The wager proposed by Huo Wu was like a massive rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up huge waves across the entire martial arena!
"She still has another move? Huo Wu actually has another trump card?"
"Blazing Academy will directly admit defeat? This bet is too high!"
"What kind of move is it? Could it be stronger than Fire Dance Sun?"
"Marco actually agreed! Isn't he afraid of capsizing in a ditch?"
The spectator stands buzzed with discussions, everyone's hearts leaping into their throats. The members of Blazing Academy clenched their fists nervously, knowing exactly what Huo Wu intended to do—it was practically a life-risking strike!
On the arena stage, hearing Marco's calm "Agreed," a complex expression flashed across Huo Wu's pale, delicate face—resolute, relieved, and with a hint of indescribable gratitude. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the weakness from Soul Power exhaustion and the stinging pain in her meridians. Her beautiful eyes reignited with blazing flames, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing madness!
"Marco! Take my final move!" Huo Wu's voice was hoarse from the severe Soul Power consumption, yet it carried undeniable determination.
She didn't launch her attack immediately. Instead, she slowly cupped her hands into a sphere in front of her and closed her eyes. A strange Soul Power fluctuation emanated from her body—no longer the previous violent and scorching heat, but instead carrying a restrained, compressed-to-the-extreme destructive aura. The deep purple fourth Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up again, but this time, the glow didn't fade instantly. It shone continuously, growing brighter and brighter!
Even more astonishingly, her other three Soul Rings also lit up simultaneously! The yellow and purple lights intertwined with the purple glow of the fourth Soul Ring. The Soul Power around her began to circulate, compress, and recirculate in a mysterious manner!
"What is she doing?"
"Soul Power is circulating? All four Soul Rings are lit at once?"
"What a bizarre Soul Power fluctuation! Is she forcibly fusing the power of her Spirit Abilities?"
"Heavens! Is she trying to get herself killed? Forcing such exertion while already drained of Soul Power!"
In the VIP seats, some knowledgeable experts' expressions shifted slightly. Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly. "This method of Soul Power circulation... it's Ring Fusion! This girl has actually mastered the Ring Fusion technique!"
"Ring Fusion?" someone nearby who wasn't very familiar asked.
The hoarse voice of Bone Douluo Gu Rong spoke up, carrying a trace of surprise. "Hmm, it's Ring Fusion. An extremely rare innate skill, not a Spirit Ability, but a Soul Master's ultimate utilization of their own Soul Ring power. It allows temporary fusion and connection of the attribute powers from different Soul Rings, unleashing power far exceeding simple Spirit Ability stacking! But the risks are enormous. It demands extremely high control and Mental Power from the Soul Master and is highly prone to Soul Power backlash! I never expected this girl to..."
The instructor from Blazing Academy was so anxious sweat beaded on his forehead, yet he couldn't intervene. He knew full well that although Huo Wu was exceptionally talented, her mastery of Ring Fusion was far from proficient. Forcing it now would lead to unpredictable consequences!
On the arena, Huo Wu's face visibly turned as pale as paper. Her body trembled slightly, and traces of blood continuously seeped from the corner of her mouth, clearly enduring immense pain and backlash. Yet, she gritted her teeth firmly, her cupped hands remaining steady as a rock. Within her palms, a point of extreme brightness began to condense!
The light initially appeared no larger than a grain of rice, yet it radiated a palpitation-inducing brilliance and scorching heat! As Soul Power was frantically channeled and compressed through Ring Fusion, the light rapidly expanded—fist-sized... head-sized... ultimately transforming into a massive crimson-white fireball over a meter in diameter, resembling a miniature sun!
This fireball was fundamentally different from the previously executed "Fire Dance Sun"! It was far more condensed, its radiance restrained, its surface no longer flickering with flames but instead flowing slowly like molten lava, exuding a terrifying high temperature and destructive aura capable of incinerating souls! The air surrounding the fireball was completely ionized, crackling with explosive pops as space itself warped slightly! The energy contained within far surpassed that of the previous Fire Dance Sun by severalfold! This was the ultimate strike, empowered by Ring Fusion!
"Ring Fusion! It truly is Ring Fusion!"
"Heavens! Huo Wu actually knows Ring Fusion!"
"This power... it's terrifying!"
"She's going all out!"
A wave of astonished exclamations erupted from the spectator stands! The technique of Ring Fusion was known to few, but those who had heard of its reputation were utterly shocked! It symbolized a pinnacle of innate talent and potential!
"Marco—!" Huo Wu's eyes snapped open, flames seeming to blaze within them as she screamed hoarsely, mustering the last vestiges of her strength to violently thrust forward the crimson-white "sun" cradled in her arms, radiating an aura of utter annihilation!
"Ring Fusion! Ultimate—Fire Dance Sun!"
BOOM!!!
The moment the crimson-white fireball left Huo Wu's hands, it was like a primordial beast breaking free from its shackles, emitting a low yet soul-shaking roar as it advanced slowly, inexorably, toward Marco with a terrifying momentum capable of crushing all and incinerating everything in its path! Wherever it passed, the arena floor was scorched red-hot and melted, leaving behind a charred trail!
The temperature across the entire martial arena abruptly soared to a horrifying degree! Spectators near the front felt waves of blistering heat assault them, struggling to breathe as if standing beside a furnace!
"Not good! Reinforce the barrier immediately!" On the VIP platform, Emperor Xue Ye's expression shifted sharply as he barked the order. Several powerful surges of Soul Power instantly poured into the protective shield surrounding the arena, causing the luminous barrier to ripple violently and hum under the strain!
Every spectator's heart leaped into their throat! Empowered by Ring Fusion, the force of this strike approached the full-powered blow of a Soul Emperor! How would Marco possibly withstand it?
