"The victory of this 2v2 match goes to our Black Mountain Duo! What a spectacular battle—such dramatic shifts in momentum, truly breathtaking!"
After the staff-wielding Spirit Master carried Zhu Bing off the stage, the host stepped forward and officially announced Shan Mao's side as the winner.
The end of one match marked the beginning of another. After a brief recap, the host quickly began announcing the next contenders. This time, it was a fight between two pairs of Spirit Grandmasters. Though not as dazzling as the previous round, there was still plenty to watch. Dai Mubai and Qian Jue waited below, watching one pair after another step onto the stage, win, lose, and leave—until finally, it was their turn.
"Next up, in the 23rd 2v2 match of our 8th sub arena—Amber Duo versus Wind-Piercing Duo! Please welcome them!"
At the call, Dai Mubai and Qian Jue strode onto the stage together. The moment Qian Jue looked across, he saw their opponents.
They were two unusually thin young men, not very tall, just a little taller than Qian Jue. But Qian Jue was still short because he hadn't grown yet; judging from their appearance, these two were clearly past 20.
As Qian Jue observed them, naturally they too were sizing up Dai Mubai and Qian Jue. When they saw how young the two were, their eyes met in silent surprise.
"Both sides—release your spirits!"
At the command, Dai Mubai and Qian Jue simultaneously released their Martial Spirits. Their mysterious and imposing transformations immediately drew gasps of astonishment from the crowd of this Spirit Arena.
The two members of the Wind-Piercing Duo also revealed their Martial Spirits. Both possessed beast spirits: identical rodent-type spirits. After briefly manifesting two spectral mice behind them, the phantoms merged back into their bodies. Their hands grew short, razor-sharp claws, while six long whiskers sprouted from the corners of their mouths.
"Bei Ji. Martial Spirit: Wind-Piercing Mouse. Rank 28 Agility Attack Spirit Grandmaster."
"Bei Chi. Martial Spirit: Wind-Piercing Mouse. Rank 28 Agility Attack Spirit Grandmaster. Young brothers, be careful."
Since the host did not announce every competitor's information in a 2v2 match, most pairs introduced themselves. The Wind-Piercing Duo reported their true names and basic details, issuing their challenge to Qian Jue and Dai Mubai.
"Evil-Eyed White Tiger. Martial Spirit: White Tiger. Rank 26 Power Attack Spirit Grandmaster."
"Twin Eternal Hunters. Martial Spirit: Kindred. Rank 23 Agility Attack Spirit Grandmaster. We should be the ones careful of you, seniors."
Hearing that Qian Jue and Dai Mubai's spirit power ranks were lower than their own, Bei Ji and Bei Chi did not show joy—if anything, their expressions grew more serious. Especially regarding Qian Jue. To appear in the Spirit Arena at such a level showed absolute confidence in his strength. He was not to be underestimated.
*Ding!*
The bell rang, signaling the start.
Dai Mubai charged first. His Martial Spirit was the White Tiger, a top-tier feline spirit that naturally restrained rodent spirits like the Wind-Piercing Mouse. If their spirit power had been just a few levels lower, he might have taken them both on by himself.
Qian Jue did not sprint with him. Instead, his first spirit ring lit beneath his feet. With a wave of his left hand, a deep-blue glow flickered, summoning the Kindred Bow into his grip. His right hand mimed two draws, sending a pair of pale-white arrows streaking to follow behind Dai Mubai.
*Whoosh!*
As Dai Mubai closed with the charging Bei Ji and Bei Chi, he lashed out with one claw, his long right arm sweeping to cover them both in his strike.
*Bang!*
Knowing he could not match Dai Mubai's strength, Bei Chi on the right immediately crossed both hands to block. Bei Ji on the left, however, made no move to guard. He trusted his brother to stop the blow and instead clawed straight for Dai Mubai's chest. Forced, Dai Mubai raised his other hand to defend.
Bei Chi, having caught Dai Mubai's first strike, suddenly twisted and shoved his right arm further along its path. This left Dai Mubai's chest completely exposed and threw off his stance.
At that critical moment—
*Swish, swish!*
Two glowing arrows sliced past Dai Mubai's armpit, one to the left and one to the right, flying straight at Bei Chi and Bei Ji.
