Seven Warlords of the Sea Team, Ice Phoenix Captain

Half a month later, Luo City Great Soul Arena.

Today was the third round of the team competition. Shui Bing'er and the other six stood in the entrance passage, waiting for the staff's notice.

Glowing Soul Tools were embedded in the stone walls on either side of the passage, their soft light stretching the girls' shadows long.

The clamor of the spectator stands came from the end of the passage, a sea of voices occasionally pierced by sharp whistles and shouts.

"Seven Warlords of the Sea Team, prepare to enter!"

The staff member's voice came from the end of the passage.

Shui Bing'er immediately perked up.

Master had come up with the name Seven Warlords of the Sea.

When Master had said the name, he had looked deeply nostalgic.

What special meaning did this name have for Master?

In any case, it sounded imposing enough.

"Jade Lotus, are you ready?"

Just then, the mischievous Shui Yue'er teasingly called out to Qiu Ruoshui.

"Ah, Yue'er, you..."

The moment Qiu Ruoshui heard that name, her face turned red.

"Ahem. The captain said that, to keep a low profile, we have to address each other by our codenames! I won't hold it against you if you call me Yue'er in private, but what should you call me here?"

Qiu Ruoshui bit her lip and said unwillingly, "...Jade Dolphin."

"That's more like it, Do Not Shake Jade Lotus!"

Humiliated and indignant, Qiu Ruoshui rushed to Shui Bing'er, the Ice Phoenix captain. "Ice... Ice Phoenix Captain, why did you give me such a codename?!"

Do Not Shake Jade Lotus—it sounded like she shouldn't... well, that. She was a girl. How could she not... How could she be called something like that?!

When Qiu Ruoshui asked this, Shui Bing'er did not know how to answer.

To keep a low profile, everyone had to wear masks and address one another by codenames. Their codenames were their respective Martial Souls, as Master had instructed.

Ruoshui's Martial Soul was Jade Lotus Perfume Bass, yet Master had specifically instructed that Ruoshui's codename was Do Not Shake Jade Lotus.

Shui Bing'er had been stunned at the time, but Master had seemed quite delighted, so she had not defied his orders.

But... why was Master paying special attention to Ruoshui?

And once, when her individual match had happened to pit her against Ruoshui, Master had actually told her to fake a loss—and to make her acting as exaggerated as possible.

Because her acting had been too over-the-top, both the audience and the host had become furious, nearly announcing that the match result would be voided.

Ruoshui had also looked completely bewildered, unable to understand why Shui Bing'er had to lose to her so exaggeratedly.

Master alone had looked extremely pleased after Shui Bing'er faked her defeat.

At the thought of Master paying such close attention to Ruoshui, Shui Bing'er felt as though a whole cabinet of flavors had been overturned in her heart.

"Seven Warlords of the Sea Team, please enter!"

Just then, the staff member's voice came again.

Shui Bing'er gathered her thoughts and ordered, "Let's go. Finish this match first."

Inside the Battle Soul Arena, there were especially many spectators today. The stands were packed solid, and the noise surged like a tidal wave.

That was because some unknown dark horse called the Seven Warlords of the Sea had appeared in the Battle Soul Arena. They had racked up an outstanding record, bulldozing their way through every match and forcing the Great Soul Arena to send out its ace team—the A-Gen-Ting Team.

It was a clash of titans, bandits meeting hooligans, but most people had bet everything they had on the A-Gen-Ting Team. After all, the A-Gen-Ting Team had ruled the Great Soul Arena for a long time, while the Seven Warlords of the Sea were merely unheard-of newcomers.

Under the eager gazes of the audience, both teams entered the arena.

The opposing lineup consisted of seven people—four men and three women. They all appeared to be in their early thirties, much older than Shui Bing'er and the others.

At the front was a burly young man with a shaved head, a square face, broad shoulders, and a thick back. He walked like a moving hill, every step making the Soul Battle Platform tremble slightly.

Behind him followed a lean young man. He was not tall, but his limbs were long and his steps light. His small eyes darted about constantly, making him look alert and nimble.

When the A-Gen-Ting Team saw Shui Bing'er and the others' excessively youthful, beautiful faces, they could not help but be startled.

