"Looks like both sides are all set!" Standing in the middle of the arena, the host, Dodo, swept her eyes between the two teams. Then, with a big wave of her hand, she shouted, "The Soul Battle starts right now!"
"Third Soul Skill - Whirling Flower Cyclone!"
"Second Soul Skill - Frost Spike!"
As soon as the words were out, Feng Hua and Xue Yue, as if they'd heard a charge horn, didn't hesitate for a second and activated their soul skills simultaneously.
Feng Hua's martial soul was a strange flower that grew in the extreme northern lands, a place covered in snow all year round with harsh conditions. As the soul skill was triggered, countless flower petals swirled out from his body, spinning more and more, spreading wider and wider, completely enveloping him and Xue Yue.
Xue Yue's martial soul was the Frost Wolf, also from the extreme north. Dense ice spikes condensed, swirling around just like the flower petals. Eventually, they merged perfectly with the petals, forming a howling tornado.
"What the heck are they up to?" In the audience seats, Max scratched his head, looking totally confused.
Xiao Wu tilted her head, put her finger to her lips, and was equally puzzled, "Yeah, why aren't they attacking?"
Blake was also clueless at first, but then his face suddenly paled, and he exclaimed, "No way! They're about to use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"
Just as the Snowstorm Duo activated their soul skills, Leo and the little fox also brought out their Deceptive Orbs. Seeing that the opponents didn't attack but instead created a barrier for self - protection, Leo immediately got the picture. He turned to Aria beside him and said, "They're gonna use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. The little guy and I will take the lead in the attack, try to break their barrier. You keep an eye out and rush in as soon as there's a gap."
Before he even finished speaking, Leo shot forward like an arrow leaving the bow, charging towards the Snowstorm Duo. The little fox, understanding perfectly, followed closely behind its master. The two, a man and his pet, were so in sync that they didn't need words to communicate.
Aria, hearing Leo's words, quickly followed suit. Although she started a bit late, as an agility - attack - type soul master, she was extremely fast. Soon, she reached the barrier.
The sight in front of her made her heart sink. Countless flower petals as sharp as knives and ice spikes as pointed as needles were spinning at high speed. There was no opening at all. If she forced her way in, she'd surely be turned into a sieve.
"Deceptive Orb, go!"
Just as Aria was circling the barrier, looking for an opening, Leo and the little fox arrived. The two Deceptive Orbs, one above the other, shot out in an instant, passing right through the barrier and appearing on the other side.
Aria was stunned at first. The orbs didn't make a hole in the barrier? But soon, she noticed the orbs on the other side of the barrier. Her eyes lit up as she remembered the situation when they fought against Teacher Zhao.
She didn't stop moving. In a flash, she appeared at the position of the orbs. Her eyes changed color, the left one dark green and the right one orange - blue. Her gaze was as sharp as a hunting cat's, staring intently at the movement of the barrier.
The moment the orbs were withdrawn, they hit the barrier, tearing a huge hole in it. Without hesitation, Aria followed closely behind the two orbs, slipping in like a nimble cat. Strangely, as soon as she got in, the hole quickly closed up, and the barrier returned to its original state.
Inside the barrier, the wind howled, making Aria's clothes flutter loudly. The cold wind was like a knife, cutting at her face. Fortunately, there were no flower petals or ice spikes in the wind. Although the strong wind made her steps a bit heavy, she still managed to approach the Snowstorm Duo, who were in the middle of preparing their fusion skill.
"Shadow Dash!" Aria shouted softly, activating her first soul skill.
Her body suddenly leaped up. Her originally heavy steps instantly picked up speed, leaving behind a series of phantoms as she rushed towards the two. The sharp claws on her hands extended fully, aiming to strike one of them.
Feng Hua and Xue Yue never expected that the soul - skill barrier they'd sustained with massive soul power could be broken so easily. What's more, they couldn't believe that Aria, whom they regarded as a newbie, could break in so quickly. Their pupils constricted, but their fusion skill was only halfway through, and they couldn't spare any hands to defend. All they could do was watch as the claws came at them.
"Whoa, Aria has gotten into the tornado, but we have no idea what's going on inside. The flower petals and ice spikes are blocking our view completely."
Outside the arena, the host, Dodo, held the microphone in one hand and shielded her face from the gusty wind with the other, trying hard to open her eyes wide to see what was happening inside, so as to explain to the audience. In the audience seats, everyone held their breath. Blake was so nervous that his heart was practically in his throat.
But not long after, just as Dodo finished speaking, a figure flew out backwards like a kite with a broken string. The whole arena was shocked.
"This is incredible! It's actually Xue Yue! Xue Yue has been sent flying out. What on earth is going on!" Dodo's eyes widened in shock, and the audience was also highly intrigued by her reaction.
The moment Xue Yue was sent flying, the flower petals and ice spikes, which had lost the support of soul power, dissipated instantly, revealing the situation inside the barrier.
"Shadow Claws!" Having succeeded with one move, Aria immediately activated her second soul skill, attacking Feng Hua again.
Because the Martial Soul Fusion Skill was interrupted, Feng Hua managed to get out for the moment, but he didn't have time to use his soul skills. He could only dodge Aria's sharp claws in a sorry state.
"This is amazing! Aria has actually got Feng Hua on the ropes!" Dodo exclaimed again, covering her mouth in disbelief.
Feng Hua managed to dodge Aria's attacks one after another. Finally, he got a chance to catch his breath and immediately shouted, "Fourth Soul Skill - Falling Flower's..."
But before he could finish, his voice stopped abruptly, and his eyes became dazed. Somehow, the little fox's Charming Spell had quietly invaded his body from behind.
"It's the little fox! It's used its signature Charming Spell!" Dodo shouted excitedly.
This shout made all the audience stand up, staring intently at the center of the arena.
"Deceptive Orb!" Leo launched the orb in his hand right after. Taking advantage of the Charming Spell taking effect, he hit Feng Hua hard.
Feng Hua was hit by two consecutive attacks from the Deceptive Orb. With a thud, he fell to the arena floor.
"What the...?" Dodo was completely stunned. For a moment, she didn't know how to comment.
It was simply astonishing. No one could have imagined that the Snowstorm Duo would lose the match so quickly. She had thought this battle would last for dozens of rounds!