Over the next two days, Lin Jie did not participate in any matches due to his injuries. For many of the other academies, this was considered good news—especially for those who hadn't yet faced Shrek Academy but still hoped to place well in the rankings.
However, it didn't take long for them to realize how wrong they were.
Even without Lin Jie on the field, Shrek Academy was still unstoppable.
With Lin Jie temporarily sidelined, the team lineup shifted. Originally, Yu Xiaogang had planned for Dai Mubai to take the lead in one match, but Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward and volunteered to go first.
Zhu Zhuqing's overall combat power was easily among the top three within the Shrek team. Compared to Dai Mubai, she was significantly stronger. And if she used her Spirit Bone, her true strength would be even harder to estimate.
In the following two matches, Zhu Zhuqing relied on her overwhelming power and lightning-fast speed to take down five opponents each time. When the spectators realized that Shrek Academy had yet another powerhouse like Zhu Zhuqing, they were stunned. And this was her holding back—choosing not to reveal her full strength.
After Zhu Zhuqing, it was Xiao Wu's turn. As a melee-type Power Attack Spirit Master and a Level 44 Spirit Ancestor, she had no trouble cleaning up the remaining opponents.
In both matches, Shrek Academy only sent two people onto the field—and that was all they needed for victory.
Two days passed, and Lin Jie's injuries—mostly superficial—had nearly healed. In another day or two, he'd be completely recovered. When he offered to return to competition, however, he was unanimously vetoed by the team.
And so, Lin Jie unwillingly transitioned from main fighter to... spectator.
Today marked the sixth round of the ranking tournament. Shrek had a flawless 5–0 record.
Their opponent for the day was the mysterious Botanic Academy. This team had a strange strategy: they had intentionally kept their full strength hidden, making it difficult for others to judge their true capabilities.
Faced with such uncertainty, Shrek's priority was to probe. For this match, the first three to enter the arena were Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Tai Long.
When the match began, both the crowd and Lin Jie himself were taken aback. Botanic Academy had only sent one person, and that one Spirit Master proceeded to defeat all three of Shrek's contestants in a row.
A clean one-vs-three.
While Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Tai Long weren't Shrek's core lineup, they were far from weak—especially Tai Long, whose Martial Soul was the Vigorous Orangutan, known for its high offense and defense. Yet all three were defeated with ease.
Botanic Academy's representative was a Level 41 Spirit Ancestor, and his Martial Soul was Vines—very similar to Tang San's, though of significantly higher quality than Tang San's current Blue Silver Grass.
He was a Control-Type Spirit Master. That explained some of it—but his sheer ease in defeating three opponents made it clear: this wasn't just about type advantage. His raw strength was real.
Originally, Botanic Academy had been extremely cautious of Shrek. They had observed all the earlier matches from the sidelines. To maximize their chances, they sent in their Spirit Ancestor first. But to their surprise, Shrek responded with only three Spirit Elders. When their Spirit Ancestor defeated all three, they became arrogant.
After downing Tai Long, the Botanic Academy Spirit Master grinned smugly and called out,
"Shrek Academy? Ha! Looks like you're not so great after all! Three down, just like that!"
"Damn it, this guy's asking for it!" Ma Hongjun's face turned red with fury. "I'm going down there and roasting that plant fool into mulch!"
As it happened, Ma Hongjun was the fourth to be sent out by Shrek. His Martial Soul was the natural counter to plant-types. He was ready.
Lin Jie spoke up calmly, "Fatty, your Martial Soul is the perfect counter to theirs. I believe you can take them all down."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Lin Jie is right. This match is yours to win. Target: full sweep."
Ma Hongjun nodded seriously. "Relax. I'll make sure they regret opening their mouths."
The reason he was sent out fourth was precisely so he could observe their techniques beforehand. Plus, Ma Hongjun's fire attribute was highly effective against plant-types.
As Ma Hongjun stepped onto the field, the Botanic Academy Spirit Ancestor chuckled mockingly.
"What, no one left at Shrek? Sending out a fat blob now?"
To be fair, Ma Hongjun did look a little round—his chubby cheeks and stout figure resembled a bouncing meatball.
Spectators from the other academies weren't impressed. In their minds, only Lin Jie, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Tang San, and Dai Mubai were noteworthy from Shrek.
Already irritated, Ma Hongjun wanted nothing more than to unleash a Phoenix Fire Wire and shut him up.
The Botanic Academy Spirit Master, having just won three rounds, was riding high. Though he was visibly tired, he didn't take the pudgy Ma Hongjun seriously at all.
"Heh. Hey, tubby," he taunted, "you should just go back. I'd hate to accidentally injure you, you know?"
Ma Hongjun didn't explode. After spending so much time with Lin Jie and Xiao Wu, he had learned to keep his anger in check. Staring at the man in front of him, he spoke with feigned innocence,
"But... if I forfeit, Teacher will scold me. How about you knock me out—gently, please?"
He even blinked his big round eyes like a naive child.
"Haha! Don't worry, bro! I'll go easy," the Botanic Academy Spirit Master said, laughing heartily.
The referee, seeing both were ready, declared, "Match start!"
The instant the words fell, Ma Hongjun smirked—and then:
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple.
Four Spirit Rings rose around him.
The Botanic Academy Spirit Master stopped laughing. His eyes widened.
It wasn't just him—the Four Element Academies, who were observing closely, were stunned.
Another Spirit Ancestor?!
Shrek had now revealed five Spirit Ancestors on their roster—one more than even the strongest Elemental Academies.
Even Emperor Xue Ye on the VIP stage gave an approving nod when he saw the rings.
With his Martial Soul fully released, heat distorted the air around Ma Hongjun. His hair burned bright red, like a flame dancing on his head.
Ever since ingesting the immortal herb Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower given by Lin Jie, his Evil Fire had been purified. He no longer suffered backlash, and his explosive power had skyrocketed.
The arrogance vanished from his opponent's face, replaced by caution.
Ma Hongjun didn't hesitate. His second Spirit Ring lit up, and a torrent of purple-red fire surged from his mouth—Phoenix Fire Wire!
Startled, the opponent raised a plant shield in front of him. But being a plant-type Martial Soul, he was naturally weak to fire. What's more, after three rounds, his Spirit Power was running low.
The flame blast struck the shield—
Boom!
The Phoenix Fire pierced through easily, continuing toward its target.
Panicked, the Botanic Academy Spirit Master tried to dodge—but was a second too late.
The flames licked across his body.
He rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the fire. At the same time, countless green vines shot from his body, lashing toward Ma Hongjun in desperation.
But the next scene made the whole arena fall silent.
Ma Hongjun didn't dodge. He just stood there.
As the vines neared, they disintegrated upon contact with his purple-red flames—burning to ash before they could even wrap around him.
Had his opponent been at full power, Ma Hongjun might've needed to be cautious. But in this state?
He didn't even need a second attack.
The Spirit Master kept rolling on the ground, horrified to find the fire still growing. The searing pain overwhelmed him—he couldn't even scream.