Just as the audience cheered, Blazing Sun Douluo marveled, and the experts of the Spirit Master's world sighed in admiration.
Zhang Lexuan and Xu Tianran remained locked in a stalemate.
This was the strongest blow from both of them; in this clash of powerhouses, whoever was even slightly inferior would undoubtedly lose.
However, since both were top-tier geniuses, their strength, when unleashed at full power, was surprisingly evenly matched.
Zhang Lexuan had originally thought that her sudden outburst, catching him off guard, would be able to directly crush Xu Tianran.
Yet, she had not expected Xu Tianran's reaction to be so swift; not only did he block her full-strength strike, but he also had the strength to contend with her!
Xu Tianran was equally surprised internally at Zhang Lexuan's outburst.
Even when he went all out, perfectly combining the power of his Spirit and spirit tool, he was only able to stalemate, not suppress her!
At this very moment, both Zhang Lexuan and Xu Tianran had completely acknowledged the strength of their opponent in their hearts.
Although they were in different Empires and factions, they both felt a sense of mutual appreciation as kindred Spirits.
After all, at their level, geniuses capable of fighting them were too rare.
It was just a pity that this was a battle involving the honor of their respective academies and countries, and even more so, a gamble concerning their own futures!
Neither Xu Tianran nor Zhang Lexuan could afford the slightest compromise!
Watching the two locked in a stalemate, Xuan Zi in the spectator stand stopped eating his chicken leg, staring at Xu Tianran with a shocked expression.
"This guy... how is that possible?!" Seeing this scene, Xuan Zi found it somewhat hard to believe.
He had originally thought Zhang Lexuan was sufficiently brilliant and talented, not falling short even compared to Elder Mu from back in the day.
Yet he hadn't expected Xu Tianran to possess such strength as well!
Is this really the same Sun Moon Empire that relied solely on spirit tools?
In contrast to Xuan Zi's disbelief, Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen wore smiles on their faces.
Although Zhang Lexuan's strength was indeed beyond expectations, Xu Tianran's strength made them even happier.
Even when facing the number one genius of Shrek's younger generation, their Crown Prince did not fall short, which was enough to show that Xu Tianran's hard work over these years had not been in vain.
Moreover, Xu Tianran was only using a level seven huang long set; if Xu Tianran had used a level eight huang long set, he would certainly have had the upper hand this time.
It could be said that with the combination of his top-tier Spirit, the Purple Bright Heaven Extinguishing Dragon, and his spirit tools, Xu Tianran's total strength was actually above Zhang Lexuan's.
After all, spirit tools were the foundation of a Soul Engineer, and Xu Tianran was a genius who combined the roles of a Spirit Master and a Soul Engineer!
The reason Xu Tianran did not directly use the level eight huang long set was not because he was arrogant, but because he had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Now, through his exchange with Zhang Lexuan, he had a clear understanding of his own strength.
If he were to go all out using the level eight huang long set, Zhang Lexuan would not be his opponent.
But even without using his full power, he still would not lose!
"Boom—boom—boom—"
The two's stalemate lasted for a full three minutes, and the accumulated power had reached a terrifying level.
Even Blazing Sun Douluo, who was maintaining his eighth Spirit Ability, felt a faint pressure at this moment.
He could only complain in his heart about the terrifying strength of these two geniuses.
At this time, both Zhang Lexuan and Xu Tianran had flushed faces and were already nearing their limits.
The originally vast and stable energy also gradually began to tremble, on the verge of going out of control.
"You are very strong, strong enough to be unexpected, but the one standing at the end will definitely be me." Zhang Lexuan suddenly spoke up.
Xu Tianran gave a cold smile: "The outcome is not yet decided, there is no point in talking more; let's speak with our strength."
The next moment, both exerted force simultaneously, and the terrifying energy vortex created by their stalemate suddenly erupted.
Both were sent flying back, each spitting out a mouthful of blood, injured by the backlash of force.
At this moment, both were doing their utmost to protect themselves; they were nearly exhausted, and whoever could stand on the Soul Dueling Platform in the end would be the final winner!