Yet, faced with this destructive energy sphere capable of making any Soul King pale, Marco's reaction defied all expectations!
He neither chose to confront it head-on nor employed his phantom-like movement technique to evade. He didn't even... assume any defensive posture!
He simply stood still, watching the crimson-white "sun" radiating death slowly approach, his expression remaining calm. Only when the fireball was about to strike, the blistering heat already causing his clothes to flutter and hair to curl, did a faint, almost imperceptible flicker pass through his profound eyes.
Then, under the gaze of countless horrified, bewildered, and even despairing eyes, the ultimate Ring Fusion strike—concentrating all of Huo Wu's power, conviction, and even a portion of her vitality—slammed directly, squarely... utterly engulfing Marco's figure!
"No—!" Below the stage, Shui Yue'er screamed in terror!
"Why isn't he dodging?!"
"Taking it head-on? Impossible! This power is too terrifying!"
"It's over!"
Blazing crimson-white light instantly engulfed the area where Marco stood, unleashing a cataclysmic explosion! The blinding white flash temporarily robbed everyone of their vision, while deafening shockwaves swept across the entire martial arena! The solid central stage was blasted into a massive charred crater, with debris instantly vaporized. Terrifying waves of fire and impact forces slammed violently against the trembling protective barrier!
After launching that fireball, Huo Wu completely collapsed, falling limply to the ground. Her beautiful eyes stared vacantly at the explosion's epicenter, a trace of relief and confusion lingering at the corner of her lips. Had she won? Or...
Just as everyone assumed Marco couldn't possibly survive, several top experts in the VIP seats—Ning Fengzhi, Bone Douluo, Salas, and others—suddenly narrowed their eyes sharply! Their keen senses detected that within the heart of that destructive energy, Marco's life force... hadn't vanished! Instead, it had become... strangely altered! As if... he was no longer purely flesh and blood?
At that moment, the explosive light and flames partially subsided, revealing the scene within.
Above the charred crater at the arena's center, where Marco had been standing, there was no sign of the severely injured or fallen figure everyone expected. Instead, there floated... a human-shaped silhouette of constantly shifting, flickering... cyan-red flames!
These flames seemed alive, hovering calmly in midair as the violent crimson-white destructive energy surged and raged around them, completely unmoved! The terrifying flames and shockwaves capable of melting metal appeared to encounter their own kind—or even their sovereign—when touching these cyan-red flames, easily assimilated, absorbed, or simply... passing through?! It was as if the cyan-red flames weren't physical entities at all, but existed as the very essence of fire itself!
"What... is that?" Everyone stared dumbfounded, jaws slack, watching the bizarre spectacle in the air with disbelief.
Then, the human-shaped cyan-red flames rippled slightly, and Marco's calm voice clearly reached every ear, carrying a peculiar resonance that seemed to emanate from the flames themselves:
"Fifth Soul Skill, Elementalization."
As he spoke, the human-shaped flames rapidly solidified, reforming into Marco's figure. He remained standing in place, hovering above the scorched crater, wreathed in more condensed and profound cyan-red flames. It was as if the world-shattering explosion had merely been a gentle breeze brushing past him. His aura hadn't weakened in the slightest—instead, it had grown more profound and majestic! A fiery pressure far exceeding his previous level slowly began to permeate the area!
"Fifth Soul Skill!"
"He used his Fifth Soul Skill!"
"Elementalization? What kind of Spirit Ability is that? To remain completely unscathed in such an explosion?"
"His body just turned into flames! He became immune to the attack?!"
Exclamations and discussions erupted once more! Everyone was stunned by this unbelievable scene! The Ring Fusion technique was astonishing enough, but this "Elementalization" Spirit Ability was utterly unheard of! Transforming one's body directly into an element to become immune to attacks? This was practically a divine skill!
Marco felt the surging power within him, his mind clear and focused. His Fifth Soul Ring came from an exceptionally rare fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast—the Skyfire Cloud Finch. This creature possessed a remarkable innate talent—the Fire Cloud Escape, a life-saving technique that allowed it to partially elementalize its body and merge with flames for rapid escape at critical moments.
The Fifth Soul Skill Marco obtained after hunting it—Elementalization—perfectly inherited and elevated this innate ability! Once activated, during the skill's duration, he could elementalize any part of his body or even his entire form, transforming into the purest Azure Flame Phoenix Fire! In this state, physical attacks were nearly ineffective, and he gained extreme immunity—even the ability to absorb and convert flame-attribute attacks. Simultaneously, his speed doubled, and his flame attributes were amplified by one hundred percent! It was a god-tier skill that combined top-tier survival, assault, and explosive power!
Just moments ago, as Huo Wu's ultimate Ring Fusion strike was about to hit him, Marco activated Elementalization, fully merging his body into his own Azure Flames. The devastating fiery explosion, to him in this elementalized state, was like mud sinking into the sea—most of its energy dissipated harmlessly, and a portion was even assimilated and absorbed by him, replenishing the cost of his Soul Skill!
Huo Wu lay collapsed on the ground, watching Marco hovering unharmed in the air, his aura even stronger than before. The light in her beautiful eyes dimmed completely, leaving only boundless bitterness and... despair. She had given everything, even staking her life and using her ultimate Ring Fusion technique, yet... she couldn't even injure him? This Elementalization ability was nothing short of a nightmare for a fire-attribute Soul Master like her!
Marco slowly descended from the sky, landing at the edge of the charred crater, the Azure Flames around him gradually receding. He gazed calmly at Huo Wu, who lay on the ground ashen-faced, and spoke in a steady voice: