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As time swiftly passed, the highly anticipated match officially began.
The Thunder Academy team members walked onto the Spirit Fighting Stage one by one. Dressed in blue combat attire, they exuded a powerful aura of lightning, their presence formidable.
On the Royal Fighting Team's side, Ye Lingling followed behind Xuan Ming, and the two slowly walked onto the stage.
Although the audience was accustomed to the Royal Fighting Team being outnumbered, when they saw only these two individuals take the stage, the venue instantly erupted.
Many spectators couldn't help but voice their doubts, and quite a few emotional people even loudly shouted about a rigged match, causing the entire scene to descend into chaos.
"What kind of strategy is this again?" Gu Rong didn't quite understand.
He could understand Xuan Ming going up alone, as with Xuan Ming's strength, it would be no trouble at all to sweep through the teams in the preliminaries by himself.
He could also understand if Xuan Ming didn't go up and the remaining members did, as even without any coordination, fighting individually, or even haphazardly, the girls' absolute strength would still overwhelm their opponents.
But now, Xuan Ming was taking Ye Lingling to the stage?
"Uncle Gu, today's match, I'm afraid, will be a bit bloody." Ning Fengzhi's brow furrowed slightly, a grave expression on his face.
Gu Rong was slightly startled, "Could it be that he intends to..."
"With this lineup, I can't think of any other possibility." Ning Fengzhi sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
The Thunder Academy's strength was not enough to threaten Xuan Ming, let alone injure him to the point of needing Ye Lingling's healing.
Yet Ye Lingling still took the stage, and she was the only one, so her purpose was beyond doubt.
"School Master Ning, do you know something?" Emperor Xue Ye couldn't help but ask.
In his opinion, although Xuan Ming was powerful, the Spirit Masters he had faced in the Great Spirit Arena in the past were merely self-taught and completely different from the genius Spirit Masters cultivated by major powers like Thunder Academy.
Even if Xuan Ming was invincible in the Great Spirit Arena, he might not easily defeat these academy teams.
Going on stage alone, and only bringing a pure healing Spirit Master, seemed a bit too overconfident.
"Your Majesty, if I'm not mistaken, this healing Spirit Master from the Royal Fighting Team is prepared for Thunder Academy." Ning Fengzhi said.
Emperor Xue Ye was stunned, "For Thunder Academy? What does that mean?"
"So they don't accidentally get beaten to death." Salas said with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Supreme Pontiff, it seems today's match will be very interesting."
"Perhaps." Bibi Dong was a bit distracted.
She was still pondering what Xuan Ming had said earlier: should the finals be held in Spirit City?
From a practical standpoint, causing a disturbance in Spirit City could solve many problems, but that place was ultimately too dangerous.
Even if Xuan Ming was confident about it, she didn't want to take that kind of risk.
Doing it elsewhere, though it might be a bit drawn out, would be safer, and she would have enough time to deal with the troubles.
But if it were in Spirit City, there would be an element of gambling involved... Central Spirit Fighting Arena.
Seeing Xuan Ming only bring a delicate-looking healing Spirit Master, the members of the Thunder Academy team were all furious.
This was simply too disrespectful to them!
Noticing the tense atmosphere, the host, Dou Dou, wasted no words and immediately announced the start of the match. Both sides retreated to their respective preparation zones, began releasing their Spirits, and arranged their formations.
"Just stand still." Xuan Ming led Ye Lingling to an area closer to the edge of the Spirit Fighting Stage.
"Okay." Ye Lingling nodded gently.
"Both sides ready, match—begin!"
As the host, Dou Dou's clear command fell, the atmosphere of the entire Central Spirit Fighting Stage instantly tensed to its limit!
The seven members of the Thunder Academy team charged like seven blue lightning arrows released from a bow, accompanied by crackling, violent electrical light, launching a sudden assault!
Lei Tian took the lead, his third and fourth spirit rings flashing almost simultaneously. His Thunder Eagle wings spread wide, moving so fast that he left afterimages, his target directly the delicate Ye Lingling at the edge—the Nine Heart Begonia had to be dealt with first!
Almost at the same instant, Lei Dong's fourth Spirit Ability, "God Locking Ring," was already launched. The eerie halo, condensed from pure lightning, vanished into thin air, and the next moment it was like a venomous snake, tightly Binding Xuan Ming's body!
The lightning ring suddenly tightened, blinding lightning crazily exploded and surged, emitting a grating "sizzling" sound, instantly engulfing Xuan Ming!
"It worked!" A hint of joy had just risen in the hearts of the Thunder Academy members when the attacks of the other teammates also roared in from all directions. Various Spirit Abilities shone, intertwining into a deadly giant lightning net, vowing to completely tear apart Xuan Ming in the center!
However, just as Lei Tian concentrated all his lightning power and, with a sinister grin, blasted towards the seemingly defenseless Ye Lingling—
"Buzz!"
An invisible barrier quietly appeared, effortlessly nullifying his violent attack.
"You've chosen the wrong opponent." A cold voice quietly sounded behind him.
