Yan's entire body radiated a dazzling crimson light, making him look like a demon that had crawled up from the depths of hell.
The power of his flames was utterly terrifying, and even the host was visibly shaken.
"Yan of the Battle Soul Sect, your opponents have already conceded! Please, show mercy!"
Hearing the host's urgent plea, Yan's thoughts stirred. The searing flames surrounding him seemed to obey a command, quickly receding until they vanished completely.
He then stepped lightly on the stone beneath his feet, landing gracefully in the center of the arena.
His once fiery-red hair and golden-red eyes returned to their usual deep, dark crimson.
The flame-like markings that had covered his body faded as the fire disappeared, leaving only a faint trace of red along his neck.
After all, this was just an ordinary Soul Battle competition — not a fight to the death.
According to the rules, once one side admitted defeat, the other was required to stop attacking.
As Yan withdrew his flames, the audience's attention turned toward the defeated Iron Hammer brothers.
The two pitiful men had been scorched so badly that their flesh was charred and torn. Curled up in a corner of the arena, their bodies trembled uncontrollably from pain and fear.
The host couldn't help but feel pity at the sight.
"Hurry and take them down for treatment! Get the healers!"
Several staff members rushed onto the stage and carried the two men away.
Huo Wu stepped back onto the stage, her eyes wide with awe as she looked at Yan, her voice filled with admiration.
"Brother Yan, thank you for saving me earlier! You were incredible—those arrogant jerks were turned into roast pigs! You were amazing!"
Huo Wu couldn't hide her excitement.
Though this victory was mostly thanks to Yan, as his teammate, she also felt proud.
More importantly, the resentment that had been simmering in her heart was finally released.
The host then announced loudly:
"In the match between the Blazing Duo and the Iron Hammer Brothers, the Blazing Duo is victorious! Their record is one win, zero losses. Please proceed to the service desk to collect your points and rewards."
Amidst thunderous applause and cheers from the audience, Yan and Huo Wu slowly walked down from the stage.
Watching them leave through the Soul Master tunnel, Bing Lan let out a soft sigh.
"That fire-attribute Soul Master named Xiao Yan is quite strong. If we run into him, it won't be easy—we should be mentally prepared."
"Mm. I understand."
Shui Bing'er silently watched Yan's retreating figure until he disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, Yue Guan sat quietly in a secluded corner of the spectator stands, having witnessed the entire battle with satisfaction.
Yan could have easily unfolded his Flame Wings during the fight, taken to the skies, and effortlessly evaded the Iron Hammer Brothers' attacks—but he didn't.
Once again, he relied on his intelligence and combat experience to defeat stronger opponents.
As Yan and Huo Wu walked down the Soul Master passageway, the host's voice echoed through the arena:
"Next match: the Ice Combination versus the Agile Combination! Contestants, please be ready to enter the stage in one minute."
Huo Wu's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Brother Yan, the Ice Combination—that's Shui Bing'er and Bing Lan's team! Let's go watch their match before we redeem our rewards, okay?"
"Sure."
Yan didn't care much about points or prizes. Empty fame and meaningless honors held no interest for him.
Both Yan and Huo Wu were registered contestants in this district's Soul Arena. According to the rules, even after their matches ended, they could still observe other battles from the contestants' rest area.
As they made their way there, they happened to run into Shui Bing'er and Bing Lan coming from the opposite direction.
Shui Bing'er met Yan's gaze for a fleeting moment before lowering her head, slightly flustered, as they brushed past each other.
After the two girls walked a few meters away, Bing Lan spoke softly:
"Bing'er, are you curious about that Yan?"
Shui Bing'er froze for a second, unsure how to respond.
Bing Lan continued gently:
"He may be powerful, but he doesn't seem like a good person. You'd better keep your distance from him. I've been through a lot—I won't lead you astray."
"Mm."
Shui Bing'er nodded slightly, saying nothing more.
She understood that water-attribute Soul Masters and fire-attribute Soul Masters were natural opposites—destined to walk different paths.
After the two girls disappeared into the distance, Huo Wu chuckled.
"We sure seem to cross paths a lot with that Shui Bing'er. I have a feeling we'll face her sooner or later. Even if not here, we'll definitely meet at the Soul Master Tournament in two years."
"I heard the elemental academies are all on good terms. Didn't you know her before?"
Huo Wu shook her head.
"My father's the principal, and he gets along well with the principals of both the Godwind Academy and the Tianshui Academy.
Our academy and Godwind are close by, so our students often visit each other. But Tianshui is different—it's farther away, and only accepts female water-attribute students. Naturally, we younger ones don't have much interaction."
"I see."
"Still, since my brother and I are here, maybe we'll get a chance to meet them properly sometime."
"Mm."
The two chatted as they walked back to the rest area.
By now, only a few contestants who hadn't yet fought remained there.
When the others saw Yan and Huo Wu return, they looked surprised—but no longer stared at Huo Wu the way they had before.
They too had watched the previous match and witnessed the terrifying power of Yan's hellish flames.
They now knew better than to provoke him.
Yan and Huo Wu stood by the large glass window, from which they could see the entire arena clearly.
Shui Bing'er and Bing Lan stepped onto the stage.
Their opponents were two men in their thirties—tall and thin, with a sickly, sinister air, as if they were malnourished.
From the host's introduction, Yan learned that the two men were at the forty-fifth and forty-sixth Soul Master levels.
The battle began.
Both teams released their martial souls and soul rings.
The two men both possessed snake-type martial souls, each with three yellow rings and one purple—indicating that they were speed- and poison-based fighters, much like Dugu Bo.
When Shui Bing'er and Bing Lan released their martial souls, the entire arena was engulfed in a wave of chilling cold.
Shui Bing'er possessed the top-tier beast martial soul — the Ice Phoenix — with the ideal ring configuration of two yellow and one purple.
The moment she stepped onto the stage, she seemed to transform. Her eyes grew sharp and cold, her presence commanding, completely fearless even before stronger opponents.
Bing Lan's martial soul was the Ice Sparrow — small in form but with an incredibly potent and domineering ice force, capable of astonishing speed in flight.
Her soul power had already reached level forty-nine, with two yellow and two purple rings — another perfect configuration.
As the battle began in earnest, it didn't take long for the Ice Combination to gain control.
Both Shui Bing'er and Bing Lan were control-type Soul Masters, and when they joined forces, the freezing power they unleashed was overwhelming.
The two serpent-type opponents quickly found themselves slowed by the intense cold. Their poison attacks were suppressed, and before long, they were utterly defeated.
PS: Access advance chapters at