!"
"..."
After their initial shock, many spectators began waving flags and cheering for the Black Tortoise Team. A thousand-year Soul Skill was far stronger than a hundred-year one. They could lose every last coin they'd bet—how could they let that happen?
Hearing the audience's cheers, Yu Tianheng's mouth curled up. "See that? They're so worried you'll lose that they're cheering you on!"
"Boss, if you lose, don't go looking for a crack to hide in on the platform."
Shi Mo and Shi Mo rolled up their sleeves, their fighting spirit high.
Seeing this, the host announced, "The match begins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Mo and Shi Mo abandoned their usual cautious approach and charged forward together, making a beeline for Yu Tianheng.
They decided to attack Yu Tianheng from both sides.
"Just what I wanted!"
Yu Tianheng charged forward, too, aiming straight for Shi Mo, whose Soul Power Level was lower. He decided to focus his strength on eliminating one of them first.
His dragon claw swept forward with terrifying force. Shi Mo's First Soul Ring flashed, forming the phantom of a tortoiseshell in front of him.
Then he pulled his right arm into the shell.
Yu Tianheng's dragon claw tore through the phantom in two seconds and struck the tortoiseshell covering Shi Mo's right arm. Arcs of electricity flew, and sparks scattered.
The tortoiseshell's defense was incredibly strong, and its counterforce was terrifying. Yu Tianheng felt his arm go numb.
In the next instant, Shi Mo's support arrived. He swung a sweeping kick at Yu Tianheng's lower back.
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