The Shrek Academy team found themselves in a precarious position as their formation began to falter under the relentless assault from Thunder Academy. Their attack formation, once tight and coordinated, now showed signs of strain as the enemy pressed their advantage. Recognizing the weakness in their opponents' ranks, one of Thunder Academy's Spirit Masters moved to support Yu Tianxin in a coordinated attack against Yang Xiong. In their tactical assessment, the several Spirit Elders on Shrek's team represented the most vulnerable targets.
From any observer's perspective, the Shrek team was clearly at a severe disadvantage. Despite the powerful support provided by Oscar's recovery sausages and Ning Rongrong's amplification abilities from the rear, the fundamental gap between the Battle Soul Masters was becoming increasingly apparent, especially with Tang San being suppressed and unable to operate at full capacity.
Thunder Academy fielded six offensive Battle Soul Masters against Shrek's mere four. Tang San found himself in an impossible position—he couldn't abandon his role as the team's controller to become a pure attacker, as doing so would leave the formation vulnerable to complete collapse. His responsibility extended beyond personal combat; he had to continuously monitor and protect their two support Spirit Masters, Oscar and Ning Rongrong.
This tactical constraint forced both Yang Xiong and Dai Mubai into disadvantageous two-on-one situations, with both facing opponents who were far from weak. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu and Tai Long could barely maintain their defensive positions, struggling to hold their ground. Given the current circumstances, unless something dramatic changed, defeat seemed inevitable—it was merely a question of time.
However, Thunder Academy possessed a critical weakness that could be exploited: while their attack power and burst capabilities were extraordinarily strong, their endurance was significantly inferior due to their lack of dedicated support. This weakness was partially mitigated by Oscar's strategic distribution of Super Recovery Sausages at the match's beginning, and the relatively low spirit power consumption of first Spirit Abilities meant the battle could potentially be prolonged.
Yu Tianxin, Thunder Academy's captain, appeared deep in contemplation. As the team leader, he understood the urgent need to break free from Yang Xiong's interference and disrupt Shrek's seven-person formation as thoroughly as possible. His tactical mind raced through possibilities, searching for the breakthrough his team needed.
Suddenly, brilliant lightning erupted from Yu Tianxin's body in a spectacular display of power. His right arm underwent a dramatic transformation, becoming incredibly robust and thickening by a full circle. The entire limb seemed to be covered in dragon-like scales, while his five fingers elongated and sharpened into fearsome claws.
Yang Xiong felt a jolt of recognition and surprise. He had witnessed this technique before—it was the legendary Dragon Transformation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. This was one of the clan's most closely guarded secrets, never shared outside the bloodline, and represented the fundamental source of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's overwhelming power.
Yu Tianxin's first spirit ring began to flicker with intense energy, and an absolutely terrifying force emanated from his transformed right claw. This was his first Spirit Ability: Thunder Dragon Claw, a technique that combined the raw power of his martial soul with the precision of a trained warrior.
Yang Xiong responded with nothing more than a cold snort. He clenched his right hand into a tight fist, and his entire hand took on a distinctive silver coloration. Ignoring the interference attempts from other opponents, he launched a direct, powerful punch. This was his signature technique: the Bone Crushing Punch.
The collision was brief but decisive. Yang Xiong remained completely motionless while Yu Tianxin was forced backward several steps, his confidence shaken by the unexpected resistance.
Yang Xiong's Bone Crushing Punch appeared deceptively simple, but it represented the culmination of years of dedicated study and refinement. The technique concentrated his body's spirit power into a single point while incorporating the full impact of his body weight. It was the distilled essence of Yang Xiong's boxing mastery, developed through countless hours of training and combat experience.
Yu Tianxin was filled with shock and disbelief. He hadn't anticipated that his Spirit Ability would be so easily blocked, much less that his opponent's raw power would prove significantly superior to his own. How could an ordinary Spirit Elder possess such overwhelming strength?
