A thunderous explosion resounded.
The compressed, incandescent-white energy sphere formed by Huo Wu's Spirit Ring Fusion ability struck Lin Jie squarely in the back. Blazing white light instantly engulfed the two of them.
The moment it hit, Lin Jie felt a sudden numbness in his back, and the sensation quickly spread throughout his entire body. The overwhelming energy sent him hurtling through the air.
Huo Wu, though not directly struck by the blast, was caught in the shockwave. The violent tremor left her dazed, her mind spinning as she instinctively clung even tighter to Lin Jie.
As the numbness faded, it was replaced by searing pain that spread through Lin Jie's body. That pain snapped him back to full consciousness.
Still midair, Lin Jie forcefully channeled his Spirit Power. Right before hitting the ground, he twisted his waist and legs, managing to land with a heavy thud.
But as soon as his feet touched down, a fresh wave of pain surged through his body. He staggered, almost falling. Gritting his teeth, he barely managed to stabilize himself.
Then, a sudden rush of blood surged upward. Lin Jie felt something rising in his chest—and a second later, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Unfortunately, since Huo Wu was roughly the same height as him, the blood sprayed directly onto her face.
Despite the pain, Lin Jie felt much better after coughing up the blood. His Spirit Power began circulating again, activating his powerful self-healing physique to begin repairing the internal damage.
He had already calculated this outcome before using himself to shield Huo Wu from the attack. With his current body and the partial protection from the lightning barrier, even taking the brunt of the energy blast wouldn't be fatal—at worst, it would cause some injury.
Right now, Huo Wu was clinging to him like a koala bear. Her body trembled uncontrollably—perhaps not just from shock, but from the realization that she had nearly died by her own attack.
Looking at the girl still wrapped tightly around him, Lin Jie's pain-wracked face gradually relaxed, and a faint smile appeared.
"You won. Still not letting go?" he asked calmly.
Huo Wu's eyes, previously dazed and unfocused, began to clear as she looked at the man in front of her. She felt a warm, sticky liquid on her face and saw her hands stained with blood.
She knew—it was all Lin Jie's blood.
At the moment of the explosion, Lin Jie had used his body to shield her completely. Without him, there was no way her body could have withstood that devastating blast. And yet, the only thing she'd experienced was a mild concussion.
Hearing Lin Jie's words, a bitter feeling welled up inside her. "I won? Did I really win?" The image of Lin Jie using himself to block her attack replayed in her mind. Even now, she still felt dazed, unsure of what to think or feel.
By this time, both Blazing Academy and Shrek Academy had rushed onto the battlefield.
Huo Wushuang quickly stepped forward and pulled Huo Wu off Lin Jie, asking anxiously, "Are you okay, sis?"
"I'm fine," Huo Wu replied numbly, her eyes still unfocused.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes turned red the moment she saw Lin Jie's bloodied form.
Noticing their concern, Lin Jie forced a small smile and shook his head. "I'm alright. Just some minor injuries. Nothing serious."
Tang Zhu quickly arrived on the field, casting healing halos over Lin Jie without hesitation. At the same time, Oscar shoved a Recovery Sausage into Lin Jie's mouth.
Ning Rongrong was about to use her Support Boost abilities when Lin Jie gave her a subtle look to stop.
Though his injuries looked serious, most of the bleeding came from external wounds. Lin Jie hadn't sustained life-threatening damage.
Truthfully, from the moment Huo Wu stepped onto the stage, Lin Jie had never planned on winning the final round. As the saying goes, "Leave a path for others, so you can meet peacefully again."
Shrek had already won the match. Whether Lin Jie defeated Huo Wu or not made no difference. If he'd truly gone for a clean sweep and achieved a one-vs-seven, it might've been glorious—but the hostility between them and the Five Elemental Academies would've deepened irreparably.
So even though he had the power to defeat Huo Wu, Lin Jie chose to take the blow and concede.
After all, he bore no ill will toward Blazing Academy.
