At that moment, as the entire stage was locked down by Shui Bing'er's control, a massive Frost Phoenix energy construct began to form beneath the feet of the two girls.
"Brother Ignaz, I'm sorry. This time, victory in this two-on-two belongs to Skywater Academy."
Ignaz had just broken free of the ice, but even as his body regained movement, the extreme cold of this frozen domain kept draining his spirit power at a terrifying rate.
Behind him, Ye Lingling was still trapped in the ice. If he didn't stop this enhanced Ice Snow Dance fusion skill immediately, Lingling would be injured. He had wanted to test its true power, but there was no point holding back anymore.
"Stormy Night: Piercing Gale Beyond a Thousand Miles."
The Frost Phoenix dove, its massive form about to slam into Ignaz. Shui Bing'er's heart clenched—then, in a flash, a blood-red lightning spear tore upward from Ignaz's hand, smashing headlong into the falling phoenix.
The air itself split with a deafening crack. Everyone—Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, the teachers, and even the students in the stands—felt as though their lungs had seized.
*Bang!*
The phoenix's head exploded on impact, followed quickly by its wings and tail. The glorious form shattered into glittering shards of ice, scattering across the arena floor.
The backlash of the broken fusion skill hit Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu hard. Their spirit power drained in an instant, leaving them pale and exhausted. The fusion crumbled, and both girls plummeted toward the ground.
Ignaz moved lightly, springing up. He caught one girl at his left, the other at his right, and landed smoothly.
"Bing'er, Xue Wu, are you alright?"
Bing'er's expression was conflicted, her voice edged with frustration.
"How did you do it? Even with overwhelming power, it should've been impossible to break our strongest attack without a scratch."
Everyone in the arena was thinking the same thing. All they had seen was the flash of his throw and the shift in the air, yet a single spear had annihilated their most powerful move.
Could Ignaz really be just a Spirit King?
The teachers in the stands exchanged grave looks.
"That strike… it was a self-created spirit ability."
"Exactly. If it were a normal spirit ring skill, we'd have felt the spirit ring's energy fluctuations. But there was nothing."
"So from the very start, Ignaz never intended to use spirit ring abilities. That move was his own creation. And what a domineering technique it is—just one attack and even *we* could hardly breathe."
"Maybe, but it's not perfect. That spear was a straight-line attack. If Bing'er and Xue Wu had realized it sooner, dodging would've been possible."
…
The crowd of female students now understood, and awe blazed in their eyes. Their admiration shifted into something fiercer: respect mixed with envy.
"A self-created ability… and he's only a rank 50 Spirit King. Even if the move has limits, it proves just how powerful he really is."
"At the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament, with just that move, hardly anyone will be able to stand against him."
Shui Bing'er, however, could only look down from the stage in quiet disappointment. Their carefully laid plan had failed.
Dugu Yan herself was unsettled, thrown off by the unexpected trump card. Their fusion skill hadn't been enough. Facing Ignaz was going to be far harder than any of them had imagined.
Yet despite their frustration, the three girls—Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Shui Bing'er—also felt a strange happiness. Ignaz's talent was undeniable. Especially Dugu Yan, who studied him with sharper eyes now, convinced he was hiding even deeper secrets.
"Ignaz, what else are you keeping from us? Tell me honestly."
The more she looked at him, the more she felt like he was a treasure chest without a bottom, always revealing another hidden wonder. Whale Rubber, self-created spirit abilities—who knew what else he concealed?
Ignaz's expression grew serious.
"This technique was thanks to you three. Bing'er, Xue Wu, and you, Little Sis Yan. It was only just now, under the pressure you gave me, that I grasped the essence of this half-formed self-created ability."
"What?!"
"You mean… just now?"
The three women exchanged skeptical glances. Was he really claiming to have invented such a terrifying technique on the spot?
Seeing their disbelief, Ignaz waved it off.
"Enough. It's nothing worth fussing over. I learned a self-created spirit ability—you should be happy. With this, half a year from now, at the Continental Tournament, our chances of winning the championship just got a lot stronger."
The girls gave him faint, doubtful smiles. Who knew how many more secrets he was hiding—one self-created ability, or maybe two, three, or even more?
Afterward, Vast Sea Academy exchanged tactics and held one-on-one sparring matches with Skywater Academy. They lingered there for nearly half a month before Ignaz finally led his team back to Vast Sea City. Shui Bing'er personally escorted them to the city gates to see them off.
…
Meanwhile, as the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Tournament drew closer, academies across the continent grew more intense in their training. Every student was desperate to raise their spirit power before the games began.
At Blue Tyrant Academy, Little San and his friends were no different. But unlike the others, Little San sat cross-legged on the grass, a troubled frown etched into his face.
"No… impossible. It's been nearly a year, and my spirit power has only just reached rank 34. But Boss Dai has already broken through rank 40. If I enter the tournament like this, how can I possibly compete with the strongest opponents?"
He clenched his fists, brows furrowed.
"Should I give my Clear Sky Hammer a spirit ring? If I do, my spirit power will surge to Spirit Ancestor in no time. Then I'll finally have the strength to face whatever surprises the tournament throws at us."