As soon as Huo Wu activated her Ring Fusion talent and combined her four soul rings into one, she immediately drew the crowd's attention.
After all, it was extremely rare for anyone to fuse their soul rings together.
Ning Fengzhi looked over in surprise, thinking to himself:
"I didn't expect this young girl to have the Ring Fusion talent too!"
As the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi naturally also possessed this rare ability.
Not just him—his daughter Ning Rongrong could perform Ring Fusion as well.
Tang San, equally astonished by Huo Wu's technique, turned to Grandmaster and asked,
"Teacher, what kind of ability allows someone to fuse all their soul rings together?"
Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others also looked toward Yu Xiaogang, curious how he would explain it.
Yu Xiaogang calmly responded:
"This isn't a technique—it's a rare innate talent known as Ring Fusion."
"With Ring Fusion, a soul master can channel the power of all their soul rings into a single soul skill, dramatically enhancing its output."
"Not only that, but the fused soul power gets compressed, triggering explosive force that doubles the skill's impact."
"So the attack she's about to unleash may very well have the destructive power of a twenty-thousand-year soul skill."
"And most importantly—once she locks onto a target, the soul skill won't stop until it hits."
Ma Hongjun gasped:
"That's insane! This Ring Fusion talent is busted!"
Dai Mubai grew tense:
"Then Zhu Zhuqing is in danger. Can we still forfeit?"
Tang San quickly added:
"Teacher, we can still concede, right? Huo Wu's skill must drain her soul power heavily. If we give up now and I go up next, I should be able to finish the match quickly."
Yu Xiaogang shook his head:
"No. Once the soul skill is activated and the target is locked, it can't be stopped. Now it all depends on Zhu Zhuqing's experience."
On the arena, Huo Wu sneered after successfully fusing her rings:
"Flame Dance: Solar Flare!"
A massive fireball, even larger than in the qualifiers, erupted like a miniature sun core and surged toward Zhu Zhuqing.
"As one of the Five Elemental Academies, Blaze Academy won't allow a six-streak sweep by Shrek," Huo Wu vowed internally.
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned.
"Fusing soul rings like that… What kind of technique is this?"
She quickly began to dodge, knowing full well this was not something she could block head-on.
The stage became a blur of movement as Zhu Zhuqing desperately avoided the fireball, which relentlessly followed her.
"I've been locked onto," she realized, scanning for a way out.
Meng Shenji announced to the audience:
"The Blaze Academy's Huo Wu is using a rare innate talent. Let's see how Zhu Zhuqing handles this!"
Outside the arena, Huo Wushuang was thrilled:
"No one in her rank can stop this move!"
Even Lin Fan grew curious:
"Zhuqing, how will you escape this one?"
Despite the dire situation, Zhu Zhuqing stayed calm.
Sometimes, it's only in danger that a person can unleash their hidden potential.
She was fully focused, her awareness heightened.
While running, she began observing Huo Wu.
That's when she noticed—Huo Wu seemed unable to use any other soul skills.
"The most dangerous place is often the safest. If she can't use her Flame Repulsion Ring, then my speed is the key. If I get close enough, I can win."
Zhu Zhuqing made up her mind. Instead of retreating, she began moving toward Huo Wu.
"What is she doing? Planning to drag me down with her?" Huo Wu was momentarily confused by the sudden charge.
"But with Ring Fusion, I can't use Flame Repulsion Ring…"
Whoosh!
Zhu Zhuqing appeared in front of her.
"Your attack is strong, but this is a one-on-one match. Without teammates to protect you, you are the biggest flaw in your strategy."
"So why haven't you canceled the skill yet?"
Huo Wu coldly responded:
"Once it's activated, it can't be canceled. It must hit the target."
"For Blaze Academy's honor, I'd rather die than let you win six straight!"
With that, Huo Wu grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's arm and locked her in an unbreakable hold.
Zhu Zhuqing was caught off guard by her sheer resolve.
"You don't want to lose, and neither do I!" she responded, unwilling to shame her Titled Douluo master, even if Lin Fan wasn't there to witness it.
"Then let's die together!" Huo Wu declared fiercely.
"Let go! You've used a huge amount of soul power for this attack. If it hits, you won't survive it."
"I won't!" Huo Wu refused without hesitation.
"Then we're both going down!" Zhu Zhuqing said in frustration.
Seeing no other way, she gathered her soul power and, dragging Huo Wu with her, leapt off the edge of the arena just before the fireball could strike.
"Both competitors have stepped out of bounds. The match ends in a draw. Blaze Academy has now used all seven participants. Victory goes to Shrek Academy!" Meng Shenji announced.
"Wait, you can do that?!" Oscar blinked in disbelief.
"It's the safest move she could've made," Yu Xiaogang replied with a rare smile.
However, although both girls had exited the arena, the fireball—Solar Flare—continued chasing Zhu Zhuqing.
Without needing the Emperor's command, Meng Shenji immediately revealed eight soul rings, unleashing a Soul Douluo-level technique to shatter the fireball midair.
Even though the attack had the power of a twenty-thousand-year soul skill, the gap in strength was still too vast.
That was precisely why Emperor Xue Ye had appointed Meng Shenji to officiate—he needed a safety net powerful enough to control any surprise events.
Blaze Academy had lost, but with this dramatic draw, Huo Wu could at least walk away with dignity.
"You scared me to death! Next time, don't take such a risk!" Huo Wushuang sighed with relief.
"Sorry… I couldn't secure the win," Huo Wu said, looking down.
"It's alright. Even if you had, you wouldn't have beaten the next Shrek fighter anyway," her teammate comforted her.
"Zhu Zhuqing, well done. Given the situation, a draw was an excellent result," Yu Xiaogang said sincerely.
"Thank you, Master," Zhu Zhuqing replied, nodding.
Soon, the audience recovered from the intense duel, and the matches resumed.
On Day 8, Shrek faced Tianshui Academy.
The competition continued, leading into the final two days, where they would go up against Thunderclap Academy and Godwind Academy.