Chapter 71: Targeted

But from the Team Duel results of this period, my pairing with Ning Ning is in the first echelon among the thirty‑level combos.

Ning Ning's eyes lit up, seeming to think this method is good, but then she thought, if we lose, the Gold Soul Coins we barely earned will be lost again.

"We can't rule out that they'll bring an even tougher opponent, like the pair we faced today."

The Soul Master pair we met today were both thirty‑nine‑level Soul Elders, with a Soul Ring Configuration of two yellow and one purple—the optimal setup—indeed the strongest opponents they could encounter.

The two barely won their duel, and still shaken, Ning Ning immediately refused the betting proposal.

"No, with odds this low we'd have to wager a lot to profit; if we lose we lose everything, not worth it at all," Ning Ning shook her head.

The opponents keep getting stronger; perhaps the next round we'll face a combo we can't defeat.

Tie Li also hesitated, thinking of a possibility: the Great Soul Battle Arena doesn't want you to keep winning, so it arranges opponents that get increasingly hard to handle—maybe not as strong as today's two, but certainly more targeted.

After all, it's just a two‑person combo, not a complete team, and can't cover its own flaws.

We can wait until tomorrow and see; then it'll be clear.

After walking together for a while, Tie Li and Ning Ning said goodbye at a fork in the road.

The brief parting felt a little reluctant, yet they both looked forward to meeting again the next day.

Back at his residence, Tie Li meditated and cultivated as usual, but now he had hit a bottleneck.

He could no longer draw energy from the Thunder Python Inner Core, as if it were stuck.

Consequently, his cultivation speed dropped considerably.

At a normal rate, he should have reached Forty Level within these two days.

"Where did it go wrong?" Tie Li wondered silently, but with his own insight it was destined to be unsolvable.

If he could get to the senior Soul Master academy's library, perhaps he'd find the answer there.

He can only set it aside for now and, tomorrow, discuss with Ning Ning to see if she can take him to the academy's library.

…

As usual, when he arrived at the Great Soul Battle Arena, Tie Li gave Ning Ning a brief explanation.

"I've hit a small problem in cultivation and want to go to the academy's library for answers," he said.

"Sure, when do you want to go."

"The sooner the better."

"Then tomorrow. I'll take you to the academy."

"Got it."

The two were in the lounge, already registered for tonight's Team Duel, when staff from the Great Soul Battle Arena came to inform them.

"Soul Master Great Sir, you will be battling on Soul Battle Platform No. 24."

"Alright, we'll head there right away."

When Tie Li and Ning Ning arrived at the preparation seats beneath the platform, Tie Li instinctively looked across; the appearance of one of them startled him.

Although five years had passed, her looks hadn't changed much.

Back then Tie Li was a member of the Longxing City Great Soul Battle Arena, and had gone with his team to Bainuo Ya City for a duel competition; the person opposite was his former teammate.

You He, who possesses the Night Ghost Cat martial soul.

Now her soul power level has reached Thirty Nine Level, just one step away from breaking through to Forty Level.

Her teammate is also a thirty‑nine‑level Soul Elder.

In terms of soul power level alone, the opponent is no less than the foes they met yesterday.

"Next up is a Team Duel; to my left is the never‑defeated Heavy Tower Combo."

When the host introduced the Heavy Tower Combo, he paused for several seconds, giving the audience time to cheer.

During this period, the Heavy Tower Combo had brought them considerable profit.

"Heavy Tower Combo, crush them."

"Damn, I'm buying the Heavy Tower Combo all day today."

"Their odds keep getting lower."

Most of the spectators supported the Heavy Tower Combo; only a tiny fraction sensed something off and chose the newly appeared combo.

"The Heavy Tower Combo is strong, but didn't anyone notice their opponents are getting harder to handle?"

"The Great Soul Battle Arena isn't stupid; it will definitely take measures."

"The Heavy Tower Combo almost lost yesterday, and also last time, when facing attacks from two Strong Attack‑type Soul Elders, the Support‑type Soul Master was eliminated early; if that Strong Attack‑type Soul Master hadn't been strong enough, the winning streak would have ended long ago."

But for them it was a good thing: the Heavy Tower Combo's odds were low, while the other combo's odds were high, so they wagered many Gold Soul Coins.

If the Heavy Tower Combo loses, they'll earn a large amount of coins.

"And they'll be facing the Twin Cat Combo."

Hearing their combo's name gave Tie Li an uneasy premonition.

Besides the near loss yesterday, another Team Duel put a lot of pressure on them.

It was a combo facing two Agile Attack‑type Soul Elders.

After the host finished introducing both sides, he handed the platform position over to the referee.

At the referee's signal, the two combos stepped onto the Soul Battle Platform.

You He gave Tie Li a hesitant glance; for some reason, she felt a familiar aura emanating from him.

"What's wrong?"

You He's companion was a slender youth with a hint of ruggedness in his features.

His gaze at You He carried a trace of ambiguity.

They were both Soul Masters cultivated by the Great Soul Battle Arena, often training together, so some feelings inevitably developed.

"Nothing, just that he seems familiar, but I can't recall who he is," You He said.

The referee glanced at the Soul Masters on both sides and immediately announced the Soul Battle's start.

Brilliant Soul Rings emerged from beneath them, all in the optimal configuration of two yellow and one purple Soul Ring Configuration.

In terms of Soul Power Level, the dual‑cat pairing has the clear advantage.

As their team name suggests, their martial souls are both cats, and both are Agile Attack-type Soul Elders.

This is the part that gives Tie Li a headache.

Having entered the Martial Soul Possession State, the two You He immediately attacked Ning Ning from both sides simultaneously.

They clearly had a tactical arrangement; the first target was Ning Ning, the Support-type Soul Master.

The three Soul Rings on Ning Ning lit up simultaneously.

Power amplification, speed amplification, and attribute amplification; the attribute amplification of the third Amplification Soul Technique reached twenty‑five percent, and the three glows all fell upon Tie Li.

At the same time, they also added speed amplification to themselves, applying an Amplification Soul Technique to themselves, with the amplification effect halved.

Ning Ning did not hesitate and immediately ran toward the direction of You He.

Tie Li then sprang up and charged toward the other Agile Attack-type Soul Master.

Just now at the preparation seat, Tie Li and Ning Ning discussed a tactic: Ning Ning would try to hold back You He as much as possible, while Tie Li aimed to swiftly eliminate the other Agile Attack-type Soul Master, avoiding a one‑against‑two situation.

For this, Tie Li specifically gave his metal inner armor to Ning Ning.

【Author's note: Two chapters today. The author missed a step on the stairs and fell down, not dead yet, working hard on writing.】

(End of chapter.)