"Contestant Ice Phoenix, please report to the Eleventh Sub-Arena for your match!"
Upon hearing this, Shui Bing'er immediately rose from the sofa in the waiting area and followed the staff member to the Eleventh Sub-Arena.
Incidentally, while other Soul Masters were battling, those waiting in the lounge could watch the matches.
After all, gathering intel on opponents and devising targeted tactics was also part of a Soul Master's battles.
Jiang Lan naturally chose to watch.
No matter what, this was Shui Bing'er's first Soul Battle. He had to offer her some support, at least.
Jiang Lan also stood up and followed closely behind Shui Bing'er, arriving at the viewing area reserved for contestants at the Eleventh Sub-Arena.
The viewing area overlooked the arena below, providing a clear view of the battle on the Soul Battle Platform.
Though it was only a sub-arena, it was still quite large, with a diameter of twenty meters—enough space for Soul Masters to fight freely.
What was somewhat surprising, however, was that the Eleventh Sub-Arena had an enormous audience. More than half the seats were occupied.
But on second thought, Dragon City was a border city unlike those inland. There was little entertainment at night, so watching Soul Masters battle was probably one of the few pastimes available to its commoners. It was only natural that the sub-arena drew such a crowd.
On the Soul Battle Platform, a sweet-looking young girl in a knee-length skirt stood at the center. Holding a soul-tool microphone, she announced in a sweet voice, "Dear audience, the fourth one-on-one Soul Battle of the Eleventh Soul Arena is about to begin."
"The two Soul Grandmasters about to take the stage are newcomer Ice Phoenix, who possesses the Beast Martial Soul Ice Luan, and battle master Zhang Han, who possesses the weapon Martial Soul Blood Blade and has already won five consecutive Soul Battles!"
"Will Soul Grandmaster Zhang Han continue his glory and claim a magnificent fourth straight victory? Or will newcomer battle master Ice Phoenix earn his first win? Let us wait and see! Now, please welcome our two Soul Grandmasters to the stage!"
The girl's sweet voice echoed throughout the sub-arena, completely stirring the audience's emotions.
However, most of the spectators were cheering the name of the girl hosting the match.
Only some of the audience members who had bet on Zhang Han were shouting his name.
Soon, a sturdily built young man with an arrogant expression stepped onto the Soul Battle Platform and waved at the crowd.
Seeing the nearly packed stands, Shui Bing'er could not help feeling a little nervous.
However, when she spotted that familiar figure in the contestants' viewing area, her nervousness quietly eased considerably.
"Hmph, hiding your face like that—could it be that you're too ugly to show yourself?" Seeing Shui Bing'er clad in a black robe and wearing a mask, Zhang Han could not help throwing out some pre-match trash talk.
"Haa..." Shui Bing'er gently exhaled a breath of frosty air, slowly calming her mind.
She knew that he wanted to provoke her into exposing an opening during the battle.
Naturally, she would not fall for such a clumsy provocation.
Seeing that Shui Bing'er had not been angered by his trash talk, Zhang Han curled his lip and said no more.
"Both contestants, release your Martial Souls!"
Zhang Han reached out and grabbed, and a great blade as red as blood appeared in his hand. Two Hundred-Year Soul Rings slowly rose around him.
Shui Bing'er likewise released her Martial Soul and completed Martial Soul Possession. One yellow and one purple Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath her feet.
"A-a Millennium Soul Ring!"
"Her second ring is already a millennium-old one? How did she manage that?"
"Oh my god!"
Seeing the Soul Rings around Shui Bing'er, the audience erupted in an uproar.
Although most commoners in Dragon City could not cultivate, being unable to cultivate did not mean they lacked basic knowledge.
Zhang Han's expression turned extremely grave. The power of a Millennium Soul Ring was not something a Hundred-Year Soul Ring could compare to.
He had to end this quickly!
The girl hosting the match froze when she saw Shui Bing'er's Millennium Soul Ring. Only after someone reminded her did she come back to her senses and hurriedly announce:
"The match begins!"
