At that moment, a trace of triumph appeared on Huo Wu's exquisite face as she looked at Lin Jie with a radiant, self-satisfied smile.
Huo Wu was undeniably beautiful. Among all the girls Lin Jie had encountered, she easily ranked in the top five—every curve accentuated where it should be, her figure flawless. Her face, delicate and refined, featured large dreamy eyes, a petite and perfect nose, and lips like cherry blossoms. With elegant cheekbones and flowing crimson curls cascading down to her waist, she looked radiant and confident as she smiled. If there were a ranking for beauty among the tournament's participants, she would certainly be in the top five.
But when she looked at Lin Jie again, expecting to see anxiety or unease, she was instead met with a calm, faintly smiling expression. That smile wasn't one of amusement—it was more like… mockery.
"You really think such tactics will work on me? Too naïve," Lin Jie said with a light chuckle.
As he spoke, he raised one hand, extending a single finger—and beckoned them forward.
Seeing his provocative gesture, Huo Wushuang and the others were instantly furious. How arrogant could one be!
The ones who lost control first were the twin Fire Crane Spirit Masters. With a beat of their wings, they charged at Lin Jie from two angles. Huo Wushuang followed immediately, his draconic claws aimed directly at Lin Jie's chest.
Their assault was swift—practically instantaneous. They closed in from the front, left, and right, leaving Lin Jie with only one direction to retreat: backward. But Huo Wu had foreseen this. As they attacked, she subtly shrank her Defying Flame Ring behind Lin Jie. If he tried to retreat, he'd be bounced right back—directly into the trio's combined strike.
Seeing that the attacks were about to land, Tai Long and the others outside the ring grew anxious. No matter how strong Lin Jie was, could he really escape this encirclement unscathed?
But compared to their concern, Xiao Wu and Dai Mubai remained perfectly calm.
They had their reasons.
Dai Mubai knew Lin Jie's strength better than almost anyone. Back when he first joined Shrek, he'd challenged Lin Jie several times out of pride—and lost badly each time. Even when multiple teammates teamed up against Lin Jie, the outcome was the same. Lin Jie had used a strange movement technique that allowed him to dodge everything while barely even moving. Dai Mubai still remembered how Grandmaster once had him spar with Lin Jie—no matter how he attacked, Lin Jie never even had to take a step. One clean strike, and Dai Mubai was down. That footwork was unforgettable.
Xiao Wu, naturally, also knew how terrifying Lin Jie's strength truly was.
—
In the contestant viewing area:
"How's he going to dodge this? Is it…?" Tang San narrowed his eyes, activating his Purple Demon Eye to its limit as he stared at Lin Jie. He wanted to understand this mysterious footwork that even surpassed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
Back in the arena, just as Huo Wushuang's claws were about to connect, Lin Jie still hadn't moved.
But within his body, his Spirit Power, internal force, and lightning energy were already surging at astonishing speed.
At the very moment Huo Wushuang's claws reached him, Lin Jie gave a faint smile. But then—Huo Wushuang froze.
His claws had passed through Lin Jie's body.
Momentum carried him forward a step before he managed to steady himself. Behind him, Huo Yun and Huo Yu, who had attacked right after him, found themselves in the same situation. Their strikes also passed right through Lin Jie, and they stumbled slightly, stunned.
The audience was equally bewildered. From their view, it looked like the three clearly struck Lin Jie, so why did they all look like they'd missed?
But the real shock came an instant later.
Lin Jie… appeared right in front of Huo Wu.
"What?! How did he get there?!"
"Did you see that?!"
"No! One second he was over there—then suddenly…?!"
Gasps and murmurs filled the stands.
In the VIP area, Ning Fengzhi was also momentarily stunned. Just now, Lin Jie had moved so fast that he'd left an afterimage in place—only a blur of movement had been visible, even to his eyes.
"Uncle Jian, did you see clearly?" he asked, turning to Sword Douluo Chen Xin.
"Mmm," Sword Douluo replied gravely. "Incredibly fast. That kind of speed… it's not something someone at his level should be capable of."
"Could it be… a Spirit Bone ability?" Ning Fengzhi speculated.
Even Emperor Xue Ye, who had maintained a calm smile the entire time, was inwardly shocked.
Back in the contestant viewing stands, Tang San stared wide-eyed at Lin Jie. He had his Purple Demon Eye pushed to the peak of its Intermediate realm, and had been fully circulating his Spirit Power to maintain it. Yet all he had seen… was a blur.
"Lin Jie… just how much strength are you hiding?" he whispered.
Huo Wu's eyes widened as Lin Jie suddenly appeared before her. Her brain froze. There had been over twenty meters between them!
So how had he done it?
The answer lay in Lin Jie's unique movement technique. It all began with the lateral step training he'd done long ago. Through countless repetitions, he discovered that those lateral dashes had more potential. After refining and evolving the technique, he developed what he now used: Slanted Z Flash Step.
Earlier, Huo Wu had been directly opposite Lin Jie, while Huo Wushuang and the twins had attacked from the sides. But between their attack angles, a small gap had been left. Lin Jie had used that opening, executing his Slanted Z Flash Step to appear in front of Huo Wu before anyone could react.
It had looked effortless—but it was anything but easy to pull off.
"Y-You… how did you…?" Huo Wu's voice trembled. She stared at Lin Jie in disbelief.
Lin Jie didn't waste time answering.
He raised one hand—and a lightning serpent as thick as an arm burst forth, shooting directly at Huo Wu from less than three meters away. Its speed was terrifying. Caught off guard and momentarily stunned by Lin Jie's sudden appearance, Huo Wu had no chance to dodge.
Fsssh!
The lightning serpent streaked toward her like a meteor.
"XIAO WU!" Huo Wushuang shouted behind her, voice cracking in panic.
But it was too late.