"Nana, what's wrong?" Yan and Xie Yue looked at the suffering Hu Liena, both anxious and heartbroken.
"Nana must have been hit by a spiritual attack. That bastard did it!" Xie Yue glared at Tian Lin with fury, his expression filled with murderous intent.
One was Hu Liena's admirer, and the other was her older brother. Both had always treated her as the most treasured member of their trio.
"I've already held back. Otherwise, I could have destroyed her soul just now!" Tian Lin said with a smile.
"How dare you hurt Nana! I'll kill you! First Soul Skill: Slash!"
"Flame Lord's Second Soul Skill: Granite Fist!"
Xie Yue and Yan attacked Tian Lin from both sides, but Tian Lin's footwork was extraordinary. He narrowly avoided Xie Yue's three slashes and Yan's two heavy punches.
"What is this footwork? There's no soul power fluctuation. It seems to be a pure technique," Yu Yuanzhen remarked with curiosity.
"That's called the 'Drunken Immortal Moonstep.' It's a movement technique my disciple created himself," Chen Xin said proudly. However, he added with feigned regret, "This disciple of mine, all he does is tinker with useless things. His swordsmanship, the most important skill, hasn't even reached the stage where it can shine. Sigh!"
Yu Yuanzhen could easily see through Chen Xin's act. This old guy wasn't sighing—he was bragging in a roundabout way. Today, Yu Yuanzhen truly witnessed what a genius looked like. Compared to Tian Lin, Yu Tianheng's talent was nowhere close.
"This guy moves too nimbly. Yan, attack Ning Rongrong. Take out the other two first, and I'll hold off Tian Lin!" Xie Yue smartly devised a strategy.
With his Moon Blades, Xie Yue continuously slashed away. Even though he couldn't land a hit on Tian Lin, he successfully blocked all possible routes for him to provide support.
It was only a matter of time. A two-ring Ning Rongrong and a three-ring Gu Ran wouldn't stand a chance against Yan.
"Second Soul Skill: Granite Fist!" Yan, infused with earth-elemental strength, punched toward Ning Rongrong and Gu Ran.
Gu Ran remembered Tian Lin's instructions: no matter what, he had to protect Ning Rongrong. He charged head-on toward the fist.
Boom!
The sound of a powerful collision echoed throughout the arena. To everyone's surprise, Gu Ran, a mere Soul Elder, managed to withstand a punch from Yan, a Soul Ancestor, without moving an inch.
Gu Ran's body seemed to be encased in a thick, dark armor. It was this armor that blocked Yan's powerful attack.
"Tyrannosaurus Body!" Gu Ran announced with determination.
"Could it be...?" Yan suddenly realized something. "It's one of the rarest among the six types of soul bones—the torso bone!"
"If you want to harm the young lady, you'll have to get through me first! Second Soul Skill: Bone Reinforcement!"
With the dual enhancement of his soul bone and soul skill, Gu Ran's strength surged. He grabbed Yan's arm and executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw, sending him flying.
"This is my chance!" Tian Lin's eyes lit up. He deflected Xie Yue's attacks with a swing of his sword, then activated his soul bone's teleportation skill, instantly appearing in the direction Yan was thrown.
Xie Yue didn't expect Tian Lin to have a teleportation ability and couldn't react in time. It was too late to pursue, so he could only shout, "Yan, watch out! Tian Lin is behind you!"
"Damn it! Third Soul Skill: Infernal Flames!" Yan roared in anger, unleashing his third soul skill. Flames erupted from the ground, surging toward Tian Lin.
"Using fire against me? You've underestimated me." Tian Lin slashed his sword, and the flames dispersed as if they had never existed. This was the absolute suppression of normal flames by his Ultimate Fire attribute. His second soul ring then lit up. "Second Soul Skill: Ice and Fire God Seal!"
Tian Lin swung his sword, unleashing a cross-shaped sword aura that left a matching scar on Yan's back. Even so, Tian Lin had held back. Otherwise, that strike would have been fatal.
It was the same issue: the current Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan wasn't strong enough to completely antagonize the Spirit Hall. Even in a life-or-death battle, the Spirit Hall had the power to overturn the table. Rules were merely toys for them to manipulate.
Still, the heavy injury was enough. Tian Lin leaped forward and kicked Yan, sending him flying back toward Gu Ran. "Gu Ran, he's yours. Go all out on him. Rongrong, support Gu Ran!"
Yan spat out a mouthful of blood, unwilling to accept the situation. "You've managed to injure me this badly—damn it! Today, I'll show you how terrifying I can be! Fourth Soul Skill: Lava Eruption!"
Yan prepared to unleash his strongest soul skill. However…
Ten seconds passed. Nothing happened. The entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan fell silent. "Lava Eruption" sounded impressive, but—where was the eruption?
"Lava Eruption… Lava Eruption…?" Yan kept trying.
At this point, Gu Ran couldn't hold back his laughter. "Haha! Is this your so-called terrifying form? More like a joke!"
"Idiot! Look at your soul ring!" Gui Mei couldn't hold back anymore and shouted a reminder.
"My soul ring? What happened to my soul ring? And my soul power… it's only at level 30 now!" Yan finally realized something was wrong. Not only had his soul power dropped, but his fourth soul ring's color had also turned from purple to gray.
"It must've been that soul skill from Tian Lin. It can lower levels and seal soul rings. That second millennial soul ring he absorbed is extraordinary," Yu Yuanzhen commented with admiration, recognizing Tian Lin's handiwork.
"Now's our chance! Seven Treasures—First, Strength! Second, Speed!" Ning Rongrong seized the opportunity to fully boost Gu Ran.
At the same time, Gu Ran activated his third soul skill. "Watch this—Death Aura!"
With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's amplification, Gu Ran's attack reached the level of a Soul Ancestor. Yan, reduced to a Soul Elder, couldn't withstand it. In an instant, he was struck so hard that his soul separated from his body.
Gu Ran immediately stepped forward and kicked Yan's physical body off the platform. By the time Yan's soul returned, he found himself already eliminated.
He hadn't even had the chance to showcase his strength before being defeated so inexplicably.
"This won't do. Th-Third Soul Skill: Mental Amplification!" Hu Liena gritted her teeth through the pain and activated her third soul skill, boosting her mental power. She barely managed to withstand the burning of Tian Lin's Soulfire.
But anyone could see that her mental state was extremely fragile now. She had lost the ability to use her signature charm-based soul skills and was effectively out of the fight.
The situation was now three-on-one. The scales of victory had tipped. The Spirit Hall team once favored to win, had been utterly dominated by Tian Lin's group. From the start of the match, it felt like they had been led around by the nose.
"Old Ghost, aren't you going to surrender? If this continues, your so-called Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall might end up crippled," Gu Rong said smugly.
This match had been a great source of pride for Gu Rong, as his disciple Gu Ran had performed exceptionally well.
"Hmph! The match isn't over yet. Just wait and see!" Gui Mei retorted though he was worried. Still, he wasn't ready to give up. After all, Xie Yue and Hu Liena were still in the fight, and they had one last trump card up their sleeves.