The girls from Tianshui Academy were walking back together.
They had just passed by Yan, Huo Wu, and Huo Wushuang. The intense aura radiating from those three made the girls feel a strange, indescribable sense of unease.
Some of them could even sense faint hostility.
"Teacher, those two young people beside Yan… they seem to be fire-type soul masters too?"
Shui Yue'er couldn't help breaking the silence.
At the head of the group, their teacher, Shui Yue'er, gave a slight nod.
"Mm. I noticed that as well. The three of them look about the same age as you girls. It's very possible that they'll be your opponents in the next Soul Master Tournament."
"Teacher, do you think they might really be students from Blazing Fire Academy?" another girl asked cautiously.
Shui Yue'er shook her head and sighed softly.
"I'm not entirely sure. But no matter which academy they're from, one thing is certain—Yan is an extremely troublesome opponent. You all saw his strength with your own eyes just now."
Shui Bing'er spoke up next:
"If those three really are from Blazing Fire Academy, then this year's Blazing Fire team will likely reach a level of power never seen before."
Hearing that, the girls fell silent again.
The relationship between Tianshui Academy and Blazing Fire Academy had always been delicate. Their elemental attributes naturally countered each other, so every clash between the two academies was full of tension and competition.
In the previous Soul Master Tournament, Blazing Fire Academy had lost to Tianshui Academy.
Because of that, the current students of Blazing Fire had always regarded Tianshui as the rival they most wanted to surpass.
Shui Yueru comforted them gently:
"Alright, children, there's no need to worry too much. There are still two years before the next tournament. You all have plenty of room to grow. As long as we follow our plan step by step and train hard, I believe that by then, our Tianshui Academy will surely achieve excellent results."
"Yes, Teacher!"
The girls replied in unison, their eyes gleaming with determination. Each of them was filled with renewed anticipation for the coming special training.
After returning to the hotel, Yan cultivated for a while before going to sleep.
The medicinal effect of the immortal herb within his body was still working quite well.
During his match earlier that night with the Snowfrost Giant Bear soul master, he had clearly felt his Flame Power becoming even more fierce and domineering.
The next evening, Yan went to the Spirit Arena again to register for another one-on-one match.
Although his opponent this time was a water-type soul master with a higher rank than him, Yan once again won the battle easily, without suspense.
That marked his fourth consecutive victory. Just one more win, and he would qualify to fight in the higher-level Main Arena.
But to him, that didn't hold much meaning anymore.
Even in the Main Arena, his opponents would only be at the Soul Elder level—and at this point, Soul Elders were no longer a threat to him.
Not even water-type ones.
Without the thrill of challenge, even winning lost its appeal.
So over the next few days, Yan stopped going to the arena and instead focused on training in his hotel room.
That night, Yan and Yue Guan returned once again to the Spirit Arena.
This time, however, he didn't sign up to compete. Instead, he came simply to watch other matches as a spectator.
He wanted to find a soul master who could partner with him—someone with whom he could challenge higher-ranked opponents.
According to the arena's rules, one-on-one matches couldn't cross level boundaries.
However, two-on-two battles and team battles could, since the match level was determined by the highest-ranked participant in the group.
If he could find a Soul King–level soul master to team up with, then he would have the chance to face two Soul Kings at once.
Of course, his partner couldn't be too strong—ideally, someone who had just reached level fifty, barely qualifying as a Soul King.
But such candidates weren't easy to find in this branch of the arena.
Yan wasn't in a hurry; he planned to observe for now.
Just as he was about to buy a ticket, two familiar figures caught his eye—it was the sibling duo, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang.
They were both delighted to see him again after several days apart.
"Brother Yan, long time no see! I thought you weren't coming anymore."
Yan smiled.
"I've been in seclusion cultivating these past few days. How about you two? Have you been competing?"
"Of course. We've already won three consecutive matches in the two-on-two category."
"Congratulations. Two more wins, and you'll be qualified to enter the Main Arena."
What should have been a happy occasion made Huo Wu sigh instead.
"Even if we make it to the Main Arena, so what? We're still only competing in the Soul Elder division. Meanwhile, those girls from Tianshui Academy are already fighting in Soul Ancestor-level matches."
Both siblings were currently level thirty-six—one a control-type with fusion ability, the other a power-type with flight capability.
With their years of teamwork and formidable firepower, they were practically unbeatable among Soul Elder-level duos.
And so far, they hadn't encountered any water-type opponents.
Yan knew that, at this point in the timeline, even Shui Bing'er—Tianshui's strongest student—hadn't yet reached the Soul Ancestor level.
"What do you mean? You've met them already?"
Huo Wu nodded, then explained:
"The group of girls we saw last time really were from Tianshui Academy. My brother and I formed a duo and wanted to spar with them, but we never got the chance."
"Why not?"
"Because all their duos are registered for cross-level matches. Each pair includes at least one Soul Ancestor-level water-type soul master. So even though they're only in their thirties level-wise, they're all participating in Soul Ancestor-level battles."
"I see."
Yan instantly understood everything.
That supervising teacher's thinking was quite similar to his own—using the arena's rules to challenge stronger opponents. Though the difficulty was higher, it was also the best way to push one's potential to the limit.
Huo Wu suddenly seemed to remember something, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"Brother Yan, can I ask you for a favor?"
"What kind of favor?"
"I want to form a duo with you! That way, I can enter the Soul Ancestor division too—and maybe finally have a chance to fight those Tianshui girls. Would that be alright?"
"Hmm…"
Yan hesitated.
He had originally planned to find a Soul King to team up with, so they could enter Soul King-level battles.
Seeing him hesitate, Huo Wu pleaded again, her tone soft and imploring:
"Please, Brother Yan! Just say yes, okay? It'll only be for a few matches, I promise it won't take much of your time. Tonight's match even has a water-type duo—one of them is level forty-nine! Don't you want to fight an opponent like that?"
"How do you know?"
"They fought last night and won. They're registered again for tonight."
"…Alright then," Yan finally said. "But you'll have to follow my lead."
"Of course! No problem!"
Huo Wu's eyes lit up with excitement.
For her, being able to compete in the Soul Ancestor division was thrilling.
For Yan, it meant a chance to take on two opponents at once—a whole new kind of challenge.
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