"What?!"
The moment Ghost Douluo's words landed, every Spirit Master below felt their hearts begin to race.
They had already been captivated the moment the three Spirit Bones were revealed. Now, knowing that all three were over ten thousand years in age—and one even exceeding fifty thousand years—their excitement reached a fever pitch.
Even Lin Jie, who already possessed two Dragon King Arm Bones, couldn't help but be tempted. The allure of a fifty-thousand-year Spirit Bone—especially a Skull Bone—was undeniable.
Bibi Dong's voice rang out calmly, "There will be only one champion in the finals. And so, these Spirit Bones will belong solely to the victors. I hope that all of you give your absolute best in the upcoming matches and strive to earn this honor."
As her words fell, the spirit power of the twenty-one participants from the three finalist academies surged simultaneously, and battle intent filled the air like a tide.
Bibi Dong continued, "This morning will be the individual elimination match between your academies. The winner will directly advance to tomorrow's grand final, while the losing teams will face off in the afternoon for the remaining spot. Prepare yourselves."
The format was identical to the individual knockout matches from the qualifying rounds—except now, all three teams would compete simultaneously.
Among the three teams, Spirit Hall Academy was unquestionably the strongest. Shrek Academy and Godwind Academy were roughly on par, but in a three-way knockout format, the advantage clearly leaned toward Spirit Hall.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Spirit Hall's offering of three high-grade Spirit Bones was tailored for their own victory.
Spirit Hall's team possessed overwhelming power compared to the other two, with three Spirit Kings—each with a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring—and four Spirit Ancestors, none below Rank 45. Even with Lin Jie's ten-thousand-year fourth ring, the odds were heavily stacked against Shrek. In a one-on-one elimination match, Spirit Hall Academy was almost unbeatable.
In front of the Pontiff's Palace, a row of gilded thrones had been arranged. Bibi Dong took the central seat. To her left sat Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo Chen Xin; to her right, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
From Godwind Academy, the participant was Huo Wushuang of Blazing Academy. From Spirit Hall, a tall male Spirit Master at Rank 47 stepped forward. And from Shrek Academy, after discussion, the chosen representative was Jing Ling, an agility-type Spirit Elder who had yet to reach Rank 40.
The three drew lots to determine the match order. The winner of each round would continue, while the others would rotate in.
Luck once again favored Shrek Academy—Jing Ling drew a bye. This meant that Shrek would have extra time to rest and prepare.
However, just as the match was about to begin, an unexpected twist occurred: the Spirit Hall representative forfeited.
The judge was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and declared Huo Wushuang the winner by default. The next match would be Huo Wushuang versus Jing Ling from Shrek Academy.
At this moment, the Shrek team—especially Lin Jie and Tang San—immediately saw through the ploy. Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's face darkened with anger as he called out to halt the match.
"Stop the match for a moment!" Yu Xiaogang raised his voice and looked straight toward Bibi Dong seated at the head of the palace.
The officiating cardinal was just about to scold him for interrupting, but Bibi Dong raised a hand to stop him and calmly said, "You may speak."
Yu Xiaogang said coldly, "My reason is simple—we forfeit the morning match and will proceed directly to the loser's bracket this afternoon. Jing Ling, come back. There's no need to compete."
The drama didn't end there. Godwind Academy, recognizing Spirit Hall's overwhelming power and feeling unable to compete, also voluntarily forfeited the match—opting to battle Shrek Academy in the afternoon for the final spot in the championship.
And just like that, Spirit Hall Academy advanced without even lifting a finger.
Although they secured a place in the finals, the situation was a little awkward—none of the matches had even taken place.
Back at the hotel, Yu Xiaogang gathered the team. "You're probably all wondering why I chose to forfeit," he said.
Everyone except for Lin Jie and Tang San wore puzzled expressions.
Yu Xiaogang explained that Spirit Hall and Godwind were colluding to wear down Shrek's strength through back-to-back matches.
His tone grew sharp. "Do they really think this will stop us from advancing? They're underestimating us. I wasn't particularly eager to win before, but now—our goal is clear."
His competitive spirit had been ignited.
As for Xiao Wu, Yu Xiaogang had no doubt about her capabilities. But to activate the special ability he had in mind, they needed someone who hadn't yet reached Spirit Ancestor rank to step aside.
