Time swiftly passed, and by the afternoon, the team battle between the Sky Water Team and the Spirit Hall Team was about to begin.
"Good luck!"
Outside the competition arena on Supreme Pontiff Mountain, Mu Yang encouraged the seven members of the Sky Water Team.
"Victory is ours!"
The young ladies of the Tianshui Team shouted in unison, full of fighting spirit.
With a wave of her delicate hand, Shui Bing'er led the Sky Water Team onto the battlefield.
Before long, both teams stood opposite each other on the competition stage before the Supreme Pontiff Palace—lined up in perfect formation.
Once both teams had assembled, the referee loudly announced, "Both teams, release your martial souls! The match is about to begin. The losing team will secure third place in this Soul Master Tournament, while the winning team will advance to tomorrow's championship match!"
In the next instant, fourteen soul masters from both teams activated their martial souls—beast souls took form, tool souls materialized, and rings of yellow, purple, and black light gleamed brightly.
Immediately after, both teams adjusted their formations.
On the Sky Water Team's side, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er took the vanguard, while the four assault and agility-type members positioned themselves in the center. The team's support-type soul master, Xue Wu, stood at the rear.
On the Spirit Hall Team's side, the now-hairless Yan stood at the very front of the formation. Behind Yan, the assault-type Sun Chuantao and Li Kai, along with the agility-type Zhang Ping, surrounded their support-type teammate Xu Yu, as well as Hu Liena and Xie Yue, protecting them in the center.
Seeing the Spirit Hall Team's formation, Shui Bing'er couldn't help but frown.
There was no doubt that Hu Liena was the strongest individual on the Spirit Hall Team, with Xie Yue following closely behind, and Yan ranking third.
For a five-ring assault-type Soul King like Yan, leading the charge made perfect sense.
Hu Liena, being a spiritual control-type Soul King, had close combat as her biggest weakness. Placing her in the center under the protection of her teammates was also reasonable.
However, Xie Yue's positioning was highly questionable.
As a close-combat powerhouse with explosive strength—and the second-strongest member of the team—why was he standing in the middle of the formation instead of at the front?
Could it be… a martial soul fusion technique?
Shui Bing'er couldn't help but suspect.
Because she had one herself, she was particularly sensitive to this possibility.
Moreover, Mu Yang had mentioned more than once that the Spirit Hall Team was incredibly strong. Aside from Hu Liena's exceptional illusions, it was highly likely that they had hidden trump cards.
After a moment of contemplation, Shui Bing'er transmitted a message to Shui Yue'er and the others:
"Focus fire on Hu Liena first."
Originally, Shui Bing'er had planned to take the easier route—using her first and fifth soul skills to restrict Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan while Shui Yue'er and the others eliminated the four four-ring Soul Ancestors of the Spirit Hall Team, thereby securing the advantage.
But now, with the strong possibility that Hu Liena and Xie Yue had a martial soul fusion technique, their strategy had to change.
Whether or not they actually possessed a fusion technique, the best course of action was to focus all their attacks on Hu Liena at the very start—eliminating the most dangerous threat first.
Both Hu Liena and Xie Yue were at rank 54. If they did have a martial soul fusion technique and managed to activate it, their strength could potentially reach the level of a seven-ring Soul Sage. At that point, even Ice and Snow Drifting might not guarantee absolute dominance.
Although her rank 60 soul power far surpassed theirs, Xue Wu's soul power was significantly lower than both of them. With one power boost and one power reduction, even if Ice and Snow Drifting was stronger than their fusion technique, the gap wouldn't be overwhelming.
Very quickly, the preparation time ended.
With the referee's signal, the match officially began.
"First Soul Skill—Ice Seal!"
The moment the battle started, Shui Bing'er's first soul ring flickered, sending out three ice-blue streaks of light that instantly struck Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena on the opposite side.
In an instant, Yan—who was about to charge forward—and Hu Liena and Xie Yue, who were in the center of the formation preparing to activate their martial soul fusion technique, suddenly felt an overwhelming chill. Immediately, their bodies were encased in thick layers of solid ice.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Jade Clone!"
Shui Yue'er's fifth soul ring shone brightly as her soul power surged, summoning five clones onto the battlefield. Each clone possessed 50% of her strength and was capable of using her first to fourth soul skills.
At the same time, the remaining five members of the Sky Water Team—all except for the support-type Xue Wu—activated either their fourth or third strong attack soul skills, concentrating their firepower on the frozen Hu Liena.
"Not good!"
Seeing the Sky Water Team focus all their attacks on Hu Liena, the Spirit Hall Team members immediately realized the danger.
Without hesitation, Xu Yu, the team's support-type soul master, activated his third soul ring, casting a soul power shield around Hu Liena.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ping, Sun Chuantao, and Li Kai each responded differently—some unleashed attack soul skills to intercept the incoming barrage, while others activated defensive soul skills before positioning themselves as human shields in front of Hu Liena.
The four of them knew very well that Hu Liena was the absolute core of the Spirit Hall Team. If she were eliminated, their team would have no chance of turning the tide.
Conversely, as long as Hu Liena remained on the battlefield, even if all four of them were eliminated, the Spirit Hall Team would still have a shot at victory.
Excluding the martial soul fusion technique, Hu Liena's individual strength accounted for 80% of the team's overall power. The remaining six members—including Xie Yue and Yan—together contributed at most 20%.
If the martial soul fusion technique was factored in, then Hu Liena, along with Xie Yue as her "support piece," would command over 90% of the team's strength.
As the battle raged on, Shui Yue'er noticed that the Spirit Hall Team was successfully blocking their focused assault. Without hesitation, she unleashed her power.
"Third Soul Skill—Jade Shadow!"
With the attribute-enhancing skill activated, Shui Yue'er's aura surged dramatically.
Then, her ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring gleamed brightly as a powerful surge of water-element energy erupted—she was rapidly preparing to unleash a large-scale attack.
Fourth Soul Skill—Azure Whirlpool!
A group attack soul skill that conjured a rapidly spinning vortex of water blades, dealing continuous cutting damage to all enemies caught within its range.
The center of the vortex also possessed a strong suction force, preventing weaker opponents from escaping its grasp. However, the downside was that the skill required a relatively long charge time to unleash its full potential.
But Shui Yue'er wasn't the only one activating Azure Whirlpool—her five clones were doing the same.
Although the clones' versions were weaker than the original, they were still not to be underestimated.
At this critical moment, Hu Liena—who had been frozen—suddenly took action.
She hadn't broken free from the Ice Seal but instead activated a special ability. A flash of purple light shimmered at the center of her forehead as an external soul bone materialized over her eyes.
With that, she unleashed her soul bone ability: Heavenly Fox Illusion!
Shui Bing'er's Ice Seal only restricted physical movement; it had no effect on spiritual abilities. After all, it was merely a hundred-year first soul skill—its effects couldn't cover every aspect.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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