Upon hearing Bibidong's words, the arena erupted into a clamor once again.
If this were not the Pope's Hall, but any other place, a earth-shattering battle would surely have broken out.
"However, there is only ever one champion. The victor in the Soul Master world usually takes all. These three Spirit Bones can only be taken by the champion team. I hope all three teams will give their all to achieve this honor."
Bibidong glanced around: "This morning will be the individual elimination matches for the seven members of each of the three teams. The winning team will gain an advantage and directly enter tomorrow's championship match, while the two defeated teams will compete for the other final spot."
After speaking, Bibidong sat down on the gold-lacquered chair brought by the attendants, then gestured for Ning Fengzhi and the others to also take their seats: "Now, you may send out your first team member."
As Bibidong's voice fell, Li Xun slowly walked onto the stage to prepare for the draw.
Seeing this, the audience immediately began to buzz with discussion. After all, even those who hadn't watched yesterday's matches had heard about the appearance of a 100,000-year sixth Spirit Ring.
As Li Xun's old rivals, the Blazing Fire Team had all been defeated by him before and were well aware of his strength. They had come this far with the intention of competing.
However, there was no longer any need for that. Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, and Feng Xiaotian gathered together and discussed for a moment.
Then Shui Bing'er raised her hand high: "Your Excellency the Pope, we concede."
"What?"
The sudden concession of the Blazing Fire Team was unexpected for everyone present. Although there weren't many Soul Masters in the audience, they were all renowned experts in the Soul Master world. What young person wouldn't want to perform in front of these seniors?
Even Li Xun, waiting on the stage for the draw, couldn't help but look over.
Salas, who was in charge of refereeing, was momentarily stunned, then frowned and asked: "Blazing Fire Team, the opponent hasn't been determined yet. Are you sure you want to concede?"
"Yes, and we're not just conceding this match. The Blazing Fire Team intends to withdraw from the competition entirely. After all, I believe even if we continued, we would only end up in third place," Shui Bing'er said calmly.
There were a few more things Shui Bing'er didn't say. First, there were no rewards for second or third place. Second, the reason the Pan-continental Elite Soul Master Tournament was so attractive was because talented commoner Soul Masters and children from smaller families could gain support from major sects or the Spirit Hall through this event.
With their current achievements, they no longer needed to prove themselves. Moreover, facing the current Li Xun, they knew they stood no chance. It was better to make a clean break.
More importantly, both she and Feng Xiaotian had received invitations from Li Xun, so there was no need to showcase themselves further.
As for Huo Wu, she had just mentioned that after the match, they would meet with Li Xun together.
"Are you really conceding?" Bibidong waved her hand to stop Salas from speaking further, looking expressionlessly at Shui Bing'er.
"We... are certain," Shui Bing'er said weakly, lowering her head as she trembled under that emotionless gaze.
"Very well, then we'll change the rules for this final. The Spirit Hall Team will face the Heavenly Dou Royal Team. Both teams, prepare yourselves now," Bibidong said, making no attempt to persuade the Blazing Fire Team to change their minds.
The Pope's personal command instantly silenced the noisy atmosphere in the arena.
Li Xun had no objections to deciding the outcome with a single match, as there were still many things awaiting him.
However, this caught Xie Yue and others, who had intended to observe the strength of the Heavenly Dou Royal Team, off guard. They hastily pulled their team members into an impromptu meeting to arrange their strategy.
Moments later, both teams stepped onto the stage.
There was no trash talk, no taunts. Both sides roughly knew each other's strength, and the more they spoke now, the more it would reveal their lack of quality.
"Both sides, prepare to release your Martial Souls." Salas, acting as the referee, glanced around and waved his hand to signal before quickly retreating.
As the referee's words fell, the auras of the fourteen participants collided fiercely, even the air seemed to become oppressive. Then, one after another, Spirit Rings lit up, illuminating the arena with a dazzling array of colors.
Undoubtedly, the strongest in the Spirit Hall team were the three leaders. Xie Yue, Huliena, and Yan were all Soul Kings at level fifty with two yellow, two purple, and one black Spirit Rings. The other four team members also had the optimal configuration of two yellow and two purple Spirit Rings, being Soul Honours.
However, even with such a formidable team, their expressions turned serious upon seeing the Heavenly Dou Royal Team.
Li Xun stood at the forefront of his team, with one yellow, two purple, two black, and one red Spirit Rings appearing one after another beneath his feet.
Especially when the sixth and red Spirit Rings appeared, not only the Spirit Hall team but also the audience couldn't help but hold their breath.
"So the rumors from yesterday were true!" This was the thought in the minds of everyone present who hadn't seen Li Xun's previous match.
Even Bibidong's breath hitched. No one understood the difficulty of obtaining a 100,000 Year Soul Ring better than her. Seeing this ring on a boy less than fifteen years old felt somewhat surreal to her.
Because others might overlook Li Xun's realm due to this red Spirit Ring, but she would not.
A Soul Emperor under fifteen, Bibidong thought, was a threat. If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School hadn't already joined the Spirit Hall, her first action upon seeing Li Xun's talent would have been to eradicate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
But even though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had submitted, their support didn't seem to be for her.
"Elder Ning, it seems I underestimated him before!" Bibidong turned her head to look at Ning Fengzhi beside her.
"Your Excellency flatters me. Xiao Xun was just lucky to encounter a dying 100,000 Year Soul Beast and received its sacrifice. It's not that his talent is extraordinary."
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly and bowed to Bibidong: "Compared to Tang Hao's son with Twin Spirits, he is still slightly lacking."
Hearing about Tang Hao and his son, Bibidong's eyes flickered, and then she murmured, "Strong luck, huh?"
At this moment, all eyes in the arena were focused on Li Xun, even Zhu Zhuqing, who had reached level fifty behind him, was subconsciously overlooked.
"The match... begins." Salas, the Platinum Bishop, swallowed hard as he looked at the Spirit Rings beneath Li Xun's feet.
"Proceed as planned."
Although the Spirit Hall team was intimidated by Li Xun's red Spirit Ring, they feared failure and being sent to Death Canyon and Bibidong's disappointment even more.
As soon as the referee announced the start, they sprang into action.
Huliena smiled slightly and gracefully moved forward with a few turns, positioning herself at the forefront. A fluffy tail appeared behind her, and a faint red glow emanated from her body. A flash of pink passed through her eyes as she stared intently at Li Xun.
Facing the attack from the Spirit Hall team, Li Xun stood still, holding a sword finger in front of his chest. He smiled at Huliena and said, "Dispel."
To immerse someone in an illusion, one must affect their six senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and intuition.
The first three senses are the basics of illusion techniques, while mastering the latter three is the mark of a true expert.
Huliena's Bewitchment, however, relies on Soul Power to influence a person's sight and hearing, making it the most basic form of illusion.
This ability typically uses Soul Power and mental strength that surpasses the opponent's as a medium, forcibly inputting energy far beyond the opponent's level to distort their perception. It is fundamentally different from some of the more troublesome illusions in Ninjutsu.
Such a low-level illusion can be effectively avoided simply by closing one's eyes or covering one's ears.
(End of Chapter)