The first Continental Soul Contract Master Tournament officially kicked off, set to last three days.
At this moment, ten pairs of contestants had each taken their place on individual battle platforms. Above them, soul guide technology projected real-time visuals of the matches onto ten floating 3D screens, giving spectators a complete, panoramic view of the combat between Soul Contract Masters.
All footage would be preserved for future promotional use across the world and would become significant historical documentation in the history of Soul Contract Masters. Those who performed well could truly go down in history.
Naturally, everyone stepping onto the stage was brimming with excitement, eager to show their best selves.
Within the enormous square, the ten massive screens displayed each match, allowing the audience to choose whichever fight they wanted to watch.
Front row of the VIP section.
Ye Cheng and Qian Renxue were seated quietly, watching the matches. Among the ten competing pairs, one group caught their attention—because they were familiar.
Platform No. 6.
The screen showed a man and a woman entering the stage.
The moment they stepped onto the platform, the surrounding space began to distort. The once clearly audible cheers and dense crowd faded into a thick mist. From inside the ring, the competitors could no longer see the audience, ensuring complete immersion and focus on the battle.
The male contestant wasn't particularly noteworthy—just a typical burly man with an average face. Floating around him were five soul rings, indicating he had reached the rank of Soul King. Before the global energy level surged, reaching Soul King before thirty would have marked him as a genius. But under current conditions, doing so was merely average. His soul beast partner was a draconic beast resembling a dragon, emanating black soul light—clearly a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
His opponent, however, was a striking woman with a seductive presence. She had shoulder-length orange-yellow hair, an alluring face, and also bore five soul rings. Unlike the standard two-yellow, two-purple, one-black configuration, hers was two purple and three black—an unmistakable sign of a Divine Ring Master who had formed her own rings.
This unique configuration made the male contestant envious. He longed to win the championship or at least place in the top three, which would allow him to request help from Baiyun City to switch to the Divine Ring path. Consolation prizes like medicinal pills or soul guides, while nice, weren't what he truly wanted.
"Please go easy on me," he said, suppressing his excitement and cupping his fists politely. After all, this was a recorded public match that could be used for future promotion. Naturally, he wanted to present his best image.
"Likewise," the orange-haired woman—Hu Liena—responded with a graceful smile and impeccable manners. Beside her was a six-tailed snow-white fox with icy blue eyes—adorable and elegant, the type of creature young girls would love as a pet.
[Contestants, take your positions!]
[The match is about to begin!]
A voice rang out from above, majestic like a decree from the heavens.
[Ready…]
[…Begin!!]
With the referee's declaration, the match officially commenced.
"ROAR!!!"
The male contestant's small dragon, barely knee-high at first, let out a thunderous roar. In a flash, it expanded into a towering beast over twenty meters tall. Fortunately, the arena's internal space was vast; if it had been the standard ten-meter ring, one sweep of that tail would have destroyed the platform.
At the same time, the man quickly retreated, putting dozens of meters between himself and Hu Liena.
Hu Liena maintained a calm smile. A flicker of pink light flashed through her eyes, while the six-tailed fox beside her gently swayed its tails, releasing an invisible ripple into the air.
The now fully transformed dragon lit up with faint red waves across its body. It opened its maw, a searing red glow welling up from its throat before it unleashed a blazing beam of fire!
Hu Liena didn't flinch. She had no intention of dodging. The six-tailed fox's eyes glowed icy blue, and a transparent ice crystal wall suddenly materialized in front of her.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!"
The blazing beam crashed into the ice wall—but to the male contestant's surprise, it couldn't penetrate it.
Wasn't fire supposed to counter ice?
Perplexed, he guessed the woman's contracted beast had strong defensive abilities, which allowed it to block the dragon's breath. But surely she couldn't hold out for long.
He commanded his soul beast to continue its fiery assault while quietly activating his martial soul. His eyes turned into beast-like pupils, black leopard ears sprouted from his head—his martial soul was the Black Panther, known for speed and offense.
In the next instant, soul rings flashed around him as he turned into a black blur, crossing dozens of meters in a heartbeat. He appeared behind Hu Liena, his hand now a claw, and viciously swiped at her seemingly defenseless back!
"Rip!"
Five deep wounds tore across "Hu Liena's" back. Blood gushed out as she cried out and collapsed forward. The six-tailed fox, busy maintaining the ice wall, had no way to help her.
Seizing the opportunity, the man pressed the attack, ruthlessly striking at the fallen woman. There was no hesitation or mercy—this battle could decide his entire future. If he could switch to a Divine Ring Master, it would change his destiny. Mercy had no place here.
Soon, the severely injured "Hu Liena" lay motionless.
Worried for her partner, the six-tailed fox lost focus. Cracks formed in the ice wall, and the dragon's breath finally shattered it. With a pained cry, the fox was engulfed in flames.
When the fire subsided, only the fox's charred body remained. Though alive, it was no longer capable of fighting.
Seeing this, the man let out a breath of relief and even smiled.
The next moment—an unexpected twist!
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