Although Rong Taotao ran his mouth, his attitude was now incredibly serious.

He suddenly lunged forward with a thrust—his polite opening gambit!

"SMACK!" Qi Tian’s body was nimble. Aided by Snow Dance, he sidestepped the incoming long halberd and slapped the Heaven-piercing Halberd toward the ground.

Rong Taotao felt a numbness spread through his palm and couldn’t help but wince. ’What incredible strength!’

All Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists possessed the Soul Skill: Snow Soul, yet these brothers took the opposite approach. This only went to show how superb their Hand-to-Hand Combat skills were and how terrifying their physical strength was.

"Die, punk!" Enraged, Qi Tian slapped down Rong Taotao’s lunging halberd. At the same time, he stomped hard, twisting his body to drive a fist straight at Rong Taotao’s head.

"How dare you!" Gao Lingwei’s voice was utterly frigid. It was clear she was now taking this seriously.

From her position behind Rong Taotao, she thrust her halberd forward. The long Heaven-piercing Halberd grazed past Rong Taotao’s shoulder, aiming straight for Qi Tian’s head!

"SHHNK... TING!"

But Qi Tian had simply raised a hand to block it!

Bare-handed against a sharp blade!

The sharp Ironspear Point plunged straight into Qi Tian’s palm, only to be stopped by his frost-covered bones, letting out an eerie sound.

Snow Realm Soul Skill: Frost Snow Skeleton!

It was a rare Soul Skill from a chest Soul Pearl, and an equally rare one that served for both offense and defense.

"This is the feeling!" A large gash was torn open in Qi Tian’s palm, dripping with blood, but he seemed to feel no pain. In fact, he almost seemed to... enjoy it?

This...

Qi Tian clenched his fist, his fingers hooking into the latticed head of the Heaven-piercing Halberd, and gave a vicious yank!

Gao Lingwei immediately let go. She didn’t dare to match his strength, allowing Qi Tian to wrench the long halberd from her grasp.

Rong Taotao seized the opportunity to recover his bearings. He swung his long halberd in a wide arc, intending to sweep aside the hot-tempered Qi Tian. He never expected the older brother, Qi Dao, to appear like a phantom at his brother’s side and catch the sweeping weapon.

The same posture, the same attitude!

The older brother, Qi Dao, also didn’t seem to mind his palm being pierced. Crimson blood dripped onto the Snow-made Heaven-piercing Halberd, leaving behind streaks of red.

’Jump back! A big one!’ Rong Taotao, alarmed, hastily communicated with Gao Lingwei in his mind.

Gao Lingwei had just formed a new Heaven-piercing Halberd. Upon receiving Rong Taotao’s message, she bent her knees and leaped backward!

The two brothers, Qi Dao and Qi Tian, were about to press their advantage when they saw Gao Lingwei’s maneuver. Instantly, they both retreated as well!

"BOOM!"

Rong Taotao stomped on the ground, sending shattered stars flying!

However, Gao Lingwei, as well as Qi Dao and Qi Tian, all dodged the Star-Stepping Split completely unscathed.

’Such fast reflexes! Such incredible speed!’

’Is this what it means to be a top-tier Soul Captain?’

Rong Taotao’s heart tightened. ’As expected of seeded contestants. They’re so much stronger than Zonglu!’

Even when the brothers leaped back, they slid with their boots skimming the turf, giving Rong Taotao no opening whatsoever.

Rong Taotao’s brows furrowed. He’d just managed to get a rise out of Qi Tian, but... ’Why did he react so quickly?’

The next scene, however, gave Rong Taotao his answer.

As the younger brother, Qi Tian, slid backward, he suddenly stumbled for a moment before quickly steadying himself. He shot his brother a look of displeasure. "I could have dodged that myself."

"I was worried you’d get reckless," the older brother, Qi Dao, said with a grave expression. "Even a hawk uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. We have an absolute advantage in strength; we should be steady and methodical, not allowing ourselves to be distracted by anything."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Qi Tian pouted, flicking the blood from his hand.

Not far away, Rong Taotao overheard this, and understanding dawned on him.

’So that’s what happened. A moment ago, the older brother, Qi Dao, must have forcibly taken control of his brother’s body. He was afraid his brother would do something rash, so he forced him to retreat.’

’This... How are we supposed to fight this?’

’They’re clearly the stronger side, yet they’re this cautious.’

Rong Taotao’s mind raced. ’Should I try to provoke both of them? That older brother, Qi Dao, seems so level-headed. He probably won’t take the bait.’

"Pincer attack," Qi Dao said to his brother. "Once you break through Gao Lingwei’s defense, this match is ours."

"Fine." Qi Tian’s eyes blazed as he glared at Rong Taotao, but he still obeyed his brother’s plan.

The brothers communicated verbally, but they also communicated telepathically.

Whatever they had just discussed, the younger brother, Qi Tian, dropped to one knee and pressed his blood-stained palm to the turf.

Rong Taotao felt a tremor beneath his feet as an ice pillar suddenly burst through the turf and shot upward.

Rong Taotao scrambled back, avoiding being launched into the air by the pillar.

"CRASH!" With the sound of shattering ice, the older brother, Qi Dao, smashed through the pillar with his shoulder. Seizing the moment while Rong Taotao was off-balance, he rapidly formed a Snow Burst Ball and viciously thrust it at Rong Taotao’s face.

"SHHNK!" A Heaven-piercing Halberd once again thrust past Rong Taotao’s shoulder. The sharp Snow Halberd instantly pierced the rapidly spinning Snow Burst Ball and plunged, yet again, into the palm of the older brother, Qi Dao.

"Heh heh..." An eerie laugh suddenly came from behind.

Gao Lingwei’s expression froze. ’Qi Tian is so fast! He already got behind me?’

She hurriedly spun around and kicked backward, but the Snow Burst Ball she was forming on the sole of her boot was shattered by Qi Tian’s fist before it could fully materialize.