The veiled young man who had exclaimed earlier was none other than Feng Xiaotian, captain of the Godwind Academy team. His affections for Huo Wu were no secret—everyone knew he liked her. Naturally, there was no way he'd miss a match where Blazing Academy was competing.
"Xiaotian, are you sure what Lin Jie just used was a self-created Spirit Ability?" asked a teammate beside him.
Feng Xiaotian nodded solemnly. "Absolutely. It was definitely self-created—and extremely powerful." He knew just how difficult it was. It had taken him years of hard work to develop his own self-created Spirit Ability.
His companions all showed expressions of disbelief and amazement.
Elsewhere in the stands, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and the rest of the Shrek team members watching were equally shocked.
"A self-created Spirit Ability…" Grandmaster muttered in awe. He had once dismissed Lin Jie for having only rank 4 innate Spirit Power, even refusing his request to become a disciple. But once Lin Jie enrolled at Shrek Academy, he'd realized how wrong he'd been—wildly wrong. Lin Jie's talent was extraordinary, and now, seeing him use a self-created Spirit Ability, Grandmaster was forced to admit he still didn't fully understand the depths of Lin Jie's potential.
"A self-created Spirit Ability…" Tang San echoed, stunned. He didn't know much about the subject himself—only that Xiao Wu's Eight Stage Drop could be considered one. And he knew from experience how terrifying it could be.
Tang San had always admired Lin Jie, though deep down he was competitive too. He didn't believe Lin Jie was truly stronger than him. But the more he got to know Lin Jie, the more he realized how little he actually understood about him. Lin Jie was like a towering building shrouded in fog. Just when Tang San thought he'd reached the same floor, Lin Jie would shatter the illusion—showing he'd already climbed even higher.
Liu Erlong chuckled softly, not the least bit surprised by Lin Jie's performance. This younger brother of hers had long since grown used to stunning people.
—
Back on the battlefield—
Huo Wushuang frowned in confusion. Dai Mubai had caught him off guard earlier, yet even when he'd been exposed for a few critical seconds, Dai Mubai hadn't pressed the attack. He could've landed a solid blow—one that would've caused no small amount of trouble. Why didn't he?
Then, realization struck. "Not good!" he muttered to himself.
By the time he'd come to his senses, it was too late. Dai Mubai, Tai Long, and Huang Yuan had already encircled him in a triangle formation.
Dai Mubai flashed his trademark wicked grin. Without hesitation, his third Spirit Ring lit up—White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
As the transformation activated, his white fur took on a golden sheen. His aura exploded upward, and like a roaring tiger, he pounced toward Huo Wushuang with overwhelming force.
Tai Long and Huang Yuan moved in simultaneously, both activating their Spirit Abilities. Huo Wushuang had no room to dodge. Strangely, he didn't resist—he just stood there, unmoving.
Had he accepted defeat?
Of course not.
Just as the three Shrek attackers were about to land their coordinated strike—
Boom!
A fiery red shockwave suddenly erupted from the center of the arena.
It was Huo Wu.
She'd been holding back, waiting for the right moment. But seeing one teammate already down and her brother on the verge of being overwhelmed, she couldn't afford to wait any longer.
Her purple Spirit Ring flared, merging with a golden glow around her body. A ring of flame burst outward—her third Spirit Ability, Defying Flame Ring.
The timing was perfect.
Just as Dai Mubai, Tai Long, and Huang Yuan were about to land their blows, the ring of fire expanded and knocked all three away. It didn't harm them—it simply bounced them back.
Xiao Wu and Jing Ling, who were in the middle of overwhelming Huo Yun and Huo Yu, were also thrown off course.
When the flame ring reached Lin Jie, it passed harmlessly through him. He remained motionless. But when it reached Jiang Zhu behind him, she too was repelled.
Shrek's formation was completely disrupted.
Only Lin Jie remained inside the ring of fire.
That was the strength of Huo Wu's Defying Flame Ring. It had no offensive power, but it could push back any targets within range according to the user's will. The distance and precision of the repulsion depended entirely on the user's control.
Now, Lin Jie stood alone in the center, encircled by Huo Wu, Huo Yun, Huo Yu, and Huo Wushuang. Only the heavily injured Fire Leopard Spirit Master was missing from the formation.
This wasn't a coincidence. Blazing Academy had carefully studied Shrek's tactics. They knew Shrek's strength lay in their ability to execute coordinated surround attacks.
So they flipped the script.
A counter-surround.
They understood that Lin Jie was Shrek's true core. If they could take him out, the rest of the team would be like a tiger without fangs—dangerous, but not lethal.
And it had all happened in a split second. With Huo Wu's Defying Flame Ring active, the rest of Shrek had no way to intervene in time. Even if they rushed forward, the ring would delay them.
Sometimes, a few seconds was all it took to decide a battle.
Just as Dai Mubai and the others prepared to push back in, Lin Jie raised one hand and made a subtle gesture.
Xiao Wu and the others immediately understood—he was telling them not to interfere.
Blazing Academy wasn't taking chances. The two auxiliary-type Spirit Masters at the rear activated their third Spirit Rings. In the air above them, flickering starlike flames condensed, then split into multiple beams that shot down onto the four Blazing Academy members surrounding Lin Jie.
Their bodies surged with flame. They were going all out.
Huo Wushuang unleashed his third Spirit Ability—an enhancement-type skill akin to Dai Mubai's Vajra Transformation. His fiery aura intensified, and the claws on his arms doubled in size.
The twin Fire Crane Spirit Masters let out two sharp cries, and two blazing afterimages split from their bodies—fire clones.
Huo Wu, meanwhile, remained still, maintaining the Defying Flame Ring. Though she couldn't join the offensive, her role was clear: buy her teammates enough time to take Lin Jie down.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin