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In the afternoon, the arena matches officially began.
The first match was between the Seven Treasures team and the Auckland team.
"Zhu Qing, Fatty, Yu Die, and Cai Die—go on in this order. After that, it'll be me, with Xiaotian as the anchor," Ning Tianchen instructed.
Other teams had brought one or two substitutes, but the Seven Treasures team still only had six members.
Ke Jie was right: with Ning Tianchen and Feng Xiaotian guarding the stage, it would be very difficult for other teams to defeat them.
As for the third match against Thunderclap Academy, everyone silently understood what was at stake.
Soon, after receiving instructions from the referee, the Seven Treasures team and the Auckland team simultaneously walked toward the arena.
"The inter-academy exchange tournament, day one of the arena matches, first round: Seven Treasures team versus Auckland team. Both sides, please send your first defender to the stage."
The Auckland team and Flame Radiance Academy had never advanced past the preliminary rounds of the Soul Masters Tournament. As a result, their team members were more focused on teamwork, while their individual strengths were relatively weaker compared to soul masters of the same level.
Zhu Zhuqing stepped onto the stage first, followed closely by Liu Yang from the Auckland team.
Liu Yang was a 35-level Soul Elder, ranking in the middle of his team.
The match began, and Zhu Zhuqing struck first.
Even under the blazing sun, the movements of her Shadow Cat Demon martial soul remained nearly imperceptible.
"That despicable woman!" Down below the arena, Dai Mubai clenched his fists tightly.
Yu Tianheng patted him on the shoulder. "Mubai, let it go."
This one-on-one battle ended with Zhu Zhuqing easily defeating her opponent. The next person from the Auckland team to step up was even weaker than Liu Yang and posed no threat to Zhu Zhuqing.
After two soul battles, Zhu Zhuqing's soul power was still abundant, yet she still adhered to the pre-match plan and voluntarily left the stage.
---
The arena match between the Seven Treasures team and the Auckland team was completely one-sided, ending in just ten minutes.
Everyone on the Auckland team knew that if Ning Tianchen or Feng Xiaotian had taken the stage, they could have swept all seven opponents without breaking a sweat.
After the match, their teacher cast a grateful glance at Ning Tianchen and his teammates.
They were thankful that the Seven Treasures team had allowed them to save face.
After a fifteen-minute break, the second match between the Thunderclap team and the Chi Huo team began.
Below the arena, Ning Tianchen kept a close eye on every member of Thunderclap Academy.
Before their match against the Thunderclap team, it was crucial to understand all their soul skills so they could complete a clean sweep of seven opponents.
---
By evening, the final match of the day—and the third match for the Seven Treasures team—was about to begin.
The Seven Treasures team and the Thunderclap team walked toward the arena together.
Yu Tianxin and Ning Tianchen, both captains, stood at the front of their respective teams.
"Ning Tianchen, dare to fight me!"
Yu Tianxin still hadn't given up.
Ning Tianchen ignored him completely and turned his gaze to the referee. "We're ready. We can start anytime."
Up on the high platform, Ke Jie felt a bit nervous.
He was deeply concerned that Ning Tianchen might ignore his arrangements and attempt a clean sweep of seven opponents to end the match.
He didn't deny that Ning Tianchen had the strength to achieve a clean sweep, but exposing all their trump cards now would inevitably make them a target for other teams during the Soul Masters Tournament.
"Principal Ke, why don't we place a bet?" Yu Luomian, sitting beside him, suddenly leaned over.
Ke Jie felt repulsed by Yu Luomian but didn't show it, instead responding coldly, "I'm not interested. This soul battle is destined to end with the Seven Treasures team's victory."
Yu Luomian chuckled. "Of course, the Seven Treasures team is strong. But how about we bet on the score?"
He was here with a mission. Interacting with Ke Jie was part of his plan to probe the true extent of the Seven Treasures team's strength.
Provoking someone into an emotional outburst often revealed their most genuine soul power fluctuations.
"Vice-Sect Leader Yu, when did you become so detestable?" Huo Lie, sitting on the other side, sneered.
Yu Luomian straightened up and responded with a stern expression, "Principal Huo should focus more on how the Chi Huo team can defeat Thunderclap Academy."
In the previous arena match, Thunderclap Academy had defeated Chi Huo Academy.
Huo Lie snorted coldly and chose not to engage further.
---
At the referee's signal, both teams sent out a member.
Thunderclap Academy sent Lei Tian, the vice-captain with the Thunder Spider martial soul, while the Seven Treasures team stuck to their original lineup.
Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing was an agility-type soul master, Lei Tian couldn't help but smirk.
Control-type martial souls had a significant advantage over agility-type soul masters, especially since his control-type soul skills came with electric effects. Once Zhu Zhuqing was caught in his web, there was no way she could escape in a short period of time.
Up on the high platform, seeing that Ning Tianchen wasn't the first to take the stage, Ke Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The match began!
Zhu Zhuqing sprinted rapidly along the edge of the arena.
Lei Tian kept his eyes locked on her. Suddenly, sensing the timing was right, he quickly unleashed his soul skill.
The Thunder Spider martial soul spat out a web, attempting to trap Zhu Zhuqing.
However, he underestimated her speed.
In an instant, Zhu Zhuqing's body turned into a black shadow and darted straight through his web.
Before Lei Tian could react, the referee immediately announced, "Zhu Zhuqing has stepped out of bounds. Lei Tian wins this match."
Lei Tian: "???"
The match had barely started, and it was already over?
Just moments ago, Zhu Zhuqing had dodged the web, but her momentum carried her out of the arena.
"Haha, that wretched woman actually made such a basic mistake! She's in for a scolding!" In the stands, seeing Zhu Zhuqing eliminated, Dai Mubai could no longer hide his excitement.
But Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, master and disciple, both frowned simultaneously.
In the first two matches, Zhu Zhuqing had shown precise control over the boundaries of the arena. How could she possibly overshoot so drastically in this match?
"Something's off," Tang San muttered to himself.
But he couldn't figure out why Zhu Zhuqing had done this.
"Mubai, don't celebrate too soon. Keep watching," Yu Xiaogang reminded him.
---
As she stepped down from the stage, Zhu Zhuqing feigned regret with a deep sigh.
At the same time, she subtly exchanged a glance with Ning Tianchen in the distance.
The plan had succeeded.
Ning Tianchen nodded slightly, then patted Chen Huayu on the shoulder.
Up on the high platform, Ke Jie found Zhu Zhuqing's mistake hard to believe.
"Zhuqing usually performs with great composure. How could she make such a big mistake during the match?"
Yu Luomian chuckled. "Principal Ke, victories and defeats are common in battle. It's just one match—no need to dwell on it."
Ke Jie glanced at him but didn't argue.
---
Soon, the second match began as scheduled.
Chen Huayu's Giant Rock Black Bear martial soul was tough and resilient. At the start of the match, he charged through the opponent's attacks and closed in on Lei Tian.
Close-range combat was the forte of aggressive beast martial souls. Once they got close, control-type soul masters were almost helpless.
"Lei Tian is going to lose. Tianxin, get ready to go on stage. Hopefully, after him, it'll be Ning Tianchen," the Thunderclap Academy's instructor had already accepted that Lei Tian would be eliminated.
Yu Tianxin warmed up below the stage, ready to step in at any moment.
Who could have predicted that the next moment, an unexpected scene would unfold on the stage.
Chen Huayu's bear paw slammed down forcefully. Lei Tian instinctively raised his hands to protect his face—but to everyone's shock, Chen Huayu's full-powered strike was effortlessly blocked by him!
"How is this possible!" Chen Huayu was stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief.
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