The flames finally dispersed.
All the spirit masters watching craned their necks toward the arena.
Who won?
That was the question burning in everyone's hearts.
At that moment, both Su Linfeng and Qin Ming had landed back on the ground.
Qin Ming, the one who had been on the offensive, was half-kneeling in front of Su Linfeng, gasping for breath. The special bluestone tiles beneath him—supposedly able to withstand Spirit Sage-level attacks—had shattered in large patches, leaving a battlefield scarred and broken.
By contrast, Su Linfeng stood exactly where he had been from the start, utterly unmoved. Even the square meter of stone beneath his feet was intact, untouched. Not even the drifting dust in the air could touch him—it had all evaporated in the fiery aura surrounding his body.
So cool! So composed!
Su Linfeng stood tall at the center of the arena, his black robes and long hair stirring without wind, giving him an ethereal presence.
"I lost."
Qin Ming let out a bitter smile, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Su Linfeng.
"Thank you for holding back at the end. What… what kind of flame is that?"
Why did Qin Ming ask?
Because just a moment ago, he had witnessed something unbelievable.
That blaze—it was as if it could burn the heavens and boil the seas. Compared to it, his Blazing Cang Wolf's flame was nothing but a flickering candle beneath the starry sky, ready to be snuffed out at the faintest breath.
"An Extreme Flame."
Su Linfeng's lips curled faintly. "So… can you now consider joining the Spirit Hall Academy as a teacher?"
Qin Ming fell silent.
The Star Luo Royal Academy fell silent.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy's team fell silent.
The entire audience fell silent.
And in that silence, everyone understood one truth:
In the face of absolute strength, no technique, no ferocity of attack, had any meaning.
At last, the referee declared Su Linfeng the victor, advancing into the semifinals.
But calling it the "semifinals" was meaningless. Everyone knew the truth: the individual tournament already had its champion.
After witnessing Su Linfeng's true power, none of the other three finalists dared to fight him for the title.
Fifteen years old.
A Spirit King.
Three ten-thousand-year rings.
News of Su Linfeng spread like wildfire—he was now the youngest Spirit King in the history of the Douluo Continent.
Yet the shock was not over.
When it came time for the Spirit Hall Academy's team battle against the Elephant Armored Academy, the entire crowd drew a sharp breath.
Because once again, only one figure stepped onto the stage.
Su Linfeng.
Just as he had against Qin Ming, he walked alone into the arena.
"What's going on?"
Yu Tianheng stretched his neck, staring after Su Linfeng's back toward the Spirit Hall Academy's rest area.
"Where are the other members of their team? Don't tell me… he's going to take on the whole Elephant Armored Academy by himself?"
"An extreme one-versus-seven?" Ye Lingling and the others covered their mouths in shock.
Only Dugu Yan showed no surprise.
After all these years, she had witnessed too many of Su Linfeng's unbelievable feats. She was already numb to it.
If he alone were to challenge even the strongest Star Luo Royal Academy team, she wouldn't bat an eye.
Because if anyone thought of him as merely a Spirit King, they were gravely mistaken.
She had seen him spar against her grandfather, Dugu Bo. Even though flames naturally restrained poison, Dugu Bo was a Title Douluo. Yet Su Linfeng, as just a Spirit Ancestor back then, had forced her grandfather to reveal his Martial Spirit Avatar within a single minute.
One versus seven? That was underestimating him. It would be more accurate to say it was seven versus one. The Elephant Armored team, with their average spirit power at rank thirty-seven—how long could they possibly last?
"Spirit Hall Academy…"
Hu Yanli's brows furrowed as he watched Su Linfeng step onto the stage alone.
"What does this mean?"
Su Linfeng only smiled. The meaning was clear enough.
No need to look. This battle, Spirit Hall Academy would send out only him.
"Fifteen-year-old Spirit King!"
Hu Yanli gave a cold snort. "I admit you're strong. But don't think that means you can face seven alone! Don't try to be reckless, or you'll regret it!"
And he wasn't entirely wrong.
Though a Spirit King's raw power was three to five times that of a Spirit Elder, against a fully coordinated team of Spirit Elders at rank thirty-seven, a Spirit King's odds of victory were only about forty percent.
And the Elephant Armored Academy wasn't just any team.
They were the ultimate earth-attribute defense squad.
And earth subdued fire—why should they fear Su Linfeng's flames?
Besides, Hu Yanli possessed an eight-thousand-year-old skull bone. Their seven-man synergy had even once defeated a Spirit Emperor-level teacher.
Analyzing it that way, Su Linfeng's odds dropped to around thirty to thirty-five percent.
After all, in Douluo, the law of surpassing levels could always be offset by numbers.
"Both sides are ready?"
Before the Elephant Armored Academy could respond, the red-clothed bishop overseeing the team battles spoke coldly.
"You have three minutes to prepare. The match begins afterward."
He's serious!
Hu Yanli had originally wanted to give Su Linfeng a chance. After all, having seen his true strength, he already knew the truth—there was no point in fighting.
The Elephant Armored Academy, and even the Elephant Armored Sect, could never hope to oppose Spirit Hall—now or in the future.
He didn't want to sour relations.
But it seemed Su Linfeng wasn't going to give him that chance. This battle was unavoidable.
"Hmph!"
Hu Yanli snorted coldly. "Since that's how it is, then fight! The Elephant Armored Academy is not made of clay!"
"Power that shakes mountains, might that dominates the world!"
"Release Martial Spirits!"
With Hu Yanli's roar, six figures spread out behind him, forming a straight line.
Before countless watching eyes—
Twenty-one spirit rings rose into the air beneath the seven of them.
Fourteen yellow. Seven purple.
The perfect spirit ring configuration.
Su Linfeng didn't delay either. His five rings rose slowly, the golden crow phantom unfurling its wings behind him.
Martial Spirit Possession.
Yes, he went straight into Martial Spirit Possession.
He had no intention of dragging this out. He wanted to end it swiftly.
And at that instant, the Diamond Mammoth known as the "Heavenly Elephant" shuddered violently. That was bloodline suppression—absolute suppression.
"What martial spirit is that?!"
Not only the seven of Elephant Armored Academy, but every spectator in the arena straightened involuntarily.
A flaming bird?
Or a black crow?
"Begin!"
As the crowd reeled in shock, the red-clothed bishop's voice rang out, starting the match.
"First Spirit Skill — Mammoth Strength!"
In an instant—
All seven of Elephant Armored Academy activated their first skills simultaneously, doubling their strength and defense!
"Prepare—Mammoth Charge!"
Hu Yanli had just begun to give commands when the words died in his throat.
"What…"
At just a glance, he saw Su Linfeng's fifth spirit ring glowing.
Opening with a fifth spirit skill?!
Yes.
Su Linfeng made his intentions clear with his actions.
Before countless stunned eyes, the Golden Crow spread its wings and cried out. In the sky above the arena, nine miniature suns appeared, arrayed in the pattern of the Nine Palaces, hanging high overhead.
Each blazing sun had a radius of five meters, radiating a heatwave that instantly engulfed the arena.
"What is that… nine suns?! No—ten suns?!"
Almost instinctively, everyone tilted their heads upward, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ten suns blazing in the sky!