The advancement of the Sword Sect elders was certainly something to celebrate, but Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai were having a far tougher time.
After their victory over Wind God Valley, the qualifying tournament had already passed its midpoint. Although the teams they encountered afterward were quite strong, none could compare to Wind God Valley,some were not even as formidable as the Saint Dragon Sect team.
About a week later, they finally encountered another opponent strong enough to make them go all out.
The Divine Fire Sect,an organization as renowned as Wind God Valley among the hidden sects. Over the past few days, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai hadn't missed a single one of Divine Fire Sect's matches and were fully aware of their terrifying strength.
Aside from them, there were also the Star Crown Sect team and the First Prince's team, both of which demanded serious attention.
After all, matches took place every day, leaving little time to rest.
And since Ma Hongjun's team had Oscar's Super Recovery Sausage, while other factions had their own elite recovery teams, what truly determined victory now was real, hard power.
Trying to rely on tricks was basically impossible.
Their next opponent was Divine Fire Sect. As Ma Hongjun studied the information spread out on the table, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Divine Fire Sect, like Wind God Valley, consisted entirely of single-attribute spirit masters,their members all wielded fire-type spirits and were famous for their ferocious, explosive combat style.
But how many spirit masters on the continent possessed flames stronger than Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix?
Ever since breaking through as a spirit master, Ma Hongjun had continually pushed his limits. Later, after consuming the immortal-grade herb Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and other spirit grasses, he refined the Phoenix Nirvana Pill.
Now, his Fire Phoenix spirit had long since been purified and its bloodline elevated,it was a true top-tier beast spirit.
Play with fire against a Fire Phoenix?
Moreover, most of Divine Fire Sect's spirit masters possessed fire-type beast spirits, making them naturally suppressed by the Fire Phoenix,a gap almost impossible to bridge.
Seeing the confident smile on Ma Hongjun's face, Dai Mubai and the others felt much less apprehensive toward Divine Fire Sect.
The only troublesome opponent would likely be their captain.
The captain of Divine Fire Sect was named Baili Chiyan. His spirit was pure fire essence,a pure elemental spirit, extremely rare. His spirit power was level sixty-three, equal to Feng Qinglong's.
A pure elemental spirit was something they had never faced before. None could say whether Ma Hongjun's phoenix flame or Baili Chiyan's crimson blaze would prove stronger.
While they were discussing, the host's voice rang out from the broadcast: "Will the Third Prince's team and the Divine Fire Sect team please enter the preparation area. Team captains, please come to the stage for the draw."
Dai Mubai stood up, eyes gleaming with fighting spirit. "Fire or wind, whatever,it doesn't matter. We'll find out who's stronger in battle. Brothers, let's go!"
The team followed Dai Mubai out of the lounge, full of energy, heading toward the preparation area.
Upon arrival, under the referee's instruction, Dai Mubai and a tall, broad-shouldered figure wreathed in fiery red light stepped onto the stage together, standing before the massive spinning wheel.
The man had long red hair, a distinctive flame mark on his brow that looked like a birthmark, and even his pupils were crimson. Standing beside him, Dai Mubai felt an intense heat radiating from his body,the man was like a living flame.
This was Baili Chiyan, captain of the Divine Fire Sect team. He didn't waste words like Feng Qinglong. After a calm exchange of glances, both men spun the wheel together.
The wheel spun like a fiery windmill before gradually stopping,landing on the one-on-one mode.
A flicker of disappointment flashed in Baili Chiyan's eyes. Clearly, this wasn't what he had hoped for. But that disappointment vanished almost instantly, replaced by unwavering confidence.
Even though Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai had higher spirit power, the Divine Fire Sect wouldn't go down easily.
Still, one-on-one mode wasn't favorable for them, since their overall individual strength was slightly inferior.
Since the start of the qualifiers, they hadn't lost a single match,perhaps this would be their first defeat.
Seeing the mode, Dai Mubai couldn't help but grin. In single combat, who could defeat Ma Hongjun? Who could beat him?
