As Feng Xiaotian's second and third Spirit Rings lit up, a pair of enormous green wings unfurled from his back. At the same time, a massive green projection took form behind him—it was the manifestation of his Martial Soul: the Stormwind Doubleheaded Wolf.
Under the shadow of that fierce wolf-shaped projection, Feng Xiaotian's twin green wings flapped lightly, stirring up torrents of wind as if summoned from thin air. Riding the momentum of the wind around him, Feng Xiaotian shot into the sky. In the blink of an eye, he had ascended more than fifty meters, now hovering high above Lin Jie and gazing down like a hawk.
The spectators collectively gasped in astonishment. Though some members of the Godwind Academy team had previously displayed flight abilities, those were due to their flying-type Martial Souls. But Feng Xiaotian's Martial Soul, the Stormwind Doubleheaded Wolf, was clearly a terrestrial beast. That he could fly defied expectation.
Among the Shrek team, expressions changed slightly. All of them understood how difficult it was to deal with a Spirit Master who could fly. Worry appeared on their faces as they turned toward Lin Jie.
But Lin Jie remained calm. He stood still, unmoving, as if unaffected. Slowly, he raised one hand.
Feng Xiaotian might have taken to the sky, but so long as his Spirit Power held out, he could claim an unbeatable position. As long as Lin Jie had no means of long-range attack, he'd be little more than a stationary target for bombardment from above.
But… did Lin Jie really have no long-range capabilities?
Of course not.
Lin Jie not only possessed long-range attacks, he had access to one of immense power—the Electromagnetic Cannon. The only reason he hadn't used it was because he wasn't sure if Feng Xiaotian could survive a full-force hit. Lin Jie had no intention of taking a life here.
As for flying—he had long since mastered magnetic field manipulation. Achieving magnetic levitation was child's play for him. He simply chose not to reveal it yet.
In the air, Feng Xiaotian's eyes locked onto Lin Jie below, his voice loud and sharp:
"Lin Jie! I admit you're powerful—stronger than I expected. But no matter how strong you are, I will defeat you today. Watch closely. I will now unleash my self-created Spirit Ability: Stormwind Demon Wolf's Thirty Six Successive Chops!"
"A self-created Spirit Ability!"
"No wonder he's so strong!"
"Looks like Shrek Academy is doomed…"
The crowd erupted in disbelief the moment they heard "self-created Spirit Ability."
Even among the Shrek team, Tang San murmured those four words under his breath. His gaze turned sharp, fixed on the imposing figure in midair. He seemed to be lost in thought.
Yu Xiaogang stood expressionless, watching Feng Xiaotian. As a theorist, he understood the rarity and power of self-created abilities—even if he himself lacked the talent to achieve one. He knew well: every Spirit Master who developed their own Spirit Ability was a genius of the highest order, capable of surpassing what conventional Spirit Abilities could achieve.
Though Lin Jie had used techniques that resembled self-created abilities in earlier rounds, he'd never clarified them. So few realized what they had actually seen.
Lin Jie's expression didn't change. A faint blue lightning began to pulse along his right arm, but he made no move to attack. He simply stood, waiting for Feng Xiaotian's next move.
Up above, the projection of the Stormwind Demon Wolf merged into Feng Xiaotian's body—his second Spirit Ability: Double Wolf Body Enhancement. Upon activation, it boosted his attack, defense, and agility by 10%. Combined with his third Spirit Ability: Stormwind Wings, Feng Xiaotian now operated at peak form.
Only in this fully augmented state could he use his self-created ability, Stormwind Demon Wolf's Thirty Six Successive Chops. It wasn't weaker than his fourth ring ability, and consumed far less Spirit Power.
With a piercing howl, Feng Xiaotian's wings extended. The green light around his body surged, and then—he fell.
Like a shooting star cloaked in wind, he dropped silently toward Lin Jie.
No sound. That meant minimal air resistance. Which in turn meant maximum speed.
