Rest Area.
The Royal Battle Team was ready and could head to the stage at any moment.
However, Lü Buliang was nowhere to be seen.
After a minute of searching, Lü Buliang came running back to the players' lounge from the front desk.
Seeing him return with a grin, Dugu Yan frowned and scolded, "Where the hell did you go? Don't you know all participating team members are required to be in the lounge five minutes before a Soul Battle begins?"
"Sorry, I went to place a bet," Lü Buliang explained cheerfully. "I bet all my assets on us. The capital truly is different—these nobles bet in massive sums. They've all staked everything on the Mirror Battle Team. If we win this match, I'll win big and become a millionaire."
With that, he extended his hand toward the others, his gaze filled with unwavering confidence. "Royal for the win!"
Upon hearing those words, Dugu Yan's anger vanished instantly. The rest exchanged glances and placed their hands atop Lü Buliang's, shouting the slogan together.
"Go for it! I'll be cheering from the stands!" Oslo called out tearfully as he watched his teammates walk out toward the Soul Battle stage. Once a core member, he had now been relegated to the bench, cheering from the sidelines—a deeply saddening experience.
"They're here." Xue Qinghe's eyes locked onto Lü Buliang as the Royal Battle Team emerged from the lounge. Although he still didn't fully understand why Lü Buliang's Shadow Martial Soul had suddenly developed a dark attribute, there was no denying that it had become much more powerful.
Xue Qinghe didn't concern himself with how those he deemed "his" talents grew stronger—only with whether their value had increased.
In his view, Lü Buliang's current potential already exceeded that of Tuoba Xiang and Luo Siqi. Naturally, he was pleased to see such a talent blossom, especially when part of that growth was due to his own support and special attention.
As soon as the Mirror Battle Team took the stage, they ignited the crowd into a frenzy of cheers.
"Crush them! Let's go, Mirror Battle Team! I've bet my entire fortune on you—!"
Calls like these not only created immense pressure but also stirred the blood of everyone present.
"Perform well. This is your team's debut battle. If you let me down, consider yourselves disbanded." A richly dressed middle-aged man smiled confidently. He had ensured all the elites bet on the Mirror Battle Team—victory would bring unimaginable rewards.
The host stood at the center of the Soul Battle stage. Once both teams had arrived, he shouted, "Round three, team battle! In this match, the Mirror Battle Team faces off against the Royal Battle Team. I doubt I need to say much about the Mirror Team. Every one of their members is young yet holds a Silver Soul Badge. This is their debut match, and we hope their teamwork proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
"On the other side is the Royal Battle Team, also newly formed. Judging from the public records, they may be slightly behind in spirit power, but their Martial Souls are top-tier. While their Soul Badges range from Bronze to even Iron, this is a team with clear potential. What kind of surprise will both sides bring us today? Let's find out now!"
The announcer's impassioned voice echoed throughout the Soul Battle Arena. The audience roared, waving their hands in excitement as if they were attending a major concert on Earth.
On the stage, the two teams faced off.
Lü Buliang observed the opposing side. Leading the Mirror Battle Team was their captain, Qiu Lian, with flowing silver hair and a perpetual smirk. His Martial Soul: Mirror Shadow Dragon.
Behind him stood three burly, grim-faced men in a line—each with the Martial Soul: Mirror Shadow Beast.
Behind them, in another line, stood three more. At the center was a white-haired youth with the Martial Soul: Triangular Prism. Flanking him were two short, stout men, both possessing the Martial Soul: Silver Mirror.
The Mirror Team's formation was straightforward—an arrangement of one-three-three from front to back.
The Royal Battle Team adopted a standard formation. The front line featured the power-attack type Yu Tianheng flanked by the two defense types, Shi Mo and Shi Mo. Yu Tianheng stood at the center.
Behind him stood Dugu Yan, the control-type.
Further back was Ye Lingling, with Yufeng and Lü Buliang to her left and right.
Once both teams had assumed their positions, the host stepped off the platform and shouted with maximum energy: "Begin the Soul Battle—!"
"Activate Martial Souls!"
The command rang out simultaneously from Yu Tianheng and the Mirror Shadow Dragon Soul Master at the front, immediately followed by a surge of violent soul power and soul ring light engulfing the stage.
A Silver Mirror Dragon and a Blue Lightning Dragon appeared. As team captains, Yu Tianheng and the Mirror Dragon Soul Master each unleashed their Martial Souls, attempting to use soul quality to intimidate the opponent.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon coiled around Yu Tianheng's body, lightning crackling like thunder, filling the air with a tingling numbness.
Meanwhile, from the Mirror Shadow Dragon Soul Master, a single-horned dragon covered in reflective mirror scales emerged, giving off a silver glow as it reflected light.
At the moment both dragons appeared, the Mirror Shadow Dragon's pressure was immediately countered by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. A thunderous roar from the latter stirred a numbing gust of wind that swept across the Mirror Team, sending a shiver down their spines as though struck by electricity.
Seeing the Mirror Dragon Soul Master and his teammates suppressed by the Tyrant Dragon's aura, Yu Tianheng smiled faintly. His right arm transformed into a thunder-infused dragon claw, covered in scales.
