Even in such a perilous moment, Li Chang'an still found the time to glance at Huo Wu. She had just released her Fire Ring, and her beautiful face now carried a faint look of pride.
Huo Wu was stunning. Her figure bore some resemblance to Xiao Wu's, though slightly more voluptuous. Her long, wavy crimson hair cascaded down to her waist. With fair skin, delicate features, and a pair of large eyes faintly shimmering with silver light, she was easily among the top ten beauties of this entire tournament.
If it were anyone else staring at her, Huo Wu would have assumed it was a gaze of admiration. Yet when her eyes met Li Chang'an's, what she saw instead was confidence and unshakable determination. His lips moved silently, but she could still faintly make out the words:
"Do you believe… that my flames are purer than yours?"
The next instant, Huo Wu understood exactly what he meant.
His martial soul, the Taibai Sword, suddenly blazed scarlet, unleashing a sword aura of terrifying heat. If the arena temperature had been fifty or sixty degrees before, then this strike easily soared past hundreds—perhaps even thousands.
Strangely, the moment his flame erupted, the fire on all four spirit masters encircling him—including Huo Wu herself—dimmed significantly. Their flames faltered, and for an instant, even their will to resist crumbled.
With a single strike, Li Chang'an repelled all four opponents!
They collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat. Deep down, they knew: they had been utterly defeated. And defeated in the very attribute they had always prided themselves on—their fire.
Before today, they would never have believed such a thing possible. Yet Li Chang'an had just proven it with one sword strike.
His fire… was far more authentic, far more powerful than theirs.
And yet—they were unwilling to concede. Just once more, they wanted to try.
Huo Wushuang rose to his feet and exchanged a look with Huo Wu. In that fleeting moment, the siblings nodded in silent agreement.
Huo Wu slowly raised her hands, two orange-red flames rising from her palms, climbing more than a meter high.
That was the signal. The six remaining members of Blazing Academy all moved at once.
The two auxiliary spirit masters released dazzling light, sparing no effort as they activated their third spirit abilities again. This time, however, their abilities were focused on a single person—Huo Wu.
Dense clusters of fire surged into her body. The flames in her palms grew brighter, gradually shifting in color: from orange-red to deep blue, then from blue to blinding white.
The moment the flames turned white, the oppressive heat vanished entirely. It no longer felt like fire—it was something far more dangerous.
Meanwhile, the four attackers, led by Huo Wushuang, stood in a line before her, forming a defensive wall. Their third soul rings glowed, ready to intercept any attempt from Li Chang'an to disrupt her preparation.
Then, a purple light bloomed—not from her third ring, but from her fourth. Her fourth soul ring flared brilliantly, merging with the white blaze in her hands. Radiance bathed her figure, making her appear almost ethereal.
For once, Li Chang'an's expression grew solemn. He could clearly see that, with the full support of two auxiliaries, Huo Wu's fourth soul ability was no ordinary technique. Its power rivaled, and perhaps even surpassed, the fifth ability of many fire-attribute spirit masters.
Was he truly going to be forced to reveal some of his deeper strength here?
Until now, he had treated this match as a game. But at this moment, he had no choice but to take Huo Wu seriously. Her martial soul was even fiercer than Huo Wushuang's Fire Dragon.
As a fire-control spirit master, Huo Wu was the strongest opponent he had encountered in this tournament so far. And in his heart, alongside his seriousness, there also stirred a desire to conquer her.
After all, roses with thorns were the most enticing.
"Fi—re… Dance—Sun—Shine!"
Her clear voice rang out, each syllable fueling the growing power in her hands. With the final word, a massive sphere of white fire condensed above her head, blazing like a miniature sun. Its brilliance was so intense that even the sunlight above was overshadowed.
In the VIP section, Ning Fengzhi's expression changed.
"Flames perfectly restrained, without any wasted energy… This little girl from Blazing Academy has achieved terrifying control over her martial soul. And that is not only her soul power—it's three people's combined strength. Crimson Rose Team may truly be in trouble."
From a rational perspective, Li Chang'an should not reveal his true power here. But everything depended on his choice.
Huo Wu's fourth soul ability was unlike those of ordinary control-type masters. It was an extremely domineering offensive ability, one that could only unleash its full might through the combined efforts of her teammates.
Li Chang'an could feel it clearly—the scorching light locked firmly onto him. Huo Wu's blazing eyes told him everything: this strike was aimed solely at him.
A faint smile touched his lips, the earlier seriousness melting away even as the seven members of Blazing Academy stared at him. He knew Huo Wu could no longer stop her soul ability now. And so, he no longer needed to hold back.
The girls of Crimson Rose Team were filled with anxiety. Until this moment, Li Chang'an had not given them any signal.
As the team's core, he always directed their attacks. But the gesture he gave them now was the same as before: hold your positions. Do not move.
Could it be that he truly intended to reveal his hidden strength? That was the only explanation the girls could think of—for otherwise, this strike would be impossible to endure.
Then, Li Chang'an repeated the same signal again, and calmly walked forward alone.
Step by step, his stride was light, a smile still gracing his face. Facing all seven opponents, his demeanor seemed to say: Isn't it me you want? Very well, then I will stand here alone—come and attack me.
Huo Wushuang's expression darkened. Li Chang'an's smile, in his eyes, was naked provocation. If not for their carefully arranged tactics, he would have already charged forward.
"You're strong—stronger than I ever imagined," Huo Wu suddenly said. Her voice trembled, but it was still clear and sweet. The tremor came not from fear, but from the strain of controlling the burning sun above her. Her eyes, exactly as Li Chang'an had sensed, were fixed unwaveringly on him.
"But victory… will still be ours."
She could hold on no longer. Controlling three people's combined soul power within a single fourth ability had already pushed her to the edge of her limits.
The blazing sun floated forward half a meter. At the same moment that Li Chang'an saw the resolve in her eyes, the terrifying white sun shot forward, transforming into a radiant beam as it crashed down upon him!
This was an attack utterly impossible to dodge. Unlike Huo Wushuang's earlier Flame Meteor Shower, the instant it was unleashed, the blazing sun had already locked onto Li Chang'an. Even the fastest agility-type spirit master could not have escaped it.
And yet, Li Chang'an made no move to dodge. He did not even raise a defense. He simply stood there, allowing the devastating strike to fall upon him.