With that, wings spread from the girl's back, and she soared directly into the air.
"First Soul Skill, Bloodlust!"
"Second Soul Skill, Fury!"
Zhang Han's first and second Soul Rings flashed in succession. His eyes instantly turned crimson, while the Blood Blade in his hand became even redder, as if blood were about to drip from it.
Hm? Two enhancement Soul Skills, plus a berserk Soul Skill? No wonder this man managed five consecutive victories. With the boosts from those two enhancement Soul Skills, his strength is already no weaker than that of a low-ranking Soul Elder. Watching Zhang Han's transformation from the viewing stands, Jiang Lan thought to himself.
However, the Control System was the greatest Restraint against this kind of brute.
"Second Soul Skill, Ice Phoenix Staff!" Facing Zhang Han as he charged toward her, Shui Bing'er calmly summoned a two-meter-long staff formed entirely from condensed ice elements. The staff was flawlessly white. An Ice Phoenix with spread wings coiled around its head, its beak guarding a snowflake-like core at the center, while its base resembled two entwined phoenix tail feathers.
Shui Bing'er raised her hand and gripped the Ice Phoenix Staff, then gave it a light sweep toward Zhang Han. A biting cold wind blew past, and the Soul Battle Platform froze over at a visible rate, even encasing Zhang Han's feet in ice.
"Oh my! Contestant Ice Phoenix has such powerful ice control! She controlled contestant Zhang Han in an instant. Can contestant Zhang Han break free from contestant Ice Phoenix's control?" Flying in midair, the girl passionately narrated the battle.
"Hah!" Zhang Han gave a low shout and shattered the thin ice around his feet with Soul Power before continuing his charge at Shui Bing'er.
"Contestant Zhang Han has violently broken through contestant Ice Phoenix's control! How will contestant Ice Phoenix respond now?"
Shui Bing'er raised the Ice Phoenix Staff and pointed it into the distance. Several ice spikes rapidly formed in the air, then shot toward Zhang Han.
Seeing this, Zhang Han immediately swung the Blood Blade in a series of slashes, smashing every incoming ice spike to pieces.
"Contestant Ice Phoenix has launched another attack, but contestant Zhang Han has broken through them all! Contestant Zhang Han is about to reach contestant Ice Phoenix! Is contestant Ice Phoenix, despite possessing a Millennium second ring, about to suffer defeat?" The girl's impassioned voice rang continuously over the Soul Battle Platform.
"Get down!" Zhang Han had already rushed before Shui Bing'er and swung the flat of the Blood Blade at her.
"First Soul Skill, Ice Seal!" Shui Bing'er held the Ice Phoenix Staff and lightly tapped its base against the ground.
The next instant, Zhang Han, who had already reached Shui Bing'er, was instantly frozen within a massive block of solid ice.
"Contestant Zhang Han has been sealed in ice by contestant Ice Phoenix! Can he break free from contestant Ice Phoenix's control?"
Soon, more than ten seconds passed, yet Zhang Han still could not break free from Shui Bing'er's ice seal.
"I hereby announce that the winner is contestant Ice Phoenix! Record: one win, zero losses!" The girl descended from the air and declared.
"Ice Phoenix!"
"Ice Phoenix!"
Cheers rose from the audience.
Seeing the spectators cheering for her, Shui Bing'er felt somewhat excited as well.
No matter how calm, composed, and rational Shui Bing'er was—
At the end of the day, she was only an eight-year-old child, at an age when vanity ran strong.
"Contestant Ice Phoenix, please help contestant Zhang Han thaw out," the girl hosting the match said.
Shui Bing'er gave a slight nod, then lightly waved the Ice Phoenix Staff in her hand. The solid ice immediately melted into a pool of cold water.
"Ach-choo!" Zhang Han's face was blue, and he shivered violently from the cold. Looking at Shui Bing'er, he hurriedly thanked her. "Thank you for showing mercy."
Shui Bing'er gave a slight nod, then turned and leaped down from the Soul Battle Platform, heading toward the waiting room.
Before you continue