"Alright, I'll leave it to you." Dai Mubai had no doubts about Lin Jie's strength—after all, he had witnessed it firsthand. Besides, his current condition would indeed hinder Lin Jie and Xiao Wu's performance on the Spirit Arena.
"Mhm. Lin Jie, I'll follow your lead," Jiang Zhu said softly to him.
Although Tai Long wanted to argue that he could still fight, seeing the oncoming barrage of icy blades about to rain down on them, he finally nodded in agreement.
Jing Ling and Huang Yuan, who had gathered around Lin Jie, also nodded silently.
Once he had their confirmation, five long whips of crackling lightning extended from Lin Jie's hands, wrapping swiftly around the waists of Dai Mubai and the others.
Thanks to Lin Jie's precise control, these lightning whips caused them no harm whatsoever.
With a flick of his wrist, Lin Jie flung the five of them off the stage.
Now, only Lin Jie and Xiao Wu remained standing on the Spirit Arena. Facing the swirling storm of icy blades above them, the two stood fearlessly side by side.
"What?! The control-type Spirit Master from Shrek Academy actually sent all his teammates off the stage of his own accord? What is Shrek trying to do? Could it be... they're planning to face the Martial Soul Fusion Technique of Tianshui Academy's two Spirit Ancestors head-on with just the two of them?" The announcer on the VIP platform exclaimed in shock and disbelief.
"Sect Master Ning, what do you make of this?" Emperor Xue Ye gently stroked his beard, smiling as he turned to Ning Fengzhi.
"Well... perhaps we're about to witness a miracle," Ning Fengzhi replied with a faint smile. He could clearly sense the immense power behind the Martial Soul Fusion Technique unleashed by the two girls from Tianshui Academy, and he couldn't help but feel worried for Shrek Academy. But Lin Jie was not the type to act without confidence. If his teammates had willingly left the stage to leave the battle to him and the girl called Xiao Wu, they must have full faith in his plan.
"It seems Sect Master Ning still has great confidence in Shrek Academy," Emperor Xue Ye said with a smile.
On the spectators' platform, Tang San wore a deeply worried expression as he watched the unfolding situation. The power of that fusion ability was terrifying. If not for the match rules, he would have rushed onto the stage already—he couldn't bear the thought of Xiao Wu getting hurt.
Watching Lin Jie's unexpected move, Shui Bing'er couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration. But admiration aside, she wasn't planning on holding back. This Martial Soul Fusion Technique she and Xue Wu were using—Drifting Snow—was being unleashed for the first time in the entire tournament. Not even against the other elemental academies had they used it. Originally, they had intended to save it for the finals, but they refused to lose to Shrek, which forced them to reveal it now.
The audience stared nervously at the swirling blizzard dragon above the arena, silently worrying for Shrek. Could they really hold out against such a fierce assault? Or would they ultimately fall before Tianshui Academy?
But unlike the anxious audience, Lin Jie and Xiao Wu faced the piercing, grinding screeches of wind and ice head-on without flinching.
"Drifting Snow," Shui Bing'er whispered.
As the words fell from her lips, the dragon of icy blades circling above plummeted toward Lin Jie and Xiao Wu with terrifying speed.
"Xiao Wu, it's starting. Stay close to me," Lin Jie shouted over the roar of the storm.
"Mhm. Got it." Xiao Wu replied with a light smile. She trusted Lin Jie completely.
Just as the blizzard dragon reached them, Lin Jie pulled Xiao Wu tightly into his arms. The two of them pressed close together.
Circulating his Spirit Power, Lin Jie summoned a wave of frost into his hand. With a sharp motion, he slapped his Ice-element Martial Soul onto both himself and Xiao Wu, instantly encasing them in a thick layer of ice.
At that exact moment, the icy tempest crashed down on them.
From the audience's perspective, the entire arena was blanketed in a blinding white blizzard, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. Even those who managed to catch a glimpse could only assume that Lin Jie and Xiao Wu had been frozen by the blizzard's overwhelming power.
Screech… crunch… hiss…
The screech of ice grinding and slicing echoed across the arena. The shell of ice Lin Jie had formed began to crack and fracture under the relentless assault. But only the outer layer was damaged—inside, neither he nor Xiao Wu had suffered a scratch.
"Xiao Wu..." Tang San whispered, anxiety gripping his heart as he watched the storm envelop both her and Lin Jie. His concern was primarily for Xiao Wu.
