"Zhuo Hong! Break their formation!"
Xuan Ye didn't choose to fight Lin Xuan's sword qi head-on but instead aimed to free Zhuo Hong. He unleashed his first and second spirit skills again—this time targeting Xu Hao. Unlike Lin Xuan, Xu Hao didn't have a control-clearing skill. Even a touch of poison meant elimination.
"Roar! Finally free, damn it!"
Having finally escaped Xu Hao's harassment, Zhuo Hong roared in excitement, turning his gaze to Lin Xuan's direction. He immediately used his first spirit skill, Charge, and rushed toward Lin Xuan. Tuo Dun narrowed his eyes and raised his shield to block Zhuo Hong's path.
"Vajra Claw!"
Zhuo Hong's second spirit ring glowed. His fur-covered bear paw morphed into three one-meter-long steel claws and slashed at Tuo Dun's shield. Facing the spiked tortoise shell, Zhuo Hong didn't dare crash into it head-on. But even this fierce claw attack made no impact—only a burst of sparks and a screeching grind as claw met shell. Tuo Dun didn't even budge an inch.
"Stomp!"
"Earth Tremor!"
Both Zhuo Hong and Tuo Dun activated their stun-type skills simultaneously. The shockwaves collided, sending ripples across the ground. In terms of strength, Zhuo Hong held the advantage—after all, his was a third-ring ability, while Tuo Dun's was only a second.
"Haaah!"
Just as Tuo Dun was about to lose the clash, he roared, and finally, his first spirit ring lit up. The five attacking enemies suddenly found themselves involuntarily redirecting their attacks toward Tuo Dun. Watching from the stands, Ning Qin's eyes lit up—wasn't this the legendary "Taunt" skill of the Mountain Giant spirit beast? It seemed Tuo Dun had a fortuitous encounter.
Meanwhile, the one-minute charging time had passed. Lin Xuan had finished converting all his soul power into sword qi. Invisible sword energy now spiraled around him. Seeing that everyone was now targeting Tuo Dun, Lin Xuan realized this was his moment.
"Focus fire on Xuan Ye!"
Shouting the command, Lin Xuan rushed toward Xuan Ye with his Zhu Xian Sword. Qing Qing, having just consumed a Sweet Wing, activated her second skill, slowing the enemies again. Tuo Dun braced himself for the inevitable barrage. A flicker of panic appeared on Xuan Ye's face. Cui Ya and the others activated their second skills for an all-out attack. Even Ning Qin, watching from the sidelines, prepared to intervene and protect Xuan Ye if needed.
"Heh, too naïve! Poison Vine Forest!"
Xuan Ye's terrified expression vanished, replaced by a confident grin. His third spirit ring lit up, and countless poison vines erupted from beneath him, wrapping around his body. A five-meter radius around him became an impenetrable defense zone. But that alone wasn't enough for a comeback.
"No! Retreat!"
Lin Xuan sensed something was wrong and pulled back, but it was already too late, especially for Cui Ya and the others, who didn't react in time. Though Xuan Ye was hidden behind the vines, the blooming flowers on them made it clear he had also activated his second skill. Clouds of poisonous pollen clung to the four of them. Lin Xuan no longer had the soul power to activate his first skill.
"We surrender!"
Lin Xuan shouted just in time. Xuan Ye waved his hand, and the toxic pollen instantly dispersed. Ning Qin appeared in front of Tuo Dun, shielding him from the remaining damage. In the back, Qing Qing and Lin Fan could only exchange helpless smiles. Lin Xuan felt deeply frustrated—if he hadn't used up all his soul power converting it into sword qi, they wouldn't have lost. Cui Ya, Wang Li, and Xiao Si all sighed in relief—they didn't want their future ruined by lingering poison.
Everyone in the class was stunned. What had been a stalemate suddenly ended in less than thirty seconds. From their perspective, it was an intense and spectacular match—none of them believed they could have done better.
"Back to class. Let's analyze the flaws in this battle."
Ning Qin's voice was dark. He didn't look pleased. In his view, Lin Xuan's team should have won. That they didn't—and that the loss was due to Lin Xuan—was a serious problem.
As Lin Xuan returned to the classroom, he kept pondering how to break Xuan Ye's seemingly invincible combo. His conclusion: unless he had a fire-type teammate, it was impossible. Without his third skill, there was no way to win. Even though Xuan Ye had won, he didn't look happy. He kept staring at Lin Xuan. In his mind, this win meant nothing.
Back in the classroom, Ning Qin didn't say a word. He simply scanned the students in silence. The pressure from his gaze made them nervous and mute—the atmosphere turned awkward and tense.
