Still a Loss

Seeing four of his teammates eliminated in an instant, Jingang grew anxious. With a furious roar, he unleashed Rampaging Thunder Jingang Fist once again.

Bang! Bang!

Amid the sound of shattering ice walls, Qin Yan and Zhao Ziyi traced perfect arcs through the air and landed outside the arena.

After all, they were only two Soul Ancestors. Even with boosts from two support Soul Masters, they could not completely withstand a Soul King. Holding out for so long was already impressive.

Shui Yuewu furrowed her delicate brows. Only she, Liu Yuting, and Liu Yufen still had any fighting strength left on her side. The two support Soul Masters had nearly exhausted their Soul Power by simultaneously boosting and healing Shui Yuewu, Qin Yan, and Zhao Ziyi. The Spirit Hall Team still had the Soul King Jingang, along with the two Power Attack System Soul Ancestors who had been keeping her pinned down.

The two sides seemed evenly matched, but everyone knew that Power Attack System fighters had thick hides and tough flesh, while Agility Attack System fighters went down in a single hit.

There's only one way to win: use all my remaining Soul Power to unleash my fifth Soul Skill again.

Shui Yuewu thought this but did not say it aloud. The three girls understood one another so well that a single exchanged glance told them how to fight next.

Icy Soul Power began gathering rapidly around Shui Yuewu's tall, straight figure. Her fifth Soul Ring shone brighter and brighter, like a dazzling diamond. Yet beneath that apparent beauty lurked danger.

Like a pair of leopardesses, Qin Yan and Zhao Ziyi swiftly charged toward Jingang and his teammates.

But Jingang clearly understood their intentions. How could he let them have their way?

At that moment, Jingang moved. Rather than charging toward Shui Yuewu and the other two, he bent his knees into a half squat and slammed both fists toward the ground.

"Stop him!"

Qin Yan cried out. The instant Jingang launched his attack, she understood what he intended to do.

Jingang clearly meant to unleash an area attack to interrupt Shui Yuewu as she gathered Soul Power and activated her Soul Skill. He knew that if she unleashed that skill again, they would be doomed to lose.

The expected impact against the ground never came. Qin Yan suddenly appeared beside Jingang and kicked the crook of his arm, halting its downward plunge.

Seeing Jingang's attack thwarted, another Soul Ancestor on the Spirit Hall Team punched Qin Yan straight in the lower abdomen.

Although the punch was not fast, Qin Yan had already expended considerable Soul Power and stamina and was still locked in a struggle with Jingang. She could not dodge it.

Pfft!

Qin Yan's pretty face changed as she spat out a mouthful of scarlet blood. The blow sent her flying straight out of the arena.

Soon, after only another two exchanges or so, Zhao Ziyi followed in Qin Yan's footsteps and was eliminated again. Shui Yuewu was the Skywater Academy Team's sole remaining fighter.

But clearly, their efforts had not been in vain!

Snowflakes gathered in midair and gradually took shape. A seven-meter-long ice-crystal phoenix appeared out of thin air. A piercing phoenix cry rang from its beak, sending ripples through the air itself.

This time, Shui Yuewu had poured all her remaining Soul Power into Phoenix Cry Across the Nine Heavens. Its power was more than twice what it had been before.

The sound waves swept toward them again. The two Soul Ancestors, their Soul Power exhausted, immediately lost consciousness beneath the attack. A pale yellow barrier, however, appeared around Jingang, the Spirit Hall Team's captain. Ripples spread across it under the assault of the sound waves.

Several seconds later, the barrier shattered with a crash!

Jingang's figure slowly emerged. Though he looked drained, his Soul Power had bottomed out, and his stamina was nearly exhausted, he still had enough strength left to fight!

Shui Yuewu, on the other hand, had completely exhausted her Soul Power. She was effectively already out.

"Was that a Soul Bone ability?" The light in Shui Yuewu's beautiful eyes dimmed. Since her attack had failed to defeat all her opponents, she had already lost. She simply did not understand.

Why had Jingang been able to withstand her attack? By all rights, he should not have been able to.

"This is my third Soul Skill-Earth Guard. It can transfer most of the damage to the ground, but its activation requirements are rather demanding," Jingang said.

Earth Guard: Consumes 90% of current Soul Power to negate 90% of damage. Lasts for three breaths.

"I see." As soon as she finished speaking, Shui Yuewu walked straight out of the arena.

A little while later.

"The match is over! The champions of this Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament are the Spirit Hall Team! Let's give them a cheer!"

The host shouted at the top of his lungs. The match had been truly spectacular. Even after all the events he had witnessed, he was still stunned.

"Now, please welcome the Pope to present the champions with their awards!" the host announced after the healing Soul Masters finished treating the students from both academies.

With an indifferent expression, Qian Daoliu walked up to the Spirit Hall Team members step by step. His face remained impassive as he said, "You performed very well, but you must continue working hard. Only then will the future belong to you."

"Thank you, Your Holiness!"

All seven members of Spirit Hall Academy bowed to Qian Daoliu in unison. In the spectator stands, however, Qian Chongling shook his head and thought to himself.

He calls that a good performance? No wonder Third Brother ends up wiping Spirit Hall off the map!

Qian Daoliu took three Soul Bones from his Soul Tool and said to Zhao Changkong, Spirit Hall Academy's team leader, "These are the right arm bone of a thirty-thousand-year Power Crocodile, the right leg bone of a thirty-thousand-year Blackwind Wolf, and the left arm bone of a thirty-thousand-year Jingang Bear. They are their rewards!"

At the sight of the three Soul Bones, not only did the young Spirit Hall Team members stare wide-eyed, but the people from the other academies also looked on with eyes glowing green with greed.

Had this not been the Papal Palace, and had several Titled Douluos not been there to deter them, someone would probably have already succumbed to their greed and rushed forward to seize them.

These were Soul Bones! To Soul Masters, they were the most precious treasures, something one could encounter by chance but never find simply by searching.

Soul Bones also differed in quality and value, and their inherent quality was extremely important. The higher the rank of the Soul Beast that produced a Soul Bone, the greater its effects.

External Soul Bones were the exception, of course. They were the rarest of all, and their capacity for growth was the most precious among all Soul Bones. Within the entire system, they ranked second only to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

There were six ordinary Soul Bones in total: the head, torso, and four limbs. Of these six types, the torso was the most valuable, followed by the head, then the right arm, left arm, left leg, and right leg, in that order. Even Soul Bones of equal quality differed in value depending on their position.

"Thank you, Your Holiness."

As Zhao Changkong accepted the three Soul Bones from Qian Daoliu, even his composure as a Soul Douluo could not keep his heart from stirring.

After Qian Daoliu, the Pope of Spirit Hall, finished handing out the Soul Bones, the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament, held once every five years, drew to a close!

The participating teams left the Papal Palace one after another and returned to the hotels where their respective academies were staying in Spirit City.

The next day, Shui Ning, the dean of Skywater Academy, and the rest of the academy's group spent a few days enjoying Spirit City before returning to Skywater Academy. Their party, however, was one person short.

(End of Volume One. The next volume is about Bibi Dong. Although I know hardly anyone is reading, I still wanted to mention it: if you have any free votes, please send some support.)