On the arena, crimson and cyan-red flames wildly intertwined and collided, with explosive roars echoing incessantly. Huo Wushuang pushed the power of his Unicorn Fire Tyrant Dragon Spirit to the limit—his fists, feet, elbows, and knees, every part of his body transformed into ferocious weapons. Combined with the explosive force of his Spirit Abilities, his onslaught was like a violent storm, attempting to tear through Marco's defenses.
Yet Marco's figure moved like a phantom, weaving effortlessly through the fiery tempest. Without employing any Spirit Abilities, relying solely on the basic enhancements from his Spirit Avatar and his own unparalleled Martial Art skills, he effortlessly deflected Huo Wushuang's relentless assaults. His movements were concise and efficient—every block, dodge, and counterattack executed with flawless precision. The cyan-red Flame Gauze Armor seemed to flow with a life of its own, either deflecting or extinguishing the scorching dragon flame attacks.
The more Huo Wushuang fought, the more alarmed he became. He felt as though he were assaulting an unfathomable mountain of fire—no matter how fiercely he erupted, his opponent remained unshaken. Instead, the peculiar scorching sensation within the cyan-red flames continuously eroded his Soul Power and will through each collision. The vast disparity in strength, like an icy tide, gradually drowned his initial fervent fighting spirit.
"No! It can't end like this!" A flash of resolve crossed Huo Wushuang's eyes. He abruptly leaped backward, creating momentary distance, his chest heaving violently and veins bulging on his forehead. Crimson Soul Power surged within him like boiling magma!
"Fourth Spirit Ability! Furious Dragon Sky Scorcher!"
He let out a nearly hoarse roar as the profound purple Ten Thousand-Year Soul Ring on his body suddenly blazed with dazzling radiance! This was his ultimate strike! Torrential Soul Power madly converged into his right fist, causing it to swell instantly. The dragon scales covering its surface glowed like red-hot branding irons, emitting destructive fluctuations! The surrounding air warped under the extreme heat, screeching sharply! He seemed to transform into a furious fire dragon intent on incinerating the heavens, charging toward Marco with a desperate, all-or-nothing momentum! This was his final blow, condensed with all his Soul Power, will, and even a portion of his life force!
Facing this life-risking strike whose power approached that of a Soul King, Marco's eyes finally showed a hint of seriousness. He could sense the desperation embedded in Huo Wushuang's attack. No longer merely blocking, he slightly lowered his stance, his right leg coiling like a drawn bow. Cyan-red flames highly compressed, gathering at his toes with a low hum.
"Leg Gun Piercing Kill!"
Just as Huo Wushuang's sky-scorching fist was about to land, Marco moved! His right leg shot out like lightning, impossibly fast, leaving a condensed cyan-red afterimage in the air! The intensely compressed flames at his toes formed a pinpoint of indestructible cold light—not clashing head-on with the fist, but instead, at an inconceivable angle, striking with impeccable accuracy the critical node in Huo Wushuang's punch where its force peaked and its energy flow was most pivotal!
"Sss—!A faint yet piercing tearing sound tore through the air!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the eerie sound of force being instantly pierced and disintegrated! Marco's toes pierced through the violent flames and Soul Power condensed on Huo Wushuang's fist like red-hot steel needles penetrating butter! That destructive energy capable of melting metal and incinerating iron rapidly dispersed and vanished upon contact with the highly compressed azure flame's cold gleam, as if encountering its natural nemesis!
Huo Wushuang only felt an extremely sharp yet strangely scorching penetrating force instantly breach his strongest Spirit Ability defense, shooting straight up along the meridians of his arm! His entire right arm instantly went numb, the condensed Soul Power dissipating like a deflated ball, the terrifying momentum of his sky-scorching punch abruptly ceasing! Immediately after, an irresistible tremendous force erupted from the point of contact!
"Pfft!"
Huo Wushuang grunted, his face instantly turning deathly pale as he couldn't suppress spitting out a mouthful of reversed blood. His entire body was violently thrown back like a kite with its string cut, tracing a parabolic arc before crashing heavily near the edge of the arena over ten meters away. After struggling a few times, he found himself temporarily unable to rise. His right arm hung limply, clearly having suffered significant injury, but more importantly, his Soul Power was severely depleted, his aura withered to the extreme.
Marco slowly retracted his leg, the azure-red flames around him quietly receding as he returned to his normal state. His previous strike had precisely controlled its power, aiming to break the technique rather than inflict serious injury - otherwise Huo Wushuang wouldn't have gotten off with just vomiting blood and being thrown back. Even so, the consecutive bursts of his strongest Spirit Abilities, especially having his final desperate strike broken, caused massive backlash and consumption for Huo Wushuang. Without a period of recovery, he wouldn't be able to return to peak condition.
The entire martial arena fell into dead silence!
The students from the kingdom's academies all stood with mouths agape and eyes wide, as if witnessing something inconceivable. Huo Wushuang, captain of Blazing Academy, peak Soul Ancestor possessing a top-tier Beast Spirit, having executed his strongest ten-thousand-year Spirit Ability... was actually defeated so effortlessly? And his opponent hadn't even manifested a single Soul Ring! Using only the most basic Spirit Avatar!
"Gulp..." Someone's difficult swallow finally broke the silence.
"De... defeated? Just like that?"
"What kind of leg technique was that? Such terrifying penetrating power!"
"He... he really didn't use a Spirit Ability? Not even a Soul Ring lit up?"
"Is this... the strength of the Heaven Dou Empire's top genius? Too terrifying!"
Gasps of astonishment rose one after another. Those kingdom students who had previously held doubts now wore only shock and reverence on their faces. They had finally witnessed the legendary terrifying power with their own eyes! This completely surpassed their understanding of Soul Ancestor level combat!
At this moment, from the spectator stands, a student from the Heaven Dou competition zone spoke quietly to the stunned kingdom students beside him with a tone of shared pride: "Believe it now? And this is just the beginning? Lord Marco didn't even use Soul Rings, his Martial Soul was only in simple Spirit Possession - he was giving Huo Wushuang plenty of face. If he had truly gotten serious... heh." Those two "hehs" weren't mockery, but filled with a certain speechless sentiment of "you simply can't imagine how terrifying he is at full power."
In the center of the arena, the elderly referee snapped out of his shock and cast a deep glance at Marco, whose aura remained steady as if he had merely accomplished some trivial task. He then loudly announced, "First match—Marco from the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy's first team, wins!"
As the announcement echoed, several members of Blazing Academy's preparation area rushed onto the stage, anxiously helping up Huo Wushuang, who lay pale and unmoving. Supported by his teammates, Huo Wushuang laboriously lifted his head to face Marco across the way. A bitter yet relieved smile tugged at his lips as he weakly uttered, "Impressive... I concede wholeheartedly... Thank you." His gratitude was for Marco's last-minute restraint.
Marco gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
However, at that moment, a fiery red figure swept onto the stage like a whirlwind! It was none other than Blazing Academy's vice-captain, Huo Wu!
Her delicate face was frosty, beautiful eyes blazing with fury and defiance. Trembling with agitation, she glared fixedly at Marco, pointing a finger at him as her voice, laden with suppressed rage and fighting spirit, sharply declared:
"Marco! Next match! I'll face you!"
Her words fell like a boulder into still waters, instantly capturing the attention of the entire arena! For Blazing Academy's second bout, Vice-Captain Huo Wu herself would take the stage! Clearly, they intended to press on with unwavering determination!
A new battle was imminent!