"Who wants to start the summary?"
After thirty minutes, Ning Qin finally sat down and spoke. Everyone sighed in relief. But in truth, they had no idea what the flaws were—it seemed like a flawless battle. And the participants couldn't exactly analyze themselves either. So, no one stood up.
"No one noticed any issues?"
Ning Qin's face darkened. The room remained silent.
"After the summary, all of you go run ten laps. Lin Xuan, you'll run fifty—with five kilograms of weight."
Ning Qin snapped. The class groaned in protest, but he slammed the desk, and silence returned.
"Let me first talk about Lin Xuan's mistakes. You were too self-centered. First, recognize your status. Without a third ring, you are still a Spirit Grandmaster. Even if your second ring is a thousand-year ring. Second, who told you sword qi was the key to victory? Once your soul power is fully converted into sword qi, your spirit is useless. No Sword Cultivator below the Spirit Ancestor stage would use this strategy. If you'd had enough soul power left when Xuan Ye used his final skill, would it have ended this way? Lastly, the plan should've revolved around Xu Hao—you were supposed to pin down Zhuo Hong. That's it. Go run. Someone will monitor you."
Ning Qin turned to Lin Xuan, who looked resentful but had nothing to argue. Everything Ning Qin said was true. He had boldly claimed he'd quickly eliminate Xuan Ye, but in the end, all he did was take out two Spirit Masters and then burn out. Worse, his arrogance lost them the match. Gritting his teeth, he got up and left for the field.
"Wang Li, Cui Ya, Xiao Si—you three held back against your teammates. You were even afraid of injury. You may all withdraw from school. If you can't trust your classmates, there's no point keeping you here."
As Lin Xuan left, Ning Qin turned to the three with disdain. Doubting your comrades was taboo. The three were shocked. They couldn't accept this.
"Teacher, the opponents were also going easy. Why only punish us?"
"Yeah!"
"I object!"
They shouted back angrily. Ning Qin's face darkened again. Six spirit rings appeared behind him, releasing immense pressure that nearly crushed the three. Even though he was a support-type tool spirit master, his Spirit Emperor pressure was overwhelming for Spirit Grandmasters.
"I won't repeat myself. Leave. If I expel you, no one in the entire Spirit Hall will protect you."
His tone left no room for argument. The three had no choice but to leave and planned to complain to the headmaster. Ning Qin sneered—as if the headmaster would help them.
"Other than Tuo Dun, Qing Qing, Lin Fan, and the winning group, the rest of you go run laps. I'll speak with the others separately."
No one dared argue further. They obediently went to the field. Ten laps without weights weren't too hard for spirit masters.
"Yo, isn't this Lin kid? What are you doing here?"
In the equipment room, Fire Phoenix Douluo saw Lin Xuan arrive and was surprised. Lin Xuan didn't reply. He grabbed two five-kilogram sandbags and strapped them to his legs. Fire Phoenix Douluo wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't stop him.
Lin Xuan began running—not pacing himself, but sprinting flat out. By the time the rest of the class lazily arrived, he had already completed ten laps. The others finished their ten quickly too. Ning Qin had said they could leave afterward—battle experience was the best teacher.
"How many laps has he run?"
Ning Qin came over and asked Fire Phoenix Douluo, who immediately offered him a chair. Thinking for a moment, he replied:
"About twenty. You're being tough on him—he's only ten years old. Even our master never punished us this harshly."
"Tch. That's why you're still only Level 95. Even with extreme fire slowing down cultivation, it doesn't explain being stuck at 95 for ten years."
Ning Qin clicked his tongue. Fire Phoenix Douluo scratched his head awkwardly. He'd always been playful and never trained seriously. If not for his natural talent, he wouldn't even have reached 95.
Five hours later, Lin Xuan finally completed his fifty laps. He collapsed on the ground, lungs burning. He'd nearly given up countless times, but something in his chest kept him going.
"Don't sit after exercise. Get up. Here, towel and water."
Ning Qin approached and handed him a towel and a water bottle. Lin Xuan chugged the water and wiped off his sweat. He felt much better after that.
"Go sit over there."
Ning Qin took the used towel and went to wash it. Lin Xuan didn't speak—he quietly walked over to the equipment room and sat down, returning the sandbags to Fire Phoenix Douluo.
"Kid, you only needed one sandbag. Why push yourself so hard?"
Fire Phoenix Douluo chuckled while logging the return. Lin Xuan's personality was just like his—humble on the outside, but proud and rebellious at heart.
(End of Chapter)