With no other choice, Dugu Yan turned to look at Qin Ming, hoping he would say something.
"Lingling, don't be difficult. Yan is about to participate in a Soul Elder-level match, while you're only a Grandmaster. You won't be of much help," Qin Ming said gently, looking at Ye Lingling.
He wasn't deliberately favoring Xu Yang and Dugu Yan, but in Soul Duels at the Soul Elder level, a Grandmaster's support was limited—especially one like Ye Lingling, who was a pure healing-type soul master. Pure healing was far less effective in battle compared to other auxiliary types. This was precisely why the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda was considered the continent's number one support-type martial soul—its all-rounded support in every aspect.
"…Alright," Ye Lingling replied with a disappointed nod and ended up teaming with Yu Tianheng. Among them, only a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master like him could confidently face two opponents at once. With Ye Lingling's healing, they had a chance to defeat two Grandmasters of the same level.
In the end, the four teams were:
Xu Yang and Dugu Yan
Ye Lingling and Yu Tianheng
Oslo and Yufeng
Shi Mo and Shi Mo
They formed the teams:
Biyang Duo
Blue Lightning Duo
Wind-Ghost Duo
Black Tortoise Duo
After finalizing the teams and their names, they registered for the matches. All teams signed up for tactical matches, where killing blows were strictly forbidden. Any violation would be punished with immediate execution by the duel arena officials.
Additionally, Xu Yang and Yu Tianheng registered for individual duels to sharpen their real combat experience.
Xu Yang even gave himself a pseudonym—Taiyi.
In certain legends from his previous life, Dongjun was the Sun God, whose true name was Taiyi. This alias represented not only his inner ideal but also his goal.
After receiving their Iron Spirit Fighting Badges, the group headed to the lounge, chatting casually while waiting for their duel assignments.
The Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena had eight main arenas and 160 sub-arenas, with a total capacity of 200,000 spectators—including 2,000 noble VIP boxes—so match arrangements proceeded quickly.
One-on-one battles were determined by drawing lots, and before long, Xu Yang's match details were announced:
"Sub-Arena 43, One-on-One Match 27: Taiyi vs. Iron Arm."
"That's me!" Xu Yang smiled and strode directly into the contestant passage.
Dugu Yan and the others immediately stood up and made their way toward the audience seats of Sub-Arena 43, eager to watch Xu Yang's spirit duel.
His opponent was a youth around 22 or 23 years old, with a leopard-like face, large round eyes, and a robust physique. His exposed arms were thicker than his thighs—clearly a power-type Soul Master.
Judging by the name "Iron Arm", Xu Yang already knew what martial soul he possessed.
Iron Arm Bear—a powerful beast martial soul known for its signature traits: thick, steely arms like forged steel, immense strength, and iron-hard bones.
"It's you!" the burly youth frowned slightly when he saw Xu Yang.
"You know me?" Xu Yang asked, already having a vague guess.
"Of course I do. I'm also a student of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. As a genius of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, you're well-known. I just didn't expect you to be this much of a genius—already a Soul Elder at just over eight years old," the young man said with a nod, confirming his identity.
"I see," Xu Yang muttered, his guess confirmed. In Heaven Dou City, only academy students would be Soul Elders by the age of twenty.
Even the host paused momentarily when he saw Xu Yang—he hadn't expected such a young competitor. But Heaven Dou City had no shortage of prodigies, so he quickly recovered.
"Match begin!"
Iron Arm took the match seriously and didn't underestimate Xu Yang due to his age. As soon as the host gave the signal, he stepped forward and unleashed a thunderous bear roar that echoed through the arena.
A thick, dark-silver glow radiated from his body. A phantom gray bear appeared behind him and merged into his body. His muscles bulged, especially his already thick arms, which swelled even further. His spirit rings glowed yellow and purple.
Iron Arm let out a beastly roar and charged toward Xu Yang like a rampaging bear, raising both arms, brimming with pressure and raw power.
Xu Yang didn't summon his martial soul. Instead, he directly activated his external soul bone—Sun Sacred Blade. Advancing rather than retreating, he planned to go head-to-head with the power-type soul master.
"Is he crazy?! He's not even summoning his martial soul and still wants to clash with a power-type soul master? That's suicide!" shouted Oslo from the stands, utterly incredulous. In his view, a soul master with elemental abilities going toe-to-toe with a strength-type was the worst possible strategy.
"Relax. Xu Yang is different from ordinary soul masters. He's a true genius," said Dugu Yan, full of confidence. Her trust came not only from her own belief in Xu Yang, but also from her grandfather's high regard for him.
"Not even using his martial soul? He's just asking to die!"
Seeing that Xu Yang seemingly underestimated him, Iron Arm became enraged. His first soul skill activated with a flash of his yellow soul ring. His arms took on a metallic shine, and he crouched slightly. Soul power surged from under his feet as he launched into the air.
He clasped both hands together, forming a hammer-like motion and slammed downward.
"First Soul Skill: Arm Hammer!"
With a roar, dark-silver soul power condensed between his hands into a glowing fist imprint.
The pressure generated was immense, and many spectators couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for Xu Yang.
This was a full-force blow from a power-type soul master. No soul master of the same level could take such a strike head-on and come out unscathed. Attempting to do so typically resulted in serious injury and losing combat ability.
"Perfect! Let me see how my strength compares to a power-type Soul Master!"
There was no trace of fear in Xu Yang's eyes. With a powerful swing, he brought down the Sun Sacred Blade, gathering fierce and overwhelming solar soul power along its edge to directly meet Iron Arm's punch head-on.
"Clang!!"
Blade clashed with hammer, and a terrifying surge of soul power exploded across the arena, neither side yielding.
"Not bad! This isn't as unstoppable as I thought!"
Feeling the force behind Iron Arm's attack, Xu Yang appeared completely at ease. With both hands applying continuous pressure, his soul power surged. His muscles trembled and tensed, while the blade aura on the Sun Sacred Blade grew sharper and more condensed.
Iron Arm felt as though his arms were being sliced apart. The protective membrane formed by his soul skill had already been sliced open. If Xu Yang pushed even a bit further, he didn't dare imagine what might happen to his hands.
"Impossible! His strength… it's actually above mine?!"
Iron Arm was utterly shocked. As a power-type soul master, losing in raw strength to someone not specialized in strength—while using his first soul skill no less—was beyond belief.
His twin fists carried power weighing over a thousand jin (500+ kg). Normally, he would crush his opponent easily.
But the outcome this time… was entirely the opposite.
He hadn't overwhelmed Xu Yang.
He lost—in strength.