Unless there was a spirit directly restraining theirs, they were practically unbeatable in solo fights.
And with Li Sheng,the strongest single-target control master,on their side, whose Heavenly Mechanism Lock was one of the most troublesome abilities in one-on-one combat, their advantage grew even greater.
After the draw, the referee announced, "Both teams have fifteen minutes to decide the order of battle. Please submit your sequence to the judges. The match will begin afterward."
Hearing that, Dai Mubai glanced at his teammates. Though Ma Hongjun and the others were powerful, they still had one weak point,Zhao Lan lacked offensive ability.
Unless her opponent happened to be a support-type spirit master, the best she could do was draw.
But Divine Fire Sect had no pure support members; even their two support specialists possessed decent attack capabilities. That meant one loss was almost certain from the start.
To win overall, they would need to secure at least four victories in the remaining six matches.
This was the key difference between the national tournament and the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament,here, each team consisted of a fixed seven spirit masters, and every position had to be perfectly arranged.
Divine Fire Sect's seven members were as follows:
Captain: Baili Chiyan, spirit,Crimson Flame, level sixty-three, assault type.
Vice-Captain: Baili Chiling, spirit,Fire Dragon, level fifty-nine, assault type.
Member: Xiao Xiafeng, spirit,Flamingo, level fifty-seven, agility type.
Member: Huo Xuan, spirit,Blazing Mantis, level fifty-five, agility type.
Member: Huo Lie, spirit,Flame Demon Bear, level fifty-five, assault type.
Member: Huo Zhentian, spirit,Fire Spirit Staff, level fifty-two, support type.
Member: Huo Zhendi, spirit,Fire Spirit Staff, level fifty-two, support type.
Their overall power was slightly lower than Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai's team.
Fortunately, since the mode was one-on-one, the advantage still lay with Dai Mubai's group.
For the first match, Dai Mubai directly chose Ma Hongjun to go up first, completely unafraid of a wheel-battle strategy. The second was Qin Qiong, third Zhu Zhuqing, fourth Zhao Lan, fifth Long Wu, sixth Li Sheng, and Dai Mubai would anchor the final match.
At the referee's signal, Ma Hongjun and Baili Chiyan stepped onto the stage together. No one was surprised,both teams had chosen to lead with their strongest.
Then Baili Chiyan suddenly spoke. "You're strong. How about we make a wager?"
Ma Hongjun glanced at him. The man's cold and fiery aura was undeniable,and he wasn't bad-looking either, though slightly less handsome than Ma Hongjun himself.
Ma Hongjun replied calmly, "What kind of wager?"
Baili Chiyan smiled faintly. "Let's decide everything with this one battle. How about it?"
Ma Hongjun instantly understood his intent,but couldn't fathom where Baili Chiyan's confidence came from.
Ma Hongjun hadn't hidden his strength. All six of his spirit abilities and his spirit bone skills were public knowledge. Some had even coveted his spirit bones, but no one dared move against him,because behind him stood the mighty Sword Sect.
The Sword Sect was bold enough to confront Pope Bibi Dong herself in Spirit City, and later even maintained close ties with the Spirit Hall.
And Ma Hongjun was the sworn brother of the Sword Sect's young master. With such backing, who would dare to make a move?
Besides, Dai Mubai and the others had strong protectors nearby. Even without that, taking action against Ma Hongjun would not be easy.
So although everyone knew his strength, he was still a sixty-seventh-level Spirit Emperor with at least two ten-thousand-year spirit bones.
Baili Chiyan, though talented and already level sixty-three, was still four levels below him. How could he be so confident?
Facing someone of higher rank and known power, to bet everything on a one-on-one battle seemed almost arrogant.
The Divine Fire Sect members and protectors, however, looked utterly calm,even faintly confident.
Ma Hongjun wasn't stupid; he knew Baili Chiyan must have something up his sleeve.
But so what? Would he back down just because the opponent had a hidden card? Then what kind of spirit master would he be? He might as well go home and farm potatoes.
Since the opponent wanted to play, Ma Hongjun would gladly oblige. He was sure he wouldn't lose.
