Chapter 41: Annihilation of a Clan

When the lord of Bainuoia City and his men rushed to the Jinli Clan, the battle had already ended.

Jin Yan, the clan head, had his head cut off, and his corpse was casually thrown aside.

The scene was bloody; many Soul Masters died, most of them members of the Jinli Clan.

At this moment, Ambro finally walked out of the Jinli Clan's manor, his expression grim.

Obviously, he hadn't found what he was looking for.

And his actions today would inevitably provoke retaliation from the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect.

His position as a bishop of the Spirit Hall might therefore be revoked.

If he obtained the treasure, it would all be worth it, but there was nothing at all in the Jinli Clan's manor.

He had already turned the manor upside down, yet found no trace whatsoever.

"Impossible—he has no reason to deceive me," Ambro thought.

"Ambro, whose authority is this?" Huang Xi said gravely.

He is the lord of Bainuoia City, representing the imperial face of the Tian Dou Empire; Ambro, leading the Spirit Hall's Soul Masters, annihilated the Jinli Clan and killed Jin Yan, which is tantamount to challenging his authority.

"Jinli Clan colluded with Fallen Soul Masters; I eradicated them completely, what is wrong with that;"

Yet this lord lets Fallen Soul Masters wreak havoc right under his nose—what does that even mean?

As for the authority you speak of? Don't you find it laughable—why would eradicating Fallen Soul Masters require authority?" Ambro, clearly prepared, turned the tables, his retort showing no respect for the other.

"You… fine, fine." Huang Xi's eyes flashed coldly; after this, he would definitely report to the imperial court.

His strength is inferior to Ambro's; acting in anger now would only embarrass himself.

"Heh, ridiculous! Let's go."

Ambro waved his hand at the Soul Masters under him and left.

He felt a pang of regret; if Huang Xi had acted earlier, he could have muddied the waters.

…

The news of the Jinli Clan's extermination spread to every corner of Bainuoia City the next day.

Another deeply rooted Soul Master family had been wiped out.

Upon learning of this in the morning, Tie Li and the others felt a sudden sigh.

However, there was good news for everyone: the next round was a bye, granting direct promotion.

The team they were supposed to face in the third round was the Jinli Clan's squad.

But with the Jinli Clan gone, there was no team left.

The only remaining members were probably the Gold family's patriarch in the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect and a few younger Gold family members.

…

Although there was no Soul Battle competition today, Kaiqi still led everyone to the Grand Soul Battle Arena.

The main reason was that a Spirit Hall team was holding a Soul Battle, and the Grand Arena specially scheduled the Spirit Hall team's match on the main Soul Battle stage.

Upon reaching the spectator seats, one could see the audience's enthusiasm was extremely high, with wave after wave of cheers supporting the Spirit Hall team.

The Spirit Hall team's opponent today was the Noah Academy team.

After learning that their next opponent would be the Spirit Hall team, they sent all five Soul Elders onto the field.

The two teams stepped onto the Soul Battle Platform, and every member of the Noah Academy team looked extremely alert.

The Spirit Hall team's members, however, wore relaxed faces, their gazes toward the opponent tinged with slight contempt.

As the referee announced the start of the Soul Battle, dazzling Soul Rings filled the Soul Battle Platform.

Watching the Team Soul Battle from the stands gave an even stronger visual impact.

"Whoosh"

Duolangbu and the others let out a gasp, because all seven members of the Spirit Hall were Three Ring Soul Honorable.

Tie Li's gaze hardened, his eyes fixed dead on a female Soul Master of the Spirit Hall.

Her martial soul was... Golden Waist Flying Swallow!

She will be one of the main members representing the Spirit Hall in the Continental Soul Master Elite Competition; she may not match the Spirit Hall's golden generation, but being selected proves her talent.

She is the youngest among the seven, yet her Soul Power Level is the highest.

Among the seven Soul Elders, five have the optimal Soul Ring Configuration of two Yellow and one Purple, while the other two have one White, one Yellow, and one Purple; though slightly inferior, all are Soul Elders possessing Thousand-Year Soul Rings.

The situation was overwhelming from the start; under the full assault of the Spirit Hall's seven, the Noah Academy team held out for only ten minutes before being defeated.

After witnessing the Spirit Hall team's strength, a haze fell over everyone's mind.

This starkly contrasted with the surrounding audience's enthusiasm.

"Just do your best, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Kaiqi's attitude has changed noticeably these past days; previously she cared a lot about the Soul Battle rankings, discussing tactics daily with the team, simulating various unexpected scenarios in Team Soul Battles and how to respond.

Now it's different; she no longer seems to care that much about rankings.

After returning to the dormitory, Zhang Yang couldn't help but raise a question.

"Kaiqi, why have you been so mysterious lately?"

"What did you notice?" Tie Li asked.

Zhang Yang just shook his head; because he hadn't noticed anything, he thought Kaiqi had become mysterious.

Tie Li wasn't concerned about this; winning the Soul Battle this time would be difficult, as the Spirit Hall's team has seven Soul Elders, each with a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, which silently puts great pressure on the other teams.

As long as they don't face the Spirit Hall team in the next round, they can still vie for second place.

"By the way, do you know the reward for second place?" Tie Li asked.

The Lin brothers, Lin Wen and Lin Wu, were also interested and all turned to Zhang Yang.

"The prize is three thousand Gold Soul Coins; main team members may select a centennial-grade spirit material, while substitute members may choose a fifty-year-old spirit material," Zhang Yang said.

"Is it an arbitrary selection?"

"Yes, go into their treasure vault and pick, but you can only choose one seedling."

"That's not bad either!"

"Anyway, the first place is no longer coveted; a Soul Beast egg is, in everyone's eyes, worth less than a hundred‑year spirit material per person."

……

"Kaiqi, as usual, left the dormitory and entered a certain room in the Great Soul Battle Arena."

"This time, Supervisor Ao stood beside him like a subordinate, while an elder over fifty sat in the main seat."

"'This time you performed well, letting me obtain the treasure before Anbu Luo,' the elder said with a cheerful smile."

"'Sir, you are too kind; this is what we should do,' Supervisor Ao replied respectfully."

"The elder before us holds an extremely high position in the Great Soul Battle Arena, and his strength is unfathomable."

"'When this Soul Battle competition ends, I will take the Soul Masters you recommended. I have already had people investigate; their identities and backgrounds are fine.'"

"'Sir, Tie Li has progressed within a year…'"

"'The Soul Master World is so vast; obtaining a small chance is nothing. I have sensed his soul power attribute; there is no evil aura, he is a legitimate Soul Master.'"

"【Author's note: I've seen everyone discussing the plot and the upcoming Soul Ring choices these past two days; I have to say you are truly impressive, far stronger than me;】"

"Regarding the plot, I will stay closer to the original; a 24‑year‑old becoming a Soul Saint to attend a major Soul Master event is too exaggerated, haha! As for why the martial soul is called Forging Hammer instead of Iron Hammer, that is the reason."

"Secondly, concerning characters, I will respect the original; if I dislike a character, I will magnify their flaws and diminish their virtues, but I will not baselessly vilify or degrade them."

"Here, thank you all for getting this far; at this concluding stage, could you post a report so I can see some lurker readers!"

(End of chapter)