On the arena, the tempo of the battle abruptly shifted.
Liu Yuan—who had been pressing the attack relentlessly, unstoppable just moments ago—now seemed like a completely different person, constantly weaving and evading within the raging sea of flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Xiao Huo now looked like a true sovereign of fire. With every motion of his hands, towering pillars of flame erupted skyward, or condensed into grotesque fire serpents that lunged savagely toward Liu Yuan.
"Running? Let's see where you can run to!"
Xiao Huo roared again and again. Under the amplification of the Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations, every one of his attacks carried terrifying weight. Even the solid granite floor of the arena would melt into lava the instant it was swept by his flames.
Yet no matter how violent or densely packed his attacks were, that white figure always slipped past them at impossibly strange angles, dodging with hair-thin margins.
Not only that.
Anyone watching carefully would notice that every evasive movement Liu Yuan made followed a peculiar rhythm.
When he leaned aside to avoid a flaming whip, his body would twist slightly, stirring up a strange pressure in the air.
When he leapt to evade a pillar of fire erupting beneath his feet, his limbs stretched into a posture brimming with power, as if he were performing some mysterious ritual dance midair.
With each of these movements, a force that only Liu Yuan himself could perceive continued to stack frantically inside his body.
[Dragon Dance successfully activated!]
[Speed Rank +1!]
[Attack Rank +1!]
Liu Yuan felt his body growing lighter and lighter, the circulation speed of spirit power within him accelerating rapidly. Even the flame attacks that had once seemed frighteningly fast now appeared to slow in his vision.
But he didn't stop.
This still wasn't enough.
Again!
Sidestep, twist, leap, spin.
[Speed Rank +1!]
[Attack Rank +1!]
…
However, what looked like a deadly dance on a knife's edge to Liu Yuan appeared completely different to the vast majority of spectators.
"This… doesn't Liu Yuan look suppressed?"
In the stands, a Spirit Master frowned as he watched Liu Yuan being forced into constant evasion.
"He's dodging nonstop. There's no chance to counterattack at all."
"And Xiao Huo's attack range is enormous. Dodging at such high frequency has to drain stamina like crazy."
"Yeah. He might still be holding on now, but the moment he slips up or his endurance gives out, he'll be swallowed by the sea of fire instantly."
"It seems the so-called one-versus-seven was just wishful thinking after all. Winning one match was probably already his limit. He's going to fall here."
The spectators who had once been full of confidence in Liu Yuan now shook their heads, sighing in regret.
…
Shrek Academy rest area.
"Hahahaha! Good! Excellent!"
Elder Xuan clutched a half-eaten chicken leg, so excited that saliva flew everywhere, utterly devoid of the dignity expected of a top-tier powerhouse.
Watching Liu Yuan get chased all over the arena like a "scurrying rat," the pleasure in his heart was even sweeter than drinking a century-old fine wine.
"That's it! Burn him properly for this old man!"
"Let him be arrogant! Let him show off! Now he finally knows how powerful we are!"
"This Xiao Huo kid isn't bad! Once the match is over, this old man—this old man will definitely treat him to a drink!"
Elder Xuan was completely immersed in fantasies of Liu Yuan's impending defeat, already imagining how he would mock the Sun Moon Team during the post-match interview.
The students glanced at their rather undignified elder. Though it felt a bit embarrassing, seeing the situation on the field made the heavy stone in their hearts finally settle.
"It seems a pure speed-type really does get completely countered by large-scale control."
"Once his movement is restricted, he's just a toothless tiger."
…
Yet in stark contrast to the crowd's pessimism and Shrek's euphoria—
Inside the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy rest area, the atmosphere was strangely relaxed.
There was no worry, no tension. Instead, every face looked like it was suppressing laughter.
"Pfft…"
Meng Hongchen covered her mouth as she watched Liu Yuan "dance" frantically across the field.
"Brother Liu Yuan is way too wicked. He's actually using the opponent as a training dummy to farm buffs."
"Those spectators really think he's being suppressed. Little do they know the Grim Reaper is already standing behind them, sharpening his scythe."
Xiao Hongchen shook his head helplessly, a playful curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"This Xiao Huo is seriously unlucky."
"If he surrendered now, he might still leave with some dignity."
"But instead, he insists on forcing Brother Liu Yuan to fully stack Dragon Dance…"
"Tsk, tsk. I can already feel the despair for him."
As teammates, they understood all too well how terrifying the Spirit Ability Dragon Dance truly was.
Once Liu Yuan finished stacking it—
This wouldn't be a match anymore.
It would be a massacre.
…
On the arena.
After failing to land a hit for a long time, Xiao Huo finally began to crack.
"Damn it! This cursed loach—how can he run this much?!"
Xiao Huo panted heavily, veins bulging on his forehead.
Maintaining both Skyfire Three Mysterious Transformations and Flame Demon Domain at the same time was an enormous burden. Even as a five-ring Spirit King, he was beginning to struggle.
The spirit power in his body was draining rapidly—yet his opponent still looked relaxed, and worse, his speed seemed to be increasing?!
"No… I can't drag this out any longer!"
A ruthless glint flashed through Xiao Huo's eyes.
If this continued, the first to fall would definitely be him.
This had to be decided in a single strike!
"Liu Yuan! I admit your movement techniques are indeed impressive!"
Xiao Huo abruptly ceased his attacks. Holding his hands in front of his chest, two clusters of distinctly different flames condensed rapidly in his palms.
One was the dark-red origin flame of the flame monarch.
The other was a pitch-black flame formed from compressed spirit power.
"But let's see how you dodge this!"
"Fifth Spirit Ability!"
With Xiao Huo's hoarse roar, the two terrifying flames were forcibly pressed together!
Violent energy fluctuations instantly swept across the entire arena, and even the air let out an explosive groan under the strain.
"Merge for me!"
A palm-sized black-and-red dual-colored fire lotus, radiating a devastating aura, slowly took shape in his hand.
In that instant, the temperature of the entire Star Luo Plaza seemed to rise several degrees!
"Buddha's! Fury! Fire! Lotus!"
…
Chiyan Academy preparation area.
Seeing this, Captain Chi Xiao sprang to his feet, his eyes blazing with fanatic confidence.
"It's over!"
"This is Xiao Huo's strongest trump card—and a true large-scale destructive attack!"
"With this move, the entire arena will be blown apart!"
"That Liu Yuan has absolutely nowhere to dodge unless he jumps off the arena and concedes!"
…
At the center of the arena.
Liu Yuan—who had been "dancing gracefully" just moments ago—finally stopped.
He slowly raised his head, gazing at the fire lotus in Xiao Huo's hand, its form so familiar that it couldn't be more familiar, and the corners of his mouth twitched violently.
"…Good grief."
"You actually pulled out a Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus for me?"
Liu Yuan shook his head helplessly.
Yet as he felt the terrifying power surging within his body—so immense it was almost overflowing—his gaze gradually sharpened.
Dragon Dance: fully stacked.
At this moment, he felt indescribably strong.
"What a shame."
Liu Yuan looked at Xiao Huo opposite him, whose face was twisted with triumph as if victory were already in hand, and let out a soft chuckle.
"You're Xiao Huo, not Xiao Yan."
"A fire lotus at this level of power… forget it."
-------------Author---------------
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