"Enough, it's time to end this." Lu Jingming stretched lazily inside the golden cube. Suddenly, the Black Abyss Spear appeared in his hand.

A dark spear tip rapidly condensed its power—the decomposition force of Black Abyss focused at a point.

His gaze sharpened, his aura exploded, and he stabbed the spear fiercely at the golden shield.

Black and red lightning exploded in the air, dazzling the eyes.

"Crack!"

With a sound like glass shattering, black cracks appeared on the golden cube's surface.

From the cracks, endless darkness streamed out, as if the power of darkness was breaking free.

Meanwhile, outside the Guardian of the Stars, Jinhsi floated quietly in midair, hands elegantly forming seals, her fourth soul ring glowing with black light.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Benevolent Grace!"

At her soft invocation, a platinum dragon phantom slowly appeared behind her.

At the dragon's head, the power of light frenziedly gathered and compressed, as if gathering all the world's light.

"Zzzzt!"

A golden beam of light slashed through the sky like a sword.

This dragon breath, formed from ultimate light, carried a holy and powerful purifying force, blasting the Guardian of the Stars like a flood.

In an instant, the eight remaining golden stars dimmed, losing their brilliance.

The shield of the Guardian of the Stars shattered like fragile glass, falling in countless fragments.

"Poof!"

With the shield broken, Xu Jiujiu suffered fierce backlash, spitting blood.

Her body, carried by the shockwave, flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

Lu Jingming flashed behind her, catching her waist and steadying her.

Seeing the blood at her lips, he felt a trace of pity.

He gently wiped away the blood and said helplessly, "Why push yourself so hard, Jiujiu?"

"Well, I can't let you look down on me!"

Xu Jiujiu leaned into Lu Jingming's chest, her voice soft but stubborn from exhaustion and injury.

"Well, you've succeeded. The Star Crown Martial Soul's power—I see it now," Lu Jingming said sincerely.

It truly was strong. The Guardian of the Stars alone, with its attribute-isolating power, was enough to make it a top-tier support martial soul.

Not to mention its offensive power.

"I will ignite the sea of stars!"

After repelling Huang Heyun again, Firefly's flames blazed, lifting her mecha into the air.

She hovered briefly, then, using gravity and the thrust of her flames, launched a flying kick at Huang Heyun.

The roaring flames, rubbing fiercely against the air, let out a "whoosh."

The audience saw a dazzling fire meteor strike downward at lightning speed.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion rocked the entire stage.

At the center, a massive fireball surged up like a newborn sun.

The powerful shockwave, with its scorching heat, swept the arena.

The temperature in the arena rose sharply, making everyone feel the terrifying power.

As the dazzling fire faded and the smoke cleared, a scene of devastation appeared.

Huang Heyun, Dugu Shangshan, and the others lay motionless in the ruins.

They were all injured and clearly unable to continue fighting.

"Sigh, we still lost," Xu Jiujiu sighed, unwillingly.

She was fiercely competitive. Otherwise, knowing Lu Jingming's team's strength, she wouldn't have used precious soul devices and all her trump cards.

Even so, she did her best but still lost.

Though unwilling, she had to admit St. Freya Academy was stronger, and she accepted her defeat.

Just then, Dan Heng quietly appeared on stage.

He solemnly announced, "Quarterfinals: Star Luo Royal Academy versus St. Freya Academy. St. Freya Academy wins."

With the result announced, the audience's applause surged like a tide.

This match was a visual and sensory feast—truly spectacular.

Unexpected events, twists, and fierce combat kept everyone enthralled.

The quarterfinals lasted two days.

In the individual elimination round, Star Luo Royal Academy chose to forfeit.

After the tough match with St. Freya Academy, Xu Jiujiu knew the gap between them and Lu Jingming's team.

And since St. Freya represented the Star Luo Empire, they decided not to make more trouble for St. Freya.

Of course, to Lu Jingming, Star Luo Royal Academy wasn't much trouble anyway—but he wouldn't say that to Xu Jiujiu's face.

With the quarterfinals over, the Soul Master Academy Tournament neared its end.

After many fierce rounds, the final four were St. Freya Academy, Sun & Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Shrek Academy, and Dou Ling Academy.

The audience widely agreed these four deserved it.

