The moment the voice fell, Xiao Huo did not hesitate. The third spirit ring on his body instantly lit up—it was a thousand-year-level purple glow!
"Third Spirit Skill, Flame Demon Domain!"
Accompanied by a low roar, the eerie dark-red flames surrounding Xiao Huo's body surged out in all directions like a flood breaking through a dam.
In the blink of an eye, the massive hundred-meter-wide arena was completely swallowed by a rolling sea of dark-red fire!
These flames were no ordinary fire; they had a cold, viscous texture, clinging to the ground as they burned and making a scalp-numbing "sizzling" sound.
The heat waves distorted the air, making the entire arena look like Hell.
"Tsk."
Standing in the center of the sea of fire, Liu Yuan frowned slightly.
Although his fire immunity meant he didn't fear the flames, the feeling of being surrounded on all sides was indeed unpleasant.
Furthermore, the flames beneath his feet felt like countless invisible little hands, constantly trying to tug at his legs and interfere with his movements.
"In that case..."
A cold light flashed through Liu Yuan's eyes and vanished.
"Then let's end this quickly."
"First Spirit Skill, Extreme Speed!"
The familiar scene played out once again.
Liu Yuan's figure suddenly blurred where he stood. In the next second, a bolt of white lightning tore through the sky full of crimson, heading straight for Xiao Huo with a piercing sound of breaking air!
Fast!
It was still that same despair-inducing speed!
However.
This time, Xiao Huo, who had seemed capable only of being a passive punching bag, curled his lips into a grim sneer.
"Got you!"
Just as Liu Yuan was about to close in, the sea of fire beneath Xiao Huo's feet trembled violently.
Through the vibrations sent back by the flames, he had sensed the trajectory of that afterimage an instant before Liu Yuan launched his attack!
"Left side!"
Xiao Huo's pupils constricted suddenly. His body lunged to the right almost instinctively, while his arms crossed in front of his chest in a perfectly standard defensive posture.
"Bang!"
A dull thud exploded within the sea of flames.
Liu Yuan's elbow strike, which had been aimed at Xiao Huo's ribs, slammed solidly into Xiao Huo's braced arms.
Immense power erupted. Xiao Huo was hit like he'd been struck by a battering ram; his feet plowed two long, charred furrows into the ground as his body slid back a full dozen meters.
But he stopped.
He ground to a halt less than five meters from the edge of the arena!
Though his arms were trembling slightly, he... had not gone out of bounds!
"Whoa—"
At that moment, the entire venue erupted!
"He blocked it! He actually blocked it!"
"Holy crap! This Xiao Huo has some skills! I thought it was going to be another instant kill just now!"
"Is this the value of a Control System? Full-map perception really does counter the speed-flow style!"
"Interesting! This is getting really interesting! Liu Yuan's one-vs-seven sweep might be in jeopardy!"
Exclamations broke out from the stands as everyone's emotions were stirred by this scene.
...
Shrek Academy rest area.
"Good! Nicely done!"
Elder Xuan slapped his thigh hard, looking even more excited than if he had won the match himself.
A long-awaited smile finally appeared on his old face as he shouted toward Xiao Huo on the field:
"Just like that! Hold your ground for me! That kid's speed is fast, but as long as you can predict him, he isn't invincible!"
"Just stall him, wear him down, and victory will be yours!"
...
Crimson Flame Academy preparation area.
Seeing Xiao Huo successfully defend against the first wave of attacks, the team members also clenched their fists and let out excited low growls.
"Good job, Xiao Huo! You didn't embarrass us!"
However, some sharp-eyed teammates noticed something off and said with concern:
"Even though he blocked it, Liu Yuan's power... seems even greater than we imagined."
"Just now, if Xiao Huo hadn't set up his defense in advance, he probably would have been smashed to pieces, right?"
"And Xiao Huo's arms are shaking now. Tanking like this is still very disadvantageous for him."
Hearing this, Chi Xiao gave a cold snort, a flash of confidence in his eyes:
"What are you afraid of?"
"Do you think this is all Xiao Huo is capable of?"
"Don't forget, he still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve!"
"Although there's still a gap in power and speed right now, for him, that gap... is not insurmountable!"
...
On the arena.
Xiao Huo shook his numb arms and looked at Liu Yuan, who had repositioned himself nearby. The Battle Intent in his eyes grew even more intense.
"I have to admit, your speed is indeed very fast."
"If this were an ordinary field, I might have actually been insta-killed by your strike just now."
Xiao Huo slowly stood up straight, the dark-red flames dancing even more violently around him:
"But, unfortunately."
"In my Flame Demon Domain, your speed is no longer an unsolvable puzzle."
"And..."
Xiao Huo took a deep breath. His first, second, and fourth spirit rings—three in total—suddenly lit up at the same time!
"If you think this is my full strength, then you are far too naive."
"Next, I will show you what true power is!"
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations! First Transformation!"
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations! Second Transformation!"
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations! Third Transformation!"
Boom—!!!
A terrifying aura, several times more violent than before, erupted from Xiao Huo's body!
His originally somewhat thin frame visibly bulked up; his muscles swelled like granite, and the dark-red flames turned directly into an eerie black-red!
That was the qualitative change produced after spirit power was frantically compressed and exploded within the body!
At this moment, Xiao Huo's speed, power, and spirit power intensity had all received an almost perverse boost under the enhancement of these three Spirit Abilitys!
...
Meanwhile, hearing those familiar skill names.
Liu Yuan's mouth couldn't help but twitch violently.
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations?"
"Wait... buddy, did you wander onto the wrong set?"
"Are you going to whip out a 'Buddhas Fury Fire Lotus' next?"
Liu Yuan silently complained in his heart.
But complaints aside, he had to admit that Crimson Flame Academy really did have some tricks.
Someone like this Xiao Huo was actually quite troublesome.
"Interesting."
Liu Yuan narrowed his eyes, feeling the increasingly scorching temperature around him.
Actually, he had many ways to solve the current predicament.
The simplest and most direct way would be to use his Spirit Ability—Surf.
Once that move was used, Xiao Huo's greatest reliance would naturally vanish, and he could use Extreme Speed's ultra-high speed to insta-kill him again.
However...
Liu Yuan was in no hurry to act.
He calculated silently in his heart:
"If I use Surf now, I'll win, but it might be troublesome later if I run into some other tricky guys..."
"After all, I plan to 'sweep the team,' so I must be meticulous in my distribution of stamina and spirit power."
"So, I might as well change my approach..."
With a shift in thought, Liu Yuan instantly formulated a new tactic.
"Since you want to play the buff-stacking game, I'll play along."
"I'll take this chance to stack 'Dragon Dance' first..."
"And after I've stacked enough, I'll deal with all of you!"
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