Lin Jie and the other six members of Shrek moved in a coordinated, flowing formation. Their steps traced a mysterious pattern, and as the pattern took form, their Spirit Power converged upon Ning Rongrong at the center.
Standing with her eyes closed, Ning Rongrong exhaled slowly. Brilliant seven-colored light rose from her body. As her teammates' Spirit Power poured into her, the radiant glow intensified, eventually shooting upward like a pillar of rainbow flame.
On the other side, Godwind Academy couldn't understand why Shrek's team hadn't even released their Martial Souls. But their confusion didn't stop them from acting.
"Feng Xiaotian—take to the sky!" Huo Wu shouted.
As soon as her voice rang out, Godwind's formation shifted. The green wings behind Feng Xiaotian's back unfurled, and with a single flap, he soared into the sky. Empowered by his second and third Spirit Abilities, his battle strength reached its peak in an instant.
Just then, Huo Wushuang flashed forward, taking Feng Xiaotian's place in front of Huo Wu.
Strangely, the two Spirit Masters behind Huo Wu weren't the Fire Crane twins who had reached Rank 40, but rather two support-type Spirit Masters Fire Star-type Martial Souls. Without hesitation, both support types released fiery light that surged into Huo Wu's body.
As the energy gathered, a blazing white light condensed on her palms. All four of Huo Wu's Spirit Rings lit up at once, her face twisting in pain as she struggled to control the immense power.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell: they were using a five-protect-two formation. Two support-type Spirit Masters were channeling their power into Huo Wu, while three power-attack types defended her. The most critical figures were the airborne Feng Xiaotian and the skill-fused Huo Wu.
"Transform—now!" Lin Jie suddenly shouted.
In response, Shrek's formation shifted from a circle to a Y-shape.
Lin Jie stood at the point of the Y, Ning Rongrong directly behind him, followed by Tang San. Behind them, the formation split: one side had Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing; the other, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai.
As they moved into position, the previously chaotic fluctuations of Spirit Power rapidly condensed into a single unified flow. The five members behind Ning Rongrong pressed their palms forward, channeling their Spirit Power into her.
At that moment, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared before Ning Rongrong. Her expression serious, she raised both hands and slammed them against Lin Jie's back. Four Spirit Rings simultaneously lit up around her.
Yes—she was using Spirit Fusion.
Fusion wasn't exclusive to Huo Wu. As the daughter of Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ning Rongrong naturally possessed this rare ability. Normally, it was too Spirit Power-intensive to use. But this time, it was crucial for executing the ability Yu Xiaogang had taught them.
Once the power being funneled into Ning Rongrong reached its peak, nine-colored light burst from her body. She pressed her palms into Lin Jie's back again, releasing the condensed energy into him.
Instantly, Lin Jie was enveloped in the dazzling multicolored glow, which then merged into his body.
The moment the aura faded, an immense pressure erupted from Lin Jie's body. He could feel power surging through him, a force so vast it trembled within his soul. Deep in his soul sea, a mysterious bolt of lightning flickered wildly, struggling to break free.
Seated at the front of the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. "This is… a Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Ability," she murmured, turning her attention fully to Shrek.
Though it wasn't a true Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Ability—an extremely rare and divine-level ability—this was still an extraordinary ability. By fusing seven people's power into one through Ning Rongrong's Spirit Fusion, it unleashed devastating potential.
Normally, such ability required highly compatible Martial Souls, like those of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's sub-teams. But Shrek's seven had entirely different Martial Souls. The fact that they could achieve such a fusion shocked even a veteran like Sword Douluo Chen Xin.
Yet they had succeeded. The moment the light poured into Lin Jie, the Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion was complete.
Though this wasn't a ability invented by Yu Xiaogang, he was familiar with it and had guided them through it. In the past, Heaven Dou's Canghui Academy had executed a Seven-in-One Fusion Ability—but their members had near-identical Martial Souls.
Shrek's success came entirely thanks to Ning Rongrong's fusion ability. Without it, their incompatible Martial Souls would have made fusion impossible.
Feng Xiaotian, still in the sky, noticed the shift in Shrek's formation. He had no time to be surprised. With a long cry, he dove like a meteor from the heavens. His large green wings folded close to his body as he launched his self-created Spirit Ability: Stormwind Demon Wolf's Thirty Six Successive Chops.
At that moment, a blazing white light sphere shot up at him from the side.
In the blink of an eye, the white sphere collided with Feng Xiaotian, then merged into his body. A layer of white armor spread across his figure, even covering his sharp wings.
This was a fusion ability developed by Huo Wu specifically to defeat Lin Jie. It required the full support of her two auxiliary Spirit Masters to activate.
Now that the power of all three was combined with Feng Xiaotian's already formidable strength, the result was a terrifying level of offense, defense, and speed. His capabilities soared to their limit.
Wings flaring, Feng Xiaotian flew straight toward Ning Rongrong at high speed. With keen perception, he understood that she was the lynchpin of Shrek's ability. Eliminate her, and the rest would crumble—ensuring Godwind Academy's victory.
The combination of Godwind and Blazing Academy had proven ideal: wind feeds fire, fire rides wind. With the strength of four people focused into one attack, Feng Xiaotian's Spirit Ability would explode with devastating force.
But as he closed in on the target, Lin Jie, who had just been trembling moments earlier, suddenly calmed.
He slowly raised his right hand. A bolt of lightning flickered into existence above his palm. It looked ordinary—just a simple, quiet spark.
But this simple lightning, infused with the Spirit Power of six Spirit Elders and Lin Jie himself, began to pulse violently. It danced between his fingers, then shot skyward in a flash of light.
In that instant, the previously clear skies darkened. Black clouds rolled in over the Pope's Palace. Thunder boomed. Wind howled. Lightning crackled across the heavens like the end of days.
Bibi Dong furrowed her brows. Her eyes narrowed with intensity as she stared at Lin Jie on the platform. She had seen the bolt of lightning in his hand moments before—then, just like that, the weather shifted as if responding to it.
She wasn't alone. Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and the others also stood in shock, gazing at the suddenly overcast sky. They had no idea what kind of power this was.
Then—BOOM!
A colossal bolt of lightning, thick as a water barrel, crashed down from the sky directly onto Lin Jie.
It looked like divine punishment.
Even the Shrek team behind him gasped in alarm.
But to everyone's shock, Lin Jie remained unscathed. Instead, the lightning kept pouring into him.
As more lightning struck, a transformation began.
Lightning engulfed his entire body. His pupils glowed electric blue. His black hair turned to streaks of glowing white-blue energy, rising into the air like lightning itself.
Slowly, Lin Jie floated upward, hovering ten meters above the ground.
He spread his arms wide. Blue-white light poured from him in waves, forming massive arcs of lightning above his head.
The energy condensed into a towering figure—a phantom shaped entirely from thunder and lightning. It resembled a human upper body, bearing a three-point resemblance to Lin Jie, but larger, more muscular, and infinitely more imposing.
As the thunder phantom stabilized, a suffocating aura of pressure blanketed the arena.
Bibi Dong shot to her feet, stunned. Her gaze was fixed on the enormous figure.
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo—all rose as well. No one could remain seated.
A collective gasp rippled through the audience as they stared at the massive lightning avatar.
"What… what is that?" someone whispered from the spectator stands.
Even the seasoned experts had no answer.