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The venue for the qualifying matches wasn't anything elaborate; it was just a simple, sturdy brick platform.
As Tang San had anticipated, the first fighter from Blazing Fire Academy was Huo Wushuang.
Tianshui Academy's fighter, on the other hand, was a Soul Elder, just as Tang San expected. Shui Bing'er wasn't the first to enter; they sent out a different team member.
"I'm Huo Wushuang. What's your name?" Huo Wushuang was intrigued by the sight of the young girl standing in front of him and promptly introduced himself.
"Mi Xue," replied the Tianshui Academy girl. She hadn't appeared in the three preliminary rounds, and her attitude was quite aloof.
"Nice name, but a bit icy, isn't it?" Huo Wushuang praised her, then activated his martial soul. A single horn sprouted from his forehead, his hands transformed into dragon claws, and his spirit power emanated a faint heat. "Well, if you're a little cold, let me warm you up!"
"Give it a try if you can," Mi Xue retorted with a cold smile as she released her martial soul. A small snowman appeared in her palm, its round head and body no bigger than a doll.
As the two fighters activated their martial souls, Chrysanthemum Douluo declared, "Begin!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Mi Xue activated her first soul skill.
"Icy Arena!"
With her yellow soul ring glowing, the snowman in her hand released a wave of cold air. Within a 30-meter radius, the ground was covered with a thick layer of frost.
Huo Wushuang stepped back. He could have melted the ice with his fire, but he was aiming for a one-on-seven victory and didn't want to waste too much soul power. He needed to conserve energy for the other opponents, especially Shui Bing'er.
Once the icy terrain was set, Mi Xue used her second soul skill. The snowman in her hand came to life, jumping down and swaying as if it were dancing.
"What does this do?" Huo Wushuang was puzzled. The snowman didn't seem to pose any threat; it moved slowly and appeared harmless.
"I have a third soul skill, you know," Mi Xue said with a smirk as her only thousand-year soul ring began to glow. This time, the snowman released another burst of frost, and a 10-meter-tall ice fortress rose from the arena.
The entire castle was made of ice, gleaming and transparent. The cold air it emitted made Huo Wushuang shiver and sneeze. He asked, "What's the point of these soul skills?"
Originally, Huo Wushuang wanted to display some chivalry by letting Mi Xue use her soul skills first, but except for the initial "Icy Arena," the other two—the snowman coming to life and building an ice castle—didn't seem like they had any offensive purpose. It was no wonder she hadn't appeared in the preliminary rounds.
Huo Wushuang began to suspect she was put there to drain his soul power. The problem was, Mi Xue was now sitting atop the ice castle, and he didn't have any long-range soul skills. He needed to find a way to melt it down.
Just as Huo Wushuang was about to act, Mi Xue began to sing, and the snowman danced more energetically, splitting into two, then into four, then finally into eight.
Eight small snowmen danced in unison with Mi Xue's catchy and repetitive song. The rhythm and harmonies created by the bouncing snowmen hitting the ice castle even entranced the audience, who couldn't quite decide how to react to such a display.
Huo Wushuang found himself almost singing along, but he bit his tongue to snap himself out of it. "A spirit-based soul skill? A self-created technique?" he exclaimed, suddenly on high alert.
Maybe Mi Xue was one of Tianshui Academy's hidden trump cards.
Outside the arena, Yu Feng quickly stuffed his ears with cotton, but the song had already gotten into his head. "What the heck is this soul skill?" he wondered as the tune lingered, even with his ears covered. He felt lost and anxious, unsure of how to break free from the spell.
"It's not really a soul skill, but that song is definitely catchy." Tang San's lips twitched. He never expected to hear such a familiar tune in Douluo Continent—had Ice Fortress commercials made their way here?
Tang San refocused and looked at Mi Xue. He deduced she might be another transmigrator, like Mu Tian, Wang Chen, and Xu Xing. But whether she was always a woman or became one through transmigration didn't matter.
What did matter was that she didn't seem to be causing him trouble, suggesting she might be the rational type who just wanted to live her life without getting involved in outside factions.
Another possibility was that she might not have seen the "Douluo Continent" series in her past life and just thought she was in a magical world with martial souls and soul power.
"Isn't her song a soul skill?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled. "It's like a bewitching tune that you can't forget."
"It's more like when someone mentions a well-known phrase or story, and you instantly recall it. That's what's happening here," Tang San explained. There was no soul power in the song; it was just the snowmen and the ice fortress acting as an amplifier.
If Huo Wushuang attacked, he'd find out the ice castle wasn't all that strong. But Soul Masters on Douluo Continent had never encountered such a strange approach, so Huo Wushuang was on high alert, his soul power surging, and his nerves on edge.
Mi Xue's three soul skills weren't offensive; they were likely meant to throw Huo Wushuang off balance and create an icy arena that could benefit her teammates from Tianshui Academy.
Tang San, analyzing through his detecting glasses, realized that Mi Xue's first soul skill, "Icy Arena," not only involved soul power but also drew moisture from the air, creating real ice that would last a long time.
The group listened to Tang San's explanation, and Huo Wu was surprised, "So, Mi Xue is actually weak, but my brother got scared because it was his first time facing something like this. Even if he wins, his mental and emotional state could be affected, impacting his physical condition?"
"That's the idea," Tang San confirmed. He adjusted his glasses and sighed, "Mi Xue is a psychological master. If your brother tries to attack, she could surrender instantly or say something to delay, making him even more anxious... Especially since he seems to have a gentlemanly streak."
Gentlemanly behavior in battle usually meant women opponents could exploit weaknesses.
"How cunning!" Yu Feng glanced at Yu Tianheng, "Vice-Captain, if you faced such a cute female opponent, would you attack her suddenly?"
Yu Tianheng turned away, refusing to answer. Fighting such a shameless female Soul Master was tricky. Of course, these tactics were more common in formal elite tournaments, while in less regulated fighting arenas, competitors wouldn't be so gentle.
Also, to pull off this trick, the female Soul Master needed a specific quality: she had to be attractive. If not, she might just provoke anger, leading her opponent to strike hard.
"Captain, what would you do?" Yu Feng asked Tang San.
"I'd knock them out the moment the referee announced the start," Tang San suggested.
"Great idea!" Yu Feng's eyes lit up. "If it were me, I'd use wind to blow them out of the arena as soon as the match started."
Xiao Wu, Guang Ling, Huo Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Lan Yinzi, being women, didn't have the same concerns. They could just rush in and pummel the opponent.