A hundred or so black-clad attackers instantly surrounded the twelve Shrek students, moving in a tight and coordinated formation as they launched a concerted assault.
Although these black-clad enemies were fairly strong, they were still only "fairly" strong—ordinary combatants at best. The ones they had surrounded, however, were six Spirit Elders with four Spirit Rings each, and another six Spirit Masters above Rank 30. This was tantamount to suicide.
While Flender and Liu Erlong were busy engaging the two enemy Spirit Kings, the Shrek students faced their attackers with complete composure.
"Form up!" Lin Jie ordered in a low voice.
At his command, the team—long used to his coordination—instantly regrouped, forming a tight defensive circle with Ning Rongrong, Jiang Zhu, and Oscar, the three auxiliary-type Spirit Masters, protected at the center.
"Tang San, Dai Mubai, Fatty—strike!" Lin Jie called out sharply.
Without hesitation, the three released their Martial Souls. Spirit Rings emerged, glowing with power. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass instantly spread out, wrapping around multiple black-clad attackers. As a control-type Spirit Master, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had excellent binding effects, and the strength of these attackers simply couldn't compare. Against a true Spirit Master's control, they were helpless to break free.
With over a dozen enemies ensnared, Ma Hongjun followed up with a blazing attack. A line of fiery phoenix flame roared through the air, aimed directly at those bound by the Blue Silver Grass.
As the inheritor of the Phoenix Martial Soul—a top-tier fire attribute beast Martial Soul—Ma Hongjun's flames were not something Blue Silver Grass could block. The moment the flames struck, both grass and men were engulfed in searing fire. The stench of scorched flesh filled the air.
Simultaneously, Dai Mubai's Spirit Rings flared, and a brilliant white beam of energy erupted from his mouth, striking the densest cluster of enemies.
Boom—!
The blazing white light exploded within the enemy ranks. Against the powerful soul attack of a Spirit Elder, these black-clad attackers couldn't stand a chance. Seven or eight were blasted away on the spot, and even those nearby suffered serious injuries from the shockwave.
Though the first wave of Blue Silver Grass was burned away with the enemies, Tang San immediately followed with another. The second wave bound over a dozen attackers by their legs, and Ma Hongjun unleashed another stream of phoenix flame with expert timing.
Just then, several Spirit Elders among the enemy managed to break free from the Blue Silver Grass and dodge the incoming flames. They surged forward, charging straight toward the Shrek students.
But the team was prepared.
As the enemy Spirit Elders charged, each of the frontline students raised a Zhuge Crossbow—specially given to them by Tang San.
Click. Draw. Snap—!
Dozens of pitch-black bolts tore through the air, aimed precisely. In mere moments, over a hundred attackers were killed, leaving only a few with above-average strength.
With their attackers routed, the Shrek team turned to assist the weaker academies nearby, who were still being harassed by black-clad enemies and at least one Spirit King.
But before they could act, three figures came flying toward them at astonishing speed.
The moment the trio entered visual range, the faces of the Shrek students darkened.
These three radiated oppressive power—so intense that it eclipsed even Flender and Liu Erlong. In fact, the aura they gave off was even stronger.
Lin Jie's expression grew grim. Two Spirit Sages and one Spirit Douluo? They're really trying to kill us…
Tang San's danger sense had already triggered earlier during the fight. He activated Purple Demon Eye to get a clearer look. What he saw nearly made his heart leap out of his chest.
One of the three had an aura almost identical to that of the Dragon Duke Meng Shu and the Dream God Machine of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. That meant… a Spirit Douluo!
And the other two felt just like Flender—Spirit Sages.
That level of power was beyond overwhelming.
Right now, Tang San's strength was no match for Spirit Sages. Even his most dangerous hidden weapons might be effective against an unsuspecting Spirit King, but not against powerhouses of this caliber.
