The preliminary round had already passed its midway point, and things were running much more smoothly than before. Without making the audience wait too long, the second match of the day between Elephant Armored Academy and Canghui Academy began as both teams entered the arena.
The audience cheered enthusiastically, directing their support toward the students of Canghui Academy.
No one had expected that Canghui Academy, which had displayed mediocre performances and struggled to win previous matches, would overwhelm the veteran powerhouse Thunderclap Academy yesterday, leaving them with no chance to fight back.
Now, they were up against another powerhouse, Elephant Armored Academy, which excited the crowd. Upsets, in any competition, were always a crowd-pleaser.
The audience eagerly anticipated that Canghui Academy might once again pull off an upset and defeat Elephant Armored Academy. Although yesterday's match had been strange and somewhat baffling, it didn't matter — as long as the audience was entertained.
Amid the cheers, the seven students of Canghui Academy walked onto the stage excitedly. This was their moment of glory.
Long live Teacher Shi Nian!
They were confident that they would remain undefeated and advance to the promotion rounds, brimming with self-assurance.
Then, they saw the seven hulking figures from Elephant Armored Academy walking up from the other side — to be more precise, seven large masses of muscle, glaring at them with cold smiles. This sight made the Canghui Academy students feel a bit uneasy.
With the referee's announcement, the match entered the preparation phase.
The students of Canghui Academy cleared their minds of distractions and, following their pre-planned strategy, began preparing their Seven Asura Dreamland. No matter what tricks their opponents had, they were ready to crush them with a swift strike right at the beginning.
There was no other choice; they couldn't abandon their established tactics and engage in close combat with their opponents — they simply weren't on the same level.
At the sound of the starting whistle, without any hesitation, the seven-colored light instantly expanded, enveloping the members of Elephant Armored Academy in a flash. The dazzling light filled the atmosphere with a mysterious aura.
The audience below held their breath, their eyes fixed on the scene on stage. Here it comes — the same move again.
"It's useless. This move won't work on me," said Hu Yanli, a sinister smile appearing on his face as he took a step forward.
Behind him, the other six members of Elephant Armored Academy moved nimbly into formation, hiding behind him.
Yes, their movements were incredibly agile — "nimble giants" was the best way to describe them.
With everyone watching, Hu Yanli's forehead began to glow faintly, and a phantom of a diamond mammoth, identical to his martial spirit, appeared above his head.
On his head, an earth-colored helmet materialized in an instant, meeting the seven-colored light emanating from Canghui Academy.
As the illusionary figure collided with the multicolored light, a transparent, membrane-like barrier formed between them, crackling with energy.
"A soul bone?"
In the arena, some knowledgeable soul masters couldn't help but exclaim.
In the stands, Hu Yanzhen, noticing the glances from others, cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Just a stroke of luck, nothing more."
Meanwhile, in the viewing area, Huo Wushuang and Feng Xiaotian's expressions twisted.
"A soul bone? So that's the secret that bastard Hu Yanli was talking about?"
They were both envious and frustrated, realizing why Han Li had said that Elephant Armored Academy's strategy couldn't be replicated by others.
A soul bone, and one that perfectly matched his martial soul at that — no need to guess, the quality had to be exceptional. And it even had mental defense capabilities. They were incredibly envious. After all, none of them had ever seen a soul bone, let alone been told by their elders whether they had one.
To be precise, one reason they were participating in the Soul Master Tournament was for the soul bone reward mentioned in the competition.
"Holy Son Han, if we join Spirit Hall, do we get a soul bone?"
The question came from the captain of Botanic Academy. She was quite self-aware. Though her strength was decent among her peers, she still lagged behind Feng Xiaotian and the others.
Now, Hu Yanli was even using a soul bone.
Hearing this, Han Li blinked, surprised that Hu Yanli had inadvertently served as an advertisement. The captain of Botanic Academy, although not as strong, was still a genius with innate soul power at level eight. Her martial soul's quality was somewhat lacking, but Han Li hadn't expected her to ask such a question.
"Hu Yanli's soul bone was probably provided by the Elephant Armored Clan. I'm not sure about its origin. As for joining Spirit Hall and getting a soul bone, I can't make any promises. But compared to other factions, the chances of obtaining a soul bone in Spirit Hall are certainly higher."
After thinking for a moment, Han Li responded.
He wasn't joking — soul bones were rare for everyone. Offering soul bones just for joining was unrealistic.
Although he liked teasing Feng Xiaotian, realistically speaking, among the people present, only Feng Xiaotian might have a chance to negotiate such a condition with Spirit Hall. Huo Wu, with her ability to independently develop soul ring fusion, was also a possibility, though she was still slightly behind Feng Xiaotian.
The Botanic Academy captain, hearing this, smiled awkwardly. She had spoken without thinking, and as soon as the words had left her mouth, she realized what the answer would be.
