Ye Lingling hit the ground hard, landing squarely on her backside. She winced from the pain, completely stunned—she had been eliminated just like that? Rubbing her sore tailbone, she first glared furiously at Lin Jie atop the stage… but then, for some reason, her thoughts drifted back to the moment he had carried her in his arms. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.
After tossing Ye Lingling from the arena, Lin Jie immediately retreated. In his mind, his part was done—he had no intention of continuing to fight. Dugu Yan caught a glimpse of his silhouette vanishing again and froze mid-attack, stunned by his speed.
Backtracking to just moments earlier, when the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison had started spreading toward Tang San and Ning Rongrong, a shared glance between Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others said everything. Lin Jie had already explained how to neutralize Dugu Yan's snake poison before the match began.
Tang San had been shocked to learn Lin Jie understood poisons so well—though he didn't ask where or how he'd learned it.
Now, Dai Mubai and Tang San both brought out high-proof sulfur wine. With a quick burst of Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line, they ignited it in the air. The spreading poison was immediately burned away.
Having done his part, Lin Jie walked over to Zhu Zhuqing, whispered a few words to her, then returned to stand behind Ning Rongrong and the others.
Up in the stands, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers. The battle had been nothing short of spectacular.
Yu Xiaogang watched the scene unfold, his expression calm until he saw Lin Jie toss Ye Lingling out of the ring. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Though he hadn't seen exactly how Lin Jie had done it, he knew one thing for sure—Shrek had already won this match.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Back then, he'd refused to take Lin Jie as a disciple because his Spirit Power was too low. He never would've imagined that this same boy would grow so powerful. It turns out even Yu Xiaogang could misjudge people. Never judge a book by its cover…
Beside him, Zhao Wuji muttered, "Flender, did you catch Lin Jie's movement just now?"
Flender nodded. "It was unbelievably fast. One second he was across the field, and the next he was right beside that girl—and then gone again. I didn't know that brat had such terrifying speed. No wonder he was so confident they'd win."
Zhao Wuji grunted in agreement. Thinking back to Lin Jie giving him a hard time during the entrance exam, he sighed. "A real little monster…"
By now, Dugu Yan's poison had been neutralized. The black-purple mist dispersed, revealing the Shi brothers collapsed on the ground, their faces purple from poison. Yu Tianheng wasn't faring much better.
Tang San spotted Xiao Wu lying on the ground nearby with the Ghost Leopard Spirit Master. He dashed over in a blur that even Lin Jie had to admit was impressive.
Seeing Xiao Wu's pale, slightly discolored face, Tang San knelt beside her, concern etched in his eyes. "Xiao Wu, are you okay?"
She weakly shook her head.
Lin Jie stepped up. "Let me help. I can get the poison out."
Tang San looked uncertain. "Can you really?"
Lin Jie nodded with certainty. "There are still two enemies left. Zhu Zhuqing can handle Dugu Yan. I'll leave the one in the air to you."
Tang San quickly nodded and called Ma Hongjun to join him in dealing with the Windchime Bird Spirit Master.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan finally realized something was wrong—her poison had been neutralized. "What? How?! How could you possibly cure my snake poison?!"
But no one answered.
Zhu Zhuqing was already approaching, the eight dark-purple spider legs of her External Spirit Bone—Eight Spider Lances—extending from her back as she walked toward Dugu Yan with calm, unwavering steps.
High above, the host Doudou saw the scene and stared, dumbfounded. "Are… are those… Spirit Bones?" she murmured. But she'd never seen anything like them before. She didn't know about External Spirit Bones.
Dugu Yan, still stunned, snapped back to her senses. She had to act quickly. If she could take down Zhu Zhuqing, maybe she could save Yu Tianheng. Without hesitation, she lunged forward, releasing a cloud of poisonous mist straight at Zhu Zhuqing.
But Zhu Zhuqing didn't even flinch. Her Eight Spider Lances pulsed with power, and as an agility-type Spirit Master, she was faster than Dugu Yan by far. She casually twisted her body and dodged the poison mist with ease.
Elsewhere, Lin Jie placed his hand on Xiao Wu's back. Lightning crackled faintly across his palm as Spirit Power flowed into her body. A sizzling sound followed as her purplish complexion faded into a healthy blush. It was a subtle application of his lightning-type Spirit Power—breaking down and expelling the poison from within her. Only someone with incredibly precise control over lightning could pull this off.
Moments later, Xiao Wu's poison was almost completely cleared.
At the same time, Tang San and Ma Hongjun returned—the airborne Windchime Bird Spirit Master had already been dealt with.
Now, only one opponent remained on the Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team: Dugu Yan, locked in battle with Zhu Zhuqing.
Anyone with eyes could see—they'd already lost. Yet strangely, no one on the opposing team had surrendered.
Still, it didn't matter.
Empowered by the Eight Spider Lances, Zhu Zhuqing quickly overwhelmed Dugu Yan. Before long, she too collapsed in defeat.
The instant she fell, the host Doudou's voice echoed across the arena.
"Victory goes to… Shrek Academy!"
Back on stage, Ye Lingling rushed forward, beginning to treat her teammates.
The defeated members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team gathered together with help from one another, their expressions dark and heavy. None of them had expected to lose—especially not Yu Tianheng and the Shi brothers. The Shi twins had been stunned to be taken out so early. Yu Tianheng's expression was so grim it looked like it could wring water from stone.
Yu Tianheng lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Dai Mubai. They had clashed from the very beginning, and he'd always had the upper hand—until now.
"You're strong," Yu Tianheng said aloud. "But next time, we won't lose."
Dai Mubai smiled faintly. "Next time, the win will still be ours."
The seven Heaven Dou team members turned and slowly walked toward the exit. Their steps were unsteady, and their silhouettes, somehow, looked smaller than before.
Behind them, Dai Mubai gave Lin Jie a meaningful glance. Then he turned back to the others and said, "We won."
The seven Shrek members looked at each other and exchanged quiet smiles.
Yes. They had won.
A moment later, thunderous applause erupted from the stands. The crowd had clearly taken Shrek's side.
By the entrance, Qin Ming stood quietly, waiting for his students. There was no disappointment in his face—only a faint, thoughtful smile.
Yu Tianheng lowered his head as he approached. "I'm sorry, Teacher Qin… we lost."
Qin Ming said nothing at first. He simply looked at his proud disciple, still smiling softly.
The rest of the team quickly spoke up, each taking responsibility for the loss. Qin Ming looked at them, his heart full.
"No matter what," he said finally, "I believe this defeat… might actually be the best thing that could have happened to you."