Although this time their opponents appeared weaker in terms of soul power compared to the Elephant Armored Sect—for after all, they only had two Spirit Elders above the fortieth rank—the fact that they had already defeated the Elephant Armored Sect proved their strength was beyond doubt.
The referee walked to the center and announced:
"Both sides, line up and salute."
Fourteen participants stood in two rows, bowing respectfully toward each other. Zhu Zhuqing's cold gaze met Huo Wushuang's, while Li Chang'an inevitably locked eyes with Huo Wu. The match had yet to begin, but the atmosphere between them already burned with tension.
What puzzled Huo Wu, however, was that Li Chang'an looked serious at first. But just before releasing his martial soul, he suddenly raised an eyebrow at her, leaving her with an uncomfortable feeling.
'What was that supposed to mean?' Huo Wu had seen that kind of look in plenty of other men's eyes before, and now this Li Chang'an was no exception. He must be another no-good scoundrel! Fine then—she would make sure to roast him like a chicken later.
Huo Wushuang noticed Li Chang'an staring at his younger sister and immediately glared at him.
"Hmph! Today marks the end of your winning streak!"
Li Chang'an smiled at his future brother-in-law.
"Funny, that's exactly what I was about to say. Today, one of our teams will lose their undefeated record."
"You may now release your martial souls," the referee's voice rang out once more. In an instant, the central arena lit up brilliantly.
On Li Chang'an's side, all except Hu Liena unleashed their soul rings. The sight was dazzling, especially the two pitch-black, thousand-year rings circling around Li Chang'an—an imposing display of might.
Moreover, aside from Li Chang'an and Hu Liena, all of his teammates were four-ring Spirit Elders. Just their presence alone was enough to ignite the spectators' blood with excitement.
Boom!
At that moment, raging flames erupted on the opposite side. Fiery red light spread across half the arena, radiating an intense heat.
The seven members of Blazing Academy ignited almost simultaneously. Their first soul rings glowed brilliantly, flames rising skyward. The two auxiliary spirit masters scattered sparks into the air, and countless red motes gathered swiftly toward them, merging into blazing fire orbs that hovered above the team.
Huo Wushuang, together with another assault-type spirit master, charged forward. A piercing dragon's roar burst from his throat as flames engulfed him, vaguely forming the image of a dragon behind his body. His physique expanded, dark-red scales of fire covering his skin—martial soul possession complete.
The two agility-type spirit masters, Huo Yun and Huo Yu, spread fiery wings behind them. They didn't soar into the sky, but glided in curved arcs around the battlefield—both targeting Li Chang'an.
As the blazing fire orbs condensed in the air, they shot into the Blazing Academy team members' bodies, strengthening their flames even further.
There was no doubt—this was a team with flawless coordination. The battle had only just begun, and they had already seized the initiative.
"Fight!"
Li Chang'an wasted no words. With a single shout, he drew his sword and met the charge of Huo Yun and Huo Yu head-on.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu teleported twice in quick succession, confronting Huo Wushuang. Ning Rongrong's support instantly fell upon her.
"Ha!"
Xiao Wu gave a sharp cry, her flexible body twisting to evade before lashing out with her scorpion braid. The whip-like strike forced Huo Wushuang to stagger several steps back!
With Ning Rongrong's boost, Xiao Wu's power rivaled that of a spirit King. Moreover, with Mu Xi replenishing her energy, she never had to fear running out of soul power.
Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, held off another assault-type spirit master. Her extreme speed even allowed her to disrupt the enemy's support as spirit masters.
Hu Liena stood protectively before Mu Xi and Ning Rongrong. Her task was equally vital—without their assistance, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing could never fight this smoothly.
By now, Li Chang'an had already clashed with the two agility-type spirit masters. Yet, just as he was about to strike, the flames on his Taibai Sword flared with scarlet brilliance—the power of ultimate Fire!
"Playing with fire? I can play too."
With a single sweep of his sword, Li Chang'an's flames overpowered his opponent, cutting one of them down instantly.
But just as he was about to finish the other, an abrupt twist occurred!
Without warning, a crimson whirlwind burst from the arena's center. Huo Wu's third soul ring shone brilliantly, golden-red light radiating from her as she unleashed her third soul skill—Defensive Fire Ring.
A massive wave of ring-shaped fire expanded outward at just the right moment, colliding with Li Chang'an's attack. Strangely, there was no sound upon impact—but in the next instant, Li Chang'an was hurled backward, straight into Blazing Academy's encirclement.
The Defensive Fire Ring had no offensive power, but it expelled everything within its range.
Although Li Chang'an could have twisted mid-air to land elsewhere, he deliberately allowed himself to fall into the "den of tigers" that Huo Wu had prepared. After all, one must sometimes enter danger to grasp victory.
He wasn't the only one blasted away—both Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were also forced back.
Seizing this chance, Huo Wushuang, the other assault-type spirit master, and the two agility-type spirit masters simultaneously lunged at Li Chang'an from four different directions—a killing formation!
From Huo Wu's beautiful face, Li Chang'an caught a glimpse of a triumphant smirk, a mocking glint in her eyes as if ridiculing him for falling right into their trap.
From the very start, this had been a carefully laid scheme—Blazing Academy's trap for Li Chang'an!
Four against one. They had even accounted for his two ten-thousand-year soul skills, fully prepared to trade one-for-one if necessary.
It was obvious to all—Li Chang'an was the Crimson Rose Team's core. Defeat him, and they would be like a tiger without fangs: no more fearsome ten-thousand-year soul rings, no more terrifying combat prowess.
For insurance, the two auxiliary spirit masters of Blazing Academy also activated their third soul skills. The blazing orbs in the sky multiplied from two into four, then doubled again, instantly quadrupling in number.
The fire orbs poured power into their teammates, filling the air with dazzling flames. A meteor shower of fiery light rained down upon Li Chang'an, enclosing him in a deadly cage of fire.
The four attackers unleashed their third soul skills at once, determined to crush him.
Huo Wushuang's claws gleamed with golden-red light as his body expanded once more, blazing scales glowing brightly—his third soul skill resembled Dai Mubai's White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
Two fiery cranes cried out, soaring from the sky, while a fire-leopard spirit master shot seven eerie blue firebombs toward him.
And yet, in the middle of this encirclement, Li Chang'an only smiled.
"Do you believe… that my flames are purer than yours?"