The implications struck Yu Tianxin like a physical blow. He felt deeply humiliated by the outcome. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, renowned as the world's most powerful Beast Spirit, had been outmatched by what appeared to be an ordinary Body Martial Soul user. Not only that, but the opponent was merely a Spirit Elder, and Yu Tianxin had been fighting alongside a teammate in a two-on-one situation.
Yu Tianxin's focus narrowed dramatically, no longer paying attention to the broader battle raging across the arena. At this moment, his entire world consisted of a single burning desire: to use every ounce of his strength to defeat the opponent standing before him.
Yu Tianxin's third spirit ring began to flicker ominously, and his body was instantly filled with countless crackling lightning bolts. The power of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit increased exponentially, doubling both his physical capabilities and his spirit power reserves. The blue aura surrounding him transformed into a deeper blue-purple coloration, and his entire frame became noticeably more muscular and imposing. This was clearly a top-tier lightning-attribute amplification Spirit Ability, likely no weaker than Dai Mubai's fearsome White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
But Yang Xiong showed no signs of fear or concern. If his opponent wanted to rely on a simple amplification Spirit Ability, he would demonstrate the true difference in power between them. Even when Dai Mubai utilized his amplification techniques to their fullest extent, he had never posed a genuine threat to Yang Xiong.
Despite Yu Tianxin's impressive display of enhanced power, Yang Xiong's response was remarkably restrained. His body gained only an additional layer of silver light, and his hands took on their characteristic silver coloration. Moving with extraordinary speed and precision, he efficiently blocked attacks from both opponents while simultaneously launching counterattacks that connected with disturbing frequency. From any tactical perspective, he appeared completely unhurried and in control.
While Yang Xiong's ability to fight two opponents without falling behind might be considered relatively normal given his capabilities, the situation for other members of the arena was decidedly more dire. Dai Mubai, in particular, found himself in serious trouble. Even with the amplification provided by his third Spirit Ability, engaging two opponents simultaneously placed him at a severe disadvantage, especially since Lei Tian's individual strength clearly matched or exceeded his own.
Xiao Wu and Tai Long were barely managing to hold their positions. By this point, they had already consumed the Super Recovery Sausages that Oscar had prepared, but the fundamental gap in strength between the two teams remained painfully apparent.
Fortunately, Ning Rongrong quickly provided amplification support to the struggling team members, preventing what could have been a complete collapse. Notably, Yang Xiong had refused any amplification Spirit Abilities from the beginning of the match until now. In this type of standard arena competition, Yang Xiong was determined to display his individual strength and capabilities, much like during his previous Soul Fighting matches with Ning Rongrong, where he had fought alone throughout without requiring assistance from others.
Moreover, Yang Xiong understood that his spirit power reserves were considerably deeper than others of the same rank. If Ning Rongrong attempted to amplify him, the consumption for her would likely prove excessive and potentially dangerous.
At this critical moment, Yu Tianxin suddenly gritted his teeth in determination, and his second spirit ring began to flicker with intense energy. His entire body instantly discharged countless lightning bolts in all directions. The electrical discharge seemed designed to envelop Yang Xiong completely—this was his second Spirit Ability: Thunderous Might.
These lightning bolts had transformed to a deep purple coloration, resembling deadly arrows, and their destructive power was greatly enhanced under the amplification effects of his third Spirit Ability.
The other Spirit Elder who had been attacking Yang Xiong also activated his third Spirit Ability, which proved to be another large-scale lightning-attribute offensive technique with devastating potential.
When the two massive thunderbolt attacks converged, they seemed to create a subtle superposition effect, unleashing truly terrifying explosive power. The electrical discharge was so intense that not only Yang Xiong, but even the surrounding combatants felt a distinct tingling sensation throughout their bodies.
Yang Xiong responded with another cold snort. His entire body instantly transformed to a silver coloration, with his muscular structure appearing to be covered by an additional layer of protective silver energy. His muscles became incredibly firm and dense, resembling refined iron in both appearance and apparent durability.
