Seeing Huo Wu's concerned expression, Huo Wushuang shook his head and said, "I'm fine, Xiao Wu. I lost—and I admit defeat, both in strength and in heart."
At his words, Huo Wu suddenly turned her gaze toward Lin Jie, a spark of fire flaring to life in her eyes as she stared at him with burning intensity.
But Lin Jie remained calm, unaffected by her glare.
Huo Wushuang sighed and looked at Lin Jie seriously. "Thank you for what you said earlier. Next time we meet, I won't lose again."
A glint of determination flashed through his eyes—the cracks in his will had been mended.
Lin Jie nodded slightly and watched as Huo Wu helped her brother back to the viewing area.
Next, the Blazing Fire Academy sent up a new participant: Huo Yu, a Agility System Spirit Master.
To Lin Jie's surprise, Huo Yu had actually broken through to the Spirit Ancestor realm. Just a month ago, he had only been a Spirit Elder. Though he'd yet to obtain a fourth Spirit Ring, the progress was impressive.
However, even at forty levels, and despite being an Agility System Spirit Master, Huo Yu was swiftly and easily defeated by Lin Jie. He barely made Lin Jie expend any Spirit Power.
After that, three more Blazing Fire Academy members entered the arena. One of them, Huo Yun, was Huo Yu's twin and had also broken through to the fortieth level. The remaining two were all Spirit Elders. But under Lin Jie's overwhelming pressure, none of them posed any real threat.
Now, six of Blazing Fire Academy's team had fought—and lost. Among them were four Spirit Ancestors. And Lin Jie? He stood firm, not even winded. His Spirit Power was still abundant, and not a trace of fatigue showed on his face.
In the VIP stands, Ning Fengzhi watched Lin Jie's unbroken winning streak with growing amazement.
This boy… the more he watched him, the less he could see through him.
To have such composure and strength at such a young age—not only did Lin Jie possess talent beyond his peers, he also displayed the aura and bearing of a future great.
Ning Fengzhi subconsciously glanced toward Salas, surprised to find the Platinum Bishop showing no visible reaction. Not a flicker of anger, not even a frown.
Was he scheming something again?
Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes, then returned his attention to the arena.
Lin Jie had just completed the first six-vs-one sweep of the advancement round, making history with the most dominant match thus far. Even more shockingly, it was Blazing Fire Academy, a veteran team, that had been crushed.
And the one who had done it—was a single student from Shrek Academy.
Now, as Lin Jie stood in the arena, their final hope, Huo Wu, walked forward slowly with a heavy expression.
Lin Jie sighed inwardly.
Though he still appeared calm and composed on the outside, truthfully, he was growing tired. After all, taking on six opponents consecutively—even for someone of his strength—was draining.
Especially Huo Yu and Huo Yun, who had come at him relentlessly with their most powerful attacks, desperate to wear him down. While he had prevailed, their suicidal tactics had forced him to remain fully alert the entire time.
At this moment, every spectator—whether they were Spirit Masters from the various academies or soldiers from the Imperial Knight Regiment—had the same burning question:
Can Lin Jie complete the first 1v7 sweep of the tournament?
Facing him across the arena, Huo Wu locked her fiery gaze on him. Strangely, her heart had settled into stillness.
She knew this was no longer a personal grudge match.
This was about the honor of Blazing Fire Academy.
If she lost now, then her team's reputation among the Five Elemental Academies would be forever tainted. For her, for her teammates, for her school—she could not lose.
This unshakable will became her anchor.
She was still under twenty years old. Over the past month, she had thrown herself into brutal training. Her Spirit Power had risen from Rank 43 to 44, and her overall abilities had significantly improved. She was no longer the same Huo Wu from a month ago.
She believed—she could defeat Lin Jie.
Lin Jie, watching her from twenty meters away, was surprised to notice that something about her aura had changed. It had become more restrained, but also sharper, stronger.
A faint crimson glow now radiated from her body, and her already striking appearance grew even more alluring under the light of the flames. Her graceful figure, accentuated by the fire's glow, exuded a kind of dangerous charm.