Lei Tian's pupils contracted sharply, filled with extreme horror!
He didn't even have time to turn his head when an unimaginable immense force slammed heavily into his back!
"Pfft—!"
He was sent flying forward uncontrollably, as if struck head-on by a battering ram, spitting blood wildly as he crashed heavily onto the hard ground of the Spirit Fighting Stage, leaving a dazzling trail of blood and instantly losing his combat ability.
And in the center of the arena, the "God Locking Ring" that had trapped Xuan Ming, with its rampant electrical light—
Xuan Ming merely shook his arm casually!
"Crack!"
That powerful control Spirit Ability, capable of trapping a Spirit King, shattered like fragile glass, turning into scattered electrical debris filling the sky.
Lei Dong's confident expression instantly froze, replaced by disbelief and shock!
From the front, Yu Tianxin had already arrived with the might of the Thunder God's Wrath. His dragon-transformed giant fist, carrying the force to split mountains and crack stones, slammed towards Xuan Ming's face!
From the left and right sides, Lei Mie and Lei Jiuchong's attacks also simultaneously closed in, sealing off all avenues of evasion.
At this moment, the two black dragons behind Xuan Ming, which had been silent, suddenly moved!
They were no longer mere decorations; like two ravenous black lightning bolts, their speed surpassed the visual capture limits of most Spirit Masters, and with a chilling, low roar, they pounced on Lei Mie and Lei Jiuchong on the left and right, respectively!
"Roar!"
Their ferocious dragon mouths opened wide, their fangs, glowing with eerie light, snapped together with precise accuracy!
"Crack! Crack!"
The grating sound of bones breaking was clearly audible throughout the arena, accompanied by the two men's agonizing, distorted screams. Their arms were actually bitten off, and blood gushed out like fountains!
Even more terrifying, an extremely domineering black lightning surged wildly into their bodies through the wounds, bringing destructive paralysis and tearing pain, instantly robbing the two of all ability to resist. They could only twitch helplessly like rag dolls, tightly held by the black dragons.
From the front, Yu Tianxin's dragon fist, which had gathered all his power and was surging with lightning, was effortlessly pinched by a seemingly fair and slender hand.
All the violent lightning power impacted that hand, yet it failed to stir even a ripple, as if a mud ox had entered the sea.
Xuan Ming slightly twisted his wrist.
"Boom!!!"
Yu Tianxin felt an irresistible terrifying force, and his entire world spun as he was violently slammed onto the ground of the Spirit Fighting Stage!
The enormous roar made the entire arena tremble. The hard stage surface cracked inch by inch, centered around Yu Tianxin, forming a shocking, spiderweb-like crater!
His right arm was twisted at an unnatural, physiologically impossible angle, clearly completely broken!
"Referee! This is murder!"
The Thunder Academy teacher protested almost immediately, but the referee at the side merely looked at him calmly, "Do you want to forfeit?"
The teacher's face instantly grew even uglier.
Yu Tianxin had said before going on stage that no matter what happened in the arena, unless he himself gave up, he would never allow surrender!
"Second Uncle, we can't let this continue. If it does, Yu Tianxin will be crippled by Xuan Ming!" Yu Tianheng said anxiously.
He had known Xuan Ming for a long time; he knew all too well how ruthless Xuan Ming could be!
If Xuan Ming had gone on stage alone, it would have been fine, but bringing Ye Lingling with him meant this battle would be a massacre!
A literal massacre!
"Can you stop him?" Yu Xiaogang's face was extremely grim.
Yu Tianxin was his cousin. Seeing him beaten like this, how could he not want to stop it? But before going on stage, Yu Tianxin had said that unless he died or he himself gave up, no one was allowed to surrender for him!
Yu Luomian was Yu Tianxin's biological grandfather!
But now, the second-in-command of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been turned into a cripple by Xuan Ming!
A cripple who needed assistance with daily life!
Now that Yu Tianxin finally had a chance to confront Xuan Ming and get revenge, how could he easily give up?
"Xuan Ming!" Yu Tianxin gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain to stand up. He slammed his left fist towards Xuan Ming's chest, and at the same time, his second spirit ring lit up. Dense, thick lightning erupted from his body, sweeping towards Xuan Ming.
Xuan Ming did not dodge or evade, allowing the punch to land on his chest. The violent lightning exploded, yet it failed to cause even the slightest damage to Xuan Ming.
"Why do you think I used the colorless wall for defense?" Xuan Ming calmly looked at the somewhat incredulous Yu Tianxin.
"Because even if I just stand here like this, your attacks can't cause me any harm at all."
His current body was no different from a ten-thousand-year-old pure-blooded true dragon. With the attacks of these Spirit Elders and Spirit Ancestors, they couldn't even break his defense.
The defense of the colorless wall was just a bit of dignity he left for these people, and also to avoid damaging his clothes.
At least he used a move similar to a self-created Spirit Ability, rather than using nothing at all and just relying on his body to cripple them with two slaps.