Dragonification—a signature technique of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Masters—greatly amplified his lightning power and attack strength.
The Xuanwu Turtle Martial Souls of the Shi brothers also appeared. Two colossal green turtles materialized beside the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Surprisingly, their presence didn't pale in comparison—whether in size or aura, the Xuanwu Turtles stood proudly like divine beasts.
Next appeared the Martial Souls of Dugu Yan, Yufeng, and Ye Lingling: Jade Phosphor Serpent, Wind Chime Bird, and Nine-Heart Begonia.
Just then, a strange black wind swept across the Soul Battle stage, dimming the atmosphere.
A towering, eight-meter-tall black figure—bearing a striking resemblance to Lü Buliang—emerged, shrouding the arena in a chilling darkness.
Every spectator's eyes turned toward the figure. It felt as though their own shadows had awakened and were trembling in fear.
Even Gu Rong, a titled Douluo, felt his shadow suppressed by the figure despite using no soul power defenses.
Its eerie red-and-milky-white heterochromatic eyes stunned Xue Qinghe the most. Lü Buliang's shadow had once only crawled along the ground, but now it had taken tangible form.
Shadow Martial Soul?
The unsettling dark aura triggered a response in the divine light of the angel within Xue Qinghe. He felt his consciousness blur—was it the angel's light responding to the darkness? Or… was it the angel's other half—darkness itself—being summoned by this power?
Already suppressed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Mirror Team now found their shadows subjugated as well. The Mirror Dragon Soul Master's smug expression vanished, replaced by panic.
He could clearly sense that this eight-meter shadowy figure emitted a presence even stronger than the Tyrant Dragon.
Why?
Because his Mirror Shadow Dragon carried a shadow attribute—and that towering black figure was a pure shadow spirit. In the presence of the true King of Shadows, even a Mirror Dragon of ancient bloodline had to bow.
Worse still, as a sub-dragon species, the Mirror Shadow Dragon was completely restrained by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
Two top-tier Martial Souls were suppressing him simultaneously. The pressure made the Mirror Shadow Dragon Soul Master panic.
Fortunately, the Mirror Team's tactic was to pull enemies into the Mirror World and eliminate them one by one. That way, they didn't need to face both top-tier Martial Souls at once.
Once Martial Souls and soul rings had been fully released, the first to act were not the frontliners, but the support-type Soul Masters at the rear.
The Mirror Team's Triangular Prism Soul Master raised his hand. A gemstone-like soul tool appeared in his palm—a transparent triangular prism that refracted the arena lights brilliantly.
"That child's Martial Soul is a prism," Ning Fengzhi noted from the stands, surprised. "I didn't expect prism-type Martial Souls to still exist on the continent."
Xue Qinghe asked curiously, "Teacher, is there something special about the Prism Martial Soul?"
Ning Fengzhi replied solemnly, "Prism Martial Souls, like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, belong to the gemstone-type category. A three-sided prism is known as a Triangular Prism. Your Highness should know what the 'seven' in the Glazed Tile Pagoda represents, correct?"
"The Seven Treasures Pagoda Soul Master can only have seven soul rings—at most, they'll reach level 79 in their lifetime. This is the greatest flaw of that Martial Soul. Prism-type Martial Souls share the same limitation."
"A prism with only three sides means its user can only ever have three soul rings. A four-sided prism allows four rings, and so on. Such a massive flaw must naturally come with immense strength."
"The prism's only function, like the Nine-Heart Begonia, is one—amplify incoming energy attacks through one face and release it through another, strengthened. The degree of amplification depends on the number of rings: the more rings, the stronger the boost."
"However, these Martial Souls require exceptional support conditions and mental acuity to reach their full potential. I wonder what this Prism Soul Master is capable of."
Nearby, both Xue Qinghe and Gu Rong listened attentively. Ning Rongrong, too, was fascinated. Pointing to Ye Lingling's Nine-Heart Begonia, she asked, "Father, what does the Nine-Heart Begonia do?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Its only function is wide-range, full-team healing. The healing strength is based on the user's will. The higher their level and soul rings, the more soul power they can dedicate to healing. You could say the Nine-Heart Begonia is a miracle among Martial Souls."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong was amazed. Now a two-ring Soul Grandmaster herself, she already had a basic understanding of Soul Masters and Martial Souls—especially auxiliary types similar to her own.
She quickly asked Gu Rong, "Full-area healing… If they don't eliminate the Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Master first during battle, won't they just wear them down?"
"Exactly," Gu Rong said with a pleased smile. "Rongrong, you're quite clever."
Back on the battlefield, both sides' support-type Soul Masters made their move. The Mirror Team's Triangular Prism Soul Master released his Martial Soul in a burst of white light. Simultaneously, the Silver Mirror Soul Masters on either side activated three techniques in quick succession.
First Soul Skill: Mirror Shield.
Second Soul Skill: Reinforce.
Third Soul Skill: Reflect.
Both Silver Mirror Soul Masters executed their skills simultaneously. Four mirrors appeared in midair around them, one in each cardinal direction. Two more mirrors appeared—one overhead, one underfoot.
In a blink, the mirrors converged from all directions and fused into a seamless cube—a sealed reflective barrier.
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