Most of the academies wanted to try, but none were the first to step forward.
"No one?"
Lin Yang's tone carried a trace of disappointment. He had wanted to stretch his muscles with this opportunity.
Since condensing the soul core, he hadn't had a chance to test his combat power.
Poison Elder and Elder Ye had gone into seclusion again.
This allowed him to devote all his attention to Yan Zi and Lingling.
Even if the two of them joined forces, it would be a waste of their talent.
When the people from the Five Elements Academies finally arrived, they were so terrified they couldn't even step into the arena.
Sigh… Disappointing. Truly disappointing!
Seeing Lin Yang's extremely disappointed expression, the students from the five academies clenched their fists.
It wasn't very harmful, but extremely insulting.
These students were originally the pride of their schools and were also at a very competitive age.
Faced with Lin Yang's provocative slap in the face, who could remain calm?
"I'll do it!"
The moment he finished speaking, a figure leaped down from the spectator stands.
With a loud "boom," the entire arena visibly shook.
"Li Huoyan of Elephant Armor Academy has come to seek guidance."
Lin Yang nodded lightly. Although the man looked decent, he wasn't very bright, he still possessed the will to improve.
Then he looked around and said casually,
"Anyone else?"
At that moment, a man stepped out from Thunder Academy and said quietly,
"Then I, Yu Tianxin of Thunder Academy, will go. I've heard Yu Tianheng mention you before. I want to see for myself just how strong the person who drove Yu Tianheng to drop out really is."
With Li Huoyan and Yu Tianxin at the center, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang from Blazing Fire Academy, as well as Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu from Sky Water Academy, also stepped forward one after another.
They had no choice.
Since Lin Yang had already provoked them, if they didn't step forward, their academies would lose face.
Losing meant they weren't as skilled as others, but not even daring to challenge meant they lacked backbone.
"I'll join the fun too!"
Feng Xiaotian, who had just been defeated, had recovered some soul power with the help of support-type spirit masters and stood up again.
Although he hadn't fully recovered to his peak condition, he still had the strength to fight.
These seven were all core members of their respective academies.
Such a scene was rarely seen even in the Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament.
They were standing here solely to deal with Lin Yang.
Lin Yang watched as the seven figures entered the arena one after another. Only then did a trace of interest finally appear in his eyes.
"Seven people… barely enough."
The seven stood in different positions and casually formed a circle that surrounded him.
Since they came from different schools, they knew their coordination wouldn't be good, so they decided to attack together.
Seven against one.
Even if each person used only one spirit skill, seven attacks would come at the same time.
They didn't believe Lin Yang could handle everything alone.
From the distant spectator stands, Hu Yanzhen let out a cold snort.
"Thinking he can challenge all five of our academies by himself is far too arrogant."
"The spirit of youth must not be easily tainted."
Meng Shenji stroked his beard and smiled, then looked at Hu Yanzhen.
"However, Sect Master Hu Yan, when the time comes, please don't be too merciful toward your grandson."
"Hmph. First, he needs the ability to break through the ant's defense."
In the training ground, all seven had revealed their martial souls and spirit rings.
It was clear that none of them had yet reached the soul power level required for the tournament two years from now, but all had reached the stage of fourth-ring Spirit Ancestors.
Lin Yang raised his hand but did not summon his martial soul.
He simply flicked his wrist lightly and grabbed a floating metal lounge chair from the air.
With a harsh metallic sound, the chair transformed into an iron sword right in front of everyone.
Seeing this scene, everyone's eyelids twitched.
Crazy!
It was utterly unbelievable!
Yet they had the confidence to be arrogant. Could it be believed?
"Lin Yang, if you keep acting this arrogant and end up losing and running away with your tail between your legs, it'll be embarrassing."
Huo Wu's voice was somewhat cold. Flames rose around the shadow of fire behind her.
"Don't worry. Even if that day comes, it'll be because I brought trouble upon myself, so it'll be my responsibility!"
"You said it yourself."
The moment Li Huoyan finished speaking, he stomped heavily like an ancient giant elephant and charged toward Lin Yang.
Every step he took made the ground tremble, as if groaning.
"First Spirit Skill: Iron Wall!"
"Second Spirit Skill: Mammoth Strength!"
In an instant, a thick keratin layer covered his entire body.
This made Li Huoyan's already sturdy figure swell even more, looking like a moving small mountain.
Instead of retreating, Lin Yang stepped forward to meet him.
The moment the two collided head-on, a muffled explosion suddenly rang out.
Li Huoyan felt as if he hadn't crashed into a person, but into an impenetrable wall.
Not only did the momentum he had been charging with stop abruptly, but he was also forced several steps backward by an immense force.
"What terrifying strength!"
He widened his eyes in disbelief.
The Diamond Mammoth's strength and defense were unparalleled in its class, yet it was at a disadvantage in a head-on collision?
While Li Huoyan was still dazed, lightning struck from the side but was shattered into pieces by the sword.
"Don't go alone!" Yu Tianxin's voice rang out.
His arms had already transformed into dragons. The large joints of both hands were covered in azure-purple dragon scales, and dense arcs of lightning surrounded his body.
"Second Spirit Skill: Thunderclap Force."
Countless azure lightning bolts tore through the sky like enraged electric snakes and shot out.
At the same time, the moisture in the air suddenly condensed. Large chunks of ice quietly gathered around Lin Yang and instantly fixed his body in place.
"First Spirit Skill: Ice Seal!"
Although the power of Shui Bing'er's first spirit skill, Ice Seal, wasn't strong, its advantage was that it activated instantly and was difficult to defend against.
Even if Lin Yang was restrained for just a moment, it would be enough for the other attacks to follow.
The seven elites from the five academies moved at the same time.
Flames, wind blades, lightning, and ice shards surged from all directions, weaving a dense, inescapable net of slaughter with almost no blind spots.
Many people in the spectator stands had already stood up.
Even a Soul Emperor-level expert would have to temporarily dodge such an attack.
However, the moment the ice attached to Lin Yang's body shattered…
Faced with the overwhelming assault, he simply raised the iron plate in his hand and slashed with it.
First Form: Dark Moon – Night Palace!
A massive crescent-shaped blade of light shot out from the iron plate. With a sharp whistling sound, everything it passed through was torn apart like paper.
The incoming attacks were shredded to pieces before this blade.
The crescent blade didn't lose momentum and continued slashing toward the crowd.
Even more astonishingly, countless small fragments of moonlight erupted from around the impact like a torrential rain, instantly enveloping the entire arena.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was clearly just one strike, but in Lin Yang's hands it felt like artillery fire covering the entire map.
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Thousand Pound Guidance"
Li Huoyan roared. His fourth spirit ring suddenly lit up.
A layer of earthy yellow light completely enveloped his entire body.
His massive figure became the ultimate shield for everyone else.
Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, Huo Wu, and the others quickly retreated to the side and hid behind Li Huoyan.
The moonlight arrived with a thunderous roar!
In an instant of exchange, blades of light with unparalleled sharpness tore through the light barrier and struck Hu Yanli directly.
"Ugh—!"
Li Huoyan's muscles swelled again. His massive body was pushed backward by the impact, and the stone slabs beneath his feet shattered one after another.
"Second Spirit Skill: Ice Ring Armor"
"Third Spirit Skill: Fire-Resistant Ring"
Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu attacked at the same time.
Li Huoyan's entire body was instantly covered in ice armor, shielding him from even the slightest moonlight.
Huo Wu thrust both hands outward. Deep crimson rings of fire spread from her body and repelled all the remaining moonlight.
Moonlight, ice shards, and blood mist intertwined, creating a chaotic scene.
...