At this point, every time Lei Tian tried to lock onto Xiao Wu's position, she would break the lock with a Teleport, then immediately spring to the side.
Teleport, then leap—just far enough to slip past the edge of his attack radius—forcing him to adjust course and reacquire his target.
While she jumped, she deliberately used Waist Bow; her movement never paused for even a heartbeat. She kept changing direction in wide arcs, always cutting through the Thunder Eagle's visual blind spots.
That meant she only needed to Teleport a fraction of a second before the unavoidable, just early enough to disrupt his lock. The Thunder Eagle could never pour its full power directly onto her.
Li Chang'an had anticipated all this when he coached Xiao Wu. He'd already guessed she would meet Lei Tian.
Teleportation costs a fair bit of soul power, true—but as a third soul skill for a Spirit Master past level forty, it was well within her means.
And since Teleport itself carries no attack payload, its consumption is actually lighter than many other third-ring skills.
In gaming terms, it was like having Flash on a cooldown so short it might as well be spammable. No matter how fast Cloud Rider flies, he's still a rookie if I can blink forever.
Lei Tian was in a different bind. He was burning two strongest skills at once. The giant Thunder Eagle looked spectacular, but it chewed through his soul power to maintain and steer—and every change of direction cost him dearly.
Advantage in the air? Not when your fuel tank empties faster than your opponent's.
As a traveler who knew the "plot," Li Chang'an had expected Thunder Academy to press with maximum burst. His plan for Xiao Wu included no offense at all—only survival and attrition.
If Lei Tian had stayed on the ground, kept his distance, and fought a straight fight with four skills and higher soul power, Xiao Wu might well have been the one to lose. Lightning at range inherently restrains her close-combat style—especially after her earlier exertions.
But Lei Tian did exactly what Li Chang'an predicted—he tried to crush her in one decisive strike.
That let Xiao Wu execute the preplanned pattern to perfection.
By the time the exchange reached its final beats, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Before Xiao Wu ran out of soul power, Lei Tian did.
His two concurrent skills dragged him dry. With a token command, the Thunder Eagle crashed down in a last, sloppy dive—blasting a crater in the center of the field and nothing more.
Xiao Wu hadn't thrown a single offensive strike.
Lei Tian stumbled out of the dust, scorched and unsteady, and could no longer continue.
Victory to Xiao Wu.
Thunder Academy's bench grew visibly grim.
Crimson Rose had used four fighters so far, and yes—Xiao Wu's soul power was obviously depleted.
But Li Chang'an hadn't even stepped onto the stage yet.
Thunder Academy had already lost four. They still had fighters, but winning now would be… unlikely.
As expected, Xiao Wu stepped down—and Li Chang'an stepped up, clearly ready to sweep the last three.
Thunder Academy sent their vice-captain: Lei Dong, Level 43 control-type Spirit Ancestor. Martial soul: Thunder Spider.
He was their strongest controller. Though a hair beneath the captain overall, his battlefield presence was formidable.
Martial Soul: Possession!
Cracks of power snapped along Lei Dong's back as eight arcs of lightning unfurled, forming spider-like legs. They weren't as long as Tang San's Eight Spider Lances, but they looked just as unnerving.
Beyond those eight thunder-legs, his appearance barely changed. Two yellow and two purple rings rose—proof enough of his strength.
Li Chang'an's setup was far simpler. He still appeared as a mere two-ring combatant—Taibai Sword in hand, and behind him, two ten-thousand-year soul rings pulsing like a quiet threat.
At the referee's signal, Lei Dong raised both hands from his sides and pressed them down. His third soul ring lit.
The eight thunder-legs stabbed into the ground.
From his palms, concentric circles of blue lightning rippled—not toward Li Chang'an, but into the arena floor.
Blue radiance webbed out beneath the stone, spreading in a crackling mesh.
When the net reached a twenty-meter diameter, it stabilized—not large enough to blanket the field, but large enough to matter.
With the web established, Lei Dong began to advance, step by step.
He halted abruptly. Hands flipped, palms up, arms lifting—
and the blue net rose from the ground like a glowing veil and drifted into the air.
Lei Dong's eyes snapped open. With a shout, he flung the net forward.
It homed in on Li Chang'an, tracking his movement in midair.
A tracking field?
Li Chang'an lifted the Taibai Sword. His first soul ring glowed.
Against a pursuer you can't outrun, flight is the worst choice.
The best answer is simple: cut it down.
First Soul Skill—Heavenly Cleave!
A pale, azure-white blade-arc roared forward—domineering and irresistible.
With a sharp crack, the blue net shattered. Lei Dong staggered back several steps.
'So this is the power of a ten-thousand-year first skill. Terrifying—just as expected.'
But Lei Dong's fourth soul ring flared at once.
His intent was obvious: drain Li Chang'an's soul power.
Now was the time to press a high-cost control.
Blue brilliance surged from both forearms. The eight thunder-legs snapped up, spouting arcs that twined with the light from his hands.
A glowing ring, three meters across and as thick as a man's arm, formed before him.
Fourth Soul Skill—Godlock Ring!
And it couldn't be dodged—only endured.
Blue light flashed. Li Chang'an's entire body seized with numbness.
The three-meter ring constricted, shrinking to the width of his waist and clamping him tight.
"Heh. A thunder-attribute Godlock Ring," Li Chang'an's voice came cool and amused. "But tell me—do you think lightning works on me?"
Before their eyes, his skin deepened to dark violet. Fine arcs crawled over him, lightning blooming across his shoulders and wrists.
In stunned silence, they watched the Godlock Ring's electrical current wink out—while the lightning wreathing Li Chang'an grew denser.
He lifted both hands, gripped the ring, and peeled it off—then crushed it to glittering shards.
"What—he has the lightning attribute too?!"
Around the arena, those who knew Li Chang'an lost their composure.
Lightning, fire, ice, an ultimate-attribute weapon martial soul, and two ten-thousand-year soul rings…
Just who in the world is he?!