That massive cluster of deep crimson Evil Fire hung above Ma Xiaotao's head like a miniature sun about to fall, emitting a terrifying heat that distorted the very air.
However, facing Liu Yuan's lightning-fast assault, Ma Xiaotao did not blast the fireball out directly as everyone had expected.
This scene left the spectators in the stands incredibly confused.
"What is she doing? Liu Yuan is so fast, and she's still charging up at a time like this?"
"Yeah! No matter how powerful a straightforward fireball like that is, it's useless if it doesn't hit anyone!"
"It's over, it's over. Could Ma Xiaotao have been scared witless by that kid's speed?"
Even Emperor Xu Jiawei, atop the imperial city walls, couldn't help but frown slightly.
The speed Liu Yuan displayed with his First Spirit Skill, Extreme Speed, was already beyond words.
Against such an opponent, the biggest taboo is using skills with long wind-ups or slow trajectories.
As a top student of Shrek, Ma Xiaotao shouldn't be making such low-level mistakes.
Just as everyone was filled with doubt, even thinking Ma Xiaotao was about to pay the price for her arrogance, the situation on the field suddenly changed!
"Scatter... for me!"
After the fireball above her head reached its limit, a cold arc suddenly curled at the corner of Ma Xiaotao's mouth.
Without any hesitation, her hands, which were held high, suddenly pressed downward!
BOOM—!!!
That giant cluster of Evil Fire didn't fly toward Liu Yuan; instead, like a detonated bomb, it slammed into the ground with Ma Xiaotao's body as the center!
In an instant, the deep crimson flames were like a flood breaching a dam, spreading crazily across the ground in all directions.
The moment the hard granite floor touched this Evil Fire, it actually made a "sizzling" sound, as if it had instantly turned into lava.
In the blink of an eye, half of the competition stage was swallowed by this sudden sea of fire!
And Liu Yuan, naturally, could not avoid stepping into this sea of flames.
"You want to stop me with flames of this level?"
In his Extreme Speed state, Liu Yuan felt the scorching heat coming from beneath his feet and frowned slightly, but he didn't care too much in his heart.
He possessed the Flash Fire Ability and wasn't afraid of fire at all. So, although this Evil Fire was extremely hot and even corrosive, he still walked on it as if it were level ground.
Therefore...
"Take this!"
A sharp light flashed in Liu Yuan's eyes, and his speed increased rather than decreased.
He pulled out a straight vacuum path through the sea of fire, the surrounding flames forcibly pushed aside by the gale generated by his high-speed movement!
Liu Yuan's fist was already clenched, spirit power surging on his dark green dragon claws as he aimed a heavy blow at Ma Xiaotao's shoulder!
However, just as the edge of Liu Yuan's fist was about to touch the corner of Ma Xiaotao's clothes—
A scene occurred that shocked the entire audience and caused Liu Yuan's pupils to shrink abruptly.
Ma Xiaotao, who originally had her back to the flames and seemed to have no reaction, suddenly swayed her body strangely to the left.
This movement was extremely small, but it was just right, as if it had undergone countless precise calculations, or as if... she had foreseen the future!
Whoosh—!
Liu Yuan's fist, carrying a piercing sound of breaking air, brushed past Ma Xiaotao's cheek, the sharp wind from the punch even blowing a few strands of her fiery red hair.
She dodged it?!
At such a close distance and at such terrifying speed, she actually dodged it?!
The shock in Liu Yuan's heart was beyond measure; his old strength was spent and his new strength hadn't yet arisen—this was exactly when his defense was at its weakest.
And Ma Xiaotao obviously wouldn't let this opportunity pass.
"Got you!"
A delicate shout exploded in Liu Yuan's ear.
While dodging, Ma Xiaotao used the momentum to rotate half a turn, her long, powerful leg wrapped in dense deep crimson Evil Fire like a flaming whip, slamming hard into Liu Yuan's side!
BANG—!
A dull, massive sound.
Liu Yuan only felt a massive force hit him, and his whole person was kicked flying like a kite with its string cut.
