The instant the referee's voice fell, Xiao Huo acted without hesitation.
The third spirit ring on his body lit up at once, radiating a thousand-year purple glow.
"Third Spirit Skill—Flame Demon Domain!"
With a low roar, the eerie dark-red flames around Xiao Huo surged outward like a flood breaking through a dam.
In the blink of an eye, the massive arena—nearly a hundred meters across—was completely swallowed by a rolling sea of dark-red fire!
These flames were no ordinary fire. They carried a cold, viscous texture, clinging to the ground as they burned, producing a scalp-numbing sizzling sound.
Heat waves distorted the air, turning the entire arena into something resembling hell itself.
"Tsk."
Standing in the center of the sea of fire, Liu Yuan frowned slightly.
Although his fire resistance meant he didn't fear the flames themselves, being surrounded on all sides was still an unpleasant feeling.
Even more troublesome was the sensation beneath his feet—the flames felt like countless invisible hands tugging at his legs, constantly interfering with his movement.
"In that case…"
A cold glint flashed through Liu Yuan's eyes and vanished just as quickly.
"Let's end this fast."
"First Spirit Skill—Extreme Speed!"
The familiar scene unfolded once again.
Liu Yuan's figure blurred where he stood. In the next instant, a streak of white lightning ripped through the crimson sea of fire, charging straight toward Xiao Huo with a piercing crack of displaced air!
Fast.
Still that same despair-inducing speed.
However—
This time, Xiao Huo was no longer a helpless target.
A grim sneer curled at his lips.
"Got you!"
Just as Liu Yuan closed in, the sea of fire beneath Xiao Huo's feet trembled violently.
Through the feedback of the flames, he had sensed the trajectory of that afterimage an instant before the attack arrived!
"Left!"
Xiao Huo's pupils shrank. His body lunged sharply to the right while his arms crossed in front of his chest in a textbook defensive stance.
Bang!
A dull impact exploded within the sea of flames.
Liu Yuan's elbow strike, originally aimed at Xiao Huo's ribs, smashed solidly into his braced forearms.
An overwhelming force erupted.
Xiao Huo was blasted backward like he'd been hit by a battering ram, his feet carving two long, scorched grooves into the ground as he slid more than ten meters.
But—
He stopped.
He came to a halt less than five meters from the edge of the arena!
Though his arms trembled uncontrollably, he hadn't been knocked out of bounds.
"Whoa—!"
The entire venue erupted in an instant.
"He blocked it! He actually blocked it!"
"Damn! This Xiao Huo is no joke—I thought it'd be another instant kill!"
"So this is the value of a control-type Spirit Master! Full-field perception really does counter extreme speed!"
"This just got interesting! Liu Yuan's one-vs-seven sweep might be in trouble!"
Exclamations exploded from the stands as emotions surged.
…
Shrek Academy rest area.
"Good! Beautifully done!"
Elder Xuan slapped his thigh hard, more excited than if he'd won himself.
A long-lost smile finally appeared on his face as he shouted toward the arena:
"That's it! Hold him right there!"
"That kid's fast, sure—but as long as you can predict him, he's not invincible!"
"Drag it out! Wear him down, and you'll win!"
…
Chiyan Academy preparation area.
Seeing Xiao Huo successfully withstand the first assault, the team members clenched their fists, low cheers escaping their throats.
"Nice one, Xiao Huo! You didn't disgrace us!"
But a few sharp-eyed members noticed something amiss and spoke with concern:
"Even so… Liu Yuan's power seems even more terrifying than we thought."
"If Xiao Huo hadn't blocked in advance, that hit might've shattered him."
"And look—his arms are still shaking. Tanking hits like that isn't sustainable."
Hearing this, Chi Xiao let out a cold snort, confidence flashing in his eyes.
"What are you afraid of?"
"Do you think that's all Xiao Huo can do?"
"Don't forget—he's still holding plenty back."
"There's still a gap in strength and speed, yes—but for him, that gap isn't insurmountable!"
…
On the arena.
Xiao Huo shook his numb arms and stared at Liu Yuan, who had already repositioned nearby. The battle intent in his eyes burned even hotter.
"I'll admit it—your speed is terrifying."
"If this were a normal battlefield, I probably would've been insta-killed just now."
He straightened slowly, the dark-red flames around him flaring more violently.
"But unfortunately for you…"
"In my Flame Demon Domain, your speed is no longer an unsolvable problem."
"And—"
Xiao Huo took a deep breath.
His first, second, and fourth spirit rings lit up simultaneously!
"If you think that was my full strength, then you're sorely mistaken."
"Now I'll show you what real power looks like!"
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations—First Transformation!"
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations—Second Transformation!"
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations—Third Transformation!"
Boom—!!!
A terrifying aura erupted from Xiao Huo's body, several times more violent than before.
His originally lean frame visibly expanded, muscles bulging like carved granite. The dark-red flames transformed into an ominous black-red hue!
This was the qualitative leap brought about by violently compressed and detonated spirit power within the body.
At this moment, Xiao Huo's speed, strength, and spirit power intensity all skyrocketed to an almost absurd degree.
…
Meanwhile, upon hearing those all-too-familiar skill names, Liu Yuan's mouth twitched hard.
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations?"
"Wait… buddy, did you wander into the wrong story?"
"Are you about to pull out a 'Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus' next?"
He couldn't help but complain internally.
That said, he had to admit it—Chiyan Academy really did have some tricks.
Someone like Xiao Huo was genuinely troublesome.
"Interesting."
Liu Yuan narrowed his eyes as the surrounding temperature climbed even higher.
In truth, he had several ways to break this situation.
The simplest would be to use his Spirit Skill—Surf.
Once that move came out, Xiao Huo's greatest reliance would be instantly neutralized, and Liu Yuan could finish him with Extreme Speed all over again.
But—
He wasn't in a hurry.
He calculated calmly:
"If I use Surf now, I'll win—but it might cause trouble later against other tricky opponents."
"After all, I'm planning a full sweep. I have to manage my stamina and spirit power carefully."
"So… I might as well change tactics."
A new plan formed in an instant.
"Since you want to play the buff-stacking game, I'll play along."
"I'll take this chance to stack up Dragon Dance first…"
"And once I've stacked enough—"
"I'll deal with all of you in one go."