Shui Wuzhou, Head-On Clash

On the arena, the scorched marks left by the fourth match and the lingering chill had yet to fully dissipate. The air was thick with a solemn, killing intent. The Sea Shark Gang's recovered morale after winning a round stood in subtle opposition to the Li Family's brief silence after their winning streak was broken. Countless eyes focused on the entrance to the stage, holding their breaths as they awaited the next pair of opponents.

Footsteps rang out, heavy and powerful.

Li Aotian stepped forward. He was not particularly tall, yet he gave off the solid presence of a mountain. His black combat attire clung tightly to his body, outlining muscles that seemed forged from steel. Every strand of his short hair stood upright like a steel needle. His face was resolute, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's, and his strides carried the bearing of a dragon and tiger, imposing and forceful. He made no effort to conceal his aura. It was a pure, domineering sense of power that came from his body itself, utterly different from Soul Masters who relied on Soul Skills and Martial Soul effects.

He stopped at one side of the arena and swept his lightning-like gaze toward the opposite side.

The Sea Shark Gang's representative was a burly man nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. His dark, rough skin looked weathered by years of wind and sun. His bare upper body was covered in crisscrossing old and new scars, like savage totems. Most striking were his abnormally developed arms, their knotted muscles nearly thicker than an ordinary man's thighs, with veins writhing beneath his skin like little snakes. This man was Shui Wuzhou, a Level 73 Assault-type Battle Soul Sage. His Martial Soul was the Deep Sea Giant Strength Crab, and he was