Boom—!
As the circles of purple-black, dragon-shaped air currents fully stabilized around Liu Yuan, clinging to his body like a suit of dragon-scale battle armor…
The entire Star Luo Plaza fell into a brief, deathly silence—followed immediately by an eruption of sound like a collapsing mountain and roaring sea.
"He did it! He really did it!" "Six layers of Dragon Dance! He stacked it to the limit again!"
In the spectator stands, countless Spirit Masters flushed with excitement. Some couldn't help but stand up, their eyes locked tightly onto the lone figure at the center of the arena.
After so many days of competition, even the dullest spectator had long since grasped Liu Yuan's fighting style.
This youth, who appeared to possess only the cultivation of a Spirit King, wielded a terrifying enhancement Spirit Ability that defied all common sense—Dragon Dance.
And once he was allowed to fully stack it…
It was no longer a contest, but a one-sided slaughter!
In the previous match, Shrek's Ma Xiaotao had fallen beneath that overwhelming force.
And today, history seemed poised to repeat itself—only this time, even more shocking, even more unstoppable!
"It's over… it's all over…"
On the main platform, the Emperor of Star Luo, Xu Jiawei, wore an expression so grim it seemed ready to drip water.
As the ruler of a nation, his perspective far surpassed that of ordinary spectators.
He could clearly see that Liu Yuan's aura now completely surpassed everyone present—faintly even overshadowing Ma Xiaotao, who was a Spirit Saint.
That oppressive presence did not stem from spirit power rank alone, but from a pure, absolute crushing force on a biological level.
"Ma Xiaotao… can't stop him anymore."
Xu Jiawei closed his eyes in pain, a profound sense of powerlessness surging through his heart.
If Ma Xiaotao fell, it meant Shrek Academy would collapse entirely.
Even if there were other teammates, faced with Liu Yuan's current dominance—combined with the Sun Moon team's endless high-rank spirit tools—Shrek had no chance of turning the tide.
And if Shrek were eliminated at the top sixteen…
For the Star Luo Empire, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe.
After all, if even Shrek couldn't stop them, who else could?
Once the Sun Moon Empire claimed the championship, how arrogant would those ambitious forces become?
They would trample over Shrek and all the academies of the Three Douluo Nations, proclaiming to the entire continent—
The era of Spirit Masters is over. The era of spirit tools has arrived!
When that happened, the pressure on Star Luo's borders would multiply many times over.
"Damn it… damn it! Why did it turn out like this?!"
Xu Jiawei roared inwardly, yet could only watch helplessly as the situation slid step by step into the abyss.
And the one suffering even more than Xu Jiawei was Xuan Zi, seated in Shrek's waiting area.
Gulp… gulp…
Xuan Zi raised the wine gourd in his hand and took several heavy swallows.
The burning liquor flowed down his throat, yet it couldn't extinguish the regret and anxiety spreading like wildfire in his chest.
"Again… it's happening again…"
His cloudy old eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the spirited youth standing proudly on the arena stage.
How familiar this scene was.
In the previous match, Liu Yuan had done the same—steadily stacking Dragon Dance before sweeping the field with an invincible posture.
And today, even against Ma Xiaotao wielding an eighth-rank soul tool, the script hadn't changed at all.
What did that mean?
It meant Liu Yuan's strength was far beyond their prior estimations!
He didn't rely on luck or trickery—he possessed terrifying, solid hard power, enough to crush his peers and even challenge those of higher rank!
"Top sixteen… is my Shrek really going to stop at the top sixteen?"
Xuan Zi's hand trembled violently.
If Shrek were truly eliminated at this stage, it would become the greatest disgrace in the ten-thousand-year history of Shrek Academy!
And the one who had brought about this disgrace… was none other than himself.
At this moment, the regret Xuan Zi felt over expelling Liu Yuan surged to its absolute peak.
…
Meanwhile, on the arena.
The clamor of the outside world failed to affect the two figures facing each other.
Liu Yuan stood quietly in place. The surrounding air currents had settled, yet the restrained terror of his aura only grew more suffocating.