He tumbled several times in the air, the golden tassel light ribbons on his back dancing crazily, barely dissipating the impact. After his feet landed, he slid back more than ten meters, plowing two deep furrows into the ground before finally stabilizing himself.
At this moment, the entire Star Luo Plaza fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone's eyes widened, looking at this scene in disbelief.
One second ago, Liu Yuan still held an absolute speed advantage and was about to succeed in one strike.
The next second, the situation reversed instantly; not only was Ma Xiaotao unharmed, but she had kicked Liu Yuan away!
"Good!!"
After a brief silence, the Shrek waiting area erupted in deafening cheers.
Xuan Zi suddenly stood up from his seat, the chicken leg bone in his hand crushed by his grip, but his face was blooming with a smile: "Good job, Xiaotao! That reaction was incredible!"
"Too strong! The captain is simply invincible!" Xu Sanshi was also waving his fists in excitement.
On the arena stage.
Liu Yuan was in no hurry to attack again.
He looked down at his waist; there was a bit of pain on the few dark green dragon scales there.
Although he wasn't injured, for someone who had always crushed opponents with speed and power, this was undoubtedly a huge warning.
"Something's wrong."
Liu Yuan looked up, his gaze fixed on Ma Xiaotao in the distance and the sea of fire beneath her feet that was still burning and pulsing as if it were alive.
"My Extreme Speed is enough to surpass the dynamic vision limits of the vast majority of Spirit Masters. Even a Spirit Saint, without the assistance of a mental-attribute Spirit Skill, would find it hard to make such a precise dodge in that instant."
"She made the Move in advance."
"But... how did she judge my attack trajectory?"
Thoughts raced through Liu Yuan's mind, and his gaze finally locked onto the flames on the ground.
Could it be...
Just then, Ma Xiaotao, in the distance, lightly brushed off non-existent dust from her sleeve. Looking at Liu Yuan, a confident and composed smile appeared on her face.
"Very surprised, aren't you?"
Ma Xiaotao's voice wasn't loud, but wrapped in spirit power, it spread clearly throughout the venue.
She held out a hand, palm up, and a wisp of deep crimson flame danced playfully at her fingertips.
"Liu Yuan, you are indeed fast—so fast that my eyes can't keep up with your movements at all."
"However, as long as you are within this sea of fire, your every Move, even every airflow fluctuation you cause, cannot escape my perception."
At this point, the smile in Ma Xiaotao's eyes deepened, carrying a bit of pride:
"Speaking of which, I have someone to thank for this Move."
"When you fought that person named Xiao Huo earlier, the 'Flame Demon Domain' he used gave me a lot of inspiration."
"By releasing my Evil Fire to cover the entire field and integrating my mental force into every wisp of flame, I can create a simplified 'Pseudo-Domain'."
"I've named it—Evil Fire Domain!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place went into an uproar!
"Heavens! She learned it right on the spot?"
"She imitated an opponent's Spirit Skill just by watching a match? This talent is too terrifying!"
"As expected of Shrek's monsters! This kind of combat intelligence is simply breathtaking!"
The spectators' gazes toward Ma Xiaotao changed instantly. If they had only been in awe of her strength before, now they were truly won over by her brilliance.
Even Xu Jiawei on the imperial city couldn't help but praise aloud: "Such talent indeed lives up to being a top student of Shrek."
Liu Yuan was also full of praise.
"I see."
"You learned from Xiao Huo?"
Ma Xiaotao is indeed Ma Xiaotao.
Truly the most outstanding Genius Disciple of Shrek in a hundred years.
Just by seeing it once, she learned Xiao Huo's Move and even improved it, integrating it with her own Evil Fire characteristics.
In this sea of fire, Liu Yuan's speed advantage was greatly weakened.
Because no matter how fast he was, as long as he was moving, he would cause airflow, which would be captured by the flames, allowing her to predict him in advance.
"It seems that relying on speed and my First Spirit Skill to end the fight in one Move is impossible."
Liu Yuan took a deep breath. The dark green light on his body did not dim; instead, it began to become deeper and heavier.
"In that case..."
"I'll just have to stack Dragon Dance some more."
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