Zhu Zhuqing's figure flickered across the stage, leaving a trail of blurred afterimages. Each swing of her sharp claws tore through the air, precisely dismantling her opponent's attacks and leaving shallow marks on their bodies that served as a clear warning.
It was absolute domination.
When she finally cornered the seventh and final member of Barak Academy—their captain, a Level 43 control-system Spirit Ancestor—he was forced to concede after one of her claws ripped his sleeve and a chilling cold invaded his arm. As he admitted defeat, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.
Seven consecutive wins. Shrek Academy's Zhu Zhuqing had single-handedly defeated an entire team. Judging by her steady breathing, she hadn't even consumed that much spirit power. Her strength was terrifying.
In the VIP section, Ning Fengzhi nodded with a smile, while a glimmer of surprise showed in Xue Qinghe's eyes. Bishop Salas's brows were furrowed tightly; he hadn't expected Shrek Academy to have so many geniuses. Flender and Grandmaster, however, simply exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with satisfaction.
Zhu Zhuqing calmly walked off the stage under everyone's amazed gaze and returned to the Shrek camp.
"Zhuqing! That was amazing!" Xiao Wu said, patting her shoulder vigorously.
Ma Hongjun shouted dramatically, "Goddess! I am not worthy!"
Zhu Zhuqing merely nodded slightly, her face still expressionless. But when Ye Yin looked at her and gave her a smile of approval, she turned her head slightly, a faint blush appearing on her cold cheeks.
After the first day of competition, the deans of the academies went on stage to draw lots for the next day's matches. Shrek Academy's opponent was Blazing Fire Academy.
When the host announced the matchup, an intense fighting spirit erupted from the Blazing Fire team. Huo Wu shot to her feet, her red hair like a living flame, her eyes fixed on Shrek's camp. This was it. This was her chance to wash away the shame of the preliminaries. In a one-on-one battle, without that damned King of Curses and his tricks, she would prove her true strength.
"Brother! Let me go first!" Huo Wu said to Huo Wushuang, her eyes burning with rage.
Huo Wushuang nodded. "Be careful. Their overall strength is very high."
"I know!" Huo Wu took a deep breath, ready to step onto the stage.
But just then, a figure from Shrek Academy's camp slowly stood up, wearing that familiar, gentle, and harmless smile. The entire venue exploded into an uproar, as if a ladle of ice water had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil.
"Ye Yin?!"
"He's going on stage?!"
"A support-type Spirit Master is fighting in a one-on-one match?!"
"Is Shrek crazy?!"
"What does he think he's doing? Does he plan to use his Curse again? How would that even work in a solo fight?"
Exclamations and shouts of disbelief instantly drowned the arena. Huo Wu froze, the fighting spirit on her face replaced by pure shock and confusion. Ye Yin! He's going first! What is he planning?
Huo Wushuang's pupils constricted. In the VIP section, Ning Fengzhi's hand stopped halfway to his mouth, his eyes wide with surprise. Xue Qinghe leaned forward slightly, her gaze burning with intensity, while Bishop Salas narrowed his eyes, locking onto Ye Yin like a venomous snake.
Ye Yin slowly walked onto the stage, nodded to the referee, and then looked at Huo Wu, his smile never faltering. "Miss Huo Wu, long time no see. You're looking much better. It seems the soul cleansing fruit worked well."
The mention of the fruit instantly brought back the bitter memories of her humiliating defeat. The anger she had been suppressing surged back to the surface.
"Ye Yin! Drop the hypocritical act!" Huo Wu snapped, flames erupting around her. "This isn't the preliminary round! In a one-on-one fight, your little tricks are useless! Today, I'll show you the insurmountable gap between a support-type and a battle-type Spirit Master!"
The flames around her shot several meters into the air as her four spirit rings—two yellow and two purple—shone brightly. The scorching heat distorted the air around the stage. Without another word, she transformed into a stream of fire and charged straight at him. She was going to blast the man who had brought her endless humiliation off the stage.
The entire audience held its breath, their eyes wide, waiting to see how Ye Yin would respond. Would he dodge? Would he surrender?
But Ye Yin didn't move. He showed no intention of dodging at all. He didn't even release his Spirit. That gentle, unreadable smile remained on his face.
"You're asking for death!" a fierce glint flashed in Huo Wu's eyes as she unleashed her first Spirit Ability, Fiery Meteor. Dozens of burning fireballs blasted towards Ye Yin like cannonballs.
Just as the flames were about to engulf him, Ye Yin finally moved. His movements seemed slow, yet they carried a strange rhythm. He casually lifted his right hand and pushed it forward. At the same time, five spirit rings rose from his feet—purple, purple, purple, black, black. His Good and Evil Pearl shot out.
The violent fiery meteors, powerful enough to melt stone, became incredibly docile the moment they came into contact with the pearl. They swirled and condensed around it, and finally, they merged into a single, pure white flame no bigger than a fist hovering above his palm. Though the flame was small, the temperature it radiated was terrifying, far hotter than anything Huo Wu had produced. Every fire-attribute Spirit Master in the arena, including Huo Wu herself, felt the spirit power in their bodies tremble and submit, as if they were in the presence of their king.
Huo Wu's charge came to an abrupt halt. She stared in disbelief at the flickering white flame in Ye Yin's hand. "How is this possible?!"
In the VIP section, Ning Fengzhi shot to his feet. Xue Qinghe gasped. Bishop Salas's expression changed dramatically. The entire venue was silent. Ye Yin, a support-type Spirit Master, had just controlled his opponent's flames and made them even stronger.
"Miss Huo Wu," Ye Yin said, his voice calm. "Is the warm-up over? Because now, it's my turn."
Before his words finished, he flicked his finger. The pure white flame shot silently toward Huo Wu. Her pupils constricted to pinpricks as she felt the overwhelming aura of death. She shrieked, unleashing all her spirit power to create layers of fiery shields. But in front of that pure white flame, her defenses were like paper. The shields were pierced instantly, and the flame stopped just an inch from her forehead.
Huo Wu's body went rigid. All her courage and anger vanished in the face of such absolute power. "You lost," Ye Yin said simply.
Her lips trembled. Finally, she let out a sigh. "I concede."
The referee's voice, shaking with disbelief, rang out. "First match, Shrek Academy, Ye Yin wins!"
The entire Royal Hunting Ground was deathly silent. Every eye was fixed on the figure on the stage. A support-type Spirit Master?! Who the hell would believe that?!
Ye Yin looked around at the thousands of horrified faces and asked softly, "May I invite the next genius fire-type Spirit Master to the stage?"
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