Under Tang Zhu's healing light, Lin Jie—who hadn't been critically wounded—quickly left the field.
Some wanted to carry him, but Lin Jie refused. He truly wasn't hurt that badly.
The referee came over and officially announced the outcome: Huo Wu was the winner of the final match. Medical personnel were called to treat Lin Jie.
The referee had just begun announcing the start of the next match when Huo Wu interrupted. She declared that she would forfeit the rest of the competition.
Given her current condition, she was in no state to continue fighting—and truthfully, her heart was in turmoil.
Back in the Shrek team's rest area, Lin Jie lay down as a physician carefully treated his wounds before taking his leave.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes welled with tears as she looked at Lin Jie's bandaged back.
She was never good at expressing emotions, but her worry for Lin Jie ran deeper than anyone else's. The sight of his injuries made her wish she could take the pain for him.
Lin Jie noticed her red-rimmed eyes and gave a reassuring smile. "You heard the doctor. I'm really fine. Just some scrapes. I'll be good as new in a few days."
Liu Erlong stepped forward and said gently, "Let's give Lin Jie some space to rest."
Zhu Zhuqing and the others nodded silently and left the room.
As they exited, Lin Jie let out a soft sigh. All those concerned gazes were making him a little uncomfortable.
He gingerly touched the bandage on his back and winced. Huo Wu's final attack really had been powerful. This was the first time he'd been injured to this degree.
Outside, Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly. "What Lin Jie did… was the right choice."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at him, puzzled. "Master, why do you say that?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed. "Lin Jie did it for Shrek—and for all of you. The Five Elemental Academies are tightly knit. If he had truly defeated all seven, their hatred would have run deep. They wouldn't make things easy for us going forward. And if he had used Huo Wu to block the blast instead, she would've died. Given her condition, she couldn't have survived it."
"Huo Wu is a prodigy of Blazing Academy. If she had died, her backers would never forgive Lin Jie—or us. Besides, Lin Jie and Huo Wu have no true enmity. Sacrificing a little to prevent greater consequences was the smartest decision."
Zhu Zhuqing gave a faint sigh. She didn't respond, but her heart was simply glad that Lin Jie was okay.
Just then, voices could be heard outside.
Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and the others went out to check and found that it was Blazing Academy—led by Huo Wushuang, their main squad, and even Huo Wu herself, her face still pale.
The moment Ning Rongrong saw Huo Wu, she remembered Lin Jie's injuries. Her expression chilled.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped. "You're not welcome."
Huo Wushuang stepped forward and said softly, "We came to thank Lin Jie."
After the match ended, Huo Wushuang had been shaken. If Lin Jie hadn't shielded Huo Wu, his sister might not have survived. Despite their loss, they bore no resentment toward him—only gratitude. Compared to Huo Wu's life, winning or losing didn't matter.
Tang San frowned. "Lin Jie is resting. Please leave."
"I just want to say thank you," Huo Wu spoke up. Her voice was calm, her fiery temper gone. Her pale complexion and soft tone made her seem like a completely different person.
But Ning Rongrong remembered clearly: it was Huo Wu who had caused Lin Jie's injury. No matter how beautiful she was, Ning Rongrong had no fondness for her.
"There's no need," she said coldly. "Lin Jie is resting. You should go."
Huo Wu glanced at the rest area and gave a small nod. "Sorry to disturb you. I'll come back when he's better."
"There's no need," Ning Rongrong replied bluntly. "This is a competition. We're rivals, not friends."
After the Blazing Academy team left, Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe arrived. Though they claimed to be representing the tournament committee, it was obvious they had come specifically to visit Lin Jie—despite many others being injured as well.
Their intention to win him over couldn't have been clearer.
Lin Jie was a bit surprised to see both of them. He understood why Ning Fengzhi would visit, given their ties—but Xue Qinghe?
He didn't recall having much contact with him before.
The two stayed only briefly, confirmed that Lin Jie was alright, exchanged a few words with Yu Xiaogang, then left.