Aside from Oscar, there wasn't anyone of his generation he feared losing to,and although Baili Chiyan was more than ten years older, they were both Spirit Emperors, and Ma Hongjun's power was higher by four levels.
If he didn't even have the courage to face that, Oscar would beat him senseless for sure.
Ma Hongjun's lips curled. "Since you want to play, I'll play along. But just betting on victory and defeat sounds boring. How about we raise the stakes?"
Baili Chiyan raised an eyebrow. He liked Ma Hongjun's fiery temperament,it matched his own.
He spread his hands. "Sure. What kind of stakes? As long as it's something I can afford, I'll match it double."
Seeing Baili Chiyan's confident look, Ma Hongjun thought for a moment before saying slowly, "Then let's bet our futures."
Baili Chiyan blinked. "Our futures? It's just a match. No need to stake our lives. Not that I'm afraid of losing,I just don't want to see a genius like you perish."
Ma Hongjun's mouth twitched. Clearly, the guy misunderstood him.
What did he mean by "impossible to lose"? Just six spirit rings, and he dared to challenge the Fire Phoenix Emperor?
Ma Hongjun cut him off. "I'm not talking about betting our lives. I actually admire you a bit."
Baili Chiyan paused. "Then what do you mean by betting our futures?"
Ma Hongjun grinned, eyes flashing. "If I lose, I'll join Divine Fire Sect and serve as your follower for ten years. If you lose, you'll do the same for me. Do you dare?"
The moment he said it, Baili Chiyan's eyes lit up,not with hesitation, but with excitement.
He wasn't afraid of losing; he simply believed he couldn't.
In fact, he was thrilled,because if he won, he'd gain a top-tier fire-type genius, one whose talent even surpassed his own. With Ma Hongjun's help, the rise of Divine Fire Sect would be only a matter of time.
The Divine Fire Sect members were equally ecstatic, especially Baili Chiling. She already found Ma Hongjun quite pleasing to the eye. Other than her brother, no man had ever caught her attention,until now.
And he was even more handsome than her brother.
She silently prayed that Baili Chiyan would accept the wager,because none of them believed he would lose.
If they won, she would have ten years to "get to know" Ma Hongjun properly.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun was puzzled by the sheer confidence shining in Baili Chiyan's eyes.
Did this guy really think he could win?
No matter what trump card Baili Chiyan hid, Ma Hongjun was certain,he would not lose, especially not to someone four levels weaker.
Baili Chiyan laughed heartily. "Good! I'll take that bet!"
Thus, a wager was struck between two young geniuses,both too proud to even consider backing out.
The referee hadn't interrupted them once; this kind of passion was what defined the national tournament.
When the two agreed, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers. Nobody cared about who would serve whom,they only knew this battle would be spectacular.
Seeing both combatants brimming with fighting spirit, the referee smiled. "Both sides, release your spirits."
At once, Baili Chiyan smiled slightly. His red hair flared up and turned into blazing fire, while six spirit rings,two yellow, two purple, and two black,rose around him. His entire body became a man of fire, though his human form could still faintly be seen.
This was his spirit, the pure elemental spirit,Crimson Flame.
"Baili Chiyan, spirit: Crimson Flame. Level sixty-three assault-type Spirit Emperor. Please instruct me."
Opposite him, a clear phoenix cry echoed through the arena as searing flames surged skyward. The shadow of a great phoenix flashed and merged into Ma Hongjun. Fiery wings spread wide behind him, and six rings,two yellow, two purple, two black,rose into the air.
"Ma Hongjun, spirit: Fire Phoenix. Level sixty-seven assault-type Spirit Emperor. Please."
Two fire-type Spirit Emperors released their full power, instantly driving the temperature of the arena to an extreme. Ice-type referees quickly acted to cool the surroundings, preventing harm to the spectators.
Then the referee's voice resounded once more:
"Advancement Tournament, Match 23! The Third Prince's Team versus the Divine Fire Sect Team! One-on-one mode, first and decisive match,begin!"
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