The moment he finished speaking.
Soul Rings rose beneath Osler's feet.
The black figure vanished in an instant. His speed was astonishing.
Yet Qian Chen still stood where he was.
A powerful surge of Soul Power burst from his body.
Twenty levels.
Thirty levels.
Forty levels!
The fluctuations in Soul Power stopped at level forty.
Everyone in the arena was stunned.
No Soul Rings appeared around Qian Chen.
Yet that surge of Soul Power clearly showed that he had reached level forty.
Shui Xinrou abruptly rose to her feet.
"He's level forty?"
Qian Chen looked around the same age as Shui Bing'er.
Yet Shui Bing'er was already the most outstanding genius at Skywater Academy, and she had only reached level twenty-eight in Soul Power.
This male student actually possessed level-forty Soul Power.
Shui Xinlian slowly exhaled.
"He must have suppressed his own Soul Power."
"That's good, at least he won't immediately attract the attention of the other forces."
The last time Qian Chen had made a move, the Soul Power he displayed had already reached level fifty-eight.
Yet now, he had released only level forty.
Shui Xinlian naturally understood that Qian Chen was unwilling to reveal his full strength.
The Ice Empress at the edge of the arena was also watching Qian Chen.
She knew that Qian Chen had improved rapidly over the past few years.
But even after seeing him release level-forty Soul Power with her own eyes, she was still rather surprised.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Qian Chen truly surpassed her.
Light shifted through Xue Qinghe's eyes.
"He's indeed no simple character."
He had originally thought that Qian Chen would be, at most, on par with Yu Tianheng.
Now it seemed that he had still underestimated him.
Osler had already charged in front of Qian Chen.
After hearing the surrounding discussions, he was both shocked and furious.
So what if Qian Chen had level-forty Soul Power?
In a battle between soul masters, soul skills and martial souls were equally important.
"Third Soul Skill, Shadow Strike!"
Osler's figure split into several black shadows, while sharp claw flashes descended simultaneously from all directions.
Qian Chen did not summon the Profound Frost Star Spear.
To his left, white radiance quietly emerged.
An elegant figure stepped out from the wind and snow.
Silver-white hair cascaded down, and her white dress swayed gently in the cold air.
Snowflakes circled around her.
The instant the Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul appeared, the temperature inside the Spirit Arena plummeted.
Qian Chen raised his hand.
The first Soul Ring did not appear.
Yet vast clouds of white mist had already spread from beneath his feet.
"First Soul Skill, Frozen Throne."
Boom!
Endless wind and snow descended from the sky.
The entire Spirit Arena was shrouded in a vast curtain of white snow.
The instant the snowflakes touched the ground, they condensed into fine ice crystals.
The cold spread rapidly along the floor.
The curtains of water stopped flowing.
A thick layer of frost formed across the surfaces of the blue crystals.
The wind blades in midair lost their power the moment the snowflakes touched them, falling to the ground.
Osler's several black shadows froze simultaneously.
Before he could retreat, both his legs were sealed in solid ice.
The cold continued to climb upward.
His knees.
His waist and abdomen.
His chest.
After only a few breaths, Osler had become an ice statue.
Shui Xinrou's expression changed drastically.
She released her Soul Power to resist the cold.
But that force was too pure, and even the circulation of Soul Power within her body was affected.
"What kind of extreme-cold power is this?"
Shui Xinrou felt her hands and feet grow numb.
She was also a water-attributed soul master, yet she had never seen such overbearing cold.
Shui Xinlian likewise looked toward the arena.
Was this Qian Chen's true strength?
With just a single first Soul Skill, he had turned the entire Spirit Arena into an Extreme Cold Domain.
Even standing at the edge of the arena, she could feel tremendous pressure.
Shui Bing'er pushed herself upright.
She no longer cared about the injuries on her arm and merely stared blankly at Qian Chen.
"Last time, he didn't use his full strength at all."
Shui Yue'er opened and closed her mouth.
