The next day, Yin Zhang challenged Qiangu Yunying.
All nine other students of the class followed them to the training ground to watch the match, with Zhou Wu being the most concerned about the outcome.
If Yin Zhang could defeat Qiangu Yunying—no, even if Yin Zhang could just hold out a little longer against her—Zhou Wu felt he would be much more at ease.
It was worth mentioning that once this match ended, regardless of whether Yin Zhang won or lost, he would officially become a member of the Spirit Hall Academy Team. The unfortunate person who had been cut had already been confirmed; due to issues with position compatibility and spirit power, they had no choice but to be removed and demoted to a reserve member.
Wu Deqing, acting as the homeroom teacher, served as the referee for this match.
"Please prepare. The match is about to begin!"
"Charizard, Incarnation!"
"Flame Plundering Spear!"
Both summoned their martial spirits.
Purple–purple–purple, yellow–yellow–purple–purple–black.
The contrast between their spirit rings was striking—one with three thousand-year rings, the other with the optimal spirit-ring configuration. The visual impact alone was impressive.
"I announce that the match begins now!"
With Wu Deqing's declaration, both combatants moved at the same time.
Yin Zhang made the first move, immediately flapping his wings and taking to the air, preventing himself from being knocked away by Qiangu Yunying in a single exchange before he could even apply his buffs—otherwise, he would be dragged into her rhythm and defeated outright.
"Trying to fly? It won't be that easy!"
Once she entered battle mode, Qiangu Yunying seemed like a completely different person.
"First Spirit Ability, Moon Sever!"
"Ha!"
Qiangu Yunying leapt into the air, gripping the Flame Plundering Spear as she thrust it toward Yin Zhang.
"Dragon Claw!"
Yin Zhang raised a massive Dragon Claw formed from emerald-green energy, clashing head-on with Qiangu Yunying's spear.
"Bang!"
With no leverage in midair, Qiangu Yunying couldn't match the raw power of the Dragon Claw and was forced back to the ground.
Yin Zhang did not press the advantage. Based on what he had learned the day before, this was most likely a flaw Qiangu Yunying had deliberately exposed, waiting for him to take the bait.
"First Spirit Ability, Azure Flame Shield!"
Sunny Day!
Two spirit abilities were unleashed in rapid succession. The quality of the fire-attribute spirit power within Yin Zhang's body surged, and his overall attributes rose visibly.
Fire-red particles appeared on the surface of his originally smooth crimson dragon scales, subtly changing their color.
It was the ability—Power of the Sun!
Qiangu Yunying landed steadily, only feeling that the sunlight overhead had suddenly grown far more scorching.
"Flamethrower!"
Yin Zhang took a deep breath, converting it into searing flames that blasted toward Qiangu Yunying.
"Second Spirit Ability, Spear Intent: Flame Plundering!"
Qiangu Yunying's second spirit ring flashed. Holding the Flame Plundering Spear, she continuously split and dispersed the incoming flames, standing tall amid the inferno.
Spear Intent: Flame Plundering was divided into three stages—Steadfast Intent to Halt War, Sharp Intent to Shatter Cities, and True Fire Raging Over the Plains.
The first two stages were enough to easily neutralize the Flamethrower.
"True Fire Raging Over the Plains!"
Seeing Qiangu Yunying leap up with the Flame Plundering Spear raised high, preparing to cleave downward, Yin Zhang roared,
"Second Spirit Ability, Fire Dragon Evasion Kill!"
Fire Dragon Evasion Kill was a rare lock-on spirit ability. Once locked, the opponent's movements would be restrained to varying degrees depending on their spirit power. At the same time, Yin Zhang's body would be covered in scales, drastically increasing his defense as he dove down with terrifying destructive force.
"Swish—swish—"
Layer after layer of palm-sized scales spread across Yin Zhang's body, covering everything except his face and the life-flame burning at the tip of his dragon tail.
With scales stacked upon scales, the defensive effect was far greater than simple addition.
Even if Qiangu Yunying's Flame Plundering Spear pierced his body, these two layers of protection would disperse most of the damage and impact.
As for whether the spear possessed armor-piercing properties—that remained unknown.
"What?!"
Qiangu Yunying suddenly felt powerful resistance restraining her body. The True Fire Raging Over the Plains, which she could normally unleash without hesitation, now felt sluggish and obstructed.
I didn't expect Xiao Zhang's second spirit ability to have a lock-on effect!
During Yin Zhang's previous battle with Zhou Wu, Fire Dragon Evasion Kill had been used when Zhou Wu was already falling, so no one present had noticed this effect.
And Zhou Wu, whether due to forgetfulness or thinking it unnecessary, hadn't mentioned it to Qiangu Yunying.
Either way, Qiangu Yunying was now paying the price for this information gap.
"Roar!"
A dragon's roar echoed across the training ground. Qiangu Yunying's ears rang as she saw Yin Zhang transform into a massive emerald-green energy dragon, diving straight toward her.
The oppressive aura made her frown slightly.
With the power of this skill, an ordinary Spirit King wouldn't stand a chance.
She grew even more serious.
"Ha!"
In combat, momentum was everything.
With the lock-on effect in place, Qiangu Yunying's offense was clearly suppressed, its power dropping by at least twenty percent.
"Bang!"
Qiangu Yunying briefly hovered in midair—the effect of True Fire Raging Over the Plains—before bringing the Flame Plundering Spear down in a powerful arc.
Long crimson flames, shaped like giant pythons, surged toward Yin Zhang.
Earlier, during the first two stages—Steadfast Intent to Halt War and Sharp Intent to Shatter Cities—similar giant pythons had coiled around her.
It seemed that Qiangu Yunying's Spear Intent: Flame Plundering had been obtained from a giant python-type spirit ring.
"Bang!"
Enduring the scorching heat of the python-like crimson flames, Yin Zhang charged straight through toward Qiangu Yunying.
"Ha!"
Qiangu Yunying twisted the Flame Plundering Spear at a strange angle midair, as if preparing to evade.
But Yin Zhang didn't let the opportunity slip.
"Bang!"
Yin Zhang landed firmly on the ground, letting out a long breath of relief.
Relying on the information gap, the opening exchange had been favorable to him, giving him a sense of security.
Qiangu Yunying steadied herself by leaning on the Flame Plundering Spear. Her breathing was uneven, and her ample curves trembled slightly as she wiped a faint trace of blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Xiao Zhang, you're strong. I'm going to use my full power now!"
What had just happened was merely a warm-up. Qiangu Yunying still had three spirit abilities unused, and Yin Zhang also had trump cards he hadn't revealed—such as Solar Beam.
Under Sunny Day, Solar Beam could be cast instantly, and its power was immense. Yin Zhang had yet to use it.
At the very least, he could guarantee his own safety and, without being directly defeated, rely on the Holy Grail's spirit power restoration to slowly wear Qiangu Yunying down.
And the facts unfolded exactly as Yin Zhang had anticipated.
Although he was strong, he was still slightly inferior to Qiangu Yunying.
After the battle dragged on for more than ten minutes, Qiangu Yunying began to show clear signs of exhaustion.
More importantly, it was her spirit power.
She had already used all five of her spirit abilities, with the first three activated multiple times.
Yet facing Yin Zhang—who remained airborne and refused to land—it was extremely difficult for her to launch any meaningful attacks.
After all, Yin Zhang could also use spirit abilities freely while flying.