Facing the incoming storm of thunderbolts, Yang Xiong crossed his arms in front of his head in a defensive cross formation. His entire body seemed to function as a single, integrated defensive unit.
When countless thunderbolts struck Yang Xiong's body, the impacts resembled lightning striking refined iron—there appeared to be no discernible reaction or damage whatsoever.
After the electrical assault completely dissipated, Yang Xiong gradually relaxed his defensive posture. Although his entire body had been subjected to the lightning attack, he appeared completely unharmed and unaffected.
For many years, Yang Xiong had diligently trained his physical capabilities, with particular emphasis on defensive techniques and body conditioning. Each training session against masters like Zhao Wuji had resulted in countless refinements to his physical resilience and defensive capabilities.
Through years of intensive study of his Body Martial Soul, he had developed a specialized defensive Spirit Ability: Steel Bone. When utilizing this technique, he channeled all his spirit power directly into his skin and bone structure. At that crucial instant, every pore on his body's surface contracted, and his entire physical form hardened dramatically. The spirit power dispersed throughout his skin, muscles, and bones, while his blood circulation accelerated, elevating his body's spirit power activity to peak levels.
This was not the first time Yang Xiong had employed this defensive technique. During his previous battle against Huo Wu's ultimate technique, her Fourth Soul Skill: Fire Dance, Sun's Radiance, he had utilized Steel Bone to emerge completely unscathed from what should have been a devastating attack.
According to Yang Xiong's careful analysis and testing, it would be extremely difficult for anyone within the Spirit Ancestor rank to penetrate his defensive capabilities, and he believed he might even be able to contend effectively against a Spirit King level opponent.
Furthermore, this Self-Created Soul Skill wasn't limited to purely defensive applications. In future development, it had the potential to gradually evolve into an offensive amplification Spirit Ability, combining both defensive and attack capabilities.
Yang Xiong rotated his shoulders and flexed his muscles, a hint of disdain evident in his expression as he addressed his opponent: "Yu Tianxin, is this truly the extent of your power? It seems I may have overestimated your capabilities."
Yu Tianxin instantly became furious at the dismissive comment and, along with his Spirit Elder teammate, launched into rapid consecutive attacks against Yang Xiong. However, Yang Xiong had already returned to his normal combat state and effectively countered both opponents with apparent ease.
While Yang Xiong's ability to fight two opponents without falling behind was certainly impressive, the remaining members of Shrek Academy found themselves in increasingly desperate situations.
Although Xiao Wu possessed exceptional agility and even had access to a Teleportation skill, she remained at a significant disadvantage against her lightning-attribute Spirit Ancestor opponent. Lightning-attribute Spirit Ancestors typically possessed extremely high speed and powerful explosive capabilities. The Spirit Ancestor engaging Xiao Wu was Lei Mie, whose martial soul was the formidable Thunder Blade.
At this moment, the tactical situation on the battlefield suddenly shifted dramatically. Dai Mubai's two opponents executed a coordinated maneuver, with one Spirit Elder using his third Spirit Ability to fully engage Dai Mubai, while Lei Tian's figure flashed as he transformed into a giant thunder eagle and flew directly toward Shrek's two support members, Oscar and Ning Rongrong.
Tang San, who had been locked in combat with Lei Dong, was shocked by this sudden development. Multiple Blue Silver Grass tendrils immediately wrapped around Oscar and Ning Rongrong as he attempted to pull them out of Lei Tian's attack trajectory.
However, Lei Dong's reaction speed proved equally impressive. He directly activated his fourth Spirit Ability: Heavenly Net of Thunder. Instantly, his Thunder Spider martial soul spat out an enormous spider web that flickered with a terrifying lightning aura. Tang San, along with Oscar and Ning Rongrong, found themselves enveloped within the spider web's effective range. This was a formidable group control skill, though unfortunately for Lei Dong, animal-type Spirit control abilities were not instantaneous and tended to be somewhat indiscriminate in their targeting.
