The host looked at both the Skywater Academy and Shrek Academy as they entered the stage, then loudly declared:
"Losers' Bracket Final—Skywater Academy versus Shrek Academy! The match begins now!"
"Brothers, release your spirits!"
At Dai Mubai's command, the Shrek team simultaneously unleashed their martial spirits and spirit rings. On top of that, each of the seven held a jagged shard of the Eight Spider Lances soul bone—Tang San himself clutching six.
Indeed, in their last match against Spirit Hall's Academy team, Shrek had been on the verge of collapse. Only Tang San's desperate use of his severed Eight Spider Lances had turned the tide, allowing them to overcome the gap in strength and snatch victory. Today, Tang San intended to repeat the same trick—using the spider bone fragments as weapons to boost Shrek's combat power. Only by doing so did they stand a chance of defeating Skywater.
Soul bones, being part of a spirit master's own strength, were unlike hidden weapons, soul tools, or external armaments—those were forbidden in the tournament. Soul bones, however, were fair game. And after seeing firsthand how the Eight Spider Lances' venom had devastated Spirit Hall's so-called Golden Generation, Tang San had only grown more enamored with its power. Using it against Skywater today? Perfect.
On the other side, Shui Bing'er had already summoned her martial spirit, adopting a defensive stance. Her gaze was sharp as she watched Tang San's group clutching the spider bone shards.
"Sisters, this Tang San… for the sake of victory, he's already thrown aside the principle of friendly competition. He dares to wield his Eight Spider Lances soul bone against us."
"We must be careful. Don't let him succeed."
"Don't worry, Bing'er-sis—we won't let them get away with it!" Shui Yue'er, Yu Hairou, and the others responded in unison, voices brimming with resolve.
The next second, Tang San launched his opening move. His First Spirit Ability: Entangling Bind—a tide of Blue Silver Grass vines surged toward Shui Bing'er and Yu Hairou.
"First Spirit Ability: Ice Seal!"
Shui Bing'er's reaction was lightning-quick. A rain of icy lances shot out, piercing through the vines with surgical precision. In a blink, Tang San's opening attack was neutralized. At the same time, the arena froze over, temperatures plummeting sharply.
"Your opponent is me!"
"First Spirit Ability: Phoenix Fire Wire!"
Ma Hongjun spewed searing fire toward the thick ice wall that had formed in front of them. Yet unlike the last time he had fought, his flames were only scorching heat, not the wild Evil Fire of before. Against the empowered ultimate ice, his flames failed to pierce through.
"No! Impossible! Even if Shui Bing'er's spirit ability is strong, my flames should never be suppressed by ice. The fire isn't strong enough yet!"
His cheeks puffed, muscles tensed, and with a grunt, he forced more power into his flames, sweat streaming down his forehead.
"Fatty, I'll help you!"
"Second Spirit Ability: White Tiger Light Wave!"
Dai Mubai's energy beam blasted against the wall, and finally, under concentrated fire, the ice began to crack.
Tang San seized the opening—"Third Spirit Ability: Spiderweb Restraint!"
His vines tunneled through the cracks and still-frozen ground, exploding upward in the very center of Skywater's formation—right beneath Shui Bing'er.
"Third Spirit Ability: Ring of Ice Resistance!"
Shui Bing'er countered instantly. A shockwave of icy soul power erupted outward, shattering every incoming ability, including Tang San's ambush. But the backlash spared no one—her own ice wall shattered too, revealing the two teams face to face.
"Charge!"
Shui Yue'er led Yu Hairou, Shen Liuyu, and Qiu Ruobing—one agility type and two power types—rushing straight at Shrek. The icy battlefield from Bing'er's phoenix spirit boosted their speed even further.
"First Ability!"
"Second Ability!"
One after another, they unleashed their strongest offensive skills. Shrek's flank—Xiao Wu, Tai Long, and Ma Hongjun—were caught off guard. They scrambled to defend, but it was too late. Xiao Wu barely evaded with her Third Spirit Ability: Teleport, managing to slash Shen Liuyu's arm with a poisoned spider bone shard. The others weren't so lucky, sustaining heavy injuries.
"Liuyu!" the girls screamed in anguish as their teammate collapsed, poisoned.
"First Spirit Ability—Super Recovery Sausages!"
Three glowing sausages appeared in Oscar's hands, which he flung toward his comrades with practiced ease.
"Thanks, Little Ao!"
The wounded devoured them, their injuries and soul power swiftly recovering.
"Second Spirit Ability: Ice Phoenix Ring Strike!"
Shui Bing'er's body gleamed with icy armor as a crystal phoenix shot toward Oscar in the rear line.
"Oscar!"
Tang San immediately spotted her target. His heart clenched.
"Don't worry about me, Tang San!"
"Third Spirit Ability: Flying Mushroom Sausage!"
Oscar swallowed a yellow sausage, wings sprouting from his back. Grabbing Ning Rongrong, he soared into the air, narrowly escaping the attack.
Tang San exhaled in relief, then pressed forward.
"Fourth Spirit Ability: Blue Silver Spike Formation!"
Thick spikes of Blue Silver Grass erupted from the ground like iron spears, stabbing upward beneath Shui Wu.
"Not good!"
Seeing her vice-captain about to be skewered, Shui Bing'er poured everything into another Ice Seal, freezing the formation into an ice spike forest, saving Shui Wu at the last second.
But then Tang San smirked. With a tug of his soul power, he shattered his own frozen formation. A storm of ice shards, sharpened by the Blue Silver Grass, cascaded down toward Shui Wu.
Before Shui Bing'er could react, the rain of jagged crystal fell—