The Crimson Rose Academy team and the Skywater Academy team entered the central arena from opposite sides.
Perhaps because the VIP commentator had made such a fool of himself during the Crimson Rose–Blue Sunshine match, he had been much more restrained in the following days.
"The final round of this year's preliminaries is about to begin! First, let's glance at the left arena—Elephant Armored Academy versus…"
"And finally, our eyes return to the center stage for today's most anticipated match: two teams already qualified for the finals, the upstart dark horse Crimson Rose Academy versus the established powerhouse Skywater Academy. This will be the closing spectacle of the Heaven Dou City preliminaries of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament!"
"One side is the black horse of the year; the other is an old, battle-hardened force. Who will claim the last victory? Let's wait and see!"
Li Chang'an's appearance was indeed popular. Even surrounded by so many beauties, he still drew glances from the Skywater girls—much to the irritation of Xiao Wu and the others.
Fortunately, Li Chang'an kept his gaze steady; he did not ogle back, which calmed his teammates a little. They knew his wandering mind all too well.
What they did not know was that Li Chang'an's spiritual power had already reached a near demi-god level. He didn't need to "look" at beauties with his eyes—his spiritual sense could take in Shui Bing'er's entire aura at will.
The referee gestured for both sides to salute.
The two teams stood in rows opposite one another. Inevitably, Shui Bing'er faced Li Chang'an head-on. Seeing her clearly with his own eyes, Li Chang'an felt something different.
He had met many beautiful women, but girls with this kind of presence were rare. The aura around Shui Bing'er was not overwhelming, but the wisdom in her eyes reminded him a little of his own.
'A very clever girl,' he thought.
"Li Changsheng, captain of Crimson Rose Academy. Rank twenty-nine Spirit Grandmaster, martial soul: Taibai Sword." he said with an easy smile.
Shui Bing'er had no interest in his introduction—his martial soul and soul power could not be guessed from appearances anyway—but she kept her composure and replied:
"Shui Bing'er, captain of Skywater Academy. Rank forty-three Control-type Battle Spirit Master."
The referee wasted no time. After the brief exchange of courtesies, he announced loudly, "Teams, prepare! You may release your martial souls!"
Li Chang'an and Shui Bing'er lifted their heads at the same moment, meeting each other's gaze. Their auras changed instantly—Li Chang'an's a perfect mix of restrained dominance and confidence; Shui Bing'er, true to her name, a cool, glacial presence.
Crimson Rose's formation: Li Chang'an, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing at the front; Meng Yiran in the center; Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, and Mu Xi at the rear.
Skywater's formation mirrored theirs: three young women up front, Shui Bing'er in the center with her half-sister Shui Yue'er and another agility-type girl to either side, and at the back a pale black-haired girl whose aura was far from weak.
Aside from Li Chang'an, the other Crimson Rose girls were slightly surprised—Skywater's true strength exceeded their expectations.
Because of the dense match schedule and Director Liu Erlong's deliberate secrecy, they had only known Skywater was an all-female, water-attribute team. They had not seen them fight.
Now, as both sides released their soul rings, Skywater's power became obvious.
In addition to Shui Bing'er's rank forty-three, two more team members were above rank forty: one of the three front-line power attackers, and the black-haired girl at the rear.
Their soul rings varied in color, but every martial soul shone the same water-blue hue.
Shui Bing'er's whole body was wrapped in a hazy blue light. A circle of dazzling azure floated behind her like a misty halo. Even Li Chang'an could not immediately tell what her martial soul was—only that its aura was formidable.
The three power-attackers in front bore strange changes: patches of fine scales—not dragon scales but fishlike—appeared on their limbs.
Among the two agility-types, Shui Yue'er's martial soul coated her skin in a bright, glazed sheen; the other girl's skin turned entirely blue.
"Begin!" the referee declared as soon as the martial souls were released.
"Fight!" Li Chang'an and Shui Bing'er barked almost at the same time, and both teams moved.
From the rear, Ning Rongrong and Mu Xi released their support skills instantly, while Li Chang'an and the two front-liners charged forward.
They did not buff Li Chang'an—his soul power was too far above theirs and the cost would be excessive—so the support fell on the two girls instead.
As the Crimson Rose trio surged forward, Skywater's three front-liners moved to meet them. Neither side used a soul skill at first; both pressed forward with raw power.
Li Chang'an faced one of the beauties but refrained from using soul skills—at least at first, not even his ultimate attribute.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, however, had no such qualms. They unleashed their first and second rings simultaneously, pressing their opponents hard. Today even Zhu Zhuqing, usually an agility-type, chose to fight like a power-attacker—no special reason, just the thrill of clashing head-on with Skywater's famed beauties.
At that moment, Shui Bing'er's first soul ring flared. A flash of icy blue: Li Chang'an felt a chill all over, his forward momentum freezing in place, sealed inside a block of solid ice.
Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and even Ning Rongrong were likewise frozen. It was only her first skill, yet she cast it four times in a row—proof of her extraordinary control.
Meng Yiran, as a control-type herself, realized the threat. Her third ring shone, and a green mist swept toward Skywater's three power-attackers—she would not be outdone!
But then Shui Bing'er's second ring lit up right after the first. Five ice rings spread out, enveloping the three power-attackers and two agility-types on her own team.
A wondrous sight: the five spirit masters covered by the rings sprouted crystalline blue armor. With a combined push, the three power-attackers simply blocked Meng Yiran's green mist—the armor isolated them completely.
Yet Li Chang'an's group remained sealed in ice, and tension rippled through the audience.
Just as Skywater's attackers prepared to press their advantage, the ice around Li Chang'an crumbled to powder. He stretched lightly, lifted his sword, and looked across at Shui Bing'er.
She noticed at once—the Taibai Sword was no longer surrounded by green light but sheathed in a faint layer of blue ice crystals that felt eerily familiar.
Li Chang'an flicked his sword casually at Xiao Wu's and Zhu Zhuqing's ice prisons; they too shattered into powder.
"You… you also have an ice attribute? How is that possible?!" Shui Bing'er blurted, her large blue eyes wide, feeling as though she had taken a critical hit straight to the heart.