Lin Jie watched the descending figure closely. He realized that Feng Xiaotian had cleverly used his wind-elemental affinity to craft a wind channel, drastically reducing resistance during descent. It allowed him to fall at extreme speed while producing almost no sound—truly, a deadly meteor.
Those twin green wings glowed with a chilling sharpness. His so-called "Thirty Six Successive Chops" clearly referred to attacks launched via those wing blades.
Lin Jie calmly raised his hand. A flash of lightning crackled toward the falling Feng Xiaotian.
Feng Xiaotian didn't flinch. His wings flared again, and the lightning was dispersed on contact.
Lin Jie wasn't surprised. The lightning strike was a probe—meant to gauge Feng Xiaotian's defense.
Then, unexpectedly, Lin Jie made a move that caught everyone off guard.
He clenched both fists. Lightning coiled faintly around them. And he struck—straight toward Feng Xiaotian's twin wing blades.
At this point, Feng Xiaotian's wings had fully fused into his arms. Striking his wings was no different from striking his hands.
Feng Xiaotian knew Lin Jie's fists were abnormally tough. But even so, he couldn't believe Lin Jie could withstand his current offensive head-on. With a cold glint in his eye, he twisted his body midair and brought his sharpened wing-blades down hard.
BOOM!
The two forces collided with a thunderous roar.
Lin Jie's hands—unscathed.
Feng Xiaotian was blown upward from the force of the rebound. Thanks to his second Spirit Ability's enhancements, he avoided serious injury. But the pain was sharp, down to the bone. His expression changed. Is that really a pair of human hands?
He had used these same wings to cleave through a full meter of granite. Yet they couldn't even leave a scratch on Lin Jie's fists.
Both fighters were forced back. Lin Jie looked at his fists—now showing faint white marks—and nodded in approval. Impressive power.
Thoughts raced through both their minds in an instant. But neither showed signs of backing down.
Feng Xiaotian flipped midair. Using the rebound, he dove again. His right wing slashed down in a blur, zigzagging unpredictably in an attempt to bypass Lin Jie's defense. He was counting on one clean hit.
After all, even if Lin Jie's fists were strong, his body might not be.
Lin Jie's eyes flashed. To others, Feng Xiaotian's motion was a blur. But to Lin Jie—it was slow.
Just as the wing drew within a meter, both of Lin Jie's fists shot out like lightning—BOOM!
Another direct blow. Feng Xiaotian was sent flying again.
He looked stunned. He had deliberately changed trajectories midair, and his speed was unmatched. How had Lin Jie still intercepted him?
Lin Jie, meanwhile, had figured it out. Feng Xiaotian's Thirty Six Successive Chops relied on gravity and dive-speed to increase impact force with each successive hit. After just the fourth strike, his attacks were already powerful enough to leave visible marks on Lin Jie's hands. If this continued, his fists might not hold.
But then again—Feng Xiaotian's wings might break before that happened.
Lin Jie exhaled and let the lightning fade from his fists.
And then he smiled.
Because he remembered… a power he had never shown in front of others before.
Between Feng Xiaotian's fourth and fifth strikes, Lin Jie extended his right hand.
Lightning crackled, then surged wildly. Electric serpents writhed around his body, and a magnetic field rapidly formed around him.
The ground began to tremble.
Suddenly, countless black iron particles exploded from beneath the arena floor.
"What's going on?! The stage is cracking!"
"Is… is the ground shaking?!"
Spectators gasped in shock.
Feng Xiaotian saw the black granules erupt from below and turned his gaze toward the lightning-wreathed Lin Jie, suspicion rising. Is this his doing?
But now was not the time to hesitate.
If Lin Jie was preparing something powerful, now was the time to strike.
Flipping midair, Feng Xiaotian launched another dive. His glowing green wings cut through the air like blades. This attack—his fifth strike—carried the added force of speed and gravity.
Lin Jie stood still.
And waited.