Douluo Continent: I, Long Aotian, will not be a supporting character.

Starting from the round of 16, each side must play at least two matches, choosing from three modes: one-on-one, two-on-three, and team battle. If one side wins both matches, there is no need for a third match. If the two matches end in a draw, then a third match will be played.

The multiple battle modes serve two purposes: firstly, to allow each academy to fully utilize its strengths, and secondly, to provide each student with more opportunities to showcase themselves, since every Soul Master who has reached this stage can be considered a genius of this era.

Today, the match between Di'ao Academy and Tianhai Academy is about to begin.

On the battle stage, the referee walked to the center and announced loudly through the megaphone: "Next, the Round of 16 of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament will begin. The Heavenly Soul Empire Royal Imperial Academy team will face the Battle Spirit Empire Tianhai Advanced Soul Master Academy team. Both teams, please proceed to the waiting area. At the same time, please invite the captains of both teams to come up to the stage to draw lots to determine the first match mode for their respective teams."

The students from Di'ao Academy entered the waiting area, and Long Aotian strode onto the Soul Fighting Stage.

From Tianhai Academy, a female student came up, and their captain was also a girl.

The female captain of Tianhai Academy had long, flowing light blue hair that perfectly complemented her light blue fishtail dress. The dress accentuated her beautiful figure, and her face was absolutely stunning, exuding a gentle, elegant, and intellectual beauty.

"The draw begins!" the referee announced, and a moment later, a ball was dropped from the drawing tube.

"Di'ao Academy vs. Tianhai Academy, a 2-2-3 match mode!" the referee announced loudly.

Immediately afterwards, Long Aotian and the female captain of the Tianhai team stepped down from the battle arena and returned to their respective waiting areas.

Mu Yu Chengfeng said, "For the two-two-three battle mode, we will proceed as planned. Long Aotian will be paired with Dugu Yuan, Jin Ni with Xiao Xiao's clan, and Vina, Ye Guyi, and Ji Juechen will be paired with each other."

Long Aotian and the others nodded in acknowledgment.

The referee's voice came from the arena: "Two-two-three battle mode, please have two players from each side come up to the stage!"

Long Aotian and Dugu Yuan stepped onto the Soul Battle Platform.

The other side consisted of two young men of very different builds. One was short and stocky with dark skin, while the other was tall and thin with triangular eyes and a pale face, giving him a slightly effeminate appearance. The two men's temperaments formed a stark contrast.

The two members of the Tianhai team saw that the Di'ao Academy team still consisted of thirteen or fourteen-year-old reserve members, but they did not let their guard down. After all, Di'ao Academy's previous battles had already demonstrated the strength of their reserve team.

"Both parties share the same name!"

"Tianhai Academy, Jingxie! Shekui!" The short, stocky man was named Jingxie, and the tall, thin man was named Shekui.

"Emperor's Academy, Long Aotian, Dugu Yuan!"

The referee waved and announced, "The match begins!"

With the referee's command, four powerful auras instantly erupted on the battle arena.

"Waaah—"

Jing Xie let out a strange roar, not a human voice, but a howl from the deep sea. Behind him, a gigantic, black whale phantom soared into the sky. The whale was entirely black, except for its belly and eye spots, which were deathly white, exuding a chillingly ferocious aura.

Martial Soul: Demonic Orca!

At the same time, the soul rings on Jing Xie's body pulsed, two yellow, two purple, and one black, making him a five-ring Soul King!

"Splash—"

As the Martial Soul possessed him, a dense cloud of water vapor instantly erupted from Jing Xie's center. His arms rapidly expanded, transforming into two enormous black fins with smooth, mirror-like skin, devoid of any scales—the formidable physique unique to the Demonic Orca.

On the other side, She Kui's figure became increasingly blurry. A phantom of a sea serpent, entirely black with silver rings strung around its body, coiled behind him.

Martial Soul: Sea Viper!

Two yellow, two purple. A four-ringed Soul Master!

She Kui's demeanor instantly turned extremely cold, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

"It's a demonic killer whale!" someone in the audience exclaimed.

Jing Xie's martial soul, the Demonic Tiger Whale, is a top-tier existence among sea spirit beasts, second only to the Deep Sea Demon Whale, the king of sea spirit beasts. It holds a dominant position in the ocean, demonstrating its formidable strength.

Jing Xie did not disappoint the powerful martial spirit of the demonic tiger whale, and has already reached the level of a five-ring Soul King.

"First Soul Skill: Water Mist Transforms into the Sea!"

Jingxie's first soul ring shone with a bright yellow light.

"Splash splash splash—"

The air on the arena seemed to have been instantly drained of moisture, and then countless tiny water droplets condensed out of thin air. In the blink of an eye, the entire arena was shrouded in a thick white mist. This mist was formed from a high concentration of water elemental energy!

Surrounded by the mist, Jing Xie felt completely at ease, his senses instantly covering the entire area. Clearly, Jing Xie's first soul skill was to increase the sea soul master's environmental adaptability by condensing water vapor.

"She Kui, make your move!"

Jing Xie let out a low shout, his figure becoming erratic in the mist. Immediately afterward, the light of his second soul ring surged.

"Second Soul Skill, Orca Demon Axe!"

The water mist in the air instantly condensed, transforming into a huge energy battle axe exuding black evil energy, which slashed down at Long Aotian with a whistling sound.

At the same time, She Kui also moved.

His first spirit ring lit up, and his body became soft and boneless, lying flat on the ground as he silently attacked.

She Kui glided along the surface of the Soul Arena like a snake, its speed not slow but rather quite fast. Clearly, She Kui's first Soul Skill should be a speed-boosting Soul Skill.

She Kui glided along the ground at an astonishing speed, making no sound whatsoever. Where he glided, the originally hard surface of the Soul Arena emitted a sizzling corrosion sound, leaving a charred mark.

That's the deadly venom of a sea viper!

As they moved, She Kui suddenly raised his head, his second soul ring flashed, and he opened his mouth to spew out an extremely condensed black light. This black light, like a tangible poison arrow, aimed straight for Dugu Yuan's throat!

Seeing the approaching Orca Demon Axe, Long Aotian neither dodged nor evaded.

Holding the Heaven-Shattering Axe, his blood and qi surged within him, and his soul power poured into the axe. He did not use any fancy soul skills, but simply poured in pure power and soul power. A golden axe beam shot into the sky with overwhelming force, directly meeting Jing Xie's Orca Demon Axe.

Meanwhile, Dugu Yuan's second soul ring flashed, activating "Ten Thousand Poisons Overlord Body," and a verdant light instantly enveloped his entire body. His originally pale face turned a jade-green hue, and a chilling poisonous mist erupted from his body.