The young soul master seemed to notice Lin Ye and Zhu Zhuqing's confusion. He sighed and continued to explain,
"When I first heard about the Xiongba Duo's matches, I found it just as strange as you do. But once you see them fight, you'll understand."
"This Xiongba Duo—their two soul masters aren't called 'Xiong Wang' and 'Ba Wang' for nothing. They're different from ordinary soul masters because they don't follow a single development path but a dual one."
"Xiong Wang's martial soul is the Ironclad Violent Bear, specializing in strength and defense, while Ba Wang's martial soul is the Profound Ice Turtle, focusing on defense and control."
"Can you two imagine it? Two defensive-type soul masters charging at you. You can't even hurt them—attack one, and the other controls you. Attack the other, and you're still controlled. Then you'll just get pummeled."
"Anyway, a duo like this is like a hedgehog—there's just no way to deal with them."
"Oh no—they're even worse than a hedgehog! A hedgehog only pricks you, but one of these two is a strength-type soul master, and his hits hurt like hell!"
The young soul master spoke with utter helplessness.
"Who knows which unlucky duo will face the Xiongba Duo today…"
…
Waiting in the rest area.
Since the Soul Elder tier was relatively low in strength among duo battles, their matches were scheduled earlier.
It didn't take long before the duo battles began!
After three consecutive duo battles, the fourth one commenced.
"…Next up is the fourth duo battle in the Soul Elder tier—the Spirit Sword Duo versus the Xiongba Duo!"
The host's loud announcement echoed from the direction of the battle stage.
The rest area immediately erupted in noise.
"The Xiongba Duo is finally here, but thankfully, their opponents aren't me. So lucky!"
"Ugh, I'm relieved too. Fighting the Xiongba Duo is just torture!"
"Once they win today and get promoted to the Silver Fighting Spirit tier, we probably won't have to face them anymore!"
…
Amid the commotion in the rest area, the young soul master who had answered Lin Ye's questions earlier couldn't help but laugh. "The Spirit Sword Duo… I wonder who they are. They're really unlucky, huh? What a倒霉蛋 (unlucky) duo!"
Lin Ye: "…"
Zhu Zhuqing: "…"
"Brother, we are the Spirit Sword Duo…"
Glancing at the laughing young soul master beside him, Lin Ye couldn't help but say quietly.
"Hahaha… Huh? You're the Spirit Sword Duo?"
Hearing Lin Ye's words, the young soul master's laughter came to an abrupt halt, replaced by an awkward expression as he scratched his head sheepishly.
"Uh… I was just joking earlier. Don't take it to heart. Good luck with your match…"
Lin Ye simply shook his head at the young soul master's apology. Then, he and Zhu Zhuqing stood up and headed toward the soul master passage, preparing to enter the battle stage.
After passing through the soul master passage and arriving at the battle stage, they stood at the foot of the platform.
On the stage, the host was holding a voice-amplifying spirit tool, loudly introducing the upcoming Xiongba Duo under the dazzling glow of spirit light.
With seven consecutive wins in duo battles, the Xiongba Duo was somewhat of a minor celebrity in the Soul Elder tier, having garnered a fervent fanbase. Naturally, they received an elaborate introduction from the host.
"…Alright, we've finished introducing the Xiongba Duo. Next up is our Spirit Sword Duo."
"The Spirit Sword Duo is a newly registered team today, so they have no prior battle records. However, the two soul masters in the duo—Sword One and Spirit Cat—are not newcomers."
"Sword One registered a few days ago and has already secured two consecutive wins in our arena. As for Spirit Cat, she has participated in multiple solo and duo battles here, with an impressive win rate of over 80%!"
"Now, let's look forward to the battle between the Xiongba Duo and the Spirit Sword Duo!"
Amid the host's enthusiastic introduction, he gradually stepped down from the battle stage.
"Let's welcome the Xiongba Duo and the Spirit Sword Duo onto the stage!"
As the host's voice rang out, the spirit light fixtures above the arena immediately illuminated the Xiongba Duo and Lin Ye and Zhu Zhuqing's Spirit Sword Duo.
Under the spotlight, both sides slowly ascended the stairs toward the battle stage.
"Go, Xiong Wang! Crush these two!"
"Xiongba Duo for the win! Xiongba Duo for the win!"
"Xiongba Duo, go all out and secure your eighth consecutive victory today!"
…
Unlike Lin Ye and Zhu Zhuqing, who wore masks and didn't reveal their appearances or exaggerated physiques, the Xiongba Duo consisted of a tall, muscular bald man wearing a half-open leather chestplate and a hunched, middle-aged man in green robes with a sleazy demeanor.
Their distinctive builds, combined with their battle records, naturally drew more attention and support than the newly debuted Spirit Sword Duo.
However, neither Lin Ye nor Zhu Zhuqing paid much mind to the audience's reactions.
After stepping onto the battle stage, the two duos exchanged bows as a pre-battle courtesy.
"Tsk, you two are really unlucky to run into us. Judging by your builds, you must both be agility-attack-type soul masters, right? We're defensive-type soul masters—the ones least afraid of agility-attack types. Looks like we'll be getting our eighth win and advancing to the Silver Fighting Spirit tier today!"
After the bow, the bald muscular man, Xiong Wang, rubbed his head and grinned.
"Heh, I think so too."
Beside him, the hunched, sleazy-looking Ba Wang chuckled.
"Aren't you a bit too confident? The battle hasn't even started yet. How do you know I can't handle you?"
Lin Ye shook his head at their arrogance.
"Hah! Kid, we're two defensive-type soul masters. Even if you were the power-attack-type tool soul masters who counter us the most, what could you do against two defensive-types? Our strategy has been tested in seven battles already—and the result is invincibility!"
Xiong Wang burst into laughter.
"Invincibility? Nothing in this world is truly invincible."
Lin Ye replied calmly.
"Now, both sides, please prepare and summon your martial souls!"
As Lin Ye and the Xiongba Duo exchanged words, the host's voice rang out from below the stage. Both duos stepped back and summoned their martial souls.
First, the Xiongba Duo.
"Ironclad Violent Bear, possess me!"
With a loud shout from Xiong Wang, a towering black bear materialized behind him before instantly merging into his body.
As the Ironclad Violent Bear possessed him, thick, tough black fur sprouted across Xiong Wang's body. His frame expanded, his muscles bulging, and his hands grew to the size of fans, sprouting sharp claws.
Simultaneously, three soul rings—white, yellow, and purple—rose from beneath his feet.
"Profound Ice Turtle, possess me!"
At the same time, Ba Wang also activated his martial soul possession.
A frost-blue turtle emerged from his body before merging into him.
However, unlike Xiong Wang, Ba Wang's physique didn't change much after possession. Instead, his body became covered in icy-blue armor, and a thick, hard tortoiseshell formed around him.
After possession, three soul rings—white, yellow, and yellow—appeared beneath his feet.
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