They weren't ordinary stones—no, they were gems. Seven different gemstones, each distinct in shape: rhomboid, square, oval, and more irregul
They weren't ordinary stones—no, they were gems. Seven different gemstones, each distinct in shape: rhomboid, square, oval, and more irregular forms.
As the seven members of Canghui Academy released their Martial Souls, the gems around each of them glowed in different hues. Together, they formed a brilliant spectrum—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The full rainbow.
Gasps erupted from the audience as they witnessed this unexpected scene. All seven Canghui students had gemstone-type Martial Souls.
Gemstone Martial Souls weren't particularly powerful in raw combat, but they were exceedingly rare. Their greatest strength lay in adaptability—depending on the Spirit Rings one absorbed, their development could diverge in many unique directions.
One person having a gemstone Martial Soul wasn't shocking—but seven? That was something else entirely.
Seeing this, Tang San couldn't help but glance at Lin Jie. So that's what he was preparing for. As expected of Lin Jie...
Dai Mubai was also visibly stunned by the sight. Even Tai Long, usually hot-headed and brash, recognized the significance of what he was seeing. Seven gemstone Martial Souls appearing at once—this was no ordinary threat.
As the Canghui team released their Martial Souls, a seven-colored radiance began to glow around them. Their team captain looked calmly at Lin Jie.
"You've been cautious, I'll give you that. But in the face of absolute power, all strategy and tactics are meaningless."
Lin Jie actually agreed with the sentiment.
In the face of overwhelming strength, no scheme could change the outcome.
But hearing someone from Canghui Academy say that? Dai Mubai sneered, "You think you have absolute power? With just you lot?"
The captain of Canghui only smiled. It was an eerie, almost manic grin—like someone who had waited a long time for this moment.
"You'll see soon enough whether or not we have the power," he said.
As he raised both hands, a silver gem floated slowly up in front of him. Once it reached about two meters above his head, the other six gems around his teammates began to rise as well. The silver gem sat squarely at the center, while the others slowly rotated around it. As they spun, multicolored light filled the air.
The captain's Spirit Rings lit up—two yellow, two purple—releasing his full Spirit Power. The six surrounding gems began to spin faster, radiant beams of multicolored energy surging from them.
"Lin Jie, let me go! I can't hold it in anymore—I've got to teach these guys a lesson!" Dai Mubai growled.
He was already poised to strike, ready to burst forth at any moment.
But Lin Jie raised his hand lightly. "Not yet. Let them finish charging. Wait for my signal. No rash moves."
Although frustrated, Dai Mubai obeyed. He didn't cancel his Spirit Power though—he remained tense, prepared to strike the moment Lin Jie gave the order.
"San, observe them carefully. See if you can figure out what's going on," Lin Jie said in a low voice.
He had put Tang San into the lineup specifically for this. He wanted to test how far Tang San had advanced with his Purple Demon Eye.
"Understood," Tang San nodded, and a faint violet glow appeared in his eyes.
By now, it was no secret within Shrek Academy that Tang San possessed the Purple Demon Eye. Lin Jie also knew about Tang San and Ning Rongrong's spiritual cultivation exchange, so Tang San didn't feel the need to hide anything from him.
At that moment, the seven gems rotating in mid-air erupted with brilliance. A massive column of rainbow-colored light formed, shooting into the sky and then rapidly expanding outward, engulfing a thirty-meter radius of the stage.
The seven members of Canghui stood bathed in the glow.
And the light began to spread toward Shrek Academy's formation.
"San, Blue Silver Grass—now!" Lin Jie shouted sharply.
"Got it!" Tang San replied. The Blue Silver Grass, already wound around his teammates' waists, tightened with a pull, drawing them close together into a tight formation.
On the VIP platform, Emperor Xue Ye stood up slightly from his seat, astonished. "What is this? Could that be... a Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Abiliy? That's impossible!"
Ning Fengzhi's expression darkened. "No, it's not a true Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Abiliy. As far as I know, no one has ever successfully used such a technique. But even if it's not, this still mimics some of the effects. It's certainly a form of collective amplification. This year's tournament really is full of surprises."
As the continent's most accomplished support-type Spirit Master, Ning Fengzhi's knowledge of Martial Souls was profound—especially gemstone-type Souls. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda itself was a type of gemstone Martial Soul, refined to its pinnacle.
He understood all too well what it meant to unleash a true Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Abiliy. It was considered a divine ability—a miracle. No ordinary Spirit Master could execute it. In fact, to date, it had never successfully been demonstrated.
Ning Fengzhi could only assume that Canghui's seven members had extremely high compatibility between their Martial Souls and were now activating a soul skill that mimicked a fusion—a group amplification technique rather than a true fusion.
Meanwhile, the dazzling aurora of the technique entranced many in the audience. The radiance was mesmerizing.
Still, the Shrek team stood unmoving. Lin Jie had not yet given the order.
"You fools from Shrek! Arrogant and blind! You had the chance to attack us before we finished charging, and now it's too late! Welcome to our Seven Asura Dreamland! Prepare to suffer and die in agony. Farewell, Shrek!" Canghui's captain shouted gleefully, his voice tinged with madness.
As soon as his voice fell, the rainbow-colored light enveloped Shrek's team—no, swallowed them whole.
A wave of stunned silence swept across the stands. The rainbow pillar obscured everything. No one could see what was happening inside. Had Canghui really turned the tables?
Could Shrek be... defeated?
The very idea seemed ludicrous. To most spectators, Shrek was already viewed as invincible.
On the VIP platform, if Ning Fengzhi could deduce the possibility of a Martial Soul fusion technique, others surely could as well.
Flender, for one, nearly panicked.
He watched as the seven-colored light swallowed his students and disciples. His heart raced. Even if they lost the match, he couldn't allow them to be harmed.
Flender almost charged onto the field to stop the match, but Grandmaster grabbed him firmly.
"Flender, what are you doing?!"
"Calm down!" Grandmaster said sternly.
Beside them, Liu Erlong looked even more anxious than Flender. For her, Lin Jie wasn't just a student—he was family. Her adopted younger brother. The most important person in her life.
She knew better than anyone how terrifying a Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Abiliy could be. She, Flender, and Grandmaster had once made their names using a Threefold Fusion Technique—but even that was risky.
She trusted Lin Jie's strength—but her heart still couldn't stay calm.
"Grandmaster, you know what this means!" Flender shouted. "You know how unstable those techniques can be! Even if we lose the match—I won't let my students die for it!"
But Grandmaster remained calm.
"Flender, if Canghui could actually pull off a real Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Abiliy, then it wouldn't be called a divine technique for no reason."
"What do you mean?" Liu Erlong asked, gripping her hands tightly.
Grandmaster sighed. "It's not a true Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Abiliy. It's a Seven-in-One Ability."
Flender blinked. "What's the difference?"
"The difference is fundamental. What Canghui is using is based on high compatibility between their Martial Souls and teamwork to mimic the effect. But a true Martial Soul Fusion Technique involves the complete merging and sublimation of all seven Martial Souls into one—what we call a divine technique. They're not even in the same league."
"Then... do you think our students can handle it?" Flender asked, worried.
"They can," Grandmaster said with certainty.
On the VIP platform, Ning Fengzhi continued to stare intently at the rainbow-colored pillar, expression grave. Even he couldn't tell what was happening inside.
On the main stage, the multicolored light still engulfed everything. No one could see what was occurring within. All that was visible... was that radiant, shimmering column of light.