Lin Yifeng tightly closed his eyes, attempting to block out the bewitching power of Hu Liena's Bewitching Fox Soul.
His right hand holding the spear instinctively guarded in front of him, but he neglected her close-quarters offensive.
Seeing this, Hu Liena curled her lips into a sly smile and lightly stepped forward.
Her left shoulder cleverly pressed against Lin Yifeng's spear-wielding wrist, giving a gentle push with skillful force.
"Ugh!"
Lin Yifeng felt a numbness in his wrist, causing the spear to immediately veer off course and expose an opening in his chest.
In that instant, Hu Liena clenched both fists, concentrated Soul Power on their surfaces, and struck his chest three times in rapid succession like lightning.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Three dull thuds sounded one after another. Lin Yifeng was forced back repeatedly, his chest churning with energy and blood, his face instantly flushing red.
He instinctively tried to retreat to create distance, but Hu Liena had already anticipated his move. She pushed off forcefully with her feet, her body shooting forward like an arrow—
"Final strike, Iron Mountain Lean!"
Her shoulder collided hard with Lin Yifeng's chest. This lean concentrated all her physical strength and Soul Power, carrying an irresistible momentum.
"Pfft!"
Lin Yifeng could no longer hold back, spitting out a mouthful of turbid air as his entire body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, landing heavily on the arena platform.
His spear also flew out of his hand, clattering as it landed in the distance.
He struggled to get up but only felt intense pain in his chest and sluggish circulation of his Soul Power, unable to muster any strength.
Hu Liena stood in place, retracting her stance. The Fox Spirit Avatar quietly dissipated. Though her breathing was somewhat rapid, her eyes remained bright and sharp.
The referee quickly stepped forward to check and, seeing that Lin Yifeng could no longer fight, immediately raised his arm:
"Hu Liena wins!"
A wave of enthusiastic cheers rose from below the stage. Su Yu stood off the platform, watching Hu Liena's figure with full admiration in his eyes.
He hadn't expected her to not only possess exquisite control-type Spirit Abilities but also such solid close-combat skills.
The Iron Mountain Lean he taught her was executed even faster and more fiercely than he anticipated.
Hu Liena walked down from the arena and approached Su Yu, rubbing her slightly reddened shoulder as she smiled:
"Done!"
"Impressive." Su Yu handed her a clean handkerchief. "Next, it's time to watch Tuoba Yu and Yan."
The two turned to look at another arena where the battle was reaching a critical moment.
On the platform, Yan's Flame Earth Lord Spirit was spewing blazing flames, scorching the White Armor Earth Dragon Scale Armor covering Tuoba Yu.
Sparks flew in all directions. Though the surface of the scale armor blackened, it remained unbroken.
"Are you just going to hide in your shell?"
Sweat beaded on Yan's forehead, his Soul Power consumption significant, his tone carrying some frustration as he intensified the force controlling the flames.
Tuoba Yu's eyes darkened. Allowing the flames to burn across his scale armor, he suddenly pushed off powerfully with his feet.
The pressure of the White Armored Earth Dragon erupted abruptly. His figure charged straight toward Yan like an armored chariot, plowing through the flames.
"Time to end this!"
He let out a low shout, both fists clenched tightly and covered with a layer of gleaming white dragon scales. With brute force, he ignored the flames Yan swung at him and hammered them hard into Yan's chest.
"Thud!"
A dull thud echoed. Yan felt a tremendous force surge toward him like a tidal wave.
His whole body felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, flying backward uncontrollably.
He traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily near the edge of the arena, kicking up a cloud of dust.
He struggled to get up but suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. The glow of Yan's Flame Earth Lord Martial Soul instantly dimmed, clearly indicating he no longer had the strength to fight.
Tuoba Yu retracted his fist, the flames on his scale armor gradually extinguishing, leaving only a few scorch marks.
He took a deep breath, gazing at the fallen Yan without uttering another word, simply standing quietly in place.
Seeing this, the referee immediately announced, "Tuoba Yu wins!"
A wave of astonished exclamations rose from below the stage. The power of the White Armored Earth Dragon was indeed overwhelming—this punch had been an almost crushing victory.
Hu Liena also frowned slightly. "Such formidable strength. If he gets close, it would be very difficult to handle."
Su Yu nodded. "Next, it will be the three of us competing for the top."
At that moment, the referee began arranging the final draw.
"Next match! Su Yu versus Tuoba Yu!"
The referee's voice echoed across the arena. Su Yu and Tuoba Yu exchanged a glance and simultaneously stepped onto the arena.
After a brief rest, both had stabilized their breathing.
The White Armored Earth Dragon scale armor behind Tuoba Yu gleamed coldly. He looked at Su Yu, his eyes no longer holding the previous contempt he had shown toward Yan, instead filled with a heightened fighting spirit.
"Su Yu! You're strong. I know I may not be your match!" Tuoba Yu clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "But in my dictionary, there is no such phrase as 'surrender without a fight'!"
Before his words faded, the first soul ring at his feet lit up. The aura of the White Armored Earth Dragon Martial Soul surged once more, covering his body in a layer of white scale armor.
Su Yu gave a slight nod, his expression serious. "I won't hold back."
At the referee's command, Tuoba Yu launched the first attack.
Unlike his direct charge against Yan, he moved with interchanging steps, advancing at a steady yet swift pace. His fist, cutting through the air with a sharp sound, aimed straight for Su Yu's center.
Clearly, he had observed Su Yu's agility from the previous match and didn't want to give him much room to utilize Wood Release.
Su Yu neither dodged nor avoided. The moment the fist neared, he slid half a step back with his foot while raising his right hand to block Tuoba Yu's punch.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
Several flexible wooden vines shot from his palm, coiling like agile snakes toward Tuoba Yu's arm.
"Petty tricks!"
Tuoba Yu snorted coldly, sweeping his left arm horizontally. His scale-armored arm slammed directly into the vines, intending to shatter them.
But Su Yu's vines were unusually resilient. Upon impact, they only trembled slightly and instead tightened their grip using the force.
"Huh?"
Frowning, Tuoba Yu was about to exert strength to break free when Su Yu's figure ghostly circled to his side and rear.
Forming a palm with his left hand, Su Yu struck toward the waist area on Tuoba Yu's back that wasn't fully covered by the scale armor.
"Quick reflexes! First Soul Skill: Earth Dragon Protection!"
A white-gold light enveloped Tuoba Yu as he forcefully broke free from the wooden vines with his arms.
Su Yu's palm striking his waist felt as if he had hit a solid rock.
Interesting. His first soul skill is a buff-type spirit ability!
"Wood Style: Thorns Kill Technique!"
Su Yu shouted low, thrusting both arms forward abruptly. Several arm-thick wooden strips extended along his forearms, instantly winding around Tuoba Yu's waist.
Though the wooden strips couldn't pierce the White Armored Earth Dragon's scale armor, they tightly embedded into the gaps between the scales, restricting his movements.
Tuoba Yu's face darkened as he felt the constraint around his waist. Without hesitation, he threw both fists together, hammering the wooden strips at his waist with fierce, forceful blows.
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, the wooden strips trembled violently, cracks instantly appearing on their surface.
Seeing this, Tuoba Yu felt a surge of joy and was about to gather Soul Power for another strike to completely shatter the restraints.
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred!
The cracked wooden strips abruptly began to wriggle intensely, as if they were alive.