She recalled the scene of Qian Chen sending the Ice Red-Chain Snake flying with a single palm in the Far North.
So that still hadn't been his limit.
The Ice Empress stood at the edge of the arena, a serious look appearing in her emerald eyes.
She knew that Qian Chen possessed the Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul.
But after he used Frozen Throne, even she felt obvious pressure.
"Chen'er has improved too quickly."
The Ice Empress gazed at the white-clad figure in the arena.
"If this continues, he really will surpass me."
Xue Qinghe was also resisting the cold.
Golden light flowed across his body.
Even with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, he still felt the bone-piercing chill.
Xue Qinghe looked at Qian Chen.
"If we fought head-on, even I probably wouldn't be his match."
For the first time, he had reached such a judgment about someone around his own age.
At the center of the arena.
Yu Tianheng's expression was solemn.
Osler had already lost his combat ability.
Yet he hadn't even managed to approach Qian Chen.
"Everyone, join forces to resist him!"
Yu Tianheng stepped forward.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul erupted.
Three Soul Rings lit up simultaneously.
Dugu Yan released a cloud of emerald-green poison, the Shi brothers raised their Black Tortoise Shells, Yu Feng flapped his wings, and Ye Lingling activated the Nine-Heart Begonia.
All seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team used their Soul Skills at the same time.
Lightning, poison, wind blades, and the power of the tortoise shells converged.
Yu Tianheng charged at the very front.
"Third Soul Skill, Thunderous Fury!"
Thick bolts of lightning tore through the wind and snow.
But the moment the lightning surged several meters forward, it was covered by the snow filling the sky.
Every snowflake carried the power to impede Soul Power.
The lightning gradually dimmed.
Ice also began to form over Yu Tianheng's arm.
He gritted his teeth and circulated all his Soul Power.
"Break for me!"
Blue-violet lightning erupted once more.
The ice was shaken until a crack appeared.
Just as a trace of hope rose in Yu Tianheng's heart, Qian Chen raised his hand.
The Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul extended her jade-white hand.
The entire stretch of wind and snow abruptly came to a halt.
In the next moment, the cold erupted in full force.
Yu Tianheng's lightning died out on the spot.
Heavy layers of ice rose from beneath his feet, sealing his legs, waist, abdomen, and arms.
Dugu Yan's poison froze beneath the snowflakes.
A layer of white frost covered the Black Tortoise Shells of the Shi brothers.
Yu Feng had just flown into the air when ice crystals sealed his wings, sending him crashing to the ground.
Ye Lingling attempted to activate the Nine-Heart Begonia to heal her teammates.
But before her Soul Power could finish gathering, the cold had already spread upward from beneath her feet.
The seven of them successively lost the ability to move.
The entire Spirit Arena was left with only Qian Chen standing.
He lowered his hand.
The snow filling the sky gradually subsided.
But the solid ice covering the arena did not disappear.
The members of the Imperial Fighting Team were all sealed within the ice, unable even to circulate their Soul Power smoothly.
Shui Xinrou immediately stepped forward.
"Skywater Academy wins!"
As the referee announced the result, the stands fell silent for a moment before erupting into a wave of cheers.
Shui Yue'er was the first to rush into the arena.
She came before Qian Chen, her eyes shining brightly.
"Qian Chen, you're incredible!"
The other Skywater students also gathered around one after another.
They had still been lying at the edge of the arena moments ago, but now they no longer cared about their injuries.
Shui Bing'er walked a little more slowly.
She came before Qian Chen, her water-blue hair falling over her shoulders.
"Thank you."
Qian Chen looked at the wound on her arm.
"Get treated first."
Ye Lingling had already recovered her ability to move.
She walked over to Shui Bing'er, and the Nine-Heart Begonia released a gentle radiance.
Shui Bing'er said nothing more and merely glanced at Qian Chen.
A hint of dependence that she herself had not noticed appeared in those water-blue eyes.
Before you continue