While their four teammates deployed their defenses, the two young women, An Lengye and Fei Yuyan, swiftly took action, moving decisively and without hesitation.
An Lengye controlled her Ice Frost Giant Bear. This colossal beast lumbered forward with heavy, powerful steps, steadily positioning itself behind the shield wall. Immediately after, it repeatedly pounded its massive paws against its chest, emitting dull thuds. An Lengye's first soul ring abruptly shimmered. In an instant, icy-blue light spread outwards like ripples, and in the blink of an eye, a layer of crystalline ice rapidly climbed onto the shield wall. The original yellow shield wall instantly transformed into a sturdy ice shield, its defensive power greatly enhanced. This was An Lengye's first soul skill, Ice Shield. With Ice Shield stacked upon the Rhino Shield, the defense increased by at least three layers. Let alone ordinary Soul Masters, even a Soul King would find it extremely difficult to break through this defense.
However, An Lengye's actions didn't stop there. Her second soul ring then lit up, and the Ice Frost Giant Bear slammed its paws heavily onto the ground. Icy-blue light, like a surging tide, rapidly spread across the arena. In just a blink, the entire hundred-meter radius arena was covered by a thick layer of ice, instantly transforming into a world of ice and snow. A bone-chilling aura permeated the air, causing the temperature on the arena to drop sharply, as if instantly entering the depths of winter. This was An Lengye's second soul skill, Ice Seal. This skill not only restricted the enemy's movements but also greatly affected their combat rhythm.
On the other side, Fei Yuyan also made her move. Blazing flames surged fiercely behind her, and the flames on the Flame Weaver Tiger beside her suddenly flared up, like a giant burning torch. What was astonishing was that Fei Yuyan's first, second, and third soul rings were rapidly alternating flashes, clearly indicating that she was simultaneously releasing three soul skills. This technique of simultaneously wielding multiple soul skills was incredibly rare, even among elite Soul Masters, let alone ordinary ones, proving her strength and talent far surpassed the average person.
Fei Yuyan first activated her first soul skill, Ring of Blazing Flame. A red ring of fire swiftly appeared beneath Shen Ce's feet. Flames blazed within the ring, casting Shen Ce in a blood-red glow. The Ring of Blazing Flame could imbue teammates with powerful fire attribute strength and high fire resistance, making their attacks not only possess the explosive properties of fire but also the effect of high-temperature scorching, greatly enhancing their attack power. However, this powerful auxiliary skill had a limitation: it could only be cast on one teammate.
With the aid of the Ring of Blazing Flame, the silver spear in Shen Ce's hand was instantly imbued with a crimson hue. Flames danced and crackled along the spear, and Shen Ce's aura grew even stronger. But Fei Yuyan's performance was far from over. Next, she activated her second soul skill, Blazing Wings. The Flame Weaver Tiger let out a long roar, and a pair of massive flame wings suddenly sprouted from its back, the flames on the wings dancing and flickering. Aided by the power of these flame wings, the Flame Weaver Tiger's body surged upwards, flying towards the sky. Fei Yuyan sat steadily on the Flame Weaver Tiger's back, carried along with it into the high sky, looking majestic.
Following that, Fei Yuyan unleashed her third soul skill, Azure Flame Blazefire. Azure-white flames, like a surging torrent, poured into the Flame Weaver Tiger's body. In an instant, a phantom Flame Weaver Tiger separated from the main body. This phantom Flame Weaver Tiger roared as it charged towards Shen Ce, finally merging into the Thousand Strike Spear in Shen Ce's hand. The next moment, something miraculous happened. Azure-white flames instantly ignited on the Thousand Strike Spear. The faint roar of a tiger could be heard within the flames, as if the spear had been granted life. Shen Ce's aura also reached its peak at this moment. He seemed to merge with the Thousand Strike Spear, radiating a sharp and explosive aura, as if capable of tearing through everything.
The audience was stunned by the breathtaking spectacle before them. The entire arena instantly fell silent, everyone holding their breath, afraid of missing any detail. Fei Yuyan's fluid sequence of operations elevated Shen Ce's strength to a whole new level. No one had expected that this seemingly lively and adorable girl with the Flame Weaver Tiger martial soul would possess such powerful auxiliary capabilities. Her performance completely subverted everyone's perception of her and made the match even more captivating.
Thousand Spirit Academy's tactical approach was simple and direct: first, establish a defensive formation, while Fei Yuyan simultaneously assisted Captain Shen Ce, dedicating all her efforts to boosting his combat power. In their hearts, only such an all-or-nothing approach could barely enable them to contend with St. Freya Academy. Thousand Spirit Academy knew that their group's competition was hellish, featuring not only the powerful St. Freya Academy but also the formidable Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy. They understood that their journey in this competition would likely end in the round-robin stage. But even so, they were unwilling to exit silently. Instead, they were determined to fully unleash their brilliance on this stage, at least ensuring that everyone remembered they had been there.
