The atmosphere atop the arena had reached an almost unbearable tension. If not for the fact that everyone knew this was merely a youth tournament, onlookers might have believed they were witnessing a showdown between high-ranked Spirit Masters.
The handsome giant's lips curved slightly upward. In the next instant his long hair turned an icy blue, his clothing shifting to match, making him resemble an aloof, ice-cold prince.
Opposite him, the Ice Phoenix also began to surge with power—its aura sharpening, its might condensing. Two martial-soul fusion skills, both at the pinnacle of the ice attribute, were colliding. In a heartbeat the entire arena grew colder by at least ten degrees.
"Shui Bing'er, stop now. You're no match for us."
Li Chang'an's voice sounded from within the giant, his eyes fixed on the Ice Phoenix.
"Hmph, how would I know if I didn't try?"
Her own reply came cold and sharp. Even though she already felt the overwhelming pressure pressing down on her, she refused to concede without testing her limits.
"Then… one move to decide the outcome."
The words came again from Li Chang'an as the giant slowly raised his palm. The surrounding air dropped a few more degrees.
A vast blue light with a radius of more than ten meters gathered at the center of his hand, threatening to engulf the sky. At the same time, a flurry of snowflakes appeared around the Ice Phoenix, and enormous blue curtains of light formed in mid-air.
Boom!
The entire arena froze over, sheathed in shimmering blue light, and then—accompanied by a deafening crash—collapsed completely.
Even the remaining members of Skywater Academy, themselves adept with water-attribute power, leapt off the platform just before impact.
It was the most destructive and dazzling spectacle since the preliminaries had begun. Waves of cold left the audience's expressions stiff and pale.
Within the ruins of the arena, Shui Bing'er stood with difficulty, supported by Xue Wu. She gazed in shock at Li Chang'an descending from the sky, Zhu Zhuqing cradled in his arms.
'His ice attribute… it's even purer than my Ice Phoenix.'
The swirling snow and numbing chill were enough to slow anyone's movements. In that brief instant, the temperature on stage had plummeted to a terrifying level. Adding to that the flow of cold energy, Shui Bing'er didn't believe Li Chang'an could be in better condition than she was. Yet aside from Zhu Zhuqing's exhaustion, Li Chang'an himself stood there completely unscathed.
Only four people remained within the arena's bounds. The result was decided.
"Can you tell me why you're completely unharmed?"
Shui Bing'er's voice was strained.
"My ability grants me immunity to ice. Your power can't restrain me."
Li Chang'an spoke so only the four of them could hear.
Two pairs of beautiful eyes locked onto him. A trace of bitterness flickered at the corner of Shui Bing'er's mouth.
"Then why were you still affected earlier?" she asked. Her first spirit skill, Ice Seal, had clearly worked on him, but the Ice Phoenix's lock-on hadn't.
Li Chang'an gave a wry smile.
"My ice-fire immunity only works on energy forms. Physical forms and energy impacts can still harm me. Your Ice Seal is a solid form, not pure energy. Of course it restricted me. Only the chill itself couldn't hurt me."
"We've lost."
Although reluctant, Shui Bing'er forced out the words.
Li Chang'an smiled back.
"Your martial soul is excellent, but it still has a few flaws. If there's a chance in the future, I can help you."
A spark of excitement flashed in Shui Bing'er's eyes, though she concealed it well and merely nodded slightly.
At this moment, the referee approached cautiously. Even with more than fifty ranks of soul power, he felt uneasy—these youngsters were too powerful. If they had any hidden techniques left, he might be caught in the aftermath.
"Is it over?" the referee asked, looking between the two sides.
"I lost," Shui Bing'er said with a nod.
The referee nodded back and officially announced the result to the entire arena.
Thus the preliminaries in Heaven Dou City concluded. According to procedure, the award ceremony for the top five teams—granting them their qualification to advance—would now begin.
However, because the central main stage had been destroyed during the previous battle, the process was simplified. The other, non-advancing academies would no longer participate; only the top six teams would ascend the VIP platform to receive their certificates.
The ceremony itself was straightforward. As the host called their names, the captains and vice-captains of the top five teams walked up to the dais.
Here it must be noted: although officially the "top five," Crimson Rose Academy and the Blazing Academy were tied for fourth place, so six academies in total advanced.
Godwind Academy and Thunderclap Academy shared identical records at twenty-six wins and one loss, but since Godwind had beaten Thunderclap in direct competition, they were ranked first, Thunderclap second. Crimson Rose Academy placed third with twenty-five wins and two losses.
Shrek Academy and Blazing Academy shared fourth place, while Skywater Academy remained in fifth.
Representing Crimson Rose Academy on the stage were Li Chang'an and Meng Yiran. As soon as the two stepped forward, they felt several unfriendly gazes upon them. The most intense of all came from Blazing Academy's Huo Wu.
Defeated by Li Chang'an, she had never accepted it. Rather than reflecting on her own strength, she attributed the loss to the superior quality of his fire attribute. Though her academy had still advanced, losing one match more than Crimson Rose only stoked her indignation.
Then the master of ceremonies announced solemnly:
"Next, His Majesty, Sect Master Ning of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Platinum Bishop Salas will personally present the qualification certificates and prize money to the six teams advancing to the next stage."
The qualification certificate was simply a handwritten letter—impossible to counterfeit. After all, both the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire clearly knew which academies had advanced. But the prize money came as a surprise to Li Chang'an and his team.
Even so, it didn't change their mood; money mattered little to them. Li Chang'an had already promised to provide for all of them.
Each of the top five teams received the same prize, since this was only the preliminary stage: ten thousand gold spirit coins from the Heaven Dou Empire. In the finals, the top three prizes would be provided by the Spirit Hall itself.
Once the awards were distributed, the host ceded the floor to the most distinguished person present—the Emperor Xue Ye.
His gaze swept across the representatives of the six academies, lingering on Li Chang'an for a few seconds longer, before he smiled and said:
"First of all, children, allow me to congratulate you."