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After finishing the two-on-two registration, they headed toward the spectator area from before.
Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai were there too.
Dai Mubai had previously asked Zhu Zhuqing to team up for a two-on-two soul fight, but she turned him down. He didn't dwell on it, after all, pairing up meant facing two Spirit Elders, putting them at a clear disadvantage.
But when he found out that Zhu Zhuqing, after rejecting him, had teamed up with Ning Tian to form some 'Emerald Team,' Dai Mubai nearly lost it.
If Ning Tian wasn't stronger than him, he might've lashed out right then and there.
Ma Hongjun picked up on the tension and slid away to a safe distance, not wanting to get caught in the fallout.
On the soul fighting stage, a female host in a bunny girl outfit stood at the center, holding a conical loudspeaker. With a smooth, melodic voice, she announced:
"Up next, we have the first one-on-one soul fight in Arena No. 8. Taking the stage are two Spirit Elders: Han Li, the Battle Spirit Elder with the weapon soul Bamboo Sword, versus Dai Mubai, the Battle Spirit Elder with the beast martial soul White Tiger and a record of twenty-seven wins. Will Dai Mubai claim his twenty-eighth victory, or will the newcomer Han Li come out on top? Let's find out. Please welcome both Spirit Elders to the stage!"
Since it was a Spirit Elder match, the stands were packed, the crowd chanting Dai Mubai's name. He'd clearly built a reputation in the Great Soul Arena.
Learning his opponent was some guy named Han Li with a Bamboo Sword martial soul, Dai Mubai, already filled with anger, decided he'd blow off some steam by beating him,
Ma Hongjun, sitting by Tang San, muttered under his breath, "This Han Li is in trouble. Boss Dai's in a bad mood."
Tang San, fresh off registering the 'Three-Five Team' with Xiao Wu, was feeling oddly cheerful.
He smiled faintly and before he could say anything Ning Tian had already jumped on the stage.
Clad in a black robe, hood up and mask on, he was covered head to toe, instantly drawing eyes from the crowd.
"Who's this guy, hiding his face like that?"
Murmurs of confusion rippled through the stands as people puzzled over Ning Tian's getup.
"It's him."
Tang San and Ma Hongjun's eyes widened. They hadn't expected Han Li to be Ning Tian in disguise.
Dai Mubai, who'd been itching to vent on his opponent, recognized Ning Tian beneath the costume. His face turned gloomy and scary.
Two yellow and one purple soul rings flared to life as Dai Mubai wasted no time, triggering his White Tiger Possession. His body morphed into a towering, two-meter-tall upright tiger.
All three soul rings glowed at once.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protective Barrier!"
"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
"Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"
Without hesitating, Dai Mubai unleashed all three skills in rapid succession.
Fully transformed and wrapped in the glowing shield of his barrier, he bent his knees and launched into the air. A massive white light gathered, and with a fierce roar, he spat a milky orb of energy from his mouth, hurling it down at Ning Tian.
Ning Tian didn't budge. Just as the light was about to hit, his own soul rings—yellow, purple, purple flashed into view. The second ring lit up, and green light mingled with golden arcs burst from him, weaving into an impressive sword shield.
Dai Mubai's attack crashed against it. From the outside, it looked like Ning Tian took the hit.
Dai Mubai started to ease up, when out of nowhere, countless green sword beams pierced through the white light, streaking toward him. A low boom followed as the barrage slammed into Dai Mubai mid-air, shattering his protective glow.
Before he could recover, Ning Tian was right in front of him. The Azure Bamboo CloudSwarm Sword in his hand stretched into a seven- or eight-meter-long blade of light, slashing straight at Dai Mubai's midsection.
"Arghhhh!"
Dai Mubai's scream cut off as the massive light sword sent him flying off the stage. He smashed into a stone pillar and crumpled to the ground.
Silence fell over Arena No. 8, heavy and absolute.
The crowd was stunned even the host's jaw dropped.
No one had expected the fight to end that fast.
Dai Mubai was a regular at Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena, well-known to many.
Back when he'd first hit Spirit Elder, his soul power was shaky, and he'd taken some losses. But over the last two years, as his strength grew, few at his level could take him down. Yet today, a mystery Spirit Elder had shown up, brushed off Dai Mubai's strongest blow like it was nothing, and turned it around to flatten him in seconds.
The whole clash was over before anyone could blink.
Ning Tian had cleverly used Dai Mubai's own light wave to mask his soul rings; otherwise, that yellow-purple-purple lineup would've dropped even more jaws.
And he hadn't held back an inch.
Dai Mubai sprawled on the ground like a broken heap, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He tried to stand, over and over, but his body wouldn't cooperate. All he could do was glare at Ning Tian with those 'evil eyes' of his, burning with frustration and spite.
Tang San and Ma Hongjun rushed from the stands to help him up.
Tang San frowned at Ning Tian. "We're all classmates. Even in a soul fight, did you have to hit that hard?"
Ma Hongjun, who'd been crushed by Ning Tian before, kept his mouth shut.
Ning Tian's voice was ice. "What? He gets to go full force, but I'm supposed to hold back?"
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing walked over then. Xiao Wu huffed, "Yeah, exactly! Who jumps in with all their soul rings blazing, hammering a classmate like that? If it'd been you or Fatty instead of Little Sixth, you'd be knocked out or worse."
She was still angry at Ning Tian, sure, but that was it. Ever since he'd made her cry way back, he'd ticked her off plenty over the years but when push came to shove, she always had his back.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't spare Dai Mubai a kind glance either. She knew he was lashing out at Ning Tian over her. Her cold eyes flicked to him, sharp as if she were staring at garbage. "Dai Mubai, you're pathetic."
"You—you all…" Dai Mubai watched Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing take Ning Tian's side. Tang San stayed quiet, not wanting to rile Xiao Wu up further, and Ma Hongjun's eyes flickered with fear of Ning Tian. With a choked sputter, Dai Mubai coughed up another mouthful of blood.
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