Huo Wushuang had known Lin Jie was powerful, but after being repelled so effortlessly, he finally understood just how large the gap between them truly was. He no longer held back.
His third Spirit Ring, the purple one, lit up.
With a surge of energy, the muscles across Huo Wushuang's body bulged.
His *third Spirit Ability—Fire Dragon Fury—*was similar in nature to Dai Mubai's White Tiger Vajra Transformation, both being enhancement-type abilities.
Once activated, the red glow covering his dragon-scale armor became even denser and more condensed. Over the past month, Huo Wushuang had focused his training entirely on compressing and concentrating his fire-attributed Spirit Power onto his body—one of his breakthroughs. The fire he wielded wasn't just searing hot—it was explosively volatile.
His tactic was to store the firepower within and only release it at the moment of contact, delivering a burst of devastating force. With the third ability amplifying this trait, the impact was far more potent.
"Come!" Huo Wushuang shouted, erupting forward like a cannonball.
As a Power Attack System Spirit Master, he naturally excelled in raw, frontal combat.
But Lin Jie, though officially a Control System Spirit Master, could hardly be called inferior in direct offense. And what he excelled in above all was speed. Even Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was no longer fast enough to keep up with Lin Jie's current movement speed—let alone someone like Huo Wushuang.
If Huo Wushuang couldn't even land a hit, it didn't matter how strong his attacks were.
And besides… Control counters Power Attack.
Lin Jie didn't make any flashy moves. A faint purple gleam flickered in his eyes—the activation of Purple Demon Eye.
In Lin Jie's vision, Huo Wushuang's charge appeared slowed down, riddled with openings.
Lin Jie had always possessed excellent combat perception, but Purple Demon Eye took that to an entirely new level—everything felt slowed and hyper-clear.
Since he kept the purple glow subdued, and with the spectators seated far away, no one noticed him using it.
As Huo Wushuang closed in, Lin Jie saw his trajectory and timing with perfect clarity.
He shifted lightly to the side, dodging the attack with ease.
Then, as Huo Wushuang passed, Lin Jie's lightning-cloaked palm whipped out and slammed into his ribs.
Boom—!
Upon impact, a concussive explosion erupted from Huo Wushuang's side—his volatile fire energy discharging.
Lin Jie had already leapt away, avoiding the brunt of the explosion. His hand took some of the blast, but with lightning energy coating it and his immensely fortified physique, he came away unscathed.
Huo Wushuang had never expected Lin Jie to dodge so effortlessly—and counter so decisively.
That single strike knocked him off balance, sending him stumbling several meters sideways.
But Lin Jie didn't stop.
While Huo Wushuang reeled, Lin Jie launched his Lightning Whip. The glowing, crackling whip shot out, aiming for his disoriented opponent.
They were barely five meters apart.
The whip reached Huo Wushuang in an instant.
With a flick of his wrist, Lin Jie had the whip arc around, coiling toward Huo Wushuang.
Despite being staggered, Huo Wushuang remained alert. He stopped his retreat cold and summoned a red barrier of flame, drawing on the power of his scales.
The whip collided with the barrier—
Bang!
A fiery backlash erupted. Huo Wushuang had triggered the explosive flame embedded in his scale armor, scattering the whip's energy and defending himself successfully.
But Lin Jie wasn't finished.
He leapt into the air, and this time, two more lightning whips formed in each hand—more solid, more focused than before.
Seeing this, Huo Wushuang rapidly summoned more fire-attributed Spirit Power to reinforce his defenses.
His next Spirit Ring lit up.
His hand transformed into a massive, scaly dragon claw, its surface lined with sharp ridges and glowing veins of flame.
He charged again, completely unafraid.
But Lin Jie simply smiled.
As the two new lightning whips flew toward Huo Wushuang, he braced for impact.
Then—something strange happened.
The whips curved.
Instead of attacking him directly, they circled around to either side.
And Lin Jie?
He was gone.
"What?! Where did he go?" Huo Wushuang's heart trembled.
Just before leaping, Lin Jie had already activated extreme-speed movement. The lightning whips had merely been a distraction.
While Huo Wushuang was focused on them, Lin Jie zipped behind him.
"Not good!" Huo Wushuang tried to turn—
But it was already too late.
The two lightning whips looped back around and snared him from both sides, locking tightly around his body.
Crack—Zzzt—Boom!
Sparks exploded across Huo Wushuang's body.
The explosive flame aura that had shielded him before? It backfired. The lightning ignited the stored energy, causing it to burst inward, hurting him this time.
Not only did the whips not get dispersed—they tightened even more.
Now without any flame shield, Huo Wushuang took a direct shock to his body.
Numbness spread instantly.
He tried to circulate his Spirit Power—but Lin Jie would never give him that chance.
Lin Jie increased the voltage.
His lightning was precise—not aimed at destruction, but paralysis.
Even one or two seconds of numbness was enough for Lin Jie to end the fight.
He twisted both wrists, forming arcs with his arms.
The lightning whips coiled tightly around Huo Wushuang and flung him into the air.
Knowing what was about to happen, Huo Wushuang's face turned pale.
He struggled to dispel the whips, pushing his Spirit Power to the limit.
But he couldn't.
The paralysis lingered. The whips only constricted further.
Lin Jie's lightning control was too refined. If he had unleashed full destructive power, Huo Wushuang would've been charred black by now.
Instead, Lin Jie maintained perfect, clean control.
With a final flick of his arms, Huo Wushuang was thrown off the platform.
Confirming the opponent had landed outside the boundary, Lin Jie retracted his lightning.
As the whips vanished, the paralysis faded. Huo Wushuang, regaining some strength, twisted midair and landed on his feet. Still wary, he hastily summoned flame energy to protect himself.
But Lin Jie just stood calmly in the ring and said,
"You've lost."
Huo Wushuang blinked.
He looked down—he was standing outside the match boundary. Just beyond the edge.
He had lost.
He stared at Lin Jie in a daze, replaying the match.
The counter-punch that knocked him back.
The vanish-and-reappear.
The lightning whips that had flung him out of the arena.
He had no chance to react to any of it.
And what was most humbling—Lin Jie had defeated him without even using his fourth Spirit Ability.
An overwhelming sense of failure welled in his chest.
But… along with it, a genuine respect for Lin Jie took root.
Lin Jie was not only more powerful, but his control, speed, strength, and precision were in a completely different league.
Lin Jie, seeing the dim look on Huo Wushuang's face, spoke clearly:
"Earlier in our fight, you looked powerful—but you were missing one essential thing: confidence."
"A Spirit Master who loses confidence in the face of an opponent can never win."
Huo Wushuang looked up.
Lin Jie was still smiling faintly, just like at the start. His calm eyes seemed to contain an intangible strength.
Yes...
From the moment he saw Lin Jie step onto the platform, his resolve had already begun to crack.
"Brother, are you okay?"
Huo Wu rushed down from the stands, her face full of concern.