As an agility-attack Spirit Master, the pink-haired girl's speed was terrifyingly fast. Even Huo Feng felt a flicker of surprise.
A flash of light and shadow zipped across the stage. In just two breaths, she was right in front of him. Just as she was about to make contact, she braked abruptly, her body changing direction without any warning. Her attack, originally aimed at Huo Feng's left side, instantly shifted to his right. Claws shimmering with a dark light swiped out fiercely, heading straight for Huo Feng's ear.
The target of her attack was extremely cunning, ruthless, and vicious. A person's ears are fragile parts of the body, and if the pink-haired girl's strike landed, Huo Feng's ear might very well be torn off. It was a deadly move. Although such combat wasn't forbidden in the Spirit Arena, under normal circumstances, two Spirit Masters with no personal grudge wouldn't resort to such vicious tactics. It was a quick way to make a bitter enemy for no reason.
"Clang—!"
However, in the next second, the distinct sound of metal striking metal rang out across the stage.
To the astonishment of the audience below, Huo Feng had casually raised a dark blue longsword in his right hand, blocking the pink-haired girl's powerful strike.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The force of the impact sent her stumbling back several steps before she could regain her balance. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. As an agility-attack Spirit Master, her surprise attack had failed. Once an opponent reacted, it became incredibly difficult to gain the upper hand again. What shocked her the most was that she hadn't even seen when he had raised his sword. One moment she was about to succeed, and the next, he had blocked her.
Shaking her slightly numb hands, the pink-haired girl took two more steps back, her expression now full of caution as she watched Huo Feng.
It wasn't just her; the crowd below was even more astonished. Gasps of surprise echoed from all corners of the stands. The young man on the stage was the complete opposite of the disgusting clown from the previous match. Many spectators couldn't understand how two such different people could come from the same group.
"If you ask me, that pink-haired girl is probably going to lose. I've been watching fights in this arena for years, and I'm rarely wrong."
"The battle just started. Isn't it too early to say that?"
"Early? Not at all!" another spectator chimed in. "In a duel between experts, you can tell who's stronger from the very first exchange. The rest of the fight is just the weaker one stalling for time; it won't change the final outcome."
The people nearby who heard this immediately nodded in agreement. The two on the stage had only exchanged a single move, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Huo Feng was stronger than the pink-haired girl. And not just by a little bit. He had casually raised his sword and calmly blocked her full-force attack without his face flushing or his breathing changing. In contrast, she had been knocked back several steps.
"Huo Feng should be able to win this spirit duel in no time," Flender said, nodding with great satisfaction from his seat in the audience. He watched Huo Feng on the stage with a smile, speaking to Zhao Wuji beside him.
The latter also nodded. Now, they finally dared to look up and watch the competition properly. When Tang San was on stage earlier, the two deans had been utterly humiliated. They hadn't dared to breathe too loudly, fearing that someone might connect them to him.
Huo Feng's performance proved that this spirit duel was already decided. Now, it was just a matter of seeing how he would end the battle. Flender and Zhao Wuji finally straightened their backs, a sense of pride returning. This was the normal level of a Shrek Academy student.
Tang San, they thought, had single-handedly lowered the entire academy's average. He had even made them, the deans, feel a bit unconfident.
At this moment, the other Shrek students were also watching the battle intently.
"Boss Dai, did you see when Huo Feng drew his sword?" Ma Hongjun's eyes were wide, and the fat on his face jiggled as he spoke. The sword in Huo Feng's hand had seemed to appear out of thin air, perfectly blocking the attack. The sight had completely stunned him.
"Uh… Cough, cough. Of course, I saw it clearly," Dai Mubai coughed tactically, trying to sound composed. In reality, he hadn't seen it either. But for the sake of his pride, he had to pretend he had.
Fortunately, Ma Hongjun didn't ask any follow-up questions and turned to chat with Oscar. If he had asked for more details, Dai Mubai would have been exposed. He was also puzzled. How could Huo Feng, a strength-attack Spirit Master, be so fast? He had a sinking feeling that if he were to fight Huo Feng again now, he would probably lose even faster than last time. More importantly, he didn't have the courage to challenge him again. Another loss like that might completely shatter his self-confidence.
The three girls next to them were having an even stronger reaction. Zhu Zhuqing remained calm and composed, but Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong had looks of pure infatuation on their faces as they stared at Huo Feng without blinking. It was only because they were wearing masks that the others couldn't see their expressions.
Just then, back on the stage, the pink-haired girl attacked Huo Feng again. She knew there was a gap between their strengths, but for an agility-attack Spirit Master, passive defense was a death sentence. Her only hope was to stay on the offensive.
In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance and was just a few meters in front of Huo Feng.
"Swish—!"
Her third spirit ring suddenly lit up, and a sharp shriek echoed through the arena. The pink-haired girl's body transformed in mid-air. Her clawed hands suddenly extended to ten times their normal length, becoming like ten sharp swords stabbing toward Huo Feng. The spirit power carried by the claws made a popping sound, distorting the air around them. This was clearly the ability granted by her third spirit skill.
She was now right in front of Huo Feng, her suddenly extended claws stabbing at various parts of his body. With the power of her thousand-year spirit ring, her attack power had doubled, making it a strike that no Spirit Master of the same level could withstand.
Huo Feng now seemed to be trapped, with no way to escape. Unexpectedly, he still stood there motionless, like a wooden dummy waiting to be hit.
The crowd in the audience watched the battle intently, discussing it animatedly.
"This kid is too arrogant, isn't he? He's not even going to dodge?"
"Exactly. He's not afraid of messing up; he's just showing off."
"Don't you get it? It's called responding to all changes by remaining unchanged. He'll definitely strike at the last second and turn the tables instantly!"
"Wanna bet on it?"
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