As the twin brothers Huo Yun and Huo Yu soared low across the battlefield, closing in with frightening speed, Xiao Wu and Jing Ling exchanged a glance and shot forward to intercept them.
Fire Dance, however, remained motionless. While her teammates had already made their move, she stood still, her gaze fixed on Lin Jie, who stood calmly at the center of Shrek's formation.
Boom—!
Dai Mubai and Huo Wushuang collided with a powerful punch. Neither used any Spirit Abilities—this was a pure clash of physical strength. The explosion of force that rang out made it clear just how terrifying their bodies were.
The next moment, both of them activated their first Spirit Rings.
"White Tiger Light Wave!" Dai Mubai shouted. A burst of blinding white energy surged from his mouth and blasted toward Huo Wushuang.
Not to be outdone, Huo Wushuang let loose a blazing flame attack of his own. Both beams collided in midair with a deafening bang.
Though Dai Mubai held a slight advantage in rank, Huo Wushuang had already received Spirit Power amplification from Blazing Academy's two auxiliary-type Spirit Masters. The two beams canceled each other out.
Unfazed, Dai Mubai launched a second attack straight at Huo Wushuang.
Elsewhere, things weren't looking good for Blazing Academy's other offense-type Spirit Master.
Tai Long and Huang Yuan had charged out alongside Dai Mubai at the start. When Huo Wushuang engaged Dai Mubai, another Blazing student—one with a Fire Leopard Martial Soul—tried to block both Tai Long and Huang Yuan on his own.
Tai Long and Huang Yuan couldn't help but exchange a glance and laugh. Tai Long might be a bit simple-minded, but when it came to analyzing opponents, he paid close attention to Lin Jie's briefings before each match. According to Lin Jie's intel, this Fire Leopard Spirit Master was only a rank 39 Spirit Elder.
One person trying to block two attackers of equal or greater strength? Ridiculous. What did he think he was—Lin Jie?
Tai Long, who was already built like a bear, grew even more monstrous under Martial Soul Possession. His Gorilla Martial Soul boosted him with pure, overwhelming physical strength. He didn't care for fancy tricks—his approach was simple: swing, smash, repeat.
Huang Yuan, by contrast, was more cautious. He didn't believe this opponent would charge in without some kind of backup plan. But even with that in mind, he didn't hesitate. His first Spirit Ring lit up, claws extended, and he lunged at the Fire Leopard Spirit Master.
Under normal circumstances, a fight between Spirit Masters of equal rank would be hard to predict. But in a two-versus-one scenario, the outcome should've been obvious—except it wasn't.
Just as Tai Long and Huang Yuan closed in, tiny fire sparks swirled around the Fire Leopard Spirit Master and were instantly absorbed into his body. His aura surged, and then—flash!—a golden glow exploded from him, repelling both Tai Long and Huang Yuan with a powerful shockwave.
The danger was instantly neutralized.
Lin Jie narrowed his eyes. So Fire Dance had that level of precision in her control. Those fire sparks had come from her. Not only was she capable of detaching and directing energy to protect allies, she had coordinated it with Blazing Academy's auxiliary Spirit Masters. Their synergy was impressive.
The Fire Leopard Spirit Master's Spirit Rings lit up. His Martial Soul already gave him high agility, and now he burst into motion with even greater speed, launching himself toward Huang Yuan with claws bared.
But just as he was about to land a blow—
Bzzz…
Lin Jie lifted his right hand slowly, index finger extended. A wild, bright arc of blue-white lightning began to gather and spiral around the tip.
Jiang Zhu glanced curiously at Lin Jie's posture.
"What's he doing?" Fire Dance murmured, staring across the field. "And what's that lightning on his finger…?"
A bad premonition bloomed in her chest. She had no idea what Lin Jie was planning, but she instinctively felt danger. She wasn't the only one.
In the VIP stands, Ning Fengzhi noticed Lin Jie raise his hand and paused, puzzled. Normally, to activate a Spirit Ability, one had to release their Spirit Rings first—but Lin Jie hadn't activated any.
After a moment, Ning Fengzhi chuckled softly.
Seated beside him, wearing flowing white robes, was the Sword Douluo—Chen Xin.
"Fengzhi, did you figure it out?" Chen Xin asked calmly.
"Yes. That Lin Jie really is a little monster. Always full of surprises." Ning Fengzhi smiled.
Back in the arena, Lin Jie focused intently. He felt the compressed energy building at his fingertip—perfect. Any more, and the blast might be fatal.
With a smirk, he tilted his head slightly and whispered—
"Laser."
"Dodge—!" Fire Dance suddenly cried, finally realizing what was about to happen.
Too late.
A blue-white beam the size of a finger streaked across the arena faster than anyone could react. The Fire Leopard Spirit Master's hair stood on end—every instinct screaming danger. But he was already mid-attack. There was no time to dodge.
BOOM—!
The laser slammed into him with surgical precision. The sound of an explosion echoed across the platform as the Spirit Master was sent flying. He crashed hard into the ground, coughing up blood, his body trembling.
He was badly injured—but alive.
This "Laser" was no ordinary Spirit Ability. It was a self-created skill that Lin Jie had developed by refining his fourth Spirit Ability, compressing lightning into a focused beam of piercing force.
Fire Dance's expression froze in disbelief.
He didn't even use a Spirit Ring… and still managed that?!
Even Huo Wushuang, who was clashing evenly with Dai Mubai, was distracted by the sudden explosion. Just a glance—just a second's delay—and Dai Mubai's punch connected cleanly, sending him stumbling back.
In the stands, Ning Fengzhi smiled again. "As I thought, a self-created Spirit Ability. That Lin Jie… truly a monster."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin nodded slightly. He knew just how difficult it was to invent a self-created ability, even for a Title Douluo.
"Self-created…?" On the viewing platform for participating teams, a young man in a veil muttered in surprise, only his eyes visible.