The terrifying energy eruption actually left faint cracks on Blazing Sun Douluo's protective barrier, causing Blazing Sun Douluo to be shocked once again.
Watching the two geniuses spitting blood and falling, Blazing Sun Douluo had already intended to intervene and catch them.
But just at this moment, Xuan Zi and Jing Hongchen from the spectator stand suddenly spoke up: "No! They have not yet reached the final step!"
After speaking, Jing Hongchen and Xuan Zi exchanged a glance; Xuan Zi's eyelids twitched, he let out a cold snort, and turned his gaze back to the Soul Dueling Platform.
He believed that victory would definitely belong to Shrek!
Blazing Sun Douluo was clearly no stranger to Xuan Zi; even though he had previously been hiding in the spectator stand, now that he had voluntarily revealed himself, Blazing Sun Douluo naturally dared not disobey.
Furthermore, since Jing Hongchen had also spoken, Blazing Sun Douluo continued to maintain his eighth Spirit Ability, suppressing the aftershocks bit by bit.
"Boom—" "Boom—"
Two sounds of landing rang out almost simultaneously, directly smashing shallow craters into the Soul Dueling Platform and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Countless audience members had their hearts in their throats, eagerly anticipating the final result.
A moment later, when the dust settled, the figures of Xu Tianran and Zhang Lexuan appeared.
Both were currently quite disheveled, mouths stained with blood, bodies a mess; the clothing on Zhang Lexuan's body was even damaged beyond repair, revealing large patches of snowy white skin.
But Xu Tianran looked much better than Zhang Lexuan; after all, with the support of a full set of spirit tools, even if there was damage, it would not reach the point of being scantily clad.
The two stood ten meters apart, looking at each other from afar.
Seeing both of them standing, the audience erupted into brilliant cheers, shouting the names of Xu Tianran and Zhang Lexuan.
It was as if at this moment, there was no distinction between Empires, only cheering for the wonderful duel between the two.
This scene left Blazing Sun Douluo somewhat unsure.
Both had exhausted their spirit power and no longer had the strength to continue fighting.
In this way, I am afraid it could only be considered a draw.
Just as Blazing Sun Douluo was about to announce the match result, Zhang Lexuan's weak voice sounded powerlessly: "You are very strong... I have lost..."
After speaking, Zhang Lexuan collapsed to the ground, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted directly.
A smile played on the corners of Xu Tianran's mouth; even though he was extremely weak and physically exhausted, he still stood in place.
Both Xu Tianran and Zhang Lexuan had landed safely, but upon landing, Zhang Lexuan had no protection.
Xu Tianran, however, had the protection of the level seven huang long set; with one's loss and the other's gain, Xu Tianran's state was naturally slightly better than Zhang Lexuan's.
Therefore, Xu Tianran still had enough remaining energy to stand in place.
Seeing this scene, Blazing Sun Douluo loudly announced: "The All-Continent High-Level Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, first match of the grand finals, team battle, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy wins!"
Blazing Sun Douluo did not directly announce that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had won the grand finals because of the previous bet between Zhang Lexuan and Xu Tianran.
Although such bets where one match decided the victory occurred quite often in the tournament, he still kept his guard up.
Because he was a person from the three original Empires of the Douluo Continent, his heart was certainly biased towards Shrek.
In case Shrek's higher-ups did not acknowledge this bet later, he could still mediate from the middle.
After all, Zhang Lexuan and Xu Tianran were only students; if one were to be serious about it, they indeed could not represent the academy.
After Blazing Sun Douluo's voice fell, he immediately retracted his eighth Spirit Ability.
Subsequently, the team members from Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy rushed onto the Soul Dueling Platform.
"Eldest Senior Sister!!"
"Your Highness!!"
Zhang Lexuan was carried down for treatment.
Xu Tianran, supported by Qin Jie and others, also received treatment from the side-line healing-type Spirit Master.
Looking at this result, Xuan Zi let out a long sigh, his voice full of regret.
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen wore smiles on their faces; although this result was within expectations, seeing it with their own eyes, the feeling was quite satisfying.