Chapter 175: Oakland VS Shinfeng
At the Great Soul Arena in Tiandou City.
The Soul Arena competition had reached its 13th day. Although the event was nearly halfway through, the enthusiasm of the spectators showed no signs of waning. The arena, which could hold up to 80,000 spectators, was still packed to capacity.
Today, the scorching heat of the previous days had given way to a cool breeze. The sky was overcast, and occasional gusts of wind brought a welcome relief from the oppressive heat created by the crowd.
"It's much cooler today!"
"This damn weather—just a few days ago, it was so hot you could fry an egg, and now, I'm wearing long sleeves and still feel cold. Looking at the sky, it might rain later!"
Some spectators voiced their concerns.
"I think it's going to be a downpour," said a middle-aged man, who was more experienced in predicting the weather.
Despite the extreme weather, the excitement for the competition remained high.
Soon, people began discussing the schedule for the day's matches with fervor. As all 28 teams prepared, three distinguished guests made their way to the VIP seats. These three, of course, were the most prominent figures of the Tiandou Empire: Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Tiandou Empire's Spirit Hall.
With the host's voice booming across the arena, the day's competition officially began.
The opening match featured Shrek Academy, another unexpected dark horse, facing off against Tianshui Academy.
Under the leadership of Tang San, Shrek Academy, though not as powerful as in the original story, was still a formidable force. After all, in the original, Shrek's team had concealed many of their secrets during the preliminaries.
As soon as the female competitors from Tianshui Academy took the stage, the entire arena erupted in cheers. The seven girls from Tianshui were all beautiful and graceful, creating a striking presence in the competition.
The battle between the two teams immediately ignited the atmosphere. Though they no longer had the dual immunity to ice and fire, Tang San's strength was still not to be underestimated. His fourth spirit ring, while not the 10,000-year-old Earth Spider, was a 1,000-year spirit ring that brought his abilities to the top tier of his level.
Additionally, with his Tang Sect special abilities, his control over the battlefield was unmatched, even among all the control-type spirit masters in the competition.
The match was intense, with both teams pushing their limits. As the battle reached its peak, both sides unleashed their Martial Soul Fusion Skills, taking the excitement to a new level.
For Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing merged their Martial Souls to summon the Hell White Tiger. On the Tianshui side, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu followed suit with their Ice Phoenix, Ice Snow Falling.
The sharp cry of the phoenix rang out as the Ice Phoenix broke through the defenses of the Hell White Tiger. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, exhausted of soul power, fell to the ground. Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were both at the Soul King level, while Zhu Zhuqing was only a Soul Sect, which made their fusion skill more powerful. Moreover, Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix was a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, not inferior to Dai Mubai's White Tiger.
Watching the ice phoenix soaring through the frosty sky, Tang San had no choice but to concede defeat.
Though Shrek lost this battle, many sharp-eyed people couldn't help but focus on the Oakland team. Shrek's Martial Soul Fusion skill was the Hell White Tiger, but Oakland had the same skill. What was the connection between these two teams?
Amidst these curious glances, Dai Yao seemed unaffected, his gaze still fixed on the arena. He had anticipated this—whenever Martial Soul Fusion skills were used, people would inevitably draw connections between him and Dai Mubai.
He looked at the downcast Shrek team and mused silently.
"Tang San, Tang San, you've lost two battles now. With 11 wins out of 13, you can't afford many more losses if you want to advance. Even if you bring out all the Shrek Seven, it may still be difficult. You'll have to reveal your Haotian Hammer soon."
Dai Yao's brief interaction with Shrek had been noticed by some, but soon, the focus shifted to the next matches.
The rest of the day's competition didn't quite live up to the excitement of the Shrek-Tianshui match, and the weather turned for the worse as light rain began to fall.
A noteworthy match was between the Blaze Fire Academy and Thunderbolt Academy.
After their defeat against Oakland the day before, Thunderbolt's core member, Yu Tianxin, was still injured and unable to participate. Several other Soul Kings had not fully recovered either, drastically weakening the team's overall strength. Unsurprisingly, Thunderbolt Academy lost to Blaze Fire Academy.
But Thunderbolt's unlucky streak wasn't over yet. Tomorrow, they were scheduled to face Tianshui Academy, and with Yu Tianxin still unable to compete, they were likely to suffer another defeat.
Finally, the highlight of the day had arrived.
Oakland VS Shinfeng Academy!
Oakland, the dark horse of this competition, had achieved 13 straight wins, including a shocking victory over the top-tier Thunderbolt Academy. They had become the sensation of the tournament.
On the other hand, Shinfeng Academy was widely considered the strongest team in the competition. With the most Soul Kings and a nearly unbeatable offense, no one had figured out how to defeat them.
Like Oakland, they also boasted an unblemished 13-win record. Their showdown promised to be a clash of titans.
Suddenly, a rumbling thunder reverberated in the sky, followed by a silver lightning strike that seemed to split the heavens and illuminate the entire Tiandou City.
Then, rain began to pour down in sheets, with the sound of raindrops hitting the ground like pebbles.
"What the hell is this weather!"
"Right as the match is about to begin, it starts raining this hard! How are we supposed to see the match?"
Many spectators cursed as the rain beat down on them, stinging like tiny needles, making it impossible to keep their eyes open. The torrential downpour also blocked their view of the arena, with only faint figures visible.
In the VIP seats, the soul masters quickly used their spirit power to shield the guests from the rain.
"Your Majesty, the rain is so heavy. Should the match continue?"
Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Salas exchanged glances before nodding. Then, they replied with solemnity:
"Soul Master competitions are meant to test adaptability to all environments and weather conditions. As per tradition, no matter what happens, the matches will continue. Proceed."
Upon hearing Emperor Xue Ye's decision, the host stepped back and made the announcement:
"The competition will continue!"
As the announcer's voice echoed across the arena, the crowd, still murmuring, settled back into their seats. Some vendors who had anticipated the rain began selling raincoats.
Dai Yao, observing the steadily increasing rain, felt a sense of calm. He even wondered if someone had prepared a script for him, as the weather seemed perfect for his fourth spirit skill.
(End of Chapter)