Elder Ma's eyes shone as he stared at Firefly, his mind racing: if she could cooperate with Mingde Hall's research, perhaps humanoid soul tool technology would advance by leaps and bounds.
But just as he was lost in this pleasant fantasy, he suddenly felt a chilling gaze upon him.
He instinctively looked over and saw, in a corner of the stands, a beautiful woman with silver hair and a black blindfold quietly watching him.
Even though her eyes were hidden, Elder Ma felt a tangible, icy pressure, making his hair stand on end and cold sweat run down his back.
"Snow Moon Douluo!"
He shuddered, face turning fearful as he quickly averted his gaze, not daring to entertain such thoughts.
He suddenly remembered: the girl on the field was from St. Freya Academy, which had a supreme expert like Snow Moon Douluo backing it—his earlier thoughts were foolish.
Meanwhile, in the Shrek Academy lounge, Ma Xiaotao trembled involuntarily, staring blankly at Firefly on the stage.
She felt her Phoenix True Fire within going berserk as if it wanted to submit to Firefly's flames. She unconsciously muttered, "Ultimate Fire…"
"Yuhao, that's Ultimate Fire!" At almost the same time, voices of surprise echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind—Bingbing and Skydream Iceworm.
"What did you say?" Wang Yan, looking incredulous, turned around sharply. Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and the others stared at Ma Xiaotao in shock.
They had felt Firefly's flames were terrifyingly powerful, having witnessed An Lengye's ice instantly vaporize under her heat.
But none of them imagined she possessed an ultimate attribute—such soul masters were exceedingly rare, even in Shrek's long history.
In this generation, only Huo Yuhao had an ultimate attribute; Ma Xiaotao herself would have to reach Title Douluo level before she could hope to refine her fire into Ultimate Fire.
"That's right. It's the Ultimate Fire martial soul!" Ma Xiaotao nodded gravely.
She knew that a Soul King-level ultimate fire soul master was an overwhelming counter to her.
Even as a Soul Sage, against Firefly's ultimate fire, she would be thoroughly suppressed.
Just as Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice completely restrained Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao's fire would be useless against Firefly, while Firefly could burn her to ashes!
"How can this be?" Wang Yan wiped the sweat from his brow, deeply worried.
How could they fight this match?
Their ace, Ma Xiaotao, was utterly restrained, and the rest of St. Freya's line-up was also formidable.
Worse, all seven of St. Freya's contestants were under fifteen, meaning they could compete again next tournament.
If they're this strong already, how could anyone challenge them next time?
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion shattered the silence of the arena.
Firefly, wreathed in flame, pressed down with her foot, creating a deep crater in the ground.
Using the recoil, she shot forward like a burning meteor toward Qianling's ice-covered shield wall.
The silver mecha, trailing waves of heat, carved a blazing arc through the sky, heading straight for the impenetrable defense.
The atmosphere was tense and electrifying.
The audience held their breath, hearts pounding as they stared at the arena.
Firefly raised her right arm, fist blazing as the flames compressed and intensified, warping the very air around her.
The silver mecha was now like a miniature sun, distorting the air in its wake.
"Boom!"
As her fist struck the shield wall, a deafening explosion rang out, shockwaves radiating from the point of impact and raising clouds of dust.
Qianling's ice shield melted instantly under the heat.
The yellow shield wall inside fared no better, shuddering like a seawall under a hurricane before collapsing.
Sparks flew as fire met shield, illuminating the smoky arena like daylight.
Suddenly, a towering pillar of fire shot up, piercing the sky.
This punch was like a miniature nuclear blast, creating a mushroom cloud.
Qianling's unbreakable wall vanished in an instant, the shield fragments melted by the heat.
The resulting shockwave sent the four Rhinoceros Shield soul masters flying.
Desperate to survive the scalding air, they frantically maintained their soul power shields, draining their power rapidly.
Spectators saw only a blinding flash and a giant fireball rising into the sky, turning the heavens blood-red as if a new sun had been ignited.
At the critical moment, Dan Heng appeared instantly.
A green whirlwind formed in his palm, wrapping the four defense soul masters and gently tossing them out of bounds.
Had he not intervened, they would have been burned to ashes after their soul power ran dry.
As the flames subsided, the tall silver mecha strode steadily out of the fire.
Behind her was a bottomless crater dozens of meters wide.
The memory-metal arena floor had melted into a pool of lava.
Everyone present was stunned by this display.
With just one punch, Firefly had demonstrated terrifying power!
Who could have imagined that the soft, adorable Firefly could be so ferocious, with such destructive force?
On the other side, Gu Yue and March 7th looked at Qianling's team with a hint of sympathy.
Anyone else on their team might have gone easier, but Lu Jingming had chosen Firefly to take the first strike.
They had seen such scenes before—Firefly's attacks were always the most spectacular.
"Clang!"
A scarlet flash; Lu Jingming, spear in hand, shot to Shen Ce like a crimson lightning bolt.
He thrust his spear, clashing fiercely with Shen Ce's, sparks flying.
"Focus—the fight isn't over yet!" Lu Jingming said calmly, but his spear gave Shen Ce no respite.
He spun his wrist, turning the spear into countless afterimages, forcing Shen Ce into a desperate defense.
Even with Fei Yuyan's buffs, Shen Ce was outmatched in both speed and power.
Meanwhile, An Lengye snapped out of her shock at Firefly's punch.
Seeing Shen Ce in danger, she decisively commanded the Frost Giant Bear to charge at Firefly.
At the same time, her hands formed seals, movements fluid and graceful.
A snow-white mark appeared on her brow, her blue hair turning snow-white, and her eyes becoming icy. She seemed almost like a spirit of winter.
The bear roared, sending a frigid wave racing outward.
Moisture in the air formed countless ice crystals, glittering in the sun.
But as the cold wave neared Firefly, it was instantly dispersed by her heat.
The bear, however, was just a distraction. An Lengye's real trump card was herself.
She gathered the cold wind into a massive ice tornado, swirling with frigid power and hurling it at Firefly.
"That's… a soul bone skill! She has a rare head soul bone!" Gu Yue exclaimed, surprised.
With Firefly having taken out four of the enemy, and Lu Jingming locked in a duel, there was little need for others to act.
"It's a ten-thousand-year soul bone!" Jinhsi added, sending four golden streaks from her palm toward Fei Yuyan, who was trying to support Shen Ce in the air.
The streaks chased Fei Yuyan relentlessly, forcing her to dodge wildly and leaving her no chance to help her teammates.
Facing the oncoming ice tornado, Firefly showed no fear.
Her flames burned even brighter as she reached out and, to An Lengye's disbelief, grabbed the tornado and tore it in half.
The audience gasped at this shocking scene.
The tornado exploded into a flurry of snowflakes.
"Boom!"
Before An Lengye could recover, a figure slammed into her bear, shattering it into mist.
The mimic martial soul broken, An Lengye suffered backlash, her face turning pale as blood trickled from her lips.
Looking back, she saw Shen Ce collapsed in a crater, clearly defeated.
At the same time, Lu Jingming's spear rested at her throat.
"Continue?" Lu Jingming asked calmly.
An Lengye bit her lip, tasting blood.
She looked up at her teammates—Fei Yuyan still being chased in the sky, Shen Ce helpless on the ground, and the dominating silver mecha—and knew the outcome was certain.
Helpless, she raised her hands.
"We concede!"