BOOM—!
The instant the arena froze, Long Aotian's fist slammed into Chen Junting's descending blade. But within three breaths, terrifying frost surged up his forearm—unimpeded—encasing him in ice like a statue.
Deathly aura invaded, severing his vitality.
The moment he lost mobility, Chen Junting's strike sent him flying like a cannonball, crashing into a massive, jagged boulder behind him—its surface sheathed in fractured metal.
It was as if struck by a meteor—the stone shattered violently. Ice crystals scattered, carving a horrifying crater amid billowing snow and dust.
Yet just as the debris swirled, a foot stepped out.
Long Aotian emerged, his aura dispersing the smoke and frost. Blood stained his mouth, making him look disheveled—but his battle intent burned undimmed. The blood even masked the faint smile on his lips.
This guy… he's nearly grasped Unity with Heaven and Earth too.
As he walked, his arms swept a wide circle before him. His entire body turned jade-white, skin shimmering with light. Behind him, a silver-white humanoid phantom coalesced—his Secondary Awakening of the Body Martial Soul.
And its tier? Silver Grade!
Seeing this sudden display, the Snow Demon Sect's preparation zone erupted—members leapt to their feet, bewildered. Why would Long Aotian use this now, when he'd held the advantage?
Crack—!
His foot shattered the stone beneath him. Like a caged tiger unleashed, Long Aotian shot forward.
A shadow flickered behind him.
Next second—ROAR—!
A colossal bear, its fur dark gold, bellowed savagely. Its massive arms swung, twin claws—razor-sharp and dark gold—ripping through the air.
This was Long Aotian's soul spirit:
Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear!
Chen Junting met his gaze, understanding: this was Long Aotian's final strike in this individual match.
In other words—one move to decide victory.
Long Aotian's seven soul rings pulsed rhythmically. His sixth ring resonated with the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear.
This was his first use of a soul skill in the tournament.
And his sixth skill was named: Yan God's Claw!
His right arm swelled, morphing into a dark gold claw. The soul spirit mirrored the motion. Then, man and spirit moved as one—five tangible claw marks tore through the air. A terrifying gravitational pull yanked Chen Junting toward the strikes as Long Aotian closed in.
At the moment of collision—
Huuuum—!
The Seven Kill Sword trembled. Its hundred-thousand-year ring blazed crimson.
Chen Junting unleashed his sixth soul skill—and his soul spirit.
ROAR—!
A heaven-shaking dragon's cry echoed. Tyrant materialized.
Its aura of destruction made Xu Tianran on the main stand flinch, his breath hitching.
Long Aotian dared not underestimate it.
This was a hundred-thousand-year soul skill!
Almost as Long Aotian and Yan God's Claw neared, Chen Junting and Tyrant struck.
Sixth Soul Skill—Annihilation!
Chen Junting's sword slashed upward. Tyrant's maw gaped, unleashing two violet beams of apocalyptic power.
No ripples followed. No sound of tearing air. Even the atmosphere itself was utterly erased where the beams passed.
Long Aotian's face turned grim.
Through Unity with Heaven and Earth, his instincts screamed danger. His body sensed unprecedented threat—but evasion was impossible.
An Invincible Barrier could block it…
But pride forbade retreat. Though the Body Sect's youth now used soul tools, Long Aotian wouldn't back down.
"I won't defend!"
His five claws ripped through the violet beams, trailing dark gold light. But the gold faltered against the violet.
Still, Long Aotian and his soul spirit's right palms charged forward, slamming toward Chen Junting and his sword.
Such ferocity pushed Chen Junting's battle lust to its peak. The Seven Kill Sword rose, wreathed in destruction, clashing fully with their palms.
In eerie unison, both soul spirits vanished.
Clang—!
Sparks flew. Shockwaves erupted.
The residual energy never dissipated.
Hiss—!
After Yan God's Claw shattered, Chen Junting's attack still landed. Long Aotian's protective jade aura and Secondary Awakening energy burst like a punctured balloon, exploding into a radiant white halo.
He grunted sharply, his body trembling. The jade light churned violently.
Chen Junting wasn't unscathed either. His sleeve shredded, torn by the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's force invading his arm.
But compared to Long Aotian—now wracked by annihilation energy—Chen Junting easily suppressed the damage.
Thus… Pfft—!
Long Aotian convulsed, spitting blood. His face paled as he steadied himself.
He looked at Chen Junting. "I am defeated."
No resentment—only undimmed battle fervor. Chen Junting's "martial maniac" assessment was spot-on.
Without another word, he turned and left the stage.
He needed to recover fast—for the team match.
He knew the worst outcome—a draw—was possible.
Even if Chen Junting won the individual round, Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would only get 5 points.
The team match held another 5.
"Aotian, are you alright?" Vina rushed to him before he'd even stepped offstage, concern etched on her face.
"Fine. Heal me first." He pulled out a soul recovery bottle. "If I hurry, I'll be at 80% peak for the team match."
Besides…" He glanced at the ruined arena. "They'll need time to repair this."
"Got it!" Vina summoned her Snow Lotus martial soul without hesitation.
"Snow Demon Sect's fifth competitor, take the stage!"
The referee—who'd watched the entire spectacle with bated breath—announced the next match, sighing wistfully at the crowd's roaring excitement.
Guess I've wasted half my life.
Head Referee Zheng Zhan: Tell me about it.
As Chen Yu moved to ascend, Long Aotian stopped him. He turned to the substitutes.
"Our focus is the team match. We must conserve strength. But to avoid a draw, we still need to field someone. The next three individual matches go to our strongest substitutes."
"Ah?" Vina couldn't hide her disappointment. "But I wanted to try too."
Long Aotian blinked, then smiled. "Then you take the last match."
"Yes!" Vina's rare girlish cheer made him laugh genuinely. He glanced at Chen Junting.
You probably won't fight a girl, right?
After Snow Demon Sect's adjustments, the match resumed.
Despite his injuries, Chen Junting effortlessly dispatched the next two substitutes.
Until the final individual match…
Chen Junting stood on the shattered arena, expression calm—but inwardly groaning: Boring!
"Snow Demon Sect's final competitor, take the stage."
He saw Vina step forward—and his last spark of interest died.
He raised a hand to the referee. "I forfeit."
After defeating two opponents post-Long Aotian, he'd gained little recovery. This break was perfect to prepare for the team match.
As for Vina…
He returned to Ning Tian's side. "Xiao Tian, even support soul masters should have a fighter's heart. How about you handle Vina?"
"Perfect!" Ning Tian's eyes lit up. "Support types can fight with soul tools too. Brother Ning already proved that."
She strode onto the stage without hesitation.
At the referee's signal, they clashed.
Ning Tian unleashed a dazzling array of soul tools—leaving Vina overwhelmed.
In the end, Vina lost gracefully.
The individual elimination results:
Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect vs. Snow Demon Sect
Individual Round: 4–0
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