Three days of rest passed in the blink of an eye. The eight remaining teams had largely recovered from their previous exertions, and some members had even managed to break through another level of soul power.
Each contestant entered this match in their peak condition, determined to claim the championship.
Not only was the champion's reward generous, but this was also the best opportunity to prove themselves and the strength of their academies and sects.
On the first day of the fifth round, the first match was between the Spirit Empire Royal Academy team and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team.
Led by Shui Bing'er and Ye Lingling, the Spirit Empire Royal Academy members, dressed in their brilliant golden uniforms, calmly stepped onto the Soul Fighting Arena.
Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team was also strong, they lacked any top-tier Soul Emperor-level powerhouses. Compared to the Spirit Empire Royal Academy, the gap was still quite large.
Even so, Ning Yaqi and Gu Feng showed no trace of fear. Even if they were destined to lose, they would lose with dignity.
After the referee announced the match rules and introduced the competitors, the hundred-meter-wide Soul Fighting Stage was handed over to these prodigies.
As the captain, Shui Bing'er stepped forward. Six soul rings,two yellow, two purple, and two black,slowly rose around her. A stunning phantom of the Ice Phoenix manifested behind her, radiating unmatched beauty and power.
With its appearance, a piercing phoenix cry echoed through the entire arena. An overwhelming wave of frost swept out at once, and even inside the massive stadium that held half a million spectators, the temperature dropped sharply.
A Soul Emperor with only six rings could release such terrifying cold?
Under the guidance of Huo Wu and Xue Qingluan, with Oscar's generous supply of resources, and after receiving the sacrifice of a ten-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion, Shui Bing'er, now at level 62, had brought her ice element close to its ultimate state.
The Ultimate Ice, the Ice Phoenix,either one alone was among the most powerful existences on the continent. A Soul Emperor with such power was almost unbeatable.
Moreover, she possessed a forty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion soul spirit. Up to this point in the tournament, Shui Bing'er had only ever used her first three soul rings. She had never even used her two ten-thousand-year rings, let alone her soul spirit.
As her martial soul was released, Shui Bing'er spoke softly: "Spirit Empire Royal Academy, Captain Shui Bing'er. Martial Soul: Ice Phoenix. Level 62 Control-Type Battle Soul Emperor."
The instant her voice fell, her freezing aura surged like a tidal wave, pressing down on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team.
At the same time, Ye Lingling raised her slender hands. A faint purple flower appeared before her, and a soothing fragrance spread through the air.
Just that aroma alone made everyone feel refreshed and clear-headed.
Six soul rings,two yellow, two purple, two black,rose around her.
She said gently, "Ye Lingling. Martial Soul: Nine-Heart Begonia. Level 61 Support-Type Soul Emperor."
Like Shui Bing'er, Ye Lingling's sixth soul ring came from a forty-thousand-year soul beast that had sacrificed itself for her, forming her soul spirit.
However, their levels had not increased too drastically because their soul power quality far surpassed that of others at the same rank.
Most importantly, much of their excess soul power had been invested in strengthening their martial souls.
That was why Shui Bing'er, even at just over level sixty, had achieved the Ultimate Ice, and why Ye Lingling's healing ability could also be called "ultimate."
As the two Soul Emperors released their martial souls, the rest of their teammates did the same.
"Shui Yue'er. Martial Soul: Crystal Dolphin. Level 53 Agility-Type."
"Meng Ke'er. Martial Soul: Dark Enchantress. Level 52 Control-Type."
"Meng Yiran. Martial Soul: Serpent Blade. Level 51 Agility-Type."
"Zhihui. Martial Soul: Azure Vine. Level 51 Control-Type."
"Bai Yu. Martial Soul: Celestial Furnace. Level 51 Defense-Type."
All five were Soul Kings, each with the ideal two-yellow, two-purple, one-black configuration.
Shui Yue'er was Shui Bing'er's younger sister. Meng Yiran was the granddaughter of Dragon Duke Meng Shu. Meng Ke'er, Bai Yu, and Zhihui were descendants of three former Heaven Dou Imperial Academy instructors. With the full support of their academy, they had achieved remarkable growth.
As members of the Spirit Empire Royal Academy team, they had access to the best resources, and each of them now possessed a 15,000-year soul spirit.
