With the dust settled on the group stage, the Continental Elite Soul Master Academy Tournament officially entered the knockout stage.
Every team that had risen above hundreds of competitors to advance belonged to one of the great empires' elite academies. Each possessed core fighters at the Soul Elder level, and compared with the group stage, the intensity of the knockout stage had doubled.
The atmosphere in Heaven Dou City's Arena Square was even more fervent and tense than before. The stands were packed, powerful figures from every faction had gathered, and their eyes remained fixed on the arena, unwilling to miss a single clash between top contenders.
After the pre-match draw, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team's first knockout-stage opponent turned out to be the Thunderfire Academy Team, one of the Heaven Dou Empire's four great academies!
Thunderfire Academy was renowned for its power attack system thunderfire martial souls. Its entire team consisted of power attack and agility attack soul masters, with a ferocious, aggressive fighting style and tremendous explosive power. Its captain was a level thirty-nine power attack system Battle Soul Elder whose martial soul was the Thunderfire War Wolf. His soul skills combined lightning and flame, giving them astonishing destructive force. The team was one of the favorites to win this year's tournament, its strength far beyond that of Blackrock Academy.
In the pre-match preparation area, the members of the Heaven Dou Royal Team wore grave expressions as they carefully studied Thunderfire Academy's team information, not daring to be careless.
"Thunderfire Academy's soul skills all deal explosive damage, and their lightning can briefly paralyze soul power. They can easily interrupt our control skills, so we have to be careful," one teammate said gravely, a trace of apprehension in their voice.
Thunderfire Academy had swept through the group stage with its ferocious offense. Not a single team had lasted the time it took an incense stick to burn, and its formidable fighting strength was plain for all to see.
Yue Huaxi held the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm, her gaze resolute. "I'll keep the soul power and defense boosts active throughout the match to help everyone withstand the first wave. Focus on fighting."
Su Qingyuan clenched her fists as well, her Soft Bone Martial Soul poised to unleash its power. "I'll pin down their agility attack soul masters and disrupt their offensive rhythm."
Lin Chen had closed his eyes in concentration. After listening to everyone's analysis, he slowly opened them, white and green light swirling in their depths. "Thunderfire Academy's strength is explosive power, but its weaknesses are just as obvious—all-out offense, no strong control, and weak defense. Their thunderfire soul power may be fierce, but Iceheart cold happens to counter it."
He had already seen through their weaknesses. Thunderfire was fierce, violent yang, while Ice Heart Binding was supple yin of the utmost cold. The two stood in a cycle of generation and suppression, and this was his greatest assurance of victory.
"Remember the plan. Once the battle begins, I'll activate the Iceheart Domain to suppress the entire arena. Yue Huaxi, boost the whole team immediately. Qingyuan, ambush their support. Everyone else, hold them off head-on. I'll freeze their soul power and take them down one by one!" Lin Chen's voice was steady, his deployment clear, setting the whole team's minds at ease.
"Understood!"
Meanwhile, in Thunderfire Academy's preparation area, captain Lei Meng toyed with the thunderfire soul power dancing in his palm, his face full of arrogance. "Heaven Dou Royal Academy is just relying on Lin Chen's domain. Once the fight starts, we'll unleash everything, break through his domain, and finish this fast!"
"Don't worry, Captain. Our thunderfire soul skills will burn his Blue Silver Grass to ashes and shatter his domain!" the other members chorused, all brimming with fighting spirit. They did not take the Heaven Dou Royal Team seriously at all.
A moment later, the referee loudly called for both teams to enter the arena.
Lin Chen led the Heaven Dou Royal Team onto the arena with steady steps. Opposite them, lightning and fire wreathed Thunderfire Academy's seven members, their soul power surging with extreme violence. Heat and a numbing charge filled the air. Their sheer presence alone made many spectators' hearts tremble.
"Lin Chen, I heard you killed a Soul Emperor from Spirit Hall despite the gap in your ranks. But today, your legend ends here!" Three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—rose around Lei Meng. With Thunderfire War Wolf Martial Soul Possession, his body swelled, lightning and flames intertwining around his wolf claws with savage intensity.
Lin Chen stood at the front of his team with an indifferent expression and slowly raised his right hand. "Enough nonsense. Make your move."
Arrogant!
Lin Chen's attitude thoroughly enraged Thunderfire Academy's members.
"Begin the match!"
The instant the referee finished speaking, Lei Meng bellowed, "Third soul skill, Thunderfire Wolf Howl!"
His purple soul ring blazed with light. Violent thunderfire sound waves swept across the arena, accompanied by a wolf's howl, hurtling straight toward the Heaven Dou Royal Team. Wherever they passed, the air warped from the heat, while lightning spread unchecked, seeking to disrupt everyone's soul power circulation.
"Everyone, attack! Thunderfire Scorches the Plains!"
The other Thunderfire Academy members unleashed all their soul skills at once. Thunderfire blades, flaming arrows, and lightning whips filled the sky, bombarding the Heaven Dou Royal Team. Their attacks fell like a torrential downpour, their savage destructive force making even the spectators in the stands blanch.
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile, defense boost! Soul power boost!"
Yue Huaxi activated the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda at once. Three boosting halos descended, and a pale golden soul power shield rose around the Heaven Dou Royal Team, firmly withstanding the enemy's opening assault.
