On the fourth day of the qualifying rounds, Blazing Fire Academy faced off against the Shrek Academy.
When the referee announced the names of the two teams, a commotion erupted in the stands, louder than usual. Everyone remembered that qualifying match—
Shrek defeated Blazing Fire, and Tang San's Eight Spider Lances nearly crippled the entire Blazing Fire team. Now the two teams meet again, and everyone knows a great battle is inevitable.
In the Blazing Fire Academy rest area, Huo Wu sat in the front row, her gaze fixed on the Shrek Academy team opposite her. Her expression was calm, but the knuckles of her fingers gripping the armrest were slightly white. Huo Wushuang stood beside her, arms crossed, saying nothing.
On Shrek's side, Yu Xiaogang was arranging the order of appearance. Wu Jing was first, Tai Long second, Ma Hongjun third, Xiao Wu fourth, and Tang San fifth. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were last.
"Don't underestimate them," Yu Xiaogang added as a final remark. " The Blazing Fire Academy is different from the one in the qualifiers." No one responded; the Shrek team members dispersed, each lost in their own thoughts.
On the side of the Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Lie was the first to stand up.
"I'll go first."
Huo Wushuang nodded. As soon as the referee's whistle blew, Wu Jing activated his martial spirit, unleashing his full speed in an attempt to use his agility to evade Huo Lie's frontal attack range.
But Huo Lie didn't chase him at all—flames exploded from beneath his feet, forming a ring of fire around him that enveloped the entire arena.
No matter how fast Wu Jing was, he couldn't outrun the spreading flames. Forced to the edge of the ring, Huo Lie delivered a straight punch that sent him flying off the stage. In the first match, Blazing Fire Academy won.
Tai Long was the second to enter the arena. He unleashed his Great Strength Gorilla Martial Soul, directly confronting the Huo Lie flames.
Huo Lie's attacks became much less effective against Tai Long's defense, and several rounds of attacks were blocked. Huo Lie had exhausted more than half of his Soul Power after two consecutive battles, and he took the initiative to signal the referee to step off the stage.
Next, Blazing Fire Academy sent out Huo Yun. The speed of the Agility Attack System against the Defense System was also ineffective, and Fire Huo Yun was blasted out of the arena by a heavy punch from Tai Long.
Tai Long two consecutive matches, Shrek's morale rebounded, but he had very little Soul Power left and voluntarily withdrew from the game.
Then Ma Hongjun stood up.
"My turn." He walked straight into the ring. This time, he volunteered to be the third to Grandmaster, wanting to prove himself. Ever since that incident on the street, he had been looking for an opportunity.
Blazing Fire Academy Huo Wushuang, also stood up, unbuttoned his coat, and walked onto the arena. Ma Hongjun's expression changed slightly when he saw that it was Huo Wushuang who came up.
With the Huo Wushuang Martial Soul Possession, golden flames ignited from his palms, causing the temperature of the entire arena to soar.
The spectators closest to the ring in the stands instinctively leaned back— the Ultimate Fire burned silently, distorting and warping the air itself.
Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix burned all over his body, but compared to the golden flames, it was like a candle meeting the sun.
He was no stranger to this feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to breathe—he had experienced it before in the Suotuo City Soul Fighting Arena. The same Ultimate Fire, the same sense of powerlessness.
Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth and launched the first attack, his Phoenix Fire Line aimed Huo Wushuang's face. Huo Wushuang didn't dodge; golden flames automatically blocked in front of him, and the Phoenix Fire Line disappeared silently as if swallowed up.
The Second Soul Skill, Phoenix Bathing in Fire, followed immediately, doubling the flame temperature, yet still unable to penetrate the defense of the Ultimate Fire.
Huo Wushuang began to counterattack, raising his right hand and hurling a golden fireball. Ma Hongjun dodged, the fireball grazing his shoulder, instantly burning a charred crater in the bluestone slab.
Ma Hongjun withstood three rounds of attacks, but was finally knocked off the stage by a single palm strike. The red flames were completely extinguished, and several edges of his clothes were charred. Dai Mubai helped him up, but Ma Hongjun kept his head down, not looking at anyone.
Xiao Wu was the fourth to enter the arena. Instead of engaging in close combat, she used Teleportation to constantly change positions, trying to find an opening in the Ultimate Fire.
However, Huo Wushuang's golden flames were impenetrable, and when Xiao Wu Teleportation for the third time, the landing point was too close, and the golden flames licked her arm. A section of her sleeve was burned off, leaving a burn mark on her arm.
Tang San stood up abruptly and walked onto the stage before the referee could announce anything. He glanced at Xiao Wu's injured arm, then turned his cold gaze to Huo Wushuang.
After giving Tang San a warning, the referee dismissed Xiao Wu from the arena.
