"Sol... Soul King!"
After activating their Martial Souls, Huo Wushuang and the others from Blazing Wind Academy were stunned when they saw Shui Bing'er's five soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black.
Huo Wu even exclaimed in shock, "How is this possible?"
Within the Four Elements City, the four elemental academies knew each other inside out.
Two and a half years ago, Shui Bing'er had been at a similar level to her, and they had even sparred back then. However, after the Tian Shui Academy was reorganized into Glazed Academy, Shui Bing'er rarely appeared at the academy, and such exchanges had basically ceased. But how had she reached Soul King level in just two and a half years?
Unlike Tang Long of the Clear Sky School, whose mature appearance clearly indicated he was around twenty-four or twenty-five, Shui Bing'er had just turned eighteen—a year younger than Huo Wu herself.
Even after exchanging for immortal herbs from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Huo Wu had only reached level 48.
"Surprised, Huo Wu?" Shui Bing'er smiled faintly.
"Tch." Huo Wu pursed her lips unwillingly. "The Soul Master Tournament is a team competition. Even if you're a Soul King, so what? Our Blazing Wind Academy will defeat your Glazed Academy."
Huo Wu's confidence wasn't unfounded.
Among Glazed Academy's team, Ning Rongrong, Ye Lingling, Yu Hairou, and Shui Yue'er were all four-ringed Soul Ancestors. Aside from Shui Bing'er, the only Soul King, the remaining two members were merely Soul Elders. Even with the buffs from the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, it was impossible to fully bridge the gap to the four-ringed level.
A Soul Master without soul rings would always be weaker than one with soul rings—at best, their physical strength might reach the four-ringed level, but they could never unleash the full power of a four-ringed Soul Ancestor.
Since Bi Ji had allowed the use of all their strength, the outcome of this match was still uncertain!
"Roar—!"
Huo Wushuang let out a furious roar as he activated his Blazing Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, causing the ground to tremble. He charged straight at Shui Bing'er. Seeing his movement, Feng Xiaotian immediately understood his intent and overtook Huo Wushuang with superior speed.
"Third Soul Skill—Gale Wings!"
A pair of wind-attribute soul power wings materialized behind Feng Xiaotian, greatly increasing his speed.
Then, crossing his arms in front of him, he let out a wolf-like howl:
"Fourth Soul Skill—Demon Wolf Tempest!"
The air in front of him twisted violently, forming a small tornado that surged toward Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er's position.
"Fourth Soul Skill—Snow Mist Concealment!"
Shui Yue'er's voice rang out. In Feng Xiaotian's vision, the figures of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, who had been standing at the front, suddenly vanished.
Not just them—the rest of Glazed Academy's team also disappeared without a trace.
The entire battlefield was enveloped in thick, ice-attribute mist. Even the Demon Wolf Tempest Feng Xiaotian had just unleashed passed through empty air.
"Where are they?" Feng Xiaotian heightened his vigilance, scanning his surroundings.
"Twenty meters to the left—it's Shui Yue'er, the one who just used the skill." Xue Ke's voice echoed in Feng Xiaotian's mind.
"Got it." Without hesitation, Feng Xiaotian dashed toward the left. Meanwhile, Huo Wushuang did the same, both targeting Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er.
"Discovered already?" Shui Bing'er murmured.
This was strange. Logically, her sister's field skill was specifically designed for concealment, and the soul ring she had obtained for it was even a thousand-year one. It shouldn't have been so easily countered.
Feeling the surge in her attributes, Shui Bing'er knew it was due to the buffs from Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling.
Only four rings?
Before the match, Ning Rongrong had mentioned she might go all out to enhance their strength.
But unless something unexpected happened, she would only use buffs corresponding to her displayed soul ring strength—meaning, at the four-ringed Soul Ancestor level.
"Four rings are enough." The ice mist provided one-way visibility—her side could see the enemy, but the enemy couldn't see them. That was how it should have been, so why had they been detected?
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. The scorching heat and violent winds in the air signaled the enemy's approach.
"One at level 46 and another at 44. I don't know what makes you think you can stop us."
The amplification from the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda was terrifying. At level 51, Shui Bing'er's power had been boosted to level 54 under Ning Rongrong's enhancement. Meanwhile, her sister Shui Yue'er, originally at level 44, had been raised to level 48.
"Sister, let's knock them off the stage!"
Shui Bing'er activated her fourth soul skill, while Shui Yue'er used her third. Under the amplification of the freezing ice mist, the power of both skills was greatly enhanced—enough to send two opponents of the same tier scrambling in panic.
"What?!"
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er were both startled. As a Soul King, Shui Bing'er reacted swiftly, grabbing her sister and summoning ice wings on her back. She then used the wings to lift them both into the air.
Watching as Shui Yue'er's ice mist was dispersed, Shui Bing'er frowned in confusion.
"They actually tanked our skills and launched an attack at us?" Shui Bing'er couldn't understand.
"It's a shield." Shui Yue'er, who had observed more carefully, quickly realized. After all, the enemy had countered her fourth soul skill.
Both Huo Wushuang and Feng Xiaotian had faint shields around them when they withstood the attacks.
The sudden amplification and the pressure that dispersed the Snow Mist Concealment couldn't have come from soul rings...
"Bing'er, we need to be careful." Shui Yue'er said gravely. "That Huo Wushuang has a high-quality soul bone."
"So that's it." Shui Bing'er also recalled that violent pressure. She remembered Ning Rongrong had once given Huo Wushuang a Titan Giant Ape soul bone in exchange for something. It must have been that one!
"What a pain." Shui Bing'er grumbled inwardly.
Truly worthy of the young sect master—buffing the enemy instead.
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er landed near Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling.
"So that's how it is." Ning Rongrong didn't interfere in the battle, simply watching calmly.
With her and Ye Lingling's buffs, even a level 39 Soul Elder could hold their own against a Soul Ancestor for a short time, albeit with difficulty. Besides, doing so might help them break through to Soul Ancestor sooner.
"Bing'er-jie, be careful. Both Huo Wushuang and Xue Ke have soul bones with impressive ages."
"And Xue Ke likely has more than one soul bone."
"Soul bones? No wonder winning won't be so easy." Shui Bing'er nodded slightly.
However, Ning Rongrong's words shocked not only the audience but also the teams in the VIP rooms and exclusive rest areas.
Soul bones—treasures bathed in blood—were no mere legend.
For Soul Ancestors below level 50 to possess soul bones, and even multiple ones, was unthinkable. Many already planned to make a move after the tournament and then retire rich.
Not everyone was as wealthy as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Many Soul Emperors, Soul Sages, and even Soul Douluos didn't have a single soul bone—and that wasn't unusual.
"Leaked the information already?" At the edge of the arena, in the rest area, Bi Ji sat with Blazing Wind Academy's substitute members. Propping her chin on her hand, she showed no trace of worry.
"Teacher, aren't you concerned?" a substitute member asked anxiously.
"Huo Wushuang's soul bone isn't my problem." Bi Ji flipped through the book in her hands, indifferent. "As for Xue Ke... when the boat reaches the bridge, it'll straighten itself out. Someone taller will handle it."