Bewitching Bell Sound

On the arena, the Li Family's fourth contestant had already taken her position.

Li Tianyin, eighteen, was petite and delicate. She wore a light violet fitted dress, her long hair flowing over her shoulders. With her gentle features, she looked more like a refined young lady from a scholarly household than a contestant about to engage in an intense Soul Master battle. Only deep within her clear eyes flowed a calm focus that seemed beyond her years.

Her opponent, Zhou Yan of the Thick Earth Sect, was nineteen, though he looked to be in his twenties. He was a plain-faced yet resolute young man. A level sixty-nine defense-type Soul Emperor, his martial soul was the Immovable Rock Statue. He had already released it, and his entire body seemed covered in a layer of grayish-brown stone. His skin bore rocky textures, his muscles became sharply angular, and he stood there like a silent statue, radiating a steady, weighty aura. Unlike Wang Yan and Sun Hou before him, his defensive style focused more on petrifying and strengthening his own body. Though slow-moving, his defense was seamless and highly resistant to both physical and energy-based impacts.

"One-on-one, fourth match! Li Family's Li Tianyin versus Thick Earth Sect's Zhou Yan! Begin!"

At the referee's command, Zhou Yan reacted immediately. He understood how troublesome control-type Soul Masters were, especially those specializing in mental control. Once they seized control of the rhythm, even the strongest defense would be forced into passivity. Thus, unlike his fellow disciples before him, he did not remain completely on the defensive. Instead, he immediately took heavy strides forward, steadily closing in on Li Tianyin like a moving hill! He wanted to shorten the distance and use the most direct physical pressure to disrupt her casting rhythm!

However, Li Tianyin seemed to