"Maybe it's not impossible… something to look forward to," Han Li added after a moment. He had thought of the secret method for creating soul bones. Perhaps in the future, they could study using the bones of deceased soul beasts to fashion something. While the quality might be inferior, it would be sufficient for some people.
The others chuckled, taking his words as nothing more than consolation.
On the stage, both sides were locked in a stalemate. One side's attacks were at their peak, while the other side's defense held strong. However, Hu Yanli couldn't control the situation well enough to retaliate.
"Xiao, tell Jia to activate all his soul skills and throw me over there. I'm going to smash them to death," Hu Yanli said with some effort, giving orders to the younger members behind him.
Although Hu Yanli used the soul bone to block the opponent's mental attack, it was a mixed defense, not purely a mental defense. At best, it provided the mental energy barrier of a newly advanced Soul Sage. It consumed a lot of his soul power, and his output was starting to lag.
If this dragged on, even though the opposing team's soul power levels were lower than his, they had seven members, and he wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
"Understood."
Hu Yanxiao didn't hesitate and turned to look at Hu Yanjia, the heaviest among them.
Hu Yanjia gave a silly smile and, without saying a word, activated all his defensive skills. He allowed Hu Yanxiao and another teammate to lift him and throw him toward the enemy.
"Damn," thought Canghui Academy's captain as he saw Elephant Armored Academy's move. He wanted to curse, but the frustrating thing was that once their skill was activated, they couldn't move unless the enemy was defeated.
Although Hu Yanjia was pulled into the Seven Asura Dreamland the moment he entered its range, the effects of his defensive soul skills didn't disappear.
Thus, the captain could only watch as Hu Yanjia crashed into him, sweeping along two other teammates as well. With a dramatic roll of his eyes, the captain fainted, breaking the mental link.
The Seven Asura Dreamland was shattered. The remaining four members of Canghui Academy faced the six members of Elephant Armored Academy, who were grinning wickedly.
The scene ended cruelly. Without the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique, Canghui Academy stood no chance against Elephant Armored Academy. The gap in strength was already significant, and they were outnumbered.
As a result, they were brutally beaten and walked off the stage with black and blue faces.
This match, highlighted by the appearance of a soul bone, saw Canghui Academy's dream of a winning streak crushed by Elephant Armored Academy before it even started.
Below the stage, Shi Nian let out a long sigh. Watching his students walk back, he didn't say anything, letting them return to the academy on their own. He was feeling a bit down and wanted to go for a drink.
The Seven-in-One Fusion Technique, the Seven Asura Dreamland, was something he had developed after years of research, inspired by his head soul bone. He hadn't expected it to be broken so soon after its debut.
Although the opponent had used a soul bone to counter his strategy, it still left him feeling frustrated.
Fortunately, the reputation had already been established. Against other academies in the future, they still had a good chance of winning. This technique was something he had prepared to make a name for himself. Comforting himself with this thought, Shi Nian headed toward the exit.
Coincidentally, as he was about to leave the arena, he ran into several members of the second team from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, who had just finished watching the match.
"Xiao San, after watching Elephant Armored Academy's counter, do you think..."
Yu Xiaogang started to speak, but then noticed Shi Nian's dark expression and wisely shut his mouth.
He knew Shi Nian, having had conflicts with him alongside Flender and the others in the past. He was well aware of Shi Nian's strong sense of revenge.
"I have a few ideas, but I'm not sure yet. I don't have full confidence," Tang San said. His view had been blocked by Yu Xiaogang, so he hadn't noticed Shi Nian. Although he found it odd that his teacher had suddenly stopped mid-sentence, he still shared his thoughts.
Then, as Tang San took a step forward, he saw Shi Nian as well.
Canghui Academy's students mentioned yesterday that their teacher, Shi Nian, had created the technique. Were they now discussing it right in front of him...?
The situation became somewhat awkward.
However, Tang San quickly adjusted and regained his composure. They were all opponents anyway, so thinking of ways to counter each other wasn't an issue.
He met Shinian's gaze. After a glance, Shi Nian looked away. He had already been warned by the Heaven Dou Empire that this kid was a specially protected individual. He couldn't afford to provoke him.
Shi Nian continued walking forward. Just as he was about to leave the arena, he paused for a moment. He still needed to teach them a lesson. He couldn't target the students, but Yu Xiaogang, that waste man, would be a fitting target for some payback, right?
He slightly stirred his soul power, causing a faint flicker in his head, and sent a subtle mental attack toward Yu Xiaogang.
A soul bone? A head soul bone?
In a corner not far from Tang San's group, Shi Nian's actions were noticed by a person in a black robe, whose face was hidden. The figure glanced at the oblivious members of the second team from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, then turned to follow Shi Nian as he left the arena.
At the same time, Han Li and his group also emerged from the arena. As they rounded the corner, they witnessed this scene unfold.
A slight smile appeared on Han Li's lips. After whispering a few words to Dugu Yan and the others, he concealed his presence and began tailing the black-robed figure.