The pain from the gash across his head snapped Hu Yanli awake, and he let out a sharp cry. The wound stung fiercely, and the sudden jolt of pain brought clarity back to his dazed mind. Gritting his teeth, he immediately activated the secret technique his grandfather had just transmitted to him.
"Ali!" On the VIP platform, Hu Yanzhen sprang to his feet, shouting in alarm as he saw his grandson's bloodied forehead.
"That girl's strike is razor-sharp—she broke through Hu Yanli's defense in one hit," Bone Douluo Gu Rong praised aloud.
Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes slightly. From what he could see, the girl hadn't even used her full strength.
At that moment, something flickered atop Hu Yanli's head—a helmet-shaped Spirit Bone materialized, earthy yellow in color, swiftly covering his entire head.
"Hm?" Tang San narrowed his eyes midair as he maintained control. As Yu Xiaogang's disciple, he had been taught in depth. The moment he saw that helmet, realization hit him.
"A head Spirit Bone?"
Gasps echoed from the audience stands.
"A head Spirit Bone?!"
"Hu Yanli actually has a head Spirit Bone?"
The crowd was in an uproar. Spirit Bones were already rare enough—but a head Spirit Bone was the rarest among them.
"Hu Yanzhen, I must say—your grandson having a Spirit Bone, and a head Spirit Bone no less, is quite the fortune. But I advise you to be cautious. Not everyone watching will have noble intentions," Salas commented, glancing sideways at Ning Fengzhi.
Hu Yanzhen had been deeply worried when he saw his grandson bleeding and under attack from multiple opponents. But now, upon seeing the activation of the head Spirit Bone, his nerves settled somewhat. Hearing Salas's remark, he looked at Ning Fengzhi with a tight smile.
"Rest assured, Platinum Bishop Salas. I'll be sure to take care." After replying, Hu Yanzhen sat back down, though the worry never left his face.
Back on the battlefield, Tang San's expression hardened upon confirming the Spirit Bone's presence. He gave a clear command: "Attack with full force!"
Hearing that, Dai Mubai and Huang Yuan's eyes lit up. Their Spirit Rings flared to life as they launched a rapid assault on Hu Yanli.
Huang Yuan's Furious Wolf Roar Bullets rained down, focusing entirely on the exact spot Zhu Zhuqing had already struck.
Boom! Boom!
The blows landed with thundering impact, but the Spirit Bone held—none of Huang Yuan's attacks could penetrate the defense. However, every strike carried tremendous force. Even if the bone helmet didn't break, the shockwave from repeated impacts to an already injured area only worsened Hu Yanli's internal trauma.
After his salvo, Huang Yuan immediately activated light body technique. Tang San pulled him back using his Blue Silver Grass.
Then came Dai Mubai.
Previously, Dai Mubai had held back slightly, worried that going full out might be too much. But now, seeing Hu Yanli protected by a Spirit Bone, and with Tang San's greenlight, he unleashed his strongest combination.
Activating both his third and fourth Spirit Abilities—White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Meteor Shower—he launched his devastating assault.
Dozens of golden light spheres, each the size of a fist, swirled around Dai Mubai.
"White Tiger Meteor Shower!" he roared.
With his shout, the golden meteors rained down—all concentrated on the same point: Hu Yanli's already-damaged head.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Spirit Bone shuddered violently under the onslaught. Hu Yanli, already buried knee-deep in the stage from the previous hits, now dropped to one knee. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Ali!" On the VIP stand, Hu Yanzhen clenched his fists tighter, his worry mounting.
Even so, the Spirit Bone's defense held—for now. Despite taking Dai Mubai's powerful attack head-on, it hadn't shattered... yet. But cracks had begun to form. The helmet flickered as fractures spread like a web across its surface, and Hu Yanli's eyes began to roll back.
From the audience platform, Lin Jie smiled faintly. "He's about to go down."
"Really?!" Ning Rongrong looked to him with delight.
"Although Hu Yanli is a defense-type Spirit Elder at Rank 44, he was already heavily injured from Zhuqing's strike," Lin Jie explained. "His biggest mistake was not using the Spirit Bone earlier to block her attack. Using it while injured weakened its defensive power. Then he took Huang Yuan's shockwave strikes, followed by Mubai's full-force bombardment. It's too much. He's finished."
"Makes sense..." Ning Rongrong nodded in agreement, eyes returning to the arena.
Behind them, the Fire Element Academy team—seated nearby—heard Lin Jie's quiet commentary. Expressions shifted subtly.
In the arena—
Zhu Zhuqing and the others had executed their combination assault within ten seconds. Tang San still had control time left on his Blue Silver Grass.
Observing with his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San judged the timing precisely. "Xiao Wu—five seconds. Take him down."
"Got it!" Xiao Wu responded crisply.
Without wasting a beat, her body twisted in midair. In a swift blur, she flipped and kicked downward, slamming her leg precisely into the already-damaged spot on Hu Yanli's head.
Crack. Crack.
The Spirit Bone shattered.
At that moment, Tang San yanked the Blue Silver Grass with full strength, pulling the dazed Hu Yanli into the air. Xiao Wu instinctively followed up—her waist arched as she wrapped him up in the air.
Eight Stage Drop—engaged.
Bang. Bang. Bang!
Three sickening impacts echoed as Xiao Wu executed her signature Eight Stage Drop. Whatever shred of consciousness Hu Yanli had left vanished. His eyes rolled back fully as he passed out cold.
With a final whirl, Xiao Wu flung his massive body off her shoulders. Hu Yanli slammed to the ground like a broken mountain.
"Ali!" On the VIP stand, Hu Yanzhen finally lost control and shouted in fury.
"Mind yourself, Sect Master Hu Yan. This is still a tournament," Bone Douluo said coldly beside him.
Hu Yanzhen glared briefly, then looked toward Emperor Xue Ye. Reluctantly, he sank back into his seat.
"Lin Jie, they actually did it!" Ning Rongrong beamed at him excitedly.
Behind her, Jiang Zhu looked at Lin Jie with a hint of awe flickering in her gaze.
"Now it's just a matter of picking them off one by one. As for the result... we can go. Come on, Rongrong. Let's wait for them outside—it'll be over soon," Lin Jie said calmly as he rose and walked out.
Ning Rongrong glanced at the stage one last time before smiling and following Lin Jie outside.
Jiang Zhu and the others stood and followed as well.
Behind them, Fire Dance gave a soft snort and turned back to watch the match.
Back in the arena—
Even though Tang San had continuously relied on Oscar's Recovery Sausages, his Spirit Power had taken a hit. But seeing Hu Yanli fall, everything was much simpler now.
The remaining six members of Elephant Armored Academy had just broken free from the Blue Silver Grass bindings. The sight of their team captain—Hu Yanli, the strongest among them—collapsed unconscious on the ground filled them with dread.
That was the Sect Master's grandson.
Panic quickly set in.
Two of the six even ran over to check on him, completely abandoning formation.
From that moment, the battle was over in all but name.
Shrek's victory was sealed.