But at that moment, the calm, focused Huo Wu seemed like a completely different person.
Her already elegant, slender figure was haloed in a faint red glow, making her appear even more dazzling—so radiant she could ignite any man's heart.
With a graceful twist of her body, a faint orange-red silhouette appeared behind her—an ethereal reflection identical to her own.
That shimmering flame-shadow pulsed faintly, almost illusionary, yet it was her true Martial Soul—Fire Shadow.
A fire-based shadow spirit—a rare and unique type of Martial Soul capable of unleashing the full potential of fire.
Today's match was already decided. Blazing Academy had no hope of victory.
Crimson Rose Academy still had six fighters waiting behind Li Chang'an.
But to Huo Wu, the outcome didn't matter anymore. She had made up her mind.
She would win this battle—no matter the cost.
The referee raised his hand and announced the start of the match.
Li Chang'an, calm as ever, wondered how she would attack first.
The answer came instantly—she ran.
Her long, powerful legs propelled her forward in a blazing charge straight toward him.
Though she wasn't a speed-type Spirit Master, once one reached the fortieth level, the strength and agility gained from soul rings and soul power made their bodies far beyond ordinary.
Her full-speed sprint was astonishing—within moments, the gap between them closed rapidly.
Li Chang'an didn't move to stop her.
In truth, he wanted to see exactly how far she could go.
Seeing him remain motionless, Huo Wu cursed inwardly.
'Arrogant bastard!'
Her pace quickened again, the thirty meters between them shrinking to ten in the blink of an eye.
Then her eyes gleamed—two bright flames flickering in her gaze. Her third soul ring flashed violet, and a fiery aura surged around her, giving her a mesmerizing brilliance.
Third soul Skill – Defying Flame Ring, activate!
'Ah, so that's her plan.'
Li Chang'an understood her strategy instantly.
A blazing orange-red wave burst from her body, spreading outward in a violent pulse.
The radius of her Repelling Fire Ring reached a terrifying thirty meters—a sixty-meter-wide field of pure force.
And she was barely ten meters away from him.
The impact hit like a gale. Li Chang'an was launched backward, flung across the arena.
The competition platform's total diameter was only one hundred meters—Huo Wu's Defying Flame Ring covered most of it.
If he were pushed even a few meters farther, he'd be out of bounds. And that meant defeat.
That was the terror of the Defying Flame Ring—it ignored defenses and negated all active skills within its range.
Nothing could resist it. Not even him.
A second surge of energy bloomed as Huo Wu unleashed another Defying Flame Ring.
She refused to give him even a moment to recover.
Li Chang'an sighed inwardly.
She looked hot-headed, but she was smart—very smart.
As expected of a control-type Spirit Master, she was using her ability with near-perfect precision.
Two quick releases of Defying Flame Ring had already forced him into a dangerous position.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been cornered.
But unfortunately for her, her opponent was Li Chang'an.
Defying Flame Ring wasn't absolute. If it were, there'd be no point in holding tournaments—Huo Wu could sweep every match alone.
Its weakness was vertical reach.
The ring's height was only about three meters. Beyond that, its power faded.
And so, Li Chang'an moved.
He pushed off lightly with his feet and leapt—soaring high.
The second Defying Flame Ring flared beneath him, missing as he drifted above it with ease.
Seeing this, Huo Wu's lips curved into a faint, confident smile.
Though the back-to-back use of her third skill drained much of her power, her plan had succeeded—she had forced him into the air.
At that moment, something strange happened.
All four of Huo Wu's soul rings lit up at once, and the fiery shadow behind her blazed white-hot, transforming into an incandescent silhouette.
From the viewing platform, Ning Fengzhi gasped aloud.
"Ring Fusion?"
Ring Fusion was not a technique—but a gift.
Only a handful of Spirit Masters in the world could do it.
It allowed one to combine multiple soul rings, releasing their power simultaneously in a single skill—
compressing all their soul energy at once into a singular explosion of might.
In simple terms, imagine a pond with one outlet: water trickles slowly. But open four outlets at once, and the flood rushes out in a torrent.
That was Ring Fusion—the ultimate burst.
A sphere of blinding white light formed in her hands.
This time, her fire was no longer heat, but pure destructive force.
The egg-sized white orb shot forward with a shrill hum, speeding straight toward Li Chang'an.
The moment she launched it, her face turned pale as paper.
Unlike Huo Wushuang's earlier attack, this one carried an oppressive gravitational pull.
The instant the orb flew, Li Chang'an's movements in midair slowed dramatically.
The small sphere seemed to contain endless force, dragging everything toward it.
He couldn't dodge. Not in midair.
The only option was to block.
He could feel it—the compressed power of her remaining soul energy, packed tight and guided by her will.
This was all she had left after those two Defying Flame Rings.
And it was locked onto him—inescapable.
The sheer pressure of it was comparable to a Spirit Emperor's strike.
She had poured everything she had into it, sacrificing the rest of the match.
Her only goal was to defeat him.
Li Chang'an could meet it head-on, of course. But that would achieve nothing—no drama, no impression.
To deflect it casually would only expose power beyond a Spirit Emperor's level.
No. There was a better way—a more romantic way.
A hero saving a beauty.
That would be far more memorable.
He smiled faintly.
Then his body moved—so fast that the air cracked.
His fourth soul skill ignited. His speed skyrocketed to something terrifying.
He shot downward like a cannonball, racing toward Huo Wu.
The white orb followed, trailing him like a predator, but it was far slower than he was.
He landed hard, wind whipping around him, and before Huo Wu could even react, his arms wrapped around her slender waist.
She barely had time to gasp before he spun them both around—turning her back toward the oncoming light.
Her body now stood before his, like a human shield.
And that deadly white sphere screamed toward them.
Time seemed to stop.
Huo Wu's mind went completely blank.
That white orb was locked onto Li Chang'an—it couldn't be stopped, not even by her.
Yet now, she was between him and the blast—his shield.
She couldn't believe it.
Was this really how it would end?
Her chest tightened; her throat felt dry.