Yang Xiong was equally surprised by this sudden shift in tactics. Both his hands simultaneously transformed into their characteristic silver fists as he launched powerful attacks against Yu Tianxin and the other Spirit Elder. The two opponents felt an overwhelming force and were forced to retreat several steps. Using the momentum from this exchange, Yang Xiong actually utilized the force of their retreat to Teleport directly to Ning Rongrong and Oscar's position.
Tang San seemed to sense the developing crisis. The Blue Silver Grass that had been protectively wrapped around Oscar and Ning Rongrong immediately loosened. Yang Xiong swiftly grabbed both support members and Teleported again, successfully escaping the control range of the Thunder Net.
Unfortunately, Tang San wasn't able to react as quickly. It became clear that Lei Dong's primary target had never been the two support members but rather Tang San himself. At this critical moment, Tang San found himself completely within the massive Thunder Net, and even his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track movement technique couldn't help him escape in time.
Tang San gritted his teeth in determination and directly activated his third Spirit Ability: Blue Silver Hurricane Array. Countless Blue Silver Grass vines instantly became incredibly sharp and formed a large defensive formation to contend with the Heavenly Net of Thunder.
However, Lei Dong's Heavenly Net of Thunder was covered in powerful lightning and possessed extraordinary toughness. Even the enhanced sharpness of the Blue Silver Hurricane Array couldn't cut through it effectively, and the Blue Silver Grass quickly became charred and damaged after making contact with the electrically charged net.
Simultaneously, Yu Tianxin and the other Spirit Elder who had originally been attacking Yang Xiong suddenly turned their attention to Tang San, and Lei Tian also joined the assault. Multiple lightning bolts were unleashed in Tang San's direction, making it extremely difficult for him to cope with the coordinated attack.
After Yang Xiong successfully brought Oscar and Ning Rongrong out of the Heavenly Net of Thunder's range, he immediately Teleported once again to block Yu Tianxin's path. His hands transformed into claw-like formations as he grabbed directly toward both opponents' chests, forcing them into defensive positions.
In comparison, Tang San's situation had become much more desperate. After being interfered with by multiple attackers, he had missed the optimal opportunity to escape. His entire body was directly caught by the Heavenly Net of Thunder, and the terrifying electrical current caused visible convulsions throughout his frame.
Yang Xiong and Dai Mubai exchanged meaningful glances across the battlefield. Dai Mubai directly activated his fourth Spirit Ability: White Tiger Meteor Shower. Instantly, a massive meteor shower enveloped half the arena floor. Every member of Thunder Academy found themselves within the attack range of the White Tiger Meteor Shower, and even Lei Dong and Yu Tianxin struggled to cope with the devastating area-of-effect assault.
Yang Xiong quickly moved to Tang San's side, his hands transforming into silver claws as he forcibly tore apart the adhesive anchor points of the Heavenly Net of Thunder.
However, Tang San's condition appeared quite dire at this moment. The lightning power within the Heavenly Net of Thunder had proven extremely potent, especially since Tang San had struggled intensely within the web's confines. His use of the Mysterious Jade Hand technique had actually resulted in him receiving even more severe electrical shocks. This type of spider web attack became progressively tighter the more the victim struggled, causing Tang San's entire body to become somewhat blackened. All the hair on his body stood on end, and his clothing had sustained significant damage from the electrical assault.
Although Tang San's appearance was concerning, Yang Xiong's assistance allowed him to break free from the Heavenly Net of Thunder. He quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Yang Xiong."
Yang Xiong simply nodded in acknowledgment before asking, "How are you feeling? Can you still continue fighting?"
A hint of determined ruthlessness appeared on Tang San's face as he responded, "Of course I can continue. I won't give up so easily."
However, Tang San's face remained darkened from the electrical burns, and grid-like marks covered his entire body, making him appear somewhat comical despite his fierce declaration of determination.
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