Lei Dong was slightly surprised to see Dai Mubai break free from his control, though he quickly recovered his composure. After all, Dai Mubai was the captain of Shrek Academy's team. If he were defeated that easily, then his title as captain would be questionable.
On the viewing platform, Yu Xiaogang frowned upon seeing Dai Mubai charge in recklessly from the start. While he believed that Dai Mubai had the strength to win, brute force wasn't the answer in a battle like this. When he saw Dai Mubai caught in Lei Dong's lightning net, his heart almost jumped to his throat.
When strength is evenly matched, control-type Spirit Masters hold a natural advantage over power-type ones. Yu Xiaogang should have known this better than anyone. So why had he arranged for a power-type Spirit Master like Dai Mubai to go up against a control-type like Lei Dong? It could only be chalked up to a misjudgment in the team's lineup. Still, rather than acknowledge this, he silently blamed Dai Mubai's recklessness instead.
On the battlefield, Dai Mubai stood still, his expression now solemn.
Lei Dong had expended some Spirit Power earlier against Tang San, which should have given Dai Mubai an early advantage. However, to break free from Lei Dong's lightning net, Dai Mubai had also burned through a large portion of his Spirit Power. Now, the two of them were on even footing once more.
This time, Dai Mubai didn't charge in. He steadied his stance and focused, preparing to respond at any moment.
Seeing that Dai Mubai was no longer being aggressive, Lei Dong chose to go on the offensive himself. He could see that Dai Mubai's current state was slightly better than his own. If he hesitated now, the tide would turn against him.
Lei Dong's fourth Spirit Ring lit up. A powerful blue glow erupted from both his arms as the eight lightning spider legs on his back surged with electricity. The lightning from the spider legs flowed into his arms, and a three-meter-wide ring of lightning rapidly formed in his hands—his fourth Spirit Ability: God-Locking Ring.
This ability could not be dodged—only blocked with raw Spirit Power or forcibly destroyed.
Dai Mubai recognized the threat immediately. He sensed that Lei Dong's fourth ability was a potent control skill and that he had already been completely locked onto. Dodging was no longer an option. If he got caught in it, the consequences could be dire.
He activated all the Spirit Power within him, and two of his Spirit Rings flared simultaneously—his third for augmentation, and his fourth for offense.
Lei Dong's God-Locking Ring shot toward him.
There was no escape.
As the ring locked onto him, Dai Mubai erupted with power. Boosted by his White Tiger Vajra Transformation, he unleashed his fourth ability—White Tiger Meteor Shower—in a barrage of golden energy orbs that exploded violently against the encroaching lightning ring.
Boom! Boom!
Countless golden blasts smashed against the God-Locking Ring, surrounding Dai Mubai in thunderous explosions.
From a distance, Lei Dong saw that his ring was about to be shattered. He had no choice but to channel all of his remaining Spirit Power to reinforce it.
But Dai Mubai wasn't done. Seeing the ring regenerating, his eyes narrowed. With no hesitation, he poured everything into one final blast. His second Spirit Ring lit up—White Tiger Light Wave.
A concentrated beam of golden-white energy shot directly at Lei Dong.
Lei Dong was wholly focused on maintaining his God-Locking Ring and didn't expect Dai Mubai to still have enough power to launch another ability.
Boom!
The beam struck him dead-on.
Lei Dong was blasted backward, crashing heavily into the ground, while the God-Locking Ring shattered completely.
Now free, Dai Mubai stormed forward, claws glowing, and struck down hard with a savage swipe.
Already badly injured by the earlier blow, Lei Dong coughed up a mouthful of blood from the second hit. He was completely defeated.
The Thunderclap Academy instructor rushed to check Lei Dong's condition. Fortunately, he had only sustained minor injuries and was quickly carried off to receive treatment.
When Lei Dong's fourth ability had first made contact, Dai Mubai immediately noticed that the paralysis effect was stronger than the third. He'd had to fully unleash his power to avoid being locked down. Then, as Lei Dong stood completely still while maintaining his Spirit Ability, Dai Mubai had guessed he wasn't choosing not to move—he was unable to move. That's why Dai Mubai launched the White Tiger Light Wave. His gamble paid off.
