Dai Mubai's Martial Soul was the White Tiger, while Yu Tianheng's was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—both were considered top-tier Beast-type Martial Souls. Although the White Tiger was perhaps a touch inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the difference was marginal. The real gap lay in their Spirit Power levels, with Dai Mubai being one rank lower than Yu Tianheng.
Both roared simultaneously. Empowered by his White Tiger Vajra Transformation, Dai Mubai unleashed his third Spirit Ability—White Tiger Meteor Strike. At the same moment, Yu Tianheng, under the effects of Thunder Fury, activated his own third ability—Thunderclap Burst. Blue and white light clashed in midair with a thunderous boom.
The outcome came swiftly. Thanks to Ning Rongrong's support from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Dai Mubai was pushed back three steps—Yu Tianheng, however, stumbled back four. Dai Mubai held the advantage.
Before Yu Tianheng could recover, Zhu Zhuqing struck. She appeared beside him in a blur, her Nether Thrust targeting the same wound again and again with surgical precision. Yu Tianheng let out a cry of pain as he suffered a serious injury. After finishing her assault, Zhu Zhuqing retreated to Lin Jie's side.
Meanwhile, the Windchime Bird Spirit Master in midair activated all three of his Spirit Rings at once. His wings turned to razor-sharp blades, and his speed spiked sharply as he dove toward Yu Tianheng to assist.
But Lin Jie had been waiting for this.
Though the Windchime Bird user flew above, it didn't matter—Lin Jie flung one of his prepared Lightning Spider Webs directly into the air, blocking the incoming path.
Yu Tianheng, heavily wounded, roared with rage. Seeing his moment, Tang San launched Blue Silver Grass from where he had been hiding. The vines slithered up Yu Tianheng's legs before wrapping tightly around him—he was ensnared again.
Dai Mubai saw his opening. A beam of brilliant white light surged from his mouth—another White Tiger Meteor Strike, this one slamming directly into the helpless Yu Tianheng. Already injured from Zhu Zhuqing's ambush, Yu Tianheng now took the hit head-on, his condition worsening dramatically.
From the rear, Dugu Yan—still protecting Ye Lingling—watched in horror as her beloved was mercilessly pummeled.
"You bastards! How dare you hurt Tianheng?! I'll kill you!" she shrieked.
Her emerald green eyes darkened into a shade of violet, and even the green scales on her snake tail shimmered with a strange purple hue. Then she opened her mouth—and with a hiss—unleashed thick, noxious clouds of violet mist toward Lin Jie. It was her third Spirit Ability: Violet Phosphorus Poison.
But Lin Jie merely smiled.
This was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
Dugu Yan had lost her cool. And in doing so, she'd unknowingly abandoned Ye Lingling—their most crucial support-type Spirit Master. In that instant, she left her unprotected.
The Ghost Leopard and Windchime Bird users saw the spreading poison and instinctively tried to retreat, not daring to risk being poisoned. But Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were already blocking their path, determined not to let them escape.
Panic flickered across the two opponents' faces. Being poisoned by their own teammate would be an absolute disaster.
Back on the battlefield, Lin Jie's body surged with bluish-white lightning as the poisonous mist engulfed him. But none of the Shrek team cried out—they knew this was all part of his plan.
Within the haze, Lin Jie was wreathed in crackling electricity. A thin membrane of lightning wrapped around him, shielding him entirely from the poison. Even if a trace seeped through, he was confident in his own body's resistance—after all, he had tempered it himself.
Electricity crackled. Sparks danced. Lin Jie tilted his head and smiled. "Perfect. That should be fast enough."
But the poison mist didn't discriminate. As it spread, it also swallowed up the already-injured Shi brothers and Yu Tianheng. All three, already weakened, took even more damage.
Dugu Yan, completely unaware that she'd left Ye Lingling exposed, was rushing toward her fallen teammates to try and retrieve them. The Windchime Bird and Ghost Leopard users, still blocked by Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, mistakenly believed their opponents were trying to die with them—and began fighting back with all their strength.
At that very moment, Lin Jie's spiritual web unfolded—though the dense black-purple mist clouded his vision, he was already scanning for movement. Once he confirmed that Dugu Yan had stepped outside Ye Lingling's protective radius, he activated his next move.
A burst of lightning exploded across his body. Then—he vanished.
The Shi brothers, lying helplessly on the ground, caught a glimpse of this and froze in terror. Lin Jie's speed was simply too fast—they couldn't even register how he moved. They wanted to warn their team, but couldn't speak, couldn't move. Already poisoned by Zhu Zhuqing, now further debilitated by Dugu Yan's poison, they were utterly paralyzed.
Elsewhere, Xiao Wu and the Ghost Leopard Spirit Master were both enveloped by the poison mist. Though they tried to hold their breath, some toxins inevitably seeped in—both of their faces were already tinged faintly purple.
The Windchime Bird user wisely soared higher, retreating to the upper air and escaping both Zhu Zhuqing's range and the spreading poison.
As for Zhu Zhuqing herself—she too was now inside the poisonous mist, yet she showed no signs of distress. Her body had long been tempered by Lin Jie. In truth, her Spirit Power wasn't rank 32 as she claimed—it had already reached rank 34, something only she and Lin Jie knew. Plus, with her External Spirit Bone—Eight Spider Lances—and her Thunder Spider Arm Bone, both laden with venom, she had no fear of Dugu Yan's poison.
Dugu Yan never imagined anyone would be immune to her venom, and so gave no thought to Ye Lingling's safety.
But suddenly—
A gust of wind brushed past Dugu Yan's ear.
Her eyes went wide. Slowly, she turned around, only to see someone standing directly behind her.
Her body froze in shock.
It was Lin Jie.
He'd never tested his speed at full power before. Now that he had, even he was surprised by how far it had reached.
In his arms, he held a girl.
Ye Lingling.
The support-type Spirit Master with the Nine-Hearted Begonia Martial Soul.
As a healing and recovery specialist, Ye Lingling had little in the way of combat ability. To Lin Jie, subduing her was no more difficult than catching a kitten.
Ye Lingling was stunned. She didn't even understand how she'd been caught. She lifted her head slightly and looked at the boy holding her.
He was smiling gently.
And admittedly—he was kind of handsome.
Lin Jie, already standing at the edge of the Spirit Arena, looked at her with a smirk. "I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out. Bye-bye."
In the air, the Windchime Bird user saw Ye Lingling in Lin Jie's arms and froze. He was just about to fly in to help—only to pause mid-flight in horror as Lin Jie reached the arena's edge.
Dugu Yan turned in desperation, eyes wide with panic. If Ye Lingling was eliminated, they had no chance of winning. She poured all her strength into racing back to stop him.
But she was a step too late.
Lin Jie lightly lifted Ye Lingling—
—and tossed her out of the arena.
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