The two brothers had to abort their follow-up attacks, twisting their bodies to press back-to-back and narrowly dodge.
It was only because they had constantly kept Qian Jue in mind that they noticed the arrows in time. His shots made no sound of a bowstring, and since he had been directly behind Dai Mubai, they hadn't seen him draw at all.
But with the two pressed back-to-back, Dai Mubai saw the opening immediately. His second spirit ring blazed. After a brief charge—
"White Tiger's Intense Light Wave!"
A blazing orb erupted from his mouth.
"Wind-Piercing Wall!"
Bei Ji and Bei Chi's faces paled. As soon as they saw his spirit ring flare, they realized danger. In unison, they activated their first spirit skills, whirling their arms to summon soul power and rapidly weave a wind wall before them.
*Boom!*
The Fierce Light Wave struck the wind wall and exploded. The blast hurled Dai Mubai back and forced Bei Ji and Bei Chi several steps in retreat.
Qian Jue had already advanced to stand just behind Dai Mubai. Seeing this, he quickly drew the Kindred Bow again, firing two more arrows, then caught Dai Mubai before he could hit the ground.
The explosion had gone off right in Bei Ji and Bei Chi's faces. The blinding glare made them squeeze their eyes shut, but they knew Qian Jue would follow up. Both hurled themselves apart to either side.
But Qian Jue had anticipated this. His arrows curved true, detonating beside each of them. The blasts flung the brothers to the ground.
"Boss Dai, are you alright?" Qian Jue steadied him.
"I'm fine. It was my own skill—I knew the risk." Dai Mubai had expected to be caught in his own blast and had retreated immediately.
What he hadn't expected was that their Wind-Piercing Wall would concentrate the wave's power entirely back at him, sending him flying before he could react. Fortunately, his retreat spared him from real injury.
Bei Ji and Bei Chi struggled up, leaning on each other. The fabric at their waists was shredded by Qian Jue's arrows, leaving their sides scorched red, faint blood soaking through.
They looked at each other, then at their opponents, who were already poised to strike again. Their eyes met.
One last gamble.
"We've got one last move. If you can break it, the win is yours! Thousand-Mile Rampage!"
Bei Chi roared, and the two pressed back-to-back once more. As their second spirit rings shone, they began spinning rapidly. Faster and faster, until their figures blurred into a single whirlwind that surged toward Dai Mubai and Qian Jue.
The sight made the two step back instinctively.
"White Tiger's Intense Light Wave!"
Dai Mubai was unwilling to admit defeat. He unleashed his second skill again. The orb of light exploded against the whirlwind, halting it briefly, shaking it wildly. But the force was quickly shredded apart and scattered by the winds. After a moment's pause, the whirlwind came surging again.
Qian Jue lifted his bow and fired an emerald arrow—Emerald Resonance. It too failed to stop the storm, only causing a slight wobble. Yet the soul power rebound told him it had weakened them.
If he were alone, he knew he could whittle down their energy with repeated Emerald Resonance until they collapsed.
But… there was an easier way.
"Boss Dai, give me your hand."
"Huh?"
Though puzzled, Dai Mubai did not hesitate. He grasped Qian Jue's hand.
Qian Jue's left hand seized him, while his right hand lifted. Suddenly, both were pulled skyward, rising off the ground.
"Whoa—!" Dai Mubai exclaimed, staring at Qian Jue. To his shock, Qian Jue's posture mirrored his own, as though both were being lifted by something invisible. But above Qian Jue, there was nothing to be seen.
"Woahhh~~~!"
The audience erupted.
At levels 20–30, flight was extremely rare. Even brief hovering abilities like Qing Ling's were unusual. And Qian Jue clearly wasn't a flying-type spirit master. His posture showed he was holding onto something unseen, but the spectators couldn't see what. Their curiosity burned.
The whirlwind raged below them, but after a few seconds, Bei Ji and Bei Chi slowed, their storm unraveling. At last, their figures reappeared, gasping.
They glanced up at Qian Jue and Dai Mubai, completely out of reach. Meeting each other's eyes, they sighed helplessly.
"Referee—we concede."
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