(The previous chapter contained an error: in the ranking matches, Shrek had a bye in the second round, faced Blazing Fire in the first round, and only faced the Star Luo Royal Team in the third round.)
The orange-red setting sun lingered high above the western city wall.
Over a thousand meters from the foot of Douluo Mountain.
The sixth match of the second round of the Soul Master Tournament's ranking matches had just ended.
Compared with yesterday's first round, today had fewer than half as many competing teams, but each was far stronger than yesterday's opponents.
Thus, five of the six battles had been noticeably hard-fought, so, just like yesterday, it was nearly sunset before the final match came around.
Below the Soul Fighting Plaza, in the eastern preparation area.
Eight young Soul Masters stood ready to go.
Ling Yuan Douluo flew over at just the right moment and told a purple-haired boy, "I just sent the temple knights to patrol and confirmed again that both Shrek's and the First Team's lounges are empty."
"And according to reports from the posts, this Shrek Academy that you and His Majesty are both concerned about left in its entirety after watching our Spirit Hall First Team defeat the Star Luo Division's second-place team."
"Is that so?" Xu Zi breathed a sigh of relief and thought, It looks like the arrangements worked.
Before leaving, Ling Yuan Douluo added, "The Wind Fire Team and the Star Luo Royal Team also left early. They seemed concerned only with the movements of Shrek's group."
"Good." Xu Zi nodded. "It looks like even tomorrow's opponents don't know our team's true capabilities."
At these words, excitement lit up the eyes of all seven around him.
Because judging from his tone, their captain was ready to get serious!
They watched Ling Yuan Douluo fly away.
Xu Zi repeated his arrangements. "For this afternoon's match, Shi Xing, the three brothers, Tuoba She, Huang Su-the six of you will work with me."
"Yes!" All six answered in unison.
Xu Zi added, "Li Qin, your Martial Soul, the Black-Striped Ghost Leopard, has the dark attribute and is too heavily countered by the lightning attribute, so you'll stay in reserve for now."
"Understood." Li Qin nodded.
Just then, the assistant referee in the eastern preparation area signaled, "Spirit Hall Second Battle Team, take the field."
Xu Zi strode steadily up the steps, giving a final reminder. "Remember my arrangements: prioritize stalling, ignore the sky, and don't reveal our true intentions."
Six cries of "Understood" sounded on the steps behind him.
The Spirit Hall Second Team took the field in exactly the same formation as yesterday, still arranged in two rows.
Front row: the eldest Dragon Pattern Staff brother stood in the center, Tuoba She to his left, Huang Su to his right, the second Dragon Pattern Staff brother on the far left, and the third Dragon Pattern Staff brother on the far right.
Back row: Xu Zi stood in the center, while Shi Xing was free to position himself.
As soon as they entered, a golden-red setting sun hung high on the western horizon before them, as though welcoming the arrival of the seven led by Xu Zi.
Xu Zi had chosen to stand in the east facing west precisely because he was a light-attribute Soul Master. Facing the sun allowed him to receive a constant "light supply."
Meanwhile, directly beneath the setting sun, heavy, restless footsteps sounded as the Heaven Thunder Team's seven members entered one after another.
The two at their head bore a seventy-percent resemblance to each other. They were none other than the renowned Blue Lightning Twin Stars.
Yu Tianheng stood on the left. About 1.9 meters tall, with black hair and a stern face, he gave off a straightforward yet dangerous impression.
Yu Tianxin stood on the right, also nearly 1.9 meters tall. His face was resolute, his gaze sharp, and he carried the pride of someone born into a great sect.
Dugu Yan stood behind Yu Tianheng to his left. She had short, deep-purple hair and a heroic air about her brows. Although her looks were not peerlessly beautiful, they possessed a distinctly uncanny charm, whose source was precisely her green eyes.
Four people stood behind the three of them: the Shi Brothers on the left wore plate armor, while Lei Dong and Lei Tian on the right wore blue-and-white clothing patterned with lightning.
The Heaven Thunder Team had assembled in full.
The head referee announced loudly, "Spirit Hall Second Battle Team versus Heaven Thunder Team."
