"One, three... six, six Spirit Rings!" As the Heavenly Dou Royal Team revealed their Spirit Rings, the entire Spirit City center erupted in excitement.
Hearing the deafening commotion, spectators and teams who were initially uninterested in the match quickly squeezed in to see what was happening.
"One yellow, two purple, two black, and one red? What kind of configuration is this? I don't believe it! How could someone have a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring as their sixth ring?" someone shouted.
"Right, he must have used some Soul Skill to alter the color of his Spirit Rings!"
"Hey! Look at the girl behind him, she's actually a five-ring Soul King!" someone pointed at Zhu Zhuqing.
"What's so special about a Soul King?"
"..."
Dai Wei and Zhu Zhuqing's minds went blank, the surrounding noise failing to snap them out of their daze.
Even the remaining five members of the Star Luo Royal Team stood frozen in place.
It wasn't that their willpower was weak, but only by truly facing a Soul Master with a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring could one feel the overwhelming pressure that blood-red ring exuded.
There were too few Soul Masters on the continent who possessed a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring, currently numbering less than ten.
Yet, they had just seen one among their peers, and not just a peer—Dai Wei could tell from Li Xun's youthful face that he was even younger than himself.
And most importantly, Zhu Zhuqing had actually reached the level of a fifty-ring Soul King!
"It's impossible. Zhu Zhuqing was only in her teens when she left home! With such an age gap, how could she have reached level fifty before me?"
Zhu Zhuqing muttered in disbelief.
"Let the match begin!" The referee, who had also been stunned for a while, finally remembered his duty.
"Wood Release, Advent of a World of Trees." Li Xun stopped the others from acting, clapped his hands together, and channeled his Soul Power, planting seeds of tenacious life within the hard granite.
Crack, crack, crack—
A series of faint, crisp sounds suddenly echoed from all directions of the arena.
Dai Wei shuddered, quickly snapping back to reality. He exchanged a glance with Zhu Zhuqing and immediately assumed a charging stance.
But before they could act, the solid granite ground suddenly shattered, and a flood of thick vines surged forth.
These vines were robust and lengthy, each resembling an ancient python, transforming in an instant into a green tidal wave that swept across the arena.
The hundred-meter-diameter arena seemed minuscule in the face of the green wave, which had already reached the Star Luo Team as soon as it formed.
"What!"
Dai Wei and Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted as they hastily dodged and counterattacked.
Ssssh—
A tearing sound rang out, and Dai Wei's expression turned to one of shock. He hadn't expected that with his forty-eight-level Soul Power, a single strike would barely sever a single vine.
Looking at the vines closing in from all sides, he felt a chill run down his spine.
If even one vine was this tough, being completely entangled by them would leave no chance of escape. And in just the first encounter, the Star Luo Royal Team had already lost three members.
"Zhuqing!"
After dodging several vine attacks, Zhu Zhuqing heard the call and quickly glanced over.
When she saw the determination in Dai Wei's eyes, she instantly understood and immediately pushed her speed to the limit, turning into a series of afterimages as she rushed into Dai Wei's arms.
"Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Netherworld White Tiger!"
As the two collided and merged, a black light pillar with a diameter of five meters suddenly appeared on the arena. Then, a tremendous tiger's roar echoed from within.
When the light pillar dissipated, a massive tiger with transparent wings, white fur, and black stripes emerged, stepping gracefully into view.
Upon seeing the tiger's full appearance, both the audience and the competitors gasped in awe.
Standing four meters tall and twelve meters long, its sheer size exerted immense pressure on everyone.
Roar—
The Netherworld White Tiger let out a fierce roar, its eyes flashing with cold light as it swiped its claws. The exceptionally tough vines were instantly reduced to scattered fragments.
Seeing this, the Netherworld White Tiger's eyes gleamed, a cold, bloodthirsty smile appearing on its face. With a flap of its wings, it soared into the sky, attempting to bypass the wave of vines and charge straight at Li Xun.
The Martial Soul Fusion Skill performed by two Soul Masters nearing level 50 was indeed extraordinary.
Moreover, the Netherworld White Tiger, which relied purely on physical damage rather than elemental attributes, could effectively bypass the ice and fire resistances of Wood Release.
Li Xun nodded in acknowledgment.
"Brother, should we also perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"
Hearing the audience's exclamations from below the arena, though she couldn't see the situation in the Tree Sea, Ning Rongrong knew something extraordinary must have happened there.
Her eyes lit up, and she eagerly leaned forward, looking at Li Xun with anticipation.
"Rongrong, using that skill would be too cruel—it's Zhu Zhuqing's sister. Let me show you a new skill instead."
Li Xun clasped his hands together and then interlocked them: "Wood Release: All-Encompassing Hand Technique."
As he spoke, his Soul Power instantly channeled into the ground, nourishing the vines and causing their forms to change rapidly. They intertwined, transforming into over a dozen enormous hands, each ten meters tall, overshadowing the entire arena.
Not only were there giant hands woven from vines, but wooden hands also emerged directly from the hard granite arena floor.
These wooden hands were not only massive but also highly mobile. As soon as they formed, they lunged toward the Netherworld White Tiger.
The Netherworld White Tiger's eyes flashed with surprise, followed by deep apprehension.
With the sky now covered by the wooden hands, it swiftly dodged left and right, trying to escape through the gaps. When it couldn't evade in time, it unleashed its strongest skill: "Netherworld White Tiger's Break!"
A massive energy shockwave erupted, shattering the giant hands in front of them. But before they could rejoice, another wooden hand instantly emerged from the hard granite arena floor.
The Netherworld White Tiger quickly retreated, maneuvering left and right to find an opening. The Netherworld White Tiger's Break was powerful, but it also consumed a significant amount of their energy, shortening the duration of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Unless absolutely necessary, they didn't want to use it.
"Still hesitating, trying to conserve your Soul Power to defeat me?" Li Xun chuckled, maintaining his hand seal while stomping the ground, channeling Soul Power into each of the giant hands.
Nourished and directed by the Soul Power, the dozen or so massive wooden hands changed their attack pattern, moving like dominoes as they all reached out to grab the Netherworld White Tiger.
"Netherworld White Tiger's Break!"
Inside the Netherworld White Tiger, Dai Wei and Zhu Zhuqing were instantly alarmed. They quickly attacked an area with fewer wooden hands, then sprinted, attempting to break through the encirclement.
But by then, it was already too late. The movements of the dozen or so giant hands almost covered the entire arena, making it impossible for them to escape.
"Aowu—"
With a piercing howl, one of the giant hands pressed the Netherworld White Tiger to the ground.
Just as the Netherworld White Tiger was about to push the wooden hand away, a second giant hand came down, followed by a third, a fourth...
The four-meter-tall Netherworld White Tiger looked like a kitten compared to the wooden hands, being kneaded by a dozen giant hands.
"Holy crap!!" Some spectators couldn't help but curse at the sight.
Even the contestants were not calm.
(End of Chapter)