Tang Shan swiftly released his Martial Soul, and Blue Silver Grass spread out, covering half the arena. Huo Wushuang's golden flames swept over it, causing the Blue Silver Grass to wither rapidly, but Tang San was merely using the Blue Silver Grass to test the waters.
The Ultimate Fire was indeed powerful, but Huo Wushuang had fought two consecutive battles against Ma Hongjun and Xiao Wu, and his Soul Power was more than half depleted, making his breathing unsteady.
Tang San put away the Blue Silver Grass. The Clear Sky Hammer Huo Wushuang did not back down. He concentrated all his remaining Soul Power into his right arm, and golden flames condensed into a pillar of fire, which he blasted towards Tang San.
With a single blow, the pillar of fire shattered, and Huo Wushuang staggered back several steps, kneeling on one knee. The weight of the Clear Sky Hammer pressed down on his shoulder, rendering him immobile. Huo Wushuang was eliminated.
Then Blazing Fire Academy switched to Huo Wu.
Huo Wu stepped onto the arena, and the entire rest area fell silent. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Tang San spoke first, "You're strong. But you can't stop my Clear Sky Hammer."
Huo Wu did not answer. Golden flames erupted from her body, sharper than Huo Wushuang's —she had condensed the Ultimate Fire into a sword.
"Let's have a duel," Huo Wu said. "Whoever loses, their team is eliminated. There's no need to fight anymore."
Tang San remained silent for a moment, then nodded. He knew he had used up a lot of his Soul Power in the last match, and only Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing remained behind him.
Rather than letting them face four fully-equipped members of the Blazing Fire Academy team, it's better to bet everything on ourselves.
After obtaining the consent of both parties, the referee announced, "This match will be changed to a single-round decisive game. The winning team wins outright."
The entire venue fell silent instantly; everyone watched intently, unwilling to miss a single exciting moment.
Huo Wu made the first move. Her golden flame sword pierced towards Tang San Tang San, who dodged to the side and swept his Clear Sky Hammer horizontally. Huo Wu did not dodge, but used her flame sword to block the Clear Sky Hammer's blow.
Golden flames exploded, and the shockwave made the flags at the edge of the arena flutter wildly. Tang San took a step back, Huo Wu took two steps back— Huo Wu, in her prime, had more Soul Power than him, and her direct confrontation actually forced him back.
The flaming sword came at him again. Tang San gritted his teeth and met it head-on Clear Sky Hammer and the flaming sword clashed for more than a dozen rounds on the arena.
Each collision was a direct drain on their Soul Power. Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer grew heavier and heavier, while Huo Wu's Flame Sword grew brighter and brighter.
In the twelfth round, the Clear Sky Hammer slammed into Huo Wu's shoulder, while the Flame Sword pierced through Tang San's defenses at the same time. Both of them were sent flying backward.
The referee began counting down. Huo Wu stood up first, clutching her shoulder where she had been hit by the Clear Sky Hammer. Golden flames flickered weakly at her fingertips, but her knees did not bend.
Tang San knelt on one knee, trying to stand up using the Clear Sky Hammer as support— his Soul Power was completely depleted, and the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer was almost unbearable without the support of Soul Power. He managed to stand up halfway before kneeling down again.
After counting to ten, the referee announced, " Blazing Fire Academy —wins!"
The stands erupted in chaos. The Blazing Fire Academy team rushed onto the stage and surrounded Huo Wu, while Huo Wushuang punched hard from the sidelines. Huo Xiao stood up in the audience, and thunderous applause filled the air.
Surrounded by her teammates, Huo Wu's expression was surprisingly calm. She glanced at Tang San, who was still kneeling on the ground, then turned and walked off the stage. She had proven with her strength that Blazing Fire Academy was no one's stepping stone.
There was silence on Shrek's side.
Xiao Wu sat on the sidelines, her arm wrapped in bandages, her eyes red-rimmed. Ma Hongjun hadn't raised his head once since the match ended. Dai Mubai helped Tang San off the stage, and Tang San didn't say anything, putting away his Clear Sky Hammer and walking step by step towards the rest area.
Yu Xiaogang sat there, expressionless. His fingers gripped the edge of his tactical notebook, his knuckles turning white.
He acknowledged that losing to the Godwind Academy was due to a difference in strength. But he couldn't explain losing to the Blazing Fire Academy —a team he had once defeated by Shrek, a team he had judged "not worthy of special attention."
It wasn't that he couldn't explain it to others, it was that he couldn't explain it to himself. Everyone knew the reason for the Blazing Fire Academy's transformation—the pills from the Pill Pavilion. And he hadn't even had the chance to deal with the Pill Pavilion.
Oscar watched the Blazing Fire Academy celebration on the other side, then glanced at his silent teammates beside him. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
Ning Rongrong sat next to him, her gaze fixed on the golden figure in the Blazing Fire Academy Rest Area. Only she knew what she was thinking.