Su Linfeng stood calmly in place.
His black hair had turned to shimmering gold, his long robes fluttering though there was no wind. Flames roared skyward, blazing like the sun itself.
Waves of heat spread out across the air, enough to burn the heavens and boil the seas, as if the very world would be reduced to ash. The youth stood casually, flames trailing behind him as though he commanded all fire. Slowly, Su Linfeng lifted his hand, the corners of his lips curving upward.
"Behold my technique—**Nine Suns Burning the Sky! Fall!"
As his words fell, the fifth black spirit ring on his body flared.
A terrifying aura erupted. The nine miniature suns overhead descended like true suns falling from the heavens!
The moisture in the very air over Spirit City was instantly expelled, sucked away until the sky felt parched and suffocating.
In that instant, every spectator shot to their feet. Several figures even flashed into the sky above the Spirit Hall, floating midair—among them Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. All were shaken to their core by the sight before them.
They had thought some enemy had invaded Spirit Hall itself—yet this overwhelming power was coming from the tournament arena.
And the one unleashing it was… Su Linfeng?!
The gathered Spirit Hall elders' hearts trembled violently.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The next second, before countless stunned eyes, the nine blazing suns plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the Spirit Hall's central square.
The great protective formation of the arena—capable of withstanding a Spirit Sage's full-strength strike—shattered instantly, unable to last even a single second. Like a volcanic eruption, a tide of crimson flames devoured the entire square.
Yes—devoured the entire square, including Su Linfeng himself and the seven members of the Elephant Armored Academy.
The screech of shattering stone rang throughout Spirit City.
The ground quaked. Gravel and dust filled the air, obscuring all sight of Su Linfeng.
One had to remember—the greenstone paving of the Spirit Hall square was said to withstand a Spirit Emperor's full attack. One could only imagine the destructive force of this blow.
At that moment, four figures appeared in the air. Together, they spread a glowing barrier that enclosed the square, desperately restraining the raging flames so they would not engulf the spectators.
They forcibly confined the inferno within the arena.
It looked like a sun had fallen to earth—an indescribable terror that left the crowd speechless.
Who were these four?
The Four Platinum Bishops of Spirit Hall—all Spirit Douluo.
"Li'er!"
From the stands, Hu Yan Zhen cried out, his heart seizing in panic.
The next second, he lunged toward the defensive barrier without hesitation.
It was over!
If that attack struck directly, could the Elephant Armored Academy's seven members survive?
"That's… a Spirit King's skill?"
The crowd's eyes burned with fiery reflections, filled with disbelief.
"Not even a Spirit Sage could unleash such devastation. That's Spirit Douluo level!"
"Fifteen years old?! Impossible!"
Dugu Bo swallowed hard, his throat dry.
"This brat's fifth spirit skill is too heaven-defying. A Spirit King-level ability that can rival a Spirit Douluo's full strike? Unreal… absurd… outrageous!"
Even with the combined power of the four Platinum Bishops, cracks of fiery red spread across their barrier.
"We—we can't hold it!" Salas, one of the bishops, gasped.
The other three bishops were equally shaken.
If they couldn't hold it, the flames would spread beyond the square. That meant Su Linfeng's fifth spirit skill carried destructive power beyond reason. This was the might of the Golden Crow's solar true flame!
At last, Salas gritted his teeth.
"If we can't hold it, then open the top!"
The other three bishops snapped out of their daze and tore open a gap in the barrier's roof. In an instant, a towering column of flame, dozens of meters wide, shot into the heavens—engulfing Hu Yan Zhen as he dove down.
The explosion roared through the sky, shaking the clouds themselves, its sound echoing across all directions.
The suffocating pressure was like the end of the world.
The Great Sun Golden Flame—fully unleashed!
The sky itself caught fire. Blazing light spread through the heavens, devouring the clouds in an instant.
The inferno pierced the sky, igniting the firmament. Flames spread outward like a prairie fire, painting the heavens crimson. It was as if the sky itself had become a sea of fire—a true apocalypse of flames.
The fiery vision persisted for nine full seconds.
Only after those nine seconds did the flames finally fade. All that remained was the suffocating heat to prove that what they had seen was not an illusion.
All eyes turned.
The Spirit Hall square was the sole focus of everyone present.
Even Qian Renxue, Dugu Bo, and the rushing elders of Spirit Hall couldn't help but fix their gazes firmly on the arena, their eyes locked on the fading blaze.
And when the flames disappeared, what they saw stunned them all.
The Elephant Armored Academy's team lay sprawled unconscious on the ground. The square was devastated. But Su Linfeng's nine suns had not struck them directly—they had landed twenty meters away, at the edge of the square.
The aftermath spoke for itself:
Burning-level damage: high temperature incineration.
Ash-level damage: solar light pierced defenses, reducing enemy defense by fifty percent.
Heaven-Burning Ash Explosion: detonating all nine suns, dealing true damage equal to one hundred fifty percent of the user's spirit power, decreasing with distance to fifty percent at the edges.
Had the nine suns landed directly on the Elephant Armored team, they would already have been vaporized like the stone pits gouged into the square.
Instant annihilation!
One spirit skill, and the Elephant Armored Academy was wiped out.
From Shrek Academy's rest area, Qin Ming's eyes went wide.
He had been deceived!
Su Linfeng had hidden his strength.
If he had used his full power earlier, Qin Ming wouldn't even be alive to watch this battle.
What a Spirit Hall Academy… what a Su Linfeng. Both his strength and his character were worthy of Qin Ming's respect.
"What a Nine Suns Burning the Sky!"
Salas' face was pale as paper. That single strike had nearly drained all his spirit power, and even so, strands of fire poison had seeped into his body.
When the last of the flames vanished, Su Linfeng's intact figure appeared in everyone's sight.
His robes and hair flowed freely, though no wind blew.
The overwhelming flame aura returned to his body. His golden-red hair faded back to black, and smoke and dust dissipated harmlessly within a meter of his form.
Su Linfeng stood unmoving, exactly where he had begun. Even the bluestone beneath his feet was untouched.
"My apologies."
Su Linfeng smiled faintly, looking up at Salas.
"I didn't control my strength well. Ended up damaging the square. But don't worry—next time, I'll be careful."
Salas: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Was that even human speech?
Don't worry? How could they not worry?!
And next time? Who would dare face him "next time"?
"Held back…"
Inside the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong watched from afar, murmuring.
"According to the tournament rules, if a spirit skill goes out of control, casualties are permitted… This little brat never listens to me."
"But perhaps this is fine. The goal has been achieved."
"Still, the tournament committee will likely call an emergency meeting. His strength is far too excessive—they might ban him from competing…"
📌 Author's Note (meta commentary):
Woke up to lots of criticism. But this is meant to be a slice-of-life novel—face-slapping battles are just extra. I didn't even unleash the full might of the Three-Legged Golden Crow yet! The pacing has to be gradual, even in daily interactions like teasing Qian Renxue. A爽文 (power fantasy) can't start by instantly wiping out the whole Douluo Continent. Please understand, everyone. When the main cast joins in, then it'll be real爽文.
Please support with recommendations, reviews, and votes—don't just scold me, dear readers.