Magic~Techniques!

The match began, and Ironwood immediately activated his first soul skill, Steel Bear Charge, rushing straight toward Anaxa.

Seeing this, the audience in the stands erupted into a wave of excited cheers.

"Ironwood! Take him down!"

"Show this arrogant brat what real strength is!"

In the VIP box, Phainon frowned as he watched the scene unfold.

However, Anaxa remained standing in place, having neither released his martial soul nor adopted any defensive stance.

A flicker of worry crossed Phainon's mind, and he turned to look at Ye Qiong.

"Teacher, Anaxa... why isn't he dodging?"

Ye Qiong leaned back against his chair, his expression calm.

"No rush. Just watch."

Phainon wanted to say more, but he had no choice but to fix his gaze back on the arena.

Beside them, Cerydra kept her blue eyes locked on Anaxa in the arena, her interest growing.

Anaxa was unfazed in the face of danger; he must have been completely confident.

On the field, Ironwood had already charged to within three steps of Anaxa.

Some in the audience covered their eyes, unable to bear watching what was about to happen.

Yet, at the very moment the bear paw was about to strike Anaxa's face, Anaxa finally moved.

He swung his hands, and a green ripple bloomed from his eyes.

Then, he shouted:

"Magic Trick!"

In the next instant, Ironwood's body jerked to a halt.

The fierce light in his eyes instantly turned hollow.

At that moment, as he looked at Anaxa, it was as if he were seeing something truly terrifying.

Then, his knees buckled, and with a loud thud, he knelt directly in front of Anaxa.

Seeing this, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

Even the referee's raised hand froze in mid-air, forgotten.

Everyone stared with wide eyes.

That Ironwood—a level 38 power-attack soul master who had fought dozens of matches in the arena and never once flinched even when beating his opponents until they were covered in blood—was now kneeling before a thin, frail boy, trembling like a frightened rabbit.

"What... what is going on?"

"Why did Ironwood kneel?"

"What soul skill did that kid use?"

Murmurs erupted from all directions, but no one could provide an answer.

Anaxa merely curled the corner of his mouth upward.

He took a step forward, and Ironwood's body shuddered violently, scrambling backward on his hands and knees.

Anaxa took another step, and Ironwood retreated again, whimpering in terror.

"Don't... don't come over..."

Anaxa acted as if he hadn't heard a word, continuing to press forward step by step until Ironwood had trembled his way to the edge of the ring.

With the final step, Ironwood fell backward, tumbling off the arena floor.

Seeing this, the entire arena went quiet for a moment.

But immediately after, cheers surged like a tidal wave.

"Holy crap! He won? He just won like that?"

"I didn't even see how he did it!"

"Ironwood has lost all face this time; he'll probably never recover from this!"

"This is just too absurd..."

Anaxa stood at the edge of the ring, looked down at Ironwood, and then turned to face the referee.

"Referee, the answer is obvious. Aren't you going to announce the result?"

The referee finally snapped out of it and nodded hurriedly.

"I, I announce, the winner is, Amphoreus Academy contestant Anaxa!"

Many in the audience stood up at once, applauding him wildly.

"Anaxa is awesome! Amphoreus Academy is awesome!"

"Scaring an opponent into defeat without even fighting, Anaxa, you truly are the role model for us Soul Masters!"

"Anaxa! I want to have your babies!"

"Get lost, you fat pig! Don't you know how much you weigh? Do you think you're worthy? Baby Anaxa is mine!"

Anaxa ignored the enthusiastic cheers of the audience and turned to walk toward the tunnel with an indifferent expression.

Up in the spectator stands, Phainon was stunned for a long time before he finally came back to his senses.

He turned his head to look at Ye Qiong:

"Teacher... what kind of soul skill was that?"

Ye Qiong smiled:

"His third soul skill, Color of the Pupil Door. It can cause targets within a certain range to fall into various negative states such as fear, confusion, blindness, or poisoning."

He paused and glanced at the arena:

"Ironwood was struck by fear. What he saw wasn't Anaxa, but the thing he fears most."

Phainon took a deep breath.

"Too strong..."

Ye Qiong nodded:

"Although Anaxa's combat power isn't top-tier, his control ability is exceptional. This Soul Fighting match was just his debut; you will see more of his fighting style in the future."

Cerydra, sitting nearby, let out a soft "heh" upon hearing this.

Ye Qiong turned his head to look at her:

"What does Your Highness think?"

Cerydra withdrew her gaze, her tone flat:

"The soul skill itself is quite interesting. However, this person's true value does not lie entirely in this soul skill."

Ye Qiong nodded with a smile.

Several more Soul Fighting matches followed.

Some were tests of raw strength, with head-on collisions that made the audience's blood boil.

Others were contests of skill, with movements as fast as lightning and every strike aimed to kill.

Phainon sat in the VIP box, watching very intently, occasionally asking Ye Qiong about specific combat details in a low voice.

Ye Qiong answered each one, even taking the time to explain the logic behind adapting to various real-combat situations.

About half an hour later, the host walked onto the stage again and shouted:

"Ladies and gentlemen! The next Soul Fighting match will also feature a newcomer from Amphoreus Academy!"

"Her codename is Caesar!"

"In this match, she will face the Vampire Bat, Gulai, who currently holds a forty-match winning streak!"

The audience was silent for a moment before erupting into an uproar.

"Omphalos again? How many people did they send today?"

"Caesar? That codename sounds domineering!"

"Wait, I checked the pre-match info. Caesar's Martial Soul is... the Scales of Justice? A Support-type?"

"Support-type?! A Support-type fighting in the Soul Fighting Arena? In a one-on-one?"

"How is a Support-type Soul Master supposed to fight? By healing the opponent?"

When Phainon heard that Cerydra was going to enter the arena to fight alone, he frowned and turned to look at Ye Qiong:

"Teacher... isn't Her Highness Cerydra a Support-type? Can she go onto the Soul Fighting Arena by herself?"

Ye Qiong replied with a calm expression:

"You underestimate her. Support is merely the basic classification of her Martial Soul; I never said she was an ordinary support."

Phainon was taken aback.

Ye Qiong continued:

"Besides, don't let common sense restrict you. Who says a support can't fight?"

Phainon was stunned by these words, feeling a bit confused.

Anaxa, sitting nearby, saw his reaction and let out a mocking laugh:

"Dullard."

He turned to look at Ye Qiong, a flash of approval in his eyes.

Then, looking at Phainon, he said:

"The teacher means that often, the best support for one's teammates is to knock down all the opponents."

Phainon heard this, stood stunned for a long while, then scratched his head and gave an awkward smile.

"Ah, is that so? I understand now."