Then, with a flicker of motion, an identical orange-red silhouette emerged behind her—her Martial Soul: Fire Shadow.
Fire Shadow—a highly unusual Martial Soul. Useless in most hands, but in Huo Wu's, it became a formidable weapon.
After losing six members, Blazing Fire Academy knew they had no chance of winning this round. But Huo Wu had already made up her mind long before the match began: she must win, no matter the cost.
For herself, for her academy—she would give it everything.
The referee, seeing both sides ready, raised his hand.
"Match—begin!"
At the referee's call, Huo Wu didn't immediately activate a Spirit Ability.
Instead, she sprinted toward Lin Jie with explosive speed.
Although she wasn't an Agility System Spirit Master, her burst movement was shockingly fast. The distance between them closed rapidly.
Lin Jie raised a hand and flicked a bolt of lightning toward her waist—a simple probing strike that consumed little Spirit Power.
To his surprise, Huo Wu didn't dodge. She accelerated.
In the blink of an eye, the gap between them shrank to under ten meters.
Just as Lin Jie was wondering what she would do next, her third Spirit Ring lit up.
Purple light flashed. Huo Wu's speed increased dramatically.
He immediately recognized what she was planning.
The bolt of lightning kept its trajectory toward her waist, and Lin Jie quickly sent a second bolt as well—this one aimed to intercept her path.
He then moved laterally to reposition.
But Huo Wu, as if anticipating his movement, changed direction diagonally, continuing her charge toward him. Just as the two lightning bolts neared her, she activated her third Spirit Ability:
Defying Flame Ring.
An intense orange-red glow erupted from her body, expanding outward into a circular barrier. Both of Lin Jie's lightning strikes were instantly deflected.
The ring continued to expand with her at the center, sweeping toward Lin Jie.
The range of Defying Flame Ring was massive—up to sixty meters in diameter. And right now, she was already within ten meters of Lin Jie.
The two lightning attacks were scattered. Lin Jie himself was sent flying toward the edge of the arena.
Defying Flame Ring had no offensive power, but it didn't need any. Its greatest strength was its ability to ignore all skills and defenses, forcibly pushing anything within its radius—including people—away from its caster.
Unless the opponent's Spirit Power surpassed hers by more than ten ranks, they couldn't resist it.
The tournament stage was 100 meters wide. Her skill covered sixty.
Just like that, Lin Jie was nearly forced out of bounds.
Back in the first match, this was exactly how he had defeated Huo Wushuang.
Lin Jie inwardly praised her. She might have a temper, but she's no fool.
In an instant, she had forced him to the very edge.
But Defying Flame Ring also had a fatal flaw—its height.
The vertical range of the ring only extended to three meters.
Anything above that height? Completely safe.
Unless Huo Wu intentionally launched it upward, airborne opponents were safe from its effects.
Seeing that Huo Wu was preparing to release a second Defying Flame Ring, Lin Jie didn't hesitate.
Lightning surged beneath his feet.
His figure shot upward like a bullet—soaring above the blast radius.
The second ring swept beneath him harmlessly.
Huo Wu let out a cold laugh.
She'd expected that.
Using two consecutive casts of her third ability had cost a considerable amount of Spirit Power, but it was all part of her plan—to drive Lin Jie into the air.
Now that he was airborne—exactly where she wanted him.
At that moment, all four of her Spirit Rings lit up at once.
And behind her, her Fire Shadow Martial Soul began to glow brightly.
Then, something incredible happened.
That orange-red Martial Soul suddenly turned blazing white.
In the viewing area, Yu Xiaogang (Grandmaster) shot to his feet.
"That's… Ring Fusion!" he cried out in shock.
Tang San and the others turned toward him in confusion.
"Teacher, what's Ring Fusion?" Tang San asked.
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath.
"Ring Fusion isn't a technique. It's a talent—an innate gift that only the rarest Spirit Masters can awaken."