In contrast, St. Freya Academy's side, Lu Jingming and the others, appeared calm and collected, quietly observing Thousand Spirit Academy's preparations, showing no intention of immediately attacking to interrupt them. In the eyes of the audience, this calm composure stemmed from absolute confidence in their strength, the unique arrogance of a champion team. And indeed, Thousand Spirit Academy posed no substantial threat in St. Freya Academy's eyes. Given that, it was better to let their opponents unleash their full power without reservation, making the match more exhilarating and leaving no regrets.
"Ready? Then let's begin!" Lu Jingming's lips curved slightly upwards, executing a beautiful flourish with his spear, his gaze falling upon Firefly. With his strength, breaking Thousand Spirit Academy's defense was not difficult, but the power of the Abyssal Void was too dangerous; a slight misstep could cost someone their life. He didn't want to cause fatalities in a competition. A competition was a competition; there was no need for loss of life.
Receiving Lu Jingming's instruction, Firefly's expression was calm as she slowly advanced with light steps. In an instant, crimson flames appeared out of thin air, dancing freely around her, making her appear like a queen of fire. Her right hand had, at some unknown point, grasped the emerald-green carapace-like transformation device. The crystalline emerald-green, illuminated by the flames, emitted a captivating luster.
Firefly walked upon the ice, her scorching high temperature like an indestructible blade. Wherever she passed, the ice instantly melted. In a blink, she arrived before the defensive wall Thousand Spirit Academy had built with shields.
Firefly's expression was serious, and her voice was clear as she said, "Surrender now, and no one will get hurt. Otherwise, you will all regret it!"
"Thank you for giving us time to prepare. We also know that we are not your match." Shen Ce said, licking his lips that were dry from nervousness, taking a deep breath and speaking in a deep voice. Although his tone carried a hint of helplessness, his eyes were incredibly firm. "But since we've come this far, we have no intention of easily surrendering!"
"In that case, Moth to a Flame, Born Towards Death!"
A flicker of seriousness appeared in Firefly's eyes. With a delicate shout, a thunderous "Boom!" erupted, the air exploding, and bursting flames surged outwards in all directions. The air of the entire arena seemed to be twisted by an invisible hand, and the temperature skyrocketed. The ground previously frozen by An Lengye's ice instantly turned into a puddle of water under this terrifying heat. Within the firelight, Firefly's figure was gradually enveloped by a silver-white mech emitting a dazzling glow. The mech was engulfed in terrifying flames, which danced and flickered across its surface. Wherever the flames touched, the air ignited, producing crackling sounds.
Terrifying flames, carrying an apocalyptic aura, swept in all directions. Even through the sturdy spatial barrier, spectators closer to the arena genuinely felt a scorching heat washing over them, as if they were instantly thrown into a giant steamer, their bodies drenched in sweat, clothes clinging to them. At the same time, the sunlight that had been high in the sky seemed to become even more intense under the reflection of these terrifying flames, and the entire arena was enveloped in a blazing sea of fire.
Feeling the scalding heat that seemed to burn his skin, Shen Ce's face became exceptionally grim. He licked his dry lips again, an unprecedented pressure welling up in his heart, but the determination in his eyes did not waver in the slightest.
"Whoa!" In just a moment, the firelight gradually dissipated, and what appeared before everyone was no longer Firefly's delicate and charming figure. Instead, it was an exquisitely magnificent silver-white mech. Blazing, intense flames burned on the mech's chest, and two emerald-green flame ribbons extended from its shoulders, adding a distinctive beauty to this powerful-looking mech.
Magnificent, powerful, scorching, violent, cool... Countless beautiful words flashed through the audience's minds, yet none could fully describe the shock brought by the mech appearing in the arena. For a moment, all the spectators' eyes widened, sparkling with excitement and frenzy, staring intently at the silver-white mech on the field. The perfect combination of mech and beautiful girl, this unprecedented visual impact, made them tremble with excitement. The atmosphere in the venue was pushed to an unprecedented climax.
"This... this is a humanoid soul tool?"
In the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's lounge, upon seeing Firefly's transformed appearance, Elder Ma instinctively stood up abruptly, his face etched with shock and disbelief. Few knew that the Mingde Hall had been secretly investing vast human resources, materials, and finances into researching humanoid soul tools. After years of unremitting effort, they had indeed achieved some results. But now, he was actually seeing something akin to a humanoid soul tool on a young girl of Soul King level on the Soul Master Grand Competition stage. How could he not be utterly shocked?
"No, this is a martial soul?"
However, Elder Ma was, after all, an experienced and seasoned soul engineer. He quickly recovered from his shock. He stared intently at the soul rings shimmering around Firefly and the various details of her transformation. After a careful assessment, he finally determined that this was not the humanoid soul tool they had been painstakingly researching, but a never-before-seen martial soul! Even so, this discovery was enough to make him uncontrollably excited.
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