"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome tonight's new duo—the Twin-Winged White Tiger!"
As the passionate commentary echoed through Suotuo City's Grand Spirit Arena, two tall figures slowly emerged from the contestant room.
Though seeing them for the first time, Ye Wen immediately guessed their identities.
The muscular build and shoulder-length golden hair—one glance told him this was likely Dai Mubai, judging by the "White Tiger" in their team name. Though too far to see his eyes clearly, there was little doubt.
As for the other figure, slim and wiry, he didn't look like someone who could hold his own in a direct fight. However, his brisk and agile gait suggested he excelled at evasion. Combined with the fact that their team name was "Twin-Winged White Tiger," it wasn't hard to deduce—Dai Mubai's fusion skill, the Netherworld White Tiger, didn't gain wings until much later, but at this point, Oscar had just acquired his third soul skill, which granted flight capabilities. Thus, this second person was most likely Oscar.
Both men were dressed in fine attire, exuding an air of elegance. Masks covering half their faces added an extra layer of mystery.
At this moment, Ye Wen seemed to recall something and couldn't help but sigh.
Judging from Dai Mubai and Oscar's demeanor, they were clearly riding high after Master Yu Xiaogang's special training, undefeated in recent matches. Not betting on such a sure thing felt like a missed opportunity to make some serious money.
Though Ye Wen was already wealthy, no one ever complained about having too much money.
However, he quickly adjusted his mindset. There was plenty of time ahead. Since the Shrek group aimed to grind their way up to Silver Combat Soul rank, there would be no shortage of battles. He could always bet later.
Just then, their opponents slowly entered the arena, causing Ye Wen to frown.
Huo Yu'er and Xiao Wu shared the same reaction.
"That fat guy is really irritating," Xiao Wu muttered under her breath.
Huo Yu'er nodded in agreement.
The "fat guy" Xiao Wu referred to bore a striking resemblance to the leader of the human traffickers who had attacked them earlier.
At this moment, the commentator's voice rang out again: "Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the other side—our hottest rising stars, the Absolute Offense and Defense duo!
This is their tenth consecutive match at the Bronze Combat Soul level, with nine straight wins so far. If they win today, they'll advance to the Silver Combat Soul tier.
However, their opponents today are no pushovers. One member of the Twin-Winged White Tiger duo wields the top-tier Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul.
Blah blah blah..."
Finally, after a long-winded buildup, the referee announced, "Contestants, prepare yourselves."
At the signal, the attacker of the Absolute Offense and Defense duo instantly activated his martial soul. His fingertips swelled, and webbed membranes appeared between his fingers and toes.
Even without seeing his soul imprint, one could easily guess his martial soul belonged to the frog family.
Martial Soul Activation—Blue-Red Frog!
Though this individual was a 34th-rank Soul Elder and appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties—a prodigy by any measure—his soul ring configuration (one white, two yellow) left much to be desired.
On the other hand, the defender hadn't yet activated his martial soul, but the three soul rings orbiting his body—yellow, yellow, and purple—clearly marked him as the team's powerhouse.
But precisely because of this, Ye Wen and his companions furrowed their brows even more deeply. This team's setup bore an unsettling resemblance to the human trafficker leader's crew.
---
Suddenly, Dai Mubai and Oscar—who had been leisurely preparing to release their soul power—were startled.
The Absolute Offense and Defense attacker, Wu Qing, surged forward with a burst of speed, appearing right in front of Oscar.
Watching the long tongue flickering before him, occasionally flinging droplets of saliva, Oscar panicked and exclaimed, "Wha—what are you doing?! The match hasn't started yet! This is against the rules! Th-the match hasn't started!"
Wu Qing smirked devilishly, and his incessantly wriggling tongue finally stopped. Perched on its tip was a small insect.
"Sorry, kid. I couldn't resist when I saw this little bug."
The audience collectively shuddered in disgust.
Though human tastes varied wildly, and some could stomach insect dishes, the vast majority of the crowd clearly found this revolting—especially since the bug was eaten raw!!!
That said, seasoned soul masters understood that martial souls often influenced their wielders' preferences. Wu Qing hadn't technically broken any rules, so the referee could only issue a stern warning:
"Wu Qing, return to your position. This is your first warning. Any further violations will result in an automatic loss for your team."
Wu Qing shrugged indifferently and sauntered back to his original spot.
From the stands, Ye Wen frowned and murmured, "Such a low tactic—an attempt to unsettle their opponent's mindset and gain an edge in the upcoming battle."
Upon hearing this, Huo Yu'er and Xiao Wu immediately understood. They had encountered similar opponents during their journey, though they hadn't paid much attention to them.
Xiao Wu, unimpressed, remarked disdainfully, "Using such tactics is a clear sign of insecurity in one's abilities. And isn't this guy supposed to be their team's attacker? To resort to this… Clearly, he's not someone worth noting."
Huo Yu'er nodded in agreement, then casually added, "Let's see. After all, they've won nine consecutive matches. They must have something unique."
Though she appeared nonchalant, Huo Yu'er's gaze remained fixed on Dai Mubai.
Don't misunderstand—handsome men were nothing new to Huo Yu'er. She was simply curious about this ancestor of hers, who supposedly led the legendary Shrek Seven Monsters. How strong could he really be?
She'd already seen Tang San in action—not particularly impressive. So how much substance did this overhyped ancestor, Dai Mubai, truly possess?
Let me, Huo Yu'er, witness this piece of history.
---
After Wu Qing's unsettling display, Dai Mubai and Oscar snapped out of their casual demeanor, growing more serious as they activated their martial souls.
Meanwhile, the Absolute Offense and Defense duo began bickering among themselves.
Defender Sinael spoke slowly, "You... you... want... to kill?"
(T/N: His name is literally 'Snail' but with Chinese characters lol, I'm gonna leave it as 'Sinael' though)
"'Want to kill' is wrong, right?" Wu Qing replied nonchalantly. Then he added, "I didn't want to kill anyone—I just wanted to eat."
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