Still, Dai Mubai had expended nearly all of his Spirit Power. Though he'd originally wanted to stall the final opponent a little longer, he stepped down after realizing this would be the last match.
Now, Shrek Academy had sent out five members, and Thunderclap Academy had already used six.
Shrek held the advantage.
Taking Dai Mubai's place was Zhu Zhuqing.
She gave Dai Mubai a faint glance as he walked past but didn't say anything. Wordlessly, she stepped onto the field.
Seeing him return, Tang San walked up to support him and asked softly, "Boss Dai, are you alright?"
Dai Mubai shook his head but didn't respond.
Zhao Zhuzhu activated her healing aura, bathing Dai Mubai in soothing light. Oscar quickly prepared several of his Recovery Sausages and handed them over.
Thunderclap Academy's final team member now entered the stage.
Yu Tianxin, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Rank 43 power-type Battle Spirit Master. He was a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Seven Great Clans, and also the older cousin of Yu Tianheng from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Though slightly weaker than Yu Tianheng, he was still formidable.
On the viewing platform, Lin Jie saw Yu Tianxin and turned to Liu Erlong beside him. "Erlong-jie, he's from your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, right? Do you know him?"
Liu Erlong looked at the young man on the battlefield and nodded. "Yes. He's my father's eldest grandson. That makes me his aunt, technically."
Lin Jie chuckled. "Oh? Then should we have Zhuqing go easy on him?"
Liu Erlong laughed as well. "Don't underestimate Tianxin. He's not much weaker than Tianheng. Aren't you worried that Zhuqing might get hurt?"
Lin Jie smiled confidently. "Don't worry. Zhuqing is strong. She'll win."
Yu Xiaogang glanced over at Liu Erlong, sharing a moment of quiet regret. There were many things he wanted to say—but as always, he said nothing.
On the battlefield, Yu Tianxin looked at the girl across from him, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Her Spirit Power and her beauty were both striking—stunning, even.
He had done his research. Zhu Zhuqing was not only Shrek's top agility-type Spirit Master, but she had also achieved a one-versus-seven victory earlier in the tournament. It was impossible not to know who she was.
What surprised him most, though, was her appearance. As someone with a dragon-type Martial Soul, Yu Tianxin had a certain instinctual attraction to beautiful women. And Zhu Zhuqing was stunning—absolutely captivating.
He forced himself to refocus. This was a competition. He pushed away those thoughts and gazed at her seriously. She might be a girl, but he would not let his guard down.
When the referee announced the start, Yu Tianxin politely said, "Please."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't even acknowledge him.
Seeing her cold indifference, Yu Tianxin growled softly and released his Martial Soul.
Brilliant blue light burst from the center of his brow, then spread across his entire body. Blue lightning snakes danced across his form. A thunderbolt-shaped sigil glowed on his forehead.
His clothes ripped apart at the arms, and the moment they touched the crackling lightning around him, they burned to ash. His arms extended and thickened, now covered in purplish-blue dragon scales. Lightning crackled along his clawed hands.
Strangely, his four Spirit Rings weren't coiled around him like most Spirit Masters. Instead, two rings floated around each of his arms.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul caused the user's body to gradually undergo dragon-like transformations with each breakthrough. At his current rank, both of Yu Tianxin's arms had taken on draconic features. His aura and pressure were truly immense.
Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but recall when she first faced Yu Tianheng back at the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena. The powerful aura, the domineering Martial Soul—it was nearly identical.
If this had been before, back when her Martial Soul was still the Hell Spirit Cat, she would have been at a disadvantage just from the oppressive aura. But Zhu Zhuqing was no longer the same girl she once was.
After ingesting the immortal herb Yearning Heartbroken Red, she had undergone a transformation.
Now, the pressure from his Martial Soul had no effect on her whatsoever.
In fact, her Martial Soul was no longer inferior.
She raised her hands, and four Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—appeared around her. Behind her, a shadowy figure emerged—her evolved Martial Soul, the Dark Night Elf, born from the evolution of the Hell Spirit Cat.