The Spirit Elder-level man suddenly lunged at Lin Jie, his massive fist hurtling straight for Lin Jie's head.
With a nimble half-step back, Lin Jie twisted his waist, flipping his body midair. Channeling power into his legs—eighty percent of his full strength—he struck out just as the opponent closed in. His foot slammed into the man's chest, sending him flying backward and crashing hard off the platform.
The host, momentarily stunned at how easily the Spirit Elder was knocked from the stage, blinked in disbelief. But he quickly recovered and announced Lin Jie's victory.
Lin Jie had initially expected the Spirit Elder to be a decent challenge—turned out he only looked strong on the surface. Without wasting any more time, he stepped off the stage and headed toward Zhu Zhuqing's battle arena.
Zhu Zhuqing had just finished her one-on-one match as well—victoriously and with little effort. The two made their way to the two-on-two spirit battle arena.
"Next up, please welcome the Night Bamboo Duo! Their opponents are the Twin Wolf Duo, who have already won three consecutive two-on-two spirit battles. If they win again, it will mark their fourth straight victory at the Spirit Elder level!"
The host's spirited announcement was met with loud cheers and applause as Lin Jie and Zhu Zhuqing's opponents stepped onto the stage.
Two men appeared—both in their twenties, with nearly identical builds and appearances. At first glance, one might mistake them for twins. Their silver-gray hair shimmered under the arena lights, and their sharp gazes carried an unmistakable bloodthirsty gleam.
Wolves, Lin Jie thought. Considering their team name and appearance, their martial souls were almost certainly wolf-type—but he wasn't sure what kind.
One of the men looked at Lin Jie and sneered at his masked face. "Hiding your face? How mysterious."
As the spirit battle officially began, the crowd's excitement reached a fever pitch. The host stepped back and loudly announced, "Round Twelve, Arena Two—First Match of the Two-on-Two Division—Begin!"
The two men suddenly crouched low, bodies expanding, claws extending from their fingertips, their pupils slitting like beasts. Their ears twitched slightly, and silvery fur spread across their skin. They now resembled humanoid silver wolves. A white, yellow, and purple spirit ring lit up around each of them.
As their opponents activated their martial souls, Lin Jie glanced at Zhu Zhuqing. She nodded and activated hers in turn. Her eyes changed—her left eye glowing dark green, her right a clear blue. Two delicate cat ears perked up atop her head, and ten razor-sharp claws extended from her fingers. Two spirit rings emerged—one yellow, one purple.
Lin Jie also released his martial soul. Two yellow rings and one purple ring gleamed brightly. Together, he and Zhu Zhuqing stood bathed in the glow of six spirit rings, lighting up the platform.
Gasps echoed across the spectator stands.
Regulars at the arena were well-versed in spirit ring colors, and from what they could see, the Night Bamboo Duo clearly had the superior ring configuration—both possessed century-level and one millennium-level rings, outclassing the Twin Wolf Duo's weaker lineup.
Many spectators who had previously cheered for the Twin Wolf Duo suddenly shifted their opinions. The arena's atmosphere grew even more electric.
The Twin Wolf Duo, naturally, also saw the difference. But now that the battle had started, they had no choice but to fight.
With a glance between them, the brothers seemed to reach an unspoken understanding. In an instant, they burst forward—legs kicking off the platform as though carried by a sudden gust. As they charged, both activated their spirit abilities—their first and second rings flaring to life. Their claws shimmered and slashed rapidly toward Lin Jie and Zhu Zhuqing.
Lin Jie noted their sudden burst of speed and sharp claw attacks. Judging by the effects, their spirit abilities likely enhanced movement and offensive power—though he didn't know their exact names. Regardless, both he and Zhu Zhuqing reacted with near-inhuman speed.
As Lin Jie shrugged his shoulder and leapt lightly, Zhu Zhuqing mirrored his movement. Midair, Lin Jie suddenly grabbed her by the waist and, with a powerful twist, launched her forward at high velocity.
Her yellow spirit ring flared. Claws fused into a single, foot-long blade as she focused her spirit power. A sharp black glow coalesced—a straight-edge blade formed entirely of compressed energy.
Second Spirit Ability: Nether Hundred Claws.
As she shot forward like an arrow, the Twin Wolf Duo were momentarily shocked by the coordinated airborne counterattack. Even more so, when they saw the force behind it.
Just as Zhu Zhuqing's strike was about to land, both men activated their third rings—purple light flaring. Their bodies swelled, muscles bulging. Their size nearly doubled in an instant.
But they weren't fast enough.
Zhu Zhuqing's claws tore across one of them with brutal precision. A deep gash opened across his back—blood spraying violently.
She landed, immediately retreating before the other could counterattack.
Seeing the other man lash out at Zhu Zhuqing, Lin Jie raised his hand.
Crackling arcs of lightning whip materialized and snapped forward.
One non-lethal arc wrapped cleanly around Zhu Zhuqing's waist, yanking her back to safety. The remaining lashes lashed toward the attacker, who flinched and abandoned his assault to dodge instead.
Lin Jie narrowed his eyes. He's fast. Dodging my lightning like that… Not bad.
The injured brother was now barely standing, blood still pouring from his back. If not for sheer willpower, he might already have collapsed.
The other caught him just in time, frowning as he took in the severity of the wound.
Then he turned to the host and shouted, "We concede!"
The injured one looked up, stunned. "Big bro… What are you saying? I-I can still fight…"
Lin Jie, just about to attack again, froze mid-motion. They're… surrendering?
He glanced again at the bleeding brother—his condition clearly worsening—and then at the one who had called forfeit. So these two really are brothers. Strong bond.
The host hesitated for a moment before loudly declaring:
"The Twin Wolf Duo concedes! Let us congratulate the Night Bamboo Duo on their victory!"
For a moment, those who had cheered for the Twin Wolves were dead silent.
Then, waves of cheers erupted for Lin Jie and Zhu Zhuqing, echoing across the arena.
The two glanced at each other and stepped down from the stage.
Perhaps it was just Shrek Academy's lucky day—every single one-on-one and two-on-two match had ended in victory.
Among the other matchups:
Oscar and Dai Mubai had formed the duo known as Twin-Winged White Tiger, symbolizing how Oscar's support made the Evil-Eyed White Tiger even deadlier.
They had faced a duo composed of offense- and defense-type Spirit Masters. But with Oscar's Swift Flight Mushroom Sausage compensating for Dai Mubai's usual lack of speed—giving him full flight capabilities—Mubai immediately blitzed and sent one opponent flying off the platform. The rest was a clean sweep.
Then there was Ning Rongrong and Ma Hongjun, who called themselves the Seven Treasure Phoenix.
The moment their opponents saw Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, their morale collapsed. After all, the pagoda's reputation across the continent was legendary—and offending the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan wasn't something most dared risk.
With Ning Rongrong's powerful support, even Ma Hongjun—who wasn't a Spirit Elder yet—easily defeated their opponents.