"Qingyuan, now!"
At Lin Chen's command, Su Qingyuan became a supple blur, evading the thunderfire barrage and lunging straight toward the support soul master at the rear of Thunderfire Academy's formation. Her Soft Bone Lock Soul Skill activated instantly, pinning the opponent down.
And at last, Lin Chen unleashed his own power!
Three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—flared in unison. His life blue silver grass martial soul fully awakened, and a vast Life Domain spread out in an instant. Luminous white ice crystals raced from him across the entire arena, and the ultimate Iceheart cold collided thunderously with the thunderfire power!
Ice Heart Binding, full release!
Hiss, hiss, hiss—
As extreme cold collided with violent thunderfire, white mist instantly shrouded the arena. Ice crystals steadily froze the thunderfire soul power, drastically weakening the lightning's paralysis and the flames' scorching heat. The once-ferocious thunderfire assault abruptly stalled!
Thunderfire Academy's members felt bone-piercing cold envelop their bodies. The violent thunderfire soul power within them suddenly met resistance, its circulation slowing. Even wisps of cold seeped into their meridians, freezing the pathways of their soul power and stripping away more than half the force of their attacks in an instant!
"Impossible! How can my thunderfire soul power be suppressed?!" Lei Meng roared in shock, his face filled with disbelief. He had never seen such a strange domain, one that could actually counter his thunderfire martial soul.
"Nothing is impossible."
Lin Chen's gaze turned icy. With a slight stir of his will, his third soul skill, Myriad Spirit Vine Sea, erupted!
Blue Silver Grass marked with icy patterns burst from the ground. Every vine was wreathed in luminous white cold, no longer merely emerald green but interwoven with ice. Like ice-vine flood dragons, they frantically coiled toward Thunderfire Academy's members.
With their soul power frozen by the Iceheart cold, Thunderfire Academy's members suffered drastic losses in speed and strength. Unable to evade at all, they were instantly wrapped in icy Blue Silver vines.
"Break free! Break free, damn it!" Lei Meng frantically drove his soul power, making his thunderfire surge as he tried to burn through the Blue Silver Grass. But the ice-patterned grass contained Iceheart Power. Instead of burning, it released even stronger cold, rapidly freezing his thunderfire soul power and making his struggles increasingly feeble.
Within mere breaths, all six of Thunderfire Academy's other members were bound by ice vines, unable to move. Only their captain, Lei Meng, continued to struggle desperately.
"Thunderfire Explosive Core!"
Gritting his teeth, Lei Meng unleashed a forbidden soul skill that detonated his own soul power. Thunderfire surged around him as he tried to blast apart the Blue Silver Grass bindings in a desperate final gamble.
"Death throes."
Lin Chen's gaze sharpened, and he clenched one hand. Every ice vine tightened simultaneously, the power of Ice Heart Binding erupting at full force. Ultimate cold instantly flooded Lei Meng's body, completely freezing his meridians and soul power!
The thunderfire surging around Lei Meng vanished instantly. His body went rigid, and he could no longer summon even a trace of soul power. Bound tightly by the ice vines, he hung suspended in midair.
The entire arena fell deathly silent!
No one had expected that even against the formidable Thunderfire Academy, Lin Chen would still dominate the battle with absolute control. Barely ten breaths had passed from the beginning of the fight to its end!
The ferocious offense that Thunderfire Academy took such pride in had crumbled at the first blow before Lin Chen's Iceheart Domain!
"Do you concede?" Lin Chen asked mildly, his voice ringing across the arena.
Lei Meng's face burned with humiliation, his entire body shivering from the cold. Yet he had no strength left to resist and could only grit his teeth and roar, "I concede!"
The referee snapped out of his daze and announced loudly, "The Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team wins this match and advances to the next knockout round!"
As his words fell, deafening cheers erupted throughout the arena, more fervent than at any previous match!
"Lin Chen is too strong! He even crushed Thunderfire Academy with ease!"
"What exactly is the origin of his domain? It can even counter thunderfire!"
"In this tournament, only the Spirit Hall Golden Generation can stand against him!"
Discussion surged through the stands. Lin Chen's name was once again propelled to the heights, and everyone was convinced that only the Spirit Hall Team could give him a fight.
Lin Chen withdrew his ice vines and martial soul. His Heaven Dou Royal Team teammates hurried forward, their faces alight with joy and their morale at its peak.
But in a corner of the arena, in Spirit Hall's preparation area, Xie Yue and Hu Liena wore frighteningly dark expressions.
In easily defeating Thunderfire Academy, Lin Chen had displayed control over his domain far beyond their expectations. Even as proud as they were, they had to admit that he had become the greatest stumbling block on their path to the championship.
"It seems we can't hold back any longer," Xie Yue said coldly, a chill glint flickering at his fingertips.
Killing intent lay bare in Hu Liena's eyes. "Next match, let them see what true top-tier fighting strength looks like."
Lin Chen shifted his gaze slightly and met the eyes of the Spirit Hall Team. He did not look away, fierce fighting spirit blazing in his eyes.
His first knockout-stage battle had ended in victory, and his ultimate showdown with the Spirit Hall Golden Generation was drawing ever closer.
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