The winners were:
Xie Yue, Hu Liena, Yan, Han Bing, Lin Yuetian, and Wang Dan, who had been coached by Teacher Li Gang.
Wang Dan and Li Gang had only exchanged a few moves. As long as Wang Dan could hold out for ten minutes, he would count as the winner.
He was drenched in sweat.
The others had been so focused on their own duels that they hadn't seen how Han Bing won. They'd only vaguely heard that Han Bing was made of ice.
"Mm, very good. I'll draw lots for the remaining six. We'll start as soon as you've rested for half an hour."
As Gao Lan spoke, she started the draw on the big screen.
Xie Yue vs. Lin Yuetian (No. 1 Soul Fighting Arena)
Hu Liena vs. Wang Dan (No. 2 Soul Fighting Arena)
Yan vs. Han Bing (No. 3 Soul Fighting Arena)
During the break, Sun Haoran said to Yan:
"Yan, you'd better be careful. Han Bing is made of ice, so you can't even hit him. I had a rough time against him."
Yan chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm not as weak as you!"
"You! I was kindly warning you, and that's what you say? Little Han Bing, don't go easy on him!"
Sun Haoran bared his teeth as he spoke.
Yan still looked disdainful as he stood up and addressed Han Bing:
"Han Bing, I don't care if you're made of ice or whatever. My Martial Soul is the Flame Lord, with both fire and earth attributes. It's the perfect counter to your ice, so you'd better watch out. I'm not as useless as Sun Haoran."
Sun Haoran clenched both fists beside him, but he had no way to argue back.
Han Bing only smiled faintly and said nothing. Just right. I can test my Haki.
Before long, ten minutes had passed, and everyone had recovered their strength. Of course, they'd recovered so quickly thanks to Teacher Gao Lan's Soul Power.
Teacher Gao Lan said:
"Everyone, take your places. The duels are about to begin."
The three pairs stepped onto the arenas. At Teacher Gao Lan's command, the duels began.
Martial Souls flared to life across all three arenas at once.
On the No. 3 Soul Fighting Arena, Yan activated Martial Soul Possession. Flames engulfed his body, and behind him appeared a Flame Lord, as if it had emerged from hell, joining with his body.
Two Yellow Soul Rings lit up around him.
He looked at Han Bing with disdain, but Han Bing still didn't move or reveal his Martial Soul.
"Han Bing, show me your Martial Soul!"
Just like in his previous match, Han Bing merely held out one hand and beckoned provocatively with a finger.
"Good! You've got plenty of nerve. Then let me see what you can do!"
Yan roared. His First Soul Ring flashed, and his First Soul Skill burst forth:
"First Soul Skill: Hell Magma Rush!"
In an instant, magma gathered around his fists. He charged straight at Han Bing, leaving a scorching trail in his wake.
Han Bing was startled. This was interesting. Was he fighting Akainu?
But this magma was nothing compared to Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit.
Han Bing still didn't dodge. As the magma surged toward him, his body turned into ice mist.
But unlike Sun Haoran's physical attacks, the magma was much more effective against Han Bing.
His ice was melting rapidly in the high heat, turning into gas.
It seemed that although Yan had no Haki and couldn't hurt him directly, the magma's sustained heat meant his ice couldn't keep resisting forever.
Yan was also stunned. Han Bing had neither dodged nor avoided his attack, and he really was made of ice. He hadn't been hurt at all. Continuing his assault, Yan gritted his teeth and said:
"Han Bing, let's see how long you can keep this up. Even if you're made of ice, my magma will melt you!"
Han Bing had finished testing things out. Without Haki, a fire-type Martial Soul couldn't directly hurt him while he was in his elemental form.
But sustained attacks could still counter the Ice Element, melting the ice.
Even so, they countered each other. Couldn't ice put out magma, too?
Sure enough, before long, the ice melting off Han Bing extinguished the flames in Yan's magma.
Han Bing had also used up some strength and was lightly sweating.
He said calmly, "Not bad. You made me sweat."
Yan's eyes widened in shock, as did those of the spectators below. Han Bing was far too freakish—he really was made of ice, tanking attacks with his body.
And he still hadn't revealed his Martial Soul or attacked.
Yan clenched his fists and roared:
"Han Bing, bring it on! I'm no pushover!"
He charged forward, then charged forward again, unleashing his First Soul Skill once more. He'd already spotted the weakness in Han Bing's defense.
Han Bing hadn't come through completely unharmed.
His strength had clearly been draining, and his ice was melting rapidly. If Yan could increase the power of his magma, he could defeat him.
Han Bing had finished his test. The magma had indeed caused some elemental reaction, but he'd been standing still the whole time. Now Yan was coming at him, and it was time for Han Bing to attack.
So he still didn't move as Yan charged him.
But his ice-blue eyes began to frost over. Then he said softly, "Ice Age!"
Yan sensed that something was wrong. The temperature around him was plummeting, so he unleashed his Second Soul Skill as well:
"Second Soul Skill: Granite Rock!"
A stone armor appeared around him, boosting his defense. His close-range attacks also carried a searing molten-rock effect.
As soon as Han Bing unleashed Ice Age, a wave of freezing air exploded outward. In an instant, the entire No. 3 Soul Fighting Arena froze solid, turning into an ice rink.
Yan was frozen solid, too.
The spectators below stared in shock.
"What? Is it over already?"
Han Bing turned away. Your magma isn't enough to threaten me. What, did you think you were Akainu?
Yan's Second Soul Skill couldn't hold out. He was frozen solid in an instant.
Teacher Gao Lan pushed her glasses up again. How terrifying. This Martial Soul's innate domain skill was simply absurd.
The others also looked at Han Bing with new respect. Yan was one of the strongest among them, yet he hadn't been able to withstand a single move from Han Bing.
At that moment, Yan struggled with all his might, unleashing magma to melt the ice around him.
Han Bing turned around and gave a slight grin, impressed that Yan had managed to escape his ice.
But Yan had used up all his Soul Power breaking free. He panted heavily, fists clenched, clearly unwilling to accept defeat.
But he had no strength left to fight. Han Bing's clothes were barely even dirty.
"Damn it. If my magma were just a little stronger, I wouldn't have been frozen."
Han Bing smiled. "You did well, Yan. You even managed to break out of my ice on your own. I, Han Bing, acknowledge you!"
Yan's lips twitched. Being acknowledged by a six-year-old left him feeling a little helpless, but Han Bing's strength really was absurd.
He had no strength left to fight. If they continued, he'd only lose.
So he said helplessly, "I lost!"
Gao Lan nodded. "Yan, come down. You did well. You fought for eight minutes."
She knew Han Bing hadn't even used his full strength. If he'd started like that, Yan probably wouldn't have lasted a minute.
Ten minutes passed, and the duels on the other two arenas ended as well.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena won.
They looked at the No. 3 Soul Fighting Arena, now frozen into an ice rink, and knew not to underestimate Han Bing.
Yan said to Xie Yue and Hu Liena:
"Xie Yue, Nana, you'd better be careful. Han Bing won't be easy to deal with."
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