On Arena No. 6—
Crisp birdsong rang out continuously, accompanied by intense flames and ice-blue light. The two forces intertwined and clashed, mingling and repelling each other.
Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er faced each other from a distance, surrounded by blazing red and icy blue light. Both had tactfully used enhancement-type soul skills to empower their soul beast partners, allowing them to fight independently. After all, in this competition, the real protagonists were the contracted soul beasts. The soul masters were, in a sense, secondary.
The two sides remained deadlocked for quite a while.
Neither seemed able to overpower the other. And as time dragged on, it was unclear how much longer the stalemate would last.
Finally, with unspoken understanding, the two decided to unleash their ultimate moves. One strike to determine the victor!
After exchanging a distant glance, the two girls nodded in perfect sync. Years of friendship had brought them to the point where a single look was enough to convey their thoughts.
With that unspoken agreement made—
Huo Wu slowly raised her hands. Two clusters of orange-red flames rose from her palms, each flaring over a meter high. As time passed, the flames in her hands grew ever brighter. They didn't rise higher but gradually changed in color.
From orange-red to dark blue, and then from dark blue to pure white! The instant the fire turned white, all its heat seemed to vanish. It no longer even seemed like fire.
At this moment, all five of the soul rings around Huo Wu lit up in succession. With each ring, her aura grew more powerful, and the white flame in her palms intensified.
The searing flame condensed, and the radiance bathed Huo Wu in an almost ethereal glow. At the same time, the Fire Phoenix in the sky swooped down, merging into her body in a burst of fire—they became one!
On the other side, Shui Bing'er wasn't to be outdone. The white cat beside her suddenly transformed into a streak of light and merged into her body. At the same time, Shui Bing'er turned into a brilliant pillar of blue-white light that shot into the storm clouds overhead.
What the two had just unleashed was a true spirit fusion technique—an ultimate cooperation between soul beast and human!
Outside the arena—
The spectators gasped in astonishment, clearly seeing something beyond their expectations. Even Qian Renxue in the VIP seats couldn't hide her surprise. Clearly, while she had heard of such things, seeing it in person was another matter entirely.
Back in the ring—
Once Shui Bing'er and her white cat fused and soared into the sky, the rain from above suddenly changed. The droplets turned frigid and then transformed into fluttering snowflakes.
Each falling snowflake was as sharp as a blade, spinning as it descended. They swirled into a vortex of ice and snow, sweeping toward Huo Wu.
This move was called Snowfall. A beautiful name, but behind its elegance lurked a lethal killing intent.
At that same moment, Huo Wu also completed her soul fusion technique and was ready to unleash her own ultimate move.
"Fi—re—Dance—of—the—Sun—!"
With each word she spoke, the white flames in her hands surged stronger. By the time she reached the final "sun," a massive white fireball had formed above her head, shining like a miniature sun.
The terrifying heat warped the very air around it!
Then—
Ice met fire. Snow met sun.
The two forces finally clashed.
In an instant, the arena's protective barrier was flooded with blinding white light. Ice-blue and flame-red clashed violently, distorting the scene in front of everyone. It was a testament to the overwhelming power both sides had unleashed.
Among the spectators, those with sharp eyes couldn't help but exclaim:
"Amazing!"
"These two girls are only Soul Kings, but just this one move—they could challenge even a Soul Sage!"
"Truly impressive! The younger generation is not to be underestimated!"
"To think that humans and soul beasts could perform a spirit fusion technique like this—and with such devastating power!"
"This… this is what a true Soul Contract Master looks like!"
"These two girls—aren't they from Baiyun Academy?"
"From the start of the competition until now, only these two have truly lived up to the name of Soul Contract Masters."
"Yes! This is the real power of a Soul Contract Master!"
The crowd marveled in awe, all eyes fixed on Arena No. 6.
In the VIP seats—
Ye Cheng watched the battle on the screen and nodded. "Both have performed admirably. Their coordination with their soul partners is flawless—it's as if their hearts are truly connected. They're almost ready to graduate."
"You're giving them such high praise?" Qian Renxue glanced at him in surprise. In her memory, this man had never praised anyone so highly. Yet this time, he had praised two people at once?
"High praise?" Ye Cheng shook his head slightly, offering no further explanation.
In the arena—
Red and blue light clashed violently, triggering a powerful elemental reaction. The opposing attributes caused even the arena itself to start melting, showing signs of structural collapse.
Finally—
One of the lights began to dim!
Gradually, it was overpowered by the other.
The crowd watching realized the outcome was near.
BOOM!!!
With a deafening roar—
The entire arena was suddenly covered in a thick layer of frost, and the firelight vanished.
It signaled that the outcome had been decided.
Within the ring—
The brilliant light from before had disappeared.
Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er stood not far apart, exchanging a few words.
"Looks like I've won this round," Shui Bing'er said, glancing at Huo Wu. Though Huo Wu still had enough strength to fight, the firebird perched on her shoulder had lost its luster, clearly overexerted and unable to continue.
"Alright, alright, this time you win—just barely," Huo Wu muttered, gently patting the weakened firebird on her shoulder. Then she added with mock annoyance, "What kind of best friend goes all out like that? No mercy at all." Though she had to admit, she hadn't held back either.
"Meow~"
Shui Bing'er's white cat let out a soft purr and leapt up onto her shoulder, affectionately nuzzling her cheek before turning toward the firebird with a look of smug provocation. It seemed to say: See? I'm still the better one. You're already out of juice.
The firebird gave her a weary side-eye, then shut its eyes in disdain. It wasn't even worth arguing. Both soul beasts were female, not male.
In truth, neither girl had exhausted themselves too much. They could have continued fighting.
But this was a competition for Soul Contract Masters, and their soul beasts were the real stars. With Huo Wu's firebird drained and unable to continue, the result was already clear.
The winner had been decided.
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