His gaze turned to Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, I want you to replace Oscar in the afternoon match."
"This…" Xiao Wu hesitated, her eyes instinctively turning to Lin Jie. Then, gritting her teeth, she nodded. "Alright."
Lin Jie shook his head with a sigh. Oh well. If Xiao Wu is discovered, then so be it. I've done everything I can to protect her. Besides, with that person around, she should be safe. With that, Lin Jie silently extended his spiritual web to monitor the surroundings.
That afternoon, Yu Xiaogang had the chosen seven remain in the room to strategize—even eating inside—while Liu Erlong, Flender, and the others kept guard outside.
Inside, the team quietly discussed their plan.
Tang San looked to Yu Xiaogang. "Teacher, I agree. Lin Jie should take the lead. With my current strength, I can't activate the ability you described. Lin Jie is our strongest—he's the only one who can pull it off."
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Yu Xiaogang had originally hoped Tang San would lead, but seeing the consensus, he had no choice but to accept it.
With just over an hour left before the match, the Shrek team emerged from their room.
Every one of them bore different expressions in their eyes, but the same confident smile on their lips.
Even Lin Jie couldn't help but admire the ability Yu Xiaogang had devised—it truly was impressive.
Having gone the whole morning without eating, the team quickly filled up at the hotel and headed toward the Pontiff's Palace.
At high noon, under the blazing sun, Shrek Academy arrived. Their opponents were already in place.
On the far side, the Spirit Hall Academy team stood silently, watching from afar.
Seated once more in the Pontiff's throne, Bibi Dong announced the start of the match.
Both teams—Shrek Academy and Godwind Academy—stepped onto the platform.
They lined up face-to-face, each team with seven members.
Dai Mubai stood at the center of the Shrek line, flanked by Lin Jie and Tang San. Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong stood next to Lin Jie, while Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun stood beside Tang San.
Across from them, Feng Xiaotian stared straight at Dai Mubai, Huo Wushuang locked eyes with Tang San, and Huo Wu's gaze, burning with fighting spirit, was fixed on Lin Jie.
Dai Mubai and Tang San both stared down their opponents with undisguised disdain. Lin Jie, however, had a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
Suddenly, Huo Wu stepped forward, closing the distance between her and Lin Jie to just a few meters.
"Lin Jie," she said, "Do you know why I'm doing this?"
"To defeat me? Or to defeat Shrek?" Lin Jie responded calmly.
"That's right. I want to defeat you." Her voice rang clear across the platform. "I crave victory—and strength. The moment you defeated me, something changed inside me. I found an obstacle in my heart. You became that obstacle. Because of you, I lost the courage to charge forward without hesitation. And without that courage, a person is destined to fail. I don't want that. I want to fill my path with hope. Only then can I keep growing stronger."
Her voice grew louder with every word until everyone in the arena could hear her.
Bibi Dong, listening from her throne, nodded slightly in approval. She appreciated this kind of bold, talented girl.
Even Lin Jie was surprised. "If you wanted to beat me so badly, you could've come to challenge me directly. I'd have given you the chance."
He admired girls with bold hearts like Huo Wu. And yes—she was beautiful. Lin Jie had always had a soft spot for strong-willed, attractive women, though Huo Wu's fiery temper reminded him a bit too much of Liu Erlong.
Huo Wu muttered internally, I came to challenge you last time and you refused. Now you say this—what's the point?
Her eyes turned red—perhaps from anger, perhaps something else. She raised her fist and declared, "Today, I will defeat you. Right here."
Lin Jie sighed. "I hope so." He didn't want to hurt her pride again—her drive was admirable.
At that moment, the red-robed cardinal stepped forward and officially announced the start of the match.
Right as the match began, Feng Xiaotian dashed to stand protectively in front of Huo Wu. The moment he moved, Huo Wu erupted in blazing flames, and her teammates activated their Martial Souls in unison.
But to everyone's surprise, Shrek Academy did not adopt their usual formation.
Instead, as soon as the referee gave the signal, six of them formed a circle—with Ning Rongrong standing at the center.
None of them released their Martial Souls, but their spirit power surged madly, converging toward Ning Rongrong in the center.