On the arena, the atmosphere was like parched grass under a scorching sun—needing only a single spark to erupt.
The referee stood at the center, his gaze sweeping left and right to confirm that both teams were ready. Taking a deep breath, he raised his right hand high and then brought it down sharply. His booming voice rolled across Star Luo Plaza like thunder:
"Round of Sixteen Elimination Match—Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy versus Shrek Academy—begin!"
Boom—!
The instant his words fell, earth-shaking surges of spirit power erupted from both sides of the arena.
Fourteen of the continent's top young Spirit Masters released their Martial Souls at the same time. Brilliant spirit ring lights intertwined, painting the competition platform in dazzling colors. Beneath that splendor, however, lay suffocating killing intent.
"Liu Yuan! Prepare to die!"
The very moment the match began, a piercing phoenix cry split the air.
There was no probing, no hesitation.
At the very front of the Shrek Team, Ma Xiaotao's eyes spat out two trails of tangible flame, each nearly a foot long. Her originally soft pink hair instantly turned a blazing crimson, standing on end as violent spirit power surged around her like a raging inferno.
"Seventh Spirit Ability—Martial Soul True Body!"
With a sharp cry, the jet-black seventh spirit ring behind her flared brilliantly.
In the next instant, Ma Xiaotao was swallowed by a torrent of dark-red flames. Fire roared skyward, and in a blink, a massive phoenix formed—its wingspan exceeding ten meters as it soared into the air.
An ultimate move right from the start!
This was something rarely seen in previous matches. Activating a Martial Soul True Body consumed an enormous amount of spirit power. Yet Ma Xiaotao clearly didn't care. Her eyes held only one target.
Liu Yuan.
"Go!"
The blazing phoenix beat its wings, carrying a heat capable of scorching the heavens as it charged straight toward Liu Yuan like a falling meteor.
Where it passed, the air warped violently. Even the arena floor below glowed red, cracks spreading as if it were about to melt.
Faced with this world-ending strike, Liu Yuan's expression remained calm and indifferent.
His figure shifted slightly as he instantly separated from his teammates.
Whoosh!
At the critical moment—just before the phoenix slammed down—Liu Yuan's body blurred like drifting green smoke. He twisted away at an extremely bizarre angle, moving dozens of meters to the side and narrowly avoiding the center of impact.
Boom—!!!
The fire phoenix smashed into the ground where Liu Yuan had stood. The deafening explosion sent waves of flame surging outward in all directions.
But Ma Xiaotao had clearly anticipated his dodge.
"Trying to run? It won't be that easy!"
The phoenix did not dissipate after impact. Instead, as if tugged by an invisible force, it detonated again—transforming into a towering wall of dark-red flames, dozens of meters high and nearly a hundred meters wide.
The wall of fire split the arena in two, forming an impassable chasm that completely cut Liu Yuan off from the rest of the Sun Moon Team.
This was Shrek's tactic.
Divide the battlefield.
On one side of the fire wall stood Liu Yuan alone.
On the other side were Ma Rulong, Xiao Hongchen, and the remaining five members of Sun Moon, facing the six Shrek players aside from Ma Xiaotao.
…
"Hmph… let's continue where we left off."
Within the wall of flames, Ma Xiaotao dispelled her full phoenix form and returned to her human appearance. Even so, the blazing phantom of the Evil Fire Phoenix still coiled around her body.
She hovered in midair, looking down at Liu Yuan with a cruel smile.
At some point, a strangely shaped longsword had appeared in her hand.
The blade was entirely crimson, engraved with intricate golden core formations that radiated a chilling sharpness.
A level-eight melee spirit tool—the Golden Crystal Sword.
This was a treasure Elder Xuan had spent a staggering two million gold coins to acquire at the Starlight Auction House the night before, prepared specifically for Ma Xiaotao to deal with Liu Yuan.
With this weapon amplifying her power, Ma Xiaotao's attack strength was comparable to that of an eight-ring Spirit Douluo.
"Liu Yuan, we've gone to great lengths just to deal with you."
She lightly traced her fingers along the blade, the battle intent in her eyes almost solidifying. "Losing to you last time was my carelessness. But today, with the Golden Crystal Sword and my Martial Soul True Body… let's see how you plan to defeat me!"
"Oh?"
Liu Yuan stood casually with his hands in his pockets. He glanced at the raging wall of fire behind him, then at Ma Xiaotao, who was brimming with killing intent. Not only was there no trace of panic on his face—there was even a hint of amusement.
"So this is your plan? Have your strongest fighter isolate me while the others surround my teammates?"
He shook his head, his tone tinged with mockery. "I have to admit, it sounds impressive. But are you underestimating my teammates… or overestimating yourself?"
"Enough!"
Ma Xiaotao snorted coldly. With a fierce swing of the Golden Crystal Sword, she unleashed a sword qi dozens of meters long, tearing through the air. "Whether we win or lose, we'll find out with our fists! Today, I'll crush you beneath my feet in front of the entire continent!"
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the fire wall, battle erupted the instant it rose.
"Move! Finish this quickly!"
Dai Yueheng roared as the phantom of a white tiger howled behind him.
As Shrek's vice-captain and the on-field commander, he understood the core of this strategy better than anyone—time.
Ma Xiaotao was strong, but even she couldn't hold back Liu Yuan for long. They had to overwhelm the remaining six Sun Moon members with overwhelming force before Ma Xiaotao fell, creating a decisive seven-versus-one situation.
"Kill!"
The Shrek Team went all out.
Dai Yueheng charged at the front, activating both White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Demon God Transformation at the same time. A pair of massive golden claw spirit tools—level-seven Tearing Claws—wrapped around his arms, gleaming with murderous light.
Behind him, Chen Zifeng gripped the Soul-Chasing Sword. A compact wind-attribute propulsion spirit tool was embedded along its blade, pushing his sword speed to the point where it was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Xi Xi, the agility-type attacker, moved like a bolt of lightning. The Flowing Cloud Boots on her feet released faint currents of air, making her movements mid-flight erratic and unpredictable as she shot straight toward the Sun Moon Team's backline.
At the rear, Gongyang Mo's Rainbow Dragon Martial Soul shone brilliantly. Multicolored support halos poured onto his teammates without restraint. At the same time, a disk-shaped spirit tool on his chest lit up, projecting a pale-blue shield that enveloped him securely.
Fully armed.
At this moment, the Shrek Team had completely abandoned any pretense of "traditional pride," unleashing the terrifying explosive power of combining Martial Souls with spirit tools.
Attacks filled the sky, crashing down upon the Sun Moon Team like a violent storm.
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