T
he supervising teacher of Botanic Academy immediately noticed the condition of his student and shouted toward the referee, "We concede!"
As the referee officially declared Ma Hongjun the winner of that round, Ma Hongjun casually raised his hand, recalling the blazing fire that had been searing the Botanic Academy student's body.
With the flames extinguished, the Spirit Ancestor from Botanic Academy collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily. The pain had eased considerably now that the fire was gone.
This round was extraordinarily easy for Ma Hongjun. He hadn't even used up ten percent of his Spirit Power.
And the real show had only just begun.
Botanic Academy had three Spirit Ancestors. One had already been dealt with effortlessly. The remaining two were reserved for later rounds. Next up, Ma Hongjun faced four Spirit Elders, all of whom were Control-Type Spirit Masters.
Unfortunately for them, plant-type Martial Souls were heavily countered by Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Martial Soul. Any vine or tendril that got close to him was instantly scorched to ashes by his Bathing Fire Phoenix flames.
They couldn't even land a touch, let alone attempt any real control over him.
On the other hand, for Ma Hongjun, attacking was the easiest thing in the world. All he had to do was send out a basic flame attack, and the moment it made contact, he could instantly boost the heat and intensity to take down the opponent.
What started as a commanding 3-win streak for Botanic Academy had completely turned around. Now, with a single counter pick, they were being steamrolled five to one.
The sixth contestant from Botanic Academy was their second remaining Spirit Ancestor—clearly one of their elite members. Once the referee signaled the start, the match began.
This Spirit Ancestor's Spirit Rings were Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Purple—a clear downgrade in quality compared to Ma Hongjun's configuration of Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple.
Even if his rings weren't as good, his actual combat ability was quite formidable. And more importantly, his Martial Soul had a special trait: Fire Resistance. His Martial Soul was the Crimson Flame Bramble Vine.
Botanic Academy's teacher had purposefully saved this Spirit Master for last. From the moment he saw how potent Ma Hongjun's flames were, his strategy had been to wear him down first. If this Flame-Resistant plant user could beat Ma Hongjun, then the academy still had a shot at victory.
So now, all of Botanic Academy's hopes were resting on this one student. If he lost, there would be no need to continue the final match.
The moment the match began, the Spirit Master activated his third Spirit Ability. Scarlet light rippled outward from his body, and two-meter-tall thorned brambles erupted from the ground, forming a sprawling forest of flame-resistant vines around him.
The bramble forest quickly spread toward Ma Hongjun, creating a wall of thorns between the two. The goal was clear: trap Ma Hongjun in his web of vines. With his Martial Soul's fire-resistant traits, he believed he could endure and neutralize Ma Hongjun's flames.
But would Ma Hongjun really let himself get trapped that easily?
Seeing the scarlet brambles spreading toward him, Ma Hongjun remained calm.
His third Spirit Ring lit up, and a resounding phoenix cry echoed across the arena as a massive phoenix projection appeared behind him.
The moment the phoenix shadow emerged, not only were the Botanic Academy members stunned—even students from other schools gasped in shock.
This was the first time Ma Hongjun had revealed his Martial Soul in competition, so most of the audience didn't know what it was. But the enormous fiery projection behind him made it obvious:
A top-tier Beast Martial Soul—Phoenix.
No one had expected this unassuming chubby guy to be a Phoenix Spirit Master.
As the fiery wings of the phoenix spread wide behind him, its intense purple-red flames bathed the arena in searing heat. The vines that dared to creep close to Ma Hongjun were instantly incinerated.
Flames, like Spirit Power, had ranks. The Phoenix Flame, as the signature fire of a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, could never be weak. Not to mention, Ma Hongjun had refined his flames using the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, an immortal herb. Burning through those vines? Child's play.
Boom—!
With a flap of his flaming wings, Ma Hongjun shot into the sky. Once airborne, he locked onto his opponent and swooped down like a predator.
The Crimson Flame Bramble Vine user paled. His defenses were still up, but Ma Hongjun's strength and speed were simply too overwhelming. He had no choice but to prepare a desperate counterattack.
His fourth Spirit Ring lit up, casting a faint purple hue over the bramble forest. The thorn tips began to glow ominously.
His ultimate move: Bramble Rain.
The vine spikes launched skyward in a flurry of purple glints, shooting toward the incoming Ma Hongjun.
This move didn't just offer wide-area coverage—it carried a fire-infused toxin. Even if it didn't pierce deeply, the internal burning effect could devastate an opponent.
There was nowhere to dodge. Ma Hongjun was pelted head-on by the Bramble Rain.
Fortunately, he had already maxed out his Phoenix Flame defenses. The incoming barbs were vaporized on contact. Still, this was a Spirit Ancestor's fourth ability, and it had some punch.
A few thorns managed to lodge into Ma Hongjun's body, but his Phoenix Flame neutralized the poison almost immediately. Had it not, he might've taken real damage.
Feeling the sting of the attack, Ma Hongjun's expression darkened.
Time to end it.
His Phoenix Skystrike activated at full force. With a thunderous impact, Ma Hongjun slammed into the ground just meters from his opponent.
BOOM!
The shockwave blew through the bramble forest like a hurricane.
The Bramble Vine user had no time to react. The impact left him stunned and unconscious.
He was lucky—Ma Hongjun hadn't gone all-out. If he had, this wouldn't have ended with just a blackout.
The Spirit Master was blasted into the air, his body drawing a graceful arc before crashing down outside the arena.
Botanic Academy's teacher hurried forward to catch his student. Upon inspection, he found the boy merely unconscious, not seriously hurt.
He looked back toward Ma Hongjun and sighed, then turned to the referee and conceded the final round.
Victory: Shrek Academy.
A clean one-vs-seven. The first in the ranking tournament.
The spectators stared at the arena, dumbfounded. This chubby, inconspicuous little guy had just accomplished what no one else had.
A one-vs-seven. All by himself.
And he hadn't even been on their radar before today.
As Ma Hongjun withdrew his phoenix flames and Spirit Ring aura, he looked around at the crowd. Seeing all those stunned faces, he couldn't help but smile with pride.
Yes, part of his success was due to type advantage, but there was no denying that Ma Hongjun had real strength of his own.
When he returned to the Shrek rest area, Dai Mubai clapped him on the shoulder and laughed.
"Fatty, not bad! You actually pulled off a one-vs-seven."
Ma Hongjun grinned. "Obviously! I've been working hard, and now it's paying off. But seriously, Boss Dai, that one-vs-seven rush? Felt amazing. Hahaha!"
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward to pour cold water on the excitement.
"Don't get too cocky. The only reason you pulled this off was because of a significant type advantage. If you had gone up against another team, it wouldn't have been so easy. For example—what do you think would've happened if you faced Shui Bing'er from Skywater Academy?"
Ma Hongjun's smile froze.
He thought about it. His Fire Phoenix and her Ice Phoenix were both top-tier Beast Martial Souls. They countered each other. And her Spirit Power was higher. She had better control. And she was a Control-Type Spirit Master.
Yeah... no chance.
Yu Xiaogang said calmly, "Success shouldn't make you arrogant. Failure shouldn't discourage you. Keep a level heart."
"Alright. Today's match is over. Let's head back to rest."
Just as the group turned to leave the arena—
A tall, fiery figure stepped into their path, blocking their way.