As their martial souls and soul skills were released, their combined aura merged with Shui Bing'er's terrifying presence, bearing down on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team.
Ning Yaqi's face changed dramatically. Gu Feng, Wang Tianba, and Zhang Tianshuang stepped forward, releasing their soul rings,two yellow, two purple, one black,and three fierce soul spirits appeared instantly: a 15,000-year Thorn Bone Dragon, a 13,000-year Giant-Claw Black Tiger, and a 15,000-year Saber-Toothed Dragon.
At the same time, Ning Yaqi and the remaining three Soul Sects released their martial souls. Their four soul rings,two yellow, two purple,flared to life. Together with the three Soul Kings, they barely managed to resist the oppressive aura of the Spirit Empire Royal Academy.
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team, Captain Gu Feng. Martial Soul: Bone Dragon. Level 56 Power Attack-Type Battle Soul King."
"Ning Yaqi. Martial Soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Level 49 Support-Type Soul Sect."
"Wang Tianba. Martial Soul: Demon-Slaying Blade. Level 54 Power Attack-Type."
"Yang Tianshuang. Martial Soul: Starfall Sword. Level 53 Power Attack-Type."
Soul spirits indeed provided soul masters with immense power, greatly enhancing their combat abilities, but their consumption was equally enormous.
Facing the Spirit Empire Royal Academy, whose weakest member was still a Soul King, Gu Feng, Wang Tianba, and Yang Tianshuang had to unleash their full strength immediately.
Ning Yaqi pushed her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to the limit, while the other Soul Sects fought with everything they had, hoping to create some pressure for their opponents.
Unfortunately, their opponents were like an unshakable mountain.
Ye Lingling retreated to the rear, shielded by Bai Yu.
Shui Bing'er's first yellow soul ring lit up, and six icy-blue rays shot out. In an instant, everyone on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team except Ning Yaqi was frozen solid.
Under the power of the Ultimate Ice, even a Soul Emperor of the same level would struggle to break free, let alone opponents who were only Soul Kings.
With their masters frozen, the three soul spirits were left exposed. Shui Yue'er, Meng Yiran, Meng Ke'er, Bai Yu, and Zhihui all released their own soul spirits simultaneously.
Five versus three,the result was inevitable.
At the same time, Meng Ke'er turned into a black shadow. The instant she met Ning Yaqi's eyes, the latter fell into a dreamlike trance, unconsciously retracting her martial soul and losing all combat ability.
The Dark Enchantress's control was terrifying. Once trapped, unless Meng Ke'er released the skill herself, Ning Yaqi would never be able to wake up.
Meanwhile, Shui Yue'er, Meng Yiran, Zhihui, and Bai Yu launched their attacks together.
Sound waves, serpent blades, azure vines, and the Celestial Furnace struck all at once. The frozen opponents could only hope their ice barrier would withstand the onslaught.
But just as the barrage fell, Shui Bing'er waved her hand lightly, and the ice shattered. Gu Feng and the others had no chance to even use a soul skill before being swallowed by a storm of attacks.
When the dust settled, only Gu Feng and Yang Tianshuang were still standing on the stage, both battered and barely conscious, their uniforms in tatters.
In just one round, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team fully realized the massive gap between them and their opponents.
Seeing Ning Yaqi standing dazed within the Dark Enchantress's illusion, Gu Feng sighed helplessly, knowing they had no chance of victory.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team concedes."
The Spirit Empire Royal Academy's victory was certain,they were simply too strong.
Most notably, Ye Lingling, the support, had barely even acted. Anyone familiar with the Nine-Heart Begonia knew what it represented.
As long as a Soul Emperor with that martial soul stood on the field, no one on her team would suffer lasting injury.
Moreover, Ye Lingling still had a ten-thousand-year healing-type soul spirit she hadn't even used. With that and her six-ringed Nine-Heart Begonia, unless someone was instantly killed, death was practically impossible.
After the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect surrendered, Ye Lingling activated her first two yellow rings, instantly healing their entire team's injuries.
Gu Feng and the others bowed slightly to her. "Thank you."
Ye Lingling smiled faintly and withdrew her martial soul.
The referee announced the result of the first match of the fifth round. Everyone was still awed by Shui Bing'er's overwhelming power.
Even against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she had only used a hundred-year soul skill.
Her strength spoke for itself.
