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

Zhong Yaorao was horrified. She felt the suffocating pressure of the cauldron's seal. Once sealed, her soul power would be suppressed and dissipated, or she would be directly sealed inside the cauldron, unable to resist anymore.

Zhong Yao forced all her soul power into action, and the Dragon Bell erupted with an unprecedentedly dazzling golden light, attempting to break free from the cauldron's seal.

However, Xiao Xiao's fighting spirit far exceeded her expectations. Xiao Xiao gritted her teeth, her face as pale as paper, yet she still held onto the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron with unwavering control. The sealing power of the cauldron was frantically eroding the golden bell's defenses, and Zhong Yaorao felt her soul power draining away at an alarming rate. The giant cauldron was like an insurmountable mountain, pressing down on her and making it hard for her to breathe.

"Seal it for me!" Xiao Xiao roared, and the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron suddenly contracted, firmly encasing the giant golden bell within.

"boom--!"

The golden bell emitted one last dazzling golden light before quickly dimming. Zhong Rao let out a miserable scream of unwillingness as she plummeted from mid-air, pinned to the ground by the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron.

The arena was deathly silent.

After a long while, the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron slowly shrank, returning to its original size, and hovered beside Xiao Xiao. Zhong Yaorao, on the other hand, collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale. Her soul power had been almost completely suppressed and dissipated, and she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.

Xiao Xiao staggered back two steps, wiping away a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth. Her soul power was also nearly exhausted, and her face was frighteningly pale, but her bright eyes still shone with the light of victory.

The referee was stunned for a moment before reacting and loudly announcing, "Xiao Xiao from Di'ao Academy wins!"

Thunderous applause erupted from the stands.

Everyone was stunned by this thrilling duel.

Xiao Xiao's performance was in no way inferior to Ji Juechen and Dugu Yuan. With her superb combat skills and unwavering fighting will, she managed to suppress Zhong Yaorao, who had higher soul power and equally superior martial soul quality, and ultimately won against all odds.

Zhong Yaorao struggled to lift her head, looking at Xiao Xiao's slightly thin yet incredibly upright figure. Her eyes held no resentment, only deep shock and admiration. She knew she had lost fair and square.

Xiao Xiao retrieved the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, nodded slightly to Zhong Yaorao, and then swallowed the Jade Lotus Heart to begin recovering her soul power.

Zhong Yaorao stepped down from the Soul Battle Platform, while Qin Wanjun, the Soul Master of the Dragon Soul Academy, stepped onto the platform.

Xiao Xiao's soul power had been restored under the effect of the Jade Lotus Heart. Although she had been injured earlier, it had been temporarily suppressed by her restored soul power. Xiao Xiao looked up at her opponent, Qin Wanjun.

Qin Wanjun wore a light blue dress and held an ancient seven-stringed zither. The head of the zither was carved with a dragon-shaped sculpture with a bull's head, sharp horns, dragon whiskers, large ears, scales, and a long, dragon-like appearance. It was in a state of deep concentration listening to the music, and it was Qiuniu, one of the nine sons of the dragon who loved music.

The soul power emanating from Qin Wanjun was extremely powerful, approaching level fifty, making her even stronger than Zhong Yaorao before.

Qin Wanjun smiled slightly, her fingertips gently brushing across the strings of her zither, and her first soul ring quietly lit up—the Soul Ring of the Prisoner of the Ox, a Melody of Tranquility. A soft green halo spread out along with the melodious zither music, instantly soothing her pre-battle tension and increasing her soul power circulation speed by 30%, allowing her to enter the optimal battle state of "calm as still water."

"Please enlighten me." Qin Wanjun parted her lips slightly, and her second soul ring shone brightly—the Chaotic Divine Song of the Prisoner Bull!

This time, the music abruptly changed, transforming from melodious to sharp and mournful. Visible pale blue sound waves, like countless tiny blades, mixed with the mental interference unique to the Qiuniu bloodline, swept over Xiao Xiao relentlessly.

This is not only a physical sonic attack, but it can also directly disrupt the opponent's mental state, causing deviations in the release of soul skills.

Xiao Xiao's expression turned solemn. She knew that facing a top-tier martial soul that combined control and support abilities, she couldn't allow her opponent to play with ease. Her first soul ring lit up, and the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron instantly split into three, forming a triangular shape to protect her. First Soul Skill—Cauldron Tremor!

The three large cauldrons trembled violently, emitting a muffled roar, attempting to disperse the all-pervasive sonic blades with their vibrational power. However, Qin Wanjun's soul power was simply too profound; the sonic waves were only weakened slightly, yet they still penetrated the vibrational defenses, causing Xiao Xiao's eardrums to ache and her mind to become dizzy.

"Such powerful spiritual strength!" Xiao Xiao was secretly shocked, but she had extremely rich combat experience. Taking advantage of the gap in the music, she suddenly clasped her hands together, the three cauldrons merging into one, transforming into a giant cauldron that appeared out of nowhere. Second Soul Skill—Cauldron Sweep! The giant cauldron, carrying immense power, did not smash towards Qin Wanjun herself, but instead slammed heavily into the ground!

"boom!"

The ground of the arena cracked instantly, and a huge shockwave traveled through the ground, directly disrupting Qin Wanjun's balance. Qin Wanjun, who was playing, swayed, and the music from her fingertips suddenly became disordered and paused.

"Now!" Xiao Xiao's eyes flashed with a sharp light. She knew this was her only chance, and her third spirit ring suddenly shone brightly—the Might of the Cauldron!

Runes flowed across the surface of the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, its defensive power and imposing aura surging. Xiao Xiao manipulated the giant cauldron, causing it to expand against the wind, crushing towards Qin Wanjun like a small mountain. At the same time, her soul power burned wildly, and the deep black light of her fourth soul ring instantly shone—the Cauldron Seal!

Qin Wanjun's soul power far surpassed Xiao Xiao's, and she steadied herself in an instant. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. Facing the crushing cauldron and terrifying sealing power, she did not panic and retreat. Instead, she took a deep breath, and her third and fourth soul rings lit up simultaneously!

Third Soul Skill - Soul Melody of the Prisoner Ox!

A thick, earthen-yellow light shield instantly enveloped her. This was the absolute defense granted by the Qiuniu bloodline, specifically designed to resist both mental and physical impacts.

Immediately following, the fourth soul skill—the Soul-Severing Melody of the Prisoner Bull!

Qin Wanjun frantically plucked the strings of her zither, and the Qiuniu Dragon Soul on the zither let out a mournful roar. A blood-red sound wave, condensed to its extreme, shot straight at the seal of the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, like a tangible arrow.

"Boom—!!!"

The giant cauldron collided violently with the crimson sonic waves. The suction force of the cauldron's seal frantically pulled at Qin Wanjun's soul power, attempting to forcibly draw her into the cauldron; while the terrifying sonic waves of the Soul-Severing Melody frantically impacted the walls of the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, trying to shatter it.

Xiao Xiao felt an overwhelming force flowing through her martial soul, causing her arms to ache terribly, her tiger's mouth to split open, and blood to stain her sleeves.

The injuries that had been suppressed earlier could no longer be contained at this moment. Under the dual influence of Qin Wanjun's soul power suppression and the backlash from Xiao Xiao's own injuries, Xiao Xiao was under unprecedented pressure.