On the stage, the air felt like dry grass scorched by the blazing sun, needing only a spark to explode instantly.
The referee stood in the center of the stage, glancing left and right to confirm both teams were ready.
He took a deep breath, and his raised right hand swung down sharply. His booming voice echoed over Star Luo Plaza like a clap of thunder:
"Round of sixteen elimination match, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy versus Shrek Academy, the match—begins!"
Boom—!
As the referee's voice fell, earth-shattering spirit power fluctuations erupted from both ends of the stage.
Fourteen top young Spirit Masters from across the continent released their Spirits simultaneously.
Brilliant spirit ring lights intertwined, painting the entire competition platform like a dream world, but beneath this dream lay suffocating Killing Intent.
"Liu Yuan! Prepare to die!"
At the exact second the match began, a clear Phoenix cry suddenly pierced the sky.
There was no probing, no preamble.
Standing at the forefront of the Shrek Team, Ma Xiaotao's eyes spat out two foot-long trails of physical flames.
Her originally smooth pink hair instantly turned crimson, standing on end under the wash of violent spirit power, like a blooming fire lotus.
"Seventh Spirit Ability—Martial Soul True Body!"
Accompanied by a sharp cry, among the seven spirit rings behind Ma Xiaotao, the ink-black seventh spirit ring suddenly shined.
In an instant, she was swallowed by a surging wave of dark red flames.
The flames tumbled and rose, and in a flash, a giant fire Phoenix with a wingspan of over ten meters soared into the sky!
Opening with an ultimate!
This was extremely rare in previous matches, as the spirit power consumption of a Martial Soul True Body is immense.
But Ma Xiaotao clearly couldn't care less right now; her target was only one person—Liu Yuan!
"Go!"
The fire Phoenix in mid-air flapped its wings, carrying a terrifying heat that could incinerate the heavens, charging straight at Liu Yuan at the front of the Sun Moon Team like a falling meteor.
Wherever it passed, the air distorted, and the rocks on the ground even began to glow red and crack.
Facing this world-destroying strike, Liu Yuan's expression remained indifferent.
His figure swayed slightly as he quickly dispersed from his teammates.
"Swoosh!"
At the critical moment just before the fire Phoenix hit him, Liu Yuan moved like a wisp of green smoke, shifting dozens of meters to the left at an extremely bizarre angle, barely avoiding the core impact zone.
"Boom—!!!"
The fire Phoenix slammed heavily into the spot where Liu Yuan had been standing. The explosion was deafening, and waves of fire instantly swept in all directions.
However, Ma Xiaotao seemed to have anticipated Liu Yuan's dodge.
"Trying to run? It won't be that easy!"
The fire Phoenix that hit the ground didn't dissipate; instead, as if pulled by some force, it instantly exploded, transforming into a dark red wall of fire dozens of meters high and nearly a hundred meters wide!
This fire wall spanned the center of the stage like an impassable chasm, completely isolating Liu Yuan from the rest of the Sun Moon Team!
This was Shrek's tactic!
Dividing the battlefield!
On this side of the fire wall, there was only Liu Yuan.
On the other side were Ma Rulong, Xiao Hongchen, and the other five remaining Sun Moon members, facing the six main Shrek players besides Ma Xiaotao.
...
"Hmph, let's continue our last battle..."
Inside the fire wall, Ma Xiaotao deactivated her full beast transformation and returned to human form, but she was still surrounded by the scorching phantom of the Evil Fire Phoenix.
She hovered in mid-air, looking down at Liu Yuan from above, a cruel smile playing on her lips.
At this moment, a strangely shaped longsword had appeared in her hand.
The sword was crimson all over, its blade engraved with complex and precise golden Core Formations, emitting a heart-palpitating sharpness.
Level eight melee spirit tool—the golden crystal sword!
This was a top-tier item that Xuan Zi had spent a full two million gold coins to snatch from the Starlight Auction House last night, specifically for Ma Xiaotao to deal with Liu Yuan.
Under the amplification of this sword, Ma Xiaotao's attack power was comparable to an eight-ring Spirit Douluo!
"Liu Yuan, we went to great lengths to deal with you."
Ma Xiaotao gently stroked the blade, the Battle Intent in her eyes almost becoming tangible. "Losing to you last time was due to my carelessness. But today, with this golden crystal sword in hand and my Martial Soul True Body state... I'll see what you have left to beat me!"
"Oh?"
Liu Yuan stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at the fire wall separating him from his teammates, then at the murderous Ma Xiaotao. Not only was there no panic on his face, but a playful smile appeared instead.
"Is this your tactic? Pulling your strongest combatant out alone to deal with me, while the others besiege my teammates?"
Liu Yuan shook his head, his tone tinged with mockery. "I have to say, the idea is beautiful. But aren't you underestimating my teammates? Or rather... are you overestimating yourself?"
"Enough talk!"
Ma Xiaotao snorted coldly and swung the golden crystal sword, instantly unleashing a Sword Qi dozens of meters long. "Whether we win or not, we'll know after we fight! Today, I will trample you under my feet in front of the whole continent!"
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the fire wall.
The battle erupted in full force the moment the fire wall rose.
"Move! End this quickly!"
Dai Yueheng roared, the white tiger phantom on his body howling to the heavens.
As the vice-captain of the Shrek Team and the current commander on the field, he knew the core of this tactic very well—time!
Although Ma Xiaotao was strong, it wouldn't be easy to stall that monster Liu Yuan for long.
They had to crush the other six members of the Sun Moon Team with thunderous momentum before Ma Xiaotao was defeated, creating a seven-on-one winning scenario!
"Kill!"
The Shrek members held nothing back.
Dai Yueheng led the charge, activating both White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Demon God Transformation simultaneously, with a pair of giant golden claw spirit tools on his arms—the level seven spirit tool, Tearing Claws!
Behind him, the lean Chen Zifeng held the Soul Chasing Sword, which surprisingly had a small Wind-attribute Propulsion Soul Tool attached to the blade, making his sword speed almost too fast for the naked eye to see.
"Swoosh, swoosh!"
Xi Xi of the agility-attack system moved like lightning. The special Flowing Cloud Boots spirit tools on her feet emitted faint air currents, making her mid-air maneuvers even more unpredictable as she aimed straight for the Sun Moon Team's backline.
At the very back, the support Spirit Master Gongyang Mo's Rainbow Dragon Spirit shone brilliantly, casting colorful support halos onto his teammates without restraint.
Simultaneously, a disk-shaped spirit tool lit up on his chest, releasing a pale blue shield that protected him securely.
Armed to the teeth!
At this moment, the Shrek Team completely abandoned so-called "traditional glory," demonstrating the terrifying explosive power of combining spirit tools with Spirits.
Attacks filled the sky, pouring down on the Sun Moon Team like a violent storm...
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