Then, both sides released their Soul Rings at the same time.

The A-Gen-Ting Team actually had two Soul Ancestor-level Spirit Masters.

A spectator who had bet on the A-Gen-Ting Team mocked his companion who had bet on the Seven Warlords of the Sea Team. "Look, look! A-Gen-Ting has two Soul Ancestors. Now you've lost every last penny!"

Four rings of light—two yellow, one purple, and one orange-gold—appeared around Shui Bing'er and slowly revolved.

Xue Wu and the others released theirs as well, though they each had only three Soul Rings.

The A-Gen-Ting Team froze.

The Bald Head Assault Type Soul Sect stared at Shui Bing'er's orange-gold Soul Ring in astonishment. It was indeed rare for someone so young to already be a Soul Ancestor, but it was not unprecedented in the continent's history. However, he had truly never heard of an orange-gold Soul Ring.

The Lean Agile Assault Type Soul Sect narrowed his small eyes, his gaze fixed tightly on the orange-gold ring. His lips moved slightly as though he were muttering to himself. "Orange-gold... what kind of Soul Ring is that?"

The bald man said in a low voice, "Captain, that orange-gold Soul Ring isn't right."

"I know." The lean young man nodded, his gaze swiftly sweeping across Shui Bing'er and the others. "They only have one Soul Ancestor. The rest are all Soul Elders."

"We have two Soul Ancestors, so we have the advantage in terms of rank. As long as I keep that little Soul Ancestor girl tied down, you can sweep through those Soul Elders. Then come back and surround this little girl. No matter how strange she is, she'll still meet her end!"

The bald man nodded. "Alright."

The lean young man patted the bald man's shoulder, then turned to someone at the back of the team. "Xiao Qing, give me a tailwind boost."

A twin-tailed girl following at the rear of the team nodded and released her White Paper Fan Martial Soul.

A pale cyan glow lit up from the White Paper Fan and enveloped the lean young man. He immediately felt his body grow lighter, and his speed increased drastically.

"Begin!"

Both sides immediately clashed.

Following their plan, the Bald Head Assault Type Soul Sect led four teammates charging toward Xue Wu and the others.

Just as Shui Bing'er was about to turn and support Xue Wu, the lean young man entangled her.

"Little girl, I'm your opponent."

The lean young man shouted.

His Martial Soul was the Shadow Deer, an agile assault battle Soul Ancestor. Four Soul Rings—one white, one yellow, and two purple—slowly revolved around him.

"First Soul Skill—Deer Mountain Claw!"

The lean young man's figure flashed, and he instantly appeared before Shui Bing'er. His right hand transformed into a black deer hoof and shot straight for Shui Bing'er's face.

Shui Bing'er immediately struck out with her palm.

Frost Soul Palm!

Bang!

Palm and hoof collided.

The lean young man only felt an enormous force surge from her palm, followed by a bone-piercing chill that spread up his arm.

His body was sent uncontrollably backward. His feet carved two long trails across the ground, and he only barely stabilized himself when he reached the edge of the Soul Battle Platform.

He looked down at his right hand—a thin layer of frost covered the entire palm, and his five fingers were so stiff that they could barely bend.

He shook his hand hard, shattering the frost, then raised his head to look at Shui Bing'er. His small eyes were filled with disbelief.

"This isn't right... That little girl didn't even light up her Soul Rings! A Self-Created Soul Skill? Such a powerful Self-Created Soul Skill?"

The lean young man gritted his teeth. It seemed he could not confront her head-on!

Thus, his fourth purple Soul Ring lit up.

"Fourth Soul Skill—Deer's Afterimage!"

The lean young man's figure instantly vanished from the spot, and he began relying on his extreme speed to keep Shui Bing'er entangled.

Shui Bing'er immediately frowned. This person's strength was nothing special, but he was far too fast!

"Little girl," the lean young man's voice came from all directions, carrying a hint of smugness, "forget about supporting your teammates. Just obediently let me keep you tied down. Once all your teammates are eliminated, we'll take our time dealing with you."

At the same time, at the other end of the Soul Battle Platform.

The Bald Head Assault Type Soul Sect led five teammates as they charged fiercely toward Xue Wu and the others.