"Captains, please exchange a gesture of friendship."
Yu Tianheng looked at the purple-haired boy walking out from the opposing formation and folded his arms across his chest. "Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Yu Tianheng."
Xu Zi followed his opponent's template. "Sun Clan, Spirit Hall Academy, Xu Zi."
"Sun Clan?" Yu Tianheng could not help frowning.
Clearly, he had failed to find even a scrap of information about this clan in his memory, but there was no time to think further, because the other boy had already extended his hand.
Their right hands clasped briefly, then parted.
As the captains returned to their formations, Yu Tianheng told Lei Tian quietly, "He's the one. Execute the aerial 'decapitation' strike quickly in a moment."
The rank-43 Thunder Eagle Soul Ancestor thumped his chest. "I'll keep it firmly in mind."
"Seventh match of the second round of the Soul Master Tournament's ranking matches."
The head referee swept his hand down. "Begin!"
A wash of blue, green, and black light rose in the west of the Soul Fighting Plaza.
On the Heaven Thunder Team's side.
A blue curtain of lightning rose into the air. Two Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons threw back their heads and roared, flanked by a Thunder Spider and a lightning shadow.
Two Black Tortoises and a Jade Phosphor Serpent growled and hissed beneath the lightning curtain.
The west of the Soul Fighting Plaza, however, was a sea of deep purple.
A Purple Sun rose in the east beneath the gathering dusk.
Beneath the hazy purple light, a Blazing Fire Lion pawed the ground, three Dragon Pattern Staffs revolved around one another, a White Armored Earth Dragon growled deeply, and a Golden Crocodile let out a hissing roar.
In this match, a full seven participants had connections to dragons. Calling it this Soul Master Tournament's battle of dragons would have been no exaggeration.
The next second, every Beast Martial Soul Master on both sides completed their possession.
With the Purple Sun rising in the east at their backs, the Spirit Hall Second Team moved as one and launched the first charge.
As the ground shook with pounding footsteps, Dugu Yan's first and second hundred-year rings lit up first, flashing six times in succession. Jade Phosphor Red Poison and Jade Phosphor Blue Poison empowered her six teammates, providing the dual effects of heightened excitement and pain suppression.
The Blue Lightning Twin Stars had already rushed into the Spirit Hall Second Team's path, intending to intercept the enemy charge and buy time for their own side's deployment.
Lei Dong was even more like a human jumping spider, springing forward and unleashing his first, second, and third Soul Skills together. He brought a dazzling web of lightning down onto the ground between the two teams, covering the entire western half of the field.
Facing the Spirit Hall Second Team as they were about to crash into range, Yu Tianxin raised his dragon claws toward the sky. His first Soul Skill activated, and dozens of lightning bolts descended from above.
Yet, through the Spirit Hall Second Team's close coordination, those dozens of lightning bolts were all taken by the two Defense System Soul Masters.
Golden armor and layers of rock had no fear of lightning at all. As an earth-attribute Soul Master, Tuoba She's rock armor could even disregard lightning attacks entirely.
The five in the front row immediately stepped into the lightning spiderweb's area. All five felt a painful numbness arise beneath their feet and shoot straight into their minds.
The shocks made them want to hop, but they gritted their teeth and endured, keeping their heads down as they continued their charge.
Dugu Yan seized the moment. Her third and fourth soul rings erupted with purple light, and Jade Phosphor Purple Poison and Jade Phosphor Yellow Poison turned into two streams of poisonous mist. They passed through the gap between the Blue Lightning Twin Stars and burst just a few steps in front of the Spirit Hall Second Team.
Billowing poisonous smoke spread. Just as the Heaven Thunder Team thought the Spirit Hall Second Team's offensive had been stalled and prepared their next move...
A Purple Sun rose just above the poisonous mist, casting down brilliant purple rays that burned away most of the yellow-and-purple poison barrier's potency, immediately reducing its toxicity to a tolerable level.
The next second, the Spirit Hall Second Team's five frontliners crashed through the poisonous mist and immediately clashed with the Heaven Thunder Team's front line!
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