Still, Tang San didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, fingers brushing against the soul tool at his waist. A flurry of hidden weapons—Bone Piercing Needle, Armor-Piercing Darts, Tyrant Needles—launched toward the oncoming enemies.
Seeing Tang San make his move, Lin Jie remained calm. He quietly tapped his interspatial ring. Several coins appeared in his hand.
He placed one coin on the back of his thumb and began flipping it idly. With his mastery of electromagnetic force, Lin Jie had developed a devastating long-range strike.
But to the approaching Spirit Sages and Douluo, Tang San's barrage of needles was like a child's toy. The hidden weapons were entirely driven by physical skill and strength—lacking the destructive power needed to threaten Spirit Sages. They easily dispersed the needles with a wave of their hands or a gust of Spirit Power.
Tang San's expression grew darker.
Then he pulled out his trump card: Mother-Son Soul Chaser Bombs.
These poison bombs, crafted from rare materials he'd acquired at great cost, were not as powerful as the original versions due to limited ingredients. Still, they packed a punch.
With a flick, he hurled several bombs toward the trio. Upon impact, clouds of noxious gas erupted outward.
But the enemy's Spirit Power surged in an instant, clearing the toxic cloud effortlessly. Their momentum never slowed—they continued charging, and they were now within fifty meters of the Shrek students.
The moment they crossed that line, Lin Jie stopped flipping his coin.
He pinched it between his index finger and thumb, locked his gaze on one of the Spirit Sages, and let the power flow.
Lightning crackled across his body. The coin trembled with electromagnetic charge. A powerful magnetic field formed in his hand.
Then—he fired.
A beam of blazing orange-red light exploded forward as the coin launched at over three times the speed of sound. It ripped through the air with an earth-shattering shockwave and a visible afterimage.
"Railgun." Lin Jie whispered.
BOOM—!!
The moment his words fell, the thunderous explosion echoed across the battlefield.
The three oncoming powerhouses halted immediately, forced to stop in their tracks by the force of the blast.
Even Flender and Liu Erlong, who had just shaken off their opponents and were rushing back to support the team, froze at the sight.
They had sensed the powerful aura of the three new enemies, but had been preoccupied chasing the enemy Spirit Kings. Those two kings—both agility-type Spirit Masters—had focused solely on evasion. Even so, they couldn't withstand the pressure for long. After a burst of Soul Power from Flender and Liu Erlong, the two Spirit Kings were temporarily driven off.
But just as the two instructors closed in on their students, the explosive impact from Lin Jie's Railgun caught them by surprise.
To their shock, the powerful explosion had come from Lin Jie.
Flender could hardly believe his eyes. He stared at Lin Jie, deeply shaken. Just how was this student able to unleash such terrifying force?
The Shrek students had a clear view of what happened. They'd seen Lin Jie draw a coin, charge it with lightning, and launch it as a blinding orange streak—followed by the deafening blast.
The Railgun attack had stopped the three enemies cold.
Everyone stared at Lin Jie in stunned silence.
Ma Hongjun's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Up in the sky, the three powerful Spirit Masters looked shaken. One was disheveled, one's clothes torn, and the third was coughing blood—clearly injured.
Lin Jie had used electromagnetic induction to fire the coin at an initial velocity exceeding Mach 3. He then accelerated and corrected the trajectory mid-flight with his own electromagnetic field—creating a true Railgun.
Because he used a coin as the projectile, the attack range was limited to fifty meters. Any farther, and the coin would have burned up from air friction. That was why he'd waited until the enemies stepped within range.
Even the Spirit Douluo had been startled by the sudden attack. He reacted swiftly, erecting a defensive barrier to shield the trio.
But one of the Spirit Sages hadn't been fast enough.
Though he activated his Martial Soul and unleashed his Spirit Avatar to protect himself, Lin Jie's Railgun had already locked onto his chest.
Even with defense raised, the impact struck him head-on. The sheer destructive force caused serious injury.