He looked at Ma Xiaotao not far away, his eyes devoid of any victor's arrogance.
There was only calm.
A respect for strength, and a detached indifference toward a victory he had already grasped.
"Ma Xiaotao."
Liu Yuan spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, yet carried clearly across the entire arena through spirit power.
"Your resilience has exceeded my expectations."
"Whether it's the explosive might of your Phoenix Evil Fire, or your control over that eighth-rank soul tool—you've done very well. If we weren't standing on opposing sides, you would indeed be a respectable opponent."
He paused slightly, his gaze meeting Ma Xiaotao's eyes—eyes that, though her state was miserable, still burned fiercely with battle intent.
"Your temper is terrible. Your personality is explosive. And sometimes, you're even brainless."
"But… as a Spirit Master, your fighting spirit is qualified."
"So, to show my respect, I won't end this match as if I were playing with a clown."
Liu Yuan slowly raised his right hand, making a courteous "please" gesture toward her.
"Come. Use your final strength."
"Gather all your spirit power, all your rage, all your methods—into a single strike."
"I will take it head-on, and then… send you off the stage."
The words were incomparably arrogant, yet upright and dignified.
This was the mercy of the strong toward the weak—the final etiquette of one warrior to another.
"Heh… hehe…"
Ma Xiaotao suddenly laughed.
The sound was sharp, tinged with madness.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and staggered to her feet. Her once-dispersed pupils slowly refocused, locking firmly onto Liu Yuan.
"Liu Yuan, you really are strong… and unbelievably irritating."
"Are you telling me you're guaranteed to win?"
"Trying to use this lofty posture to grant me my final dignity?"
She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling violently.
Yet she knew—Liu Yuan was telling the truth.
Dragging this out any longer had no meaning.
Her only choice was to stake everything!
Only by burning it all away—
Would there be even the slightest chance!
"Fine! Since you want to see it, then I'll show you!"
"I, Ma Xiaotao—captain of Shrek Academy—will never fall in such a pathetic way!"
"I must win!"
Boom—!!!
As her roar echoed, an unprecedented heatwave exploded from Ma Xiaotao's body.
This time, she no longer cared about the burden on her flesh, nor did she hold back a single shred of spirit power.
The Phoenix flames behind her instantly shifted from golden-red to deep crimson—a sign of burning her very life potential!
Martial Soul True Body—Evil Fire Phoenix!
A piercing Phoenix cry rang through the clouds as a massive, dark-red fire Phoenix phantom condensed behind her, radiating an aura capable of destroying everything.
But that still wasn't enough!
Ma Xiaotao violently raised the golden crystal sword, pouring the boiling Evil Fire within her into it without restraint.
The originally golden blade began to melt, fusing seamlessly with the dark-red flames.
The core array of the eighth-rank soul tool ran into overload, emitting a shrill buzzing sound on the verge of collapse.
Metal's sharpness and flame's fury were forcibly fused together in a near-manic act of will.
She knew Liu Yuan possessed Fire Immunity.
So she compressed the flames again and again, transforming them into pure propulsion and explosive force—pushing the physical destructive power of this strike to its absolute limit!
"This move… is my final trump card…"
Ma Xiaotao slowly rose into mid-air, her body seeming to merge with the sword in her hand and the Phoenix behind her, transforming into a dark-red sun.
"Liu Yuan! Take this!"
Phoenix · Golden Crystal · Heaven-Shattering Slash!!!
With her piercing cry, the "dark-red sun" plummeted from the sky.
There were no fancy techniques—only unstoppable will.
As the sword fell, it was as if space itself were torn apart by heat and impact. A long, dark-red flame tail streaked through the air like a world-ending meteor, carrying Shrek's final glory and stubborn pride as it smashed down toward Liu Yuan below.
Gales howled. Heatwaves rolled.
At the heart of the storm, Liu Yuan's clothes snapped violently, black hair dancing wildly behind him.
Yet facing this world-destroying strike, there was not the slightest trace of fear on his face.
Instead, an excited smile curved at the corners of his mouth.
"Very good."
"Now watch this—Extreme Speed!"
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