"Dean Flender, what about Xiao Wu and Lin Jie?" Tang San turned to Flender, deeply worried.
But compared to Tang San's anxiety, Flender remained composed. "Xiao San, you're overthinking things. Has Lin Jie ever done anything he wasn't completely sure of?"
Tang San paused. That was true—Lin Jie had never made a move without confidence. He realized he'd simply panicked out of worry for Xiao Wu.
Although Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were also worried, their knowledge of Lin Jie's strength and mysterious abilities helped them stay more composed than Tang San.
Inside the ice, Xiao Wu clung tightly to Lin Jie. The sudden chill made her instinctively press against him, wrapping her arms around his waist as if she wanted to bury herself in his warmth. Despite the chaos outside, the two of them remained completely untouched inside the icy cocoon.
Raising her head, Xiao Wu looked up at Lin Jie in confusion. Just now, when the storm was about to hit, she had done nothing to defend herself because she trusted him. She remembered being pulled close, then clinging to him instinctively from the force. But now, they were sealed in ice—and strangely, she didn't feel cold anymore. At first she had, but the moment she embraced Lin Jie, warmth had slowly begun to replace the chill.
This was the Ice Martial Soul Lin Jie wielded. Xiao Wu initially felt cold because he hadn't yet brought it fully under control. But once he did, she naturally stopped feeling the chill.
"Xiao Wu, are you alright?" Lin Jie looked down at her.
"I'm fine… but Lin Jie, what is this?" she asked, still puzzled.
"It's nothing—just one of my abilities. Once the ice melts, if we're still under attack, remember to use your fourth Spirit Ability to block it. Alright?"
"Mhm, got it." Xiao Wu was still curious, but now wasn't the time to ask questions.
Though the Drifting Snow blizzard completely engulfed Lin Jie and Xiao Wu, obscuring them from the audience, Shui Bing'er—who was channeling the fusion technique—could see everything clearly.
She was baffled. Why were the two of them frozen inside a separate block of ice? Her fusion technique did include freezing effects, but not like this.
More importantly, that ice had completely blocked the full power of her and Xue Wu's Martial Soul Fusion Technique. She could clearly sense that the two inside hadn't been harmed at all.
Her brow furrowed deeply. She didn't understand what kind of ability Lin Jie had just used, but the fact that her strongest attack had failed to take him out filled her with dread.
Even after using their trump card, they still couldn't defeat him. If they couldn't win this battle, how could Tianshui Academy hope to stand against Shrek in the finals?
She had originally planned to save some of her strength. But with Lin Jie and Xiao Wu completely unharmed, she had no choice but to go all out.
After several more moments of slicing, Lin Jie sensed that the storm's force was waning. At the same time, a resonant phoenix cry echoed through the air. He immediately dispelled the ice shielding himself and Xiao Wu.
In midair, the drifting snowflakes began to gather and coalesce. A massive ice-blue phoenix took shape before Shui Bing'er. It was stunning—its crystal-clear eyes gleaming, brilliant tail feathers trailing behind. It looked almost alive.
Seasoned Spirit Masters among the spectators instantly recognized it.
"That's an Ice Phoenix! She's using the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul!"
"No wonder it's so powerful!"
"Do you think Shrek still has a chance?"
"Hard to say…"
"I think Shrek can win."
That last voice clearly belonged to a die-hard Shrek Academy fan.
Of course, if others could sense the Ice Phoenix, so could Lin Jie.
The Ice Phoenix—a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, easily on par with Ma Hongjun's mutated Evil Fire Phoenix.
As the snow and mist dissipated, Lin Jie and Xiao Wu stood unharmed on the stage.
Tang San let out a long sigh of relief. Xiao Wu was safe. Though he noticed she was still holding tightly to Lin Jie, he didn't think much of it.
Seeing the Ice Phoenix, Lin Jie looked down at Xiao Wu, still clinging to him, and said softly, "Xiao Wu, if you keep holding me like this, it's a bit hard for me to move."
Realizing what she was doing, Xiao Wu's face turned bright red, and she quickly released him.
"Xiao Wu, that next attack is going to be powerful. If you can't block it, maybe you should leave the stage too," Lin Jie said gently, noticing her flushed face.
Xiao Wu shook her head. "I can take it. You know what my fourth Spirit Ability is."
"Alright. In that case, just be careful," Lin Jie replied. He knew her fourth ability was Invincible Golden Body, strong enough to withstand residual force. But the main defense would still fall on him.