…
That afternoon, the second match of the fifth round began: Shrek Royal Academy versus the Godfire Sect.
Huo Wu looked at Tai Long and his teammates, her eyes gleaming. She had lost once before, but this time she was determined not to lose again.
Although she hadn't absorbed a soul spirit, Shrek currently had no Soul Emperors. She refused to believe that she and her brother together couldn't defeat the present Shrek team.
Both Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang had performed impressively thus far, and neither had even used their ten-thousand-year soul skills yet.
Facing such opponents, Tai Long, now the captain of the Shrek Royal Academy team, couldn't help but feel the pressure.
If not for the Huo siblings, the Godfire Sect's strength would be far inferior to Shrek's. But with two Soul Emperors, they had enough power to compete head-on.
On the stage, Tai Long met the siblings' eyes. Five years ago, they had been main team members while he was just a substitute.
Now, five years later, he stood as Shrek's captain,and he believed that if Tang San's generation could defeat them before, then they could too.
After the referee finished the introductions, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang immediately released their martial souls.
A massive fiery shadow appeared behind Huo Wu as flames engulfed her body. Huo Wushuang transformed into a humanoid Flamehorn Dragon, his body blazing red.
Both had six rings,two yellow, two purple, two black,and released the full might of Soul Emperors.
"Godfire Sect, Captain Huo Wu. Martial Soul: Flame Shadow. Level 62 Control-Type Battle Soul Emperor."
"Godfire Sect, Vice-Captain Huo Wushuang. Martial Soul: Flamehorn Dragon. Level 61 Power Attack-Type Battle Soul Emperor."
Beside them, Bai Li Pangpang's huge body ignited like a candle, his fat melting into dense, steel-like muscle. Red scales covered his entire frame, transforming him into a three-meter-tall flame dragon-man.
"Bai Li Pangpang. Martial Soul: Crimson Flame Dragon. Level 54 Power Attack-Type Soul King."
As the three main fighters released their martial souls, the four remaining Soul Sects of the Godfire Sect did the same.
Instantly, the entire arena's temperature soared, forcing the spectators to squint against the intense heat and light.
Tai Long snorted coldly. Two Soul Emperors? So what?
His own team was made up entirely of Soul Kings, each with a ten-thousand-year soul spirit. If they could withstand the siblings' opening assault and take down the four Soul Sects first, a seven-versus-three situation would easily tip in their favor.
Facing the fiery pressure from the Godfire Sect, Tai Long stepped forward. His two yellow, two purple, and one black soul rings rose, and he transformed into a massive Power Gorilla, pounding his chest and roaring.
"Shrek Royal Academy, Captain Tai Long. Martial Soul: Power Gorilla. Level 55 Power Attack-Type."
Behind him appeared a five-meter-tall silver giant ape mirroring his movements,his 18,000-year Silverback Great Ape soul spirit.
As his martial soul manifested, the others released theirs as well.
"Shrek Royal Academy, Vice-Captain Yang Pojun. Martial Soul: Soul-Breaking Spear. Level 53 Power Attack-Type."
18,000-year Golden Armored Beetle King soul spirit.
"Niu Li. Martial Soul: Armored Rhinoceros. Level 54 Defense-Type."
17,000-year Taishan Mammoth soul spirit.
"Bai Chenxiang. Martial Soul: Sharp-Tailed Swift. Level 53 Agility-Type."
15,000-year Demoncrest Bird soul spirit.
"Jing Ling. Martial Soul: Skeleton. Level 53 Agility-Type."
16,000-year Bone Dragon soul spirit.
"Huang Yuan. Martial Soul: Yellow Wolf. Level 52 Power Attack-Type."
15,000-year Vajra Wolf soul spirit.
"Jiang Zhu. Martial Soul: Healing Scepter. Level 51 Support-Type."
15,000-year Amethyst Flower soul spirit.
All seven released their martial souls at once, each with the perfect two-yellow, two-purple, one-black configuration.
Seven powerful ten-thousand-year soul spirits appeared, their presence immediately suppressing the Godfire Sect's aura. Seven Soul Kings with seven soul spirits were more than enough to counter two Soul Emperors.
However, soul spirits, while powerful, consumed immense soul power and mental strength.
For Shrek, this battle had to be quick. If it dragged on too long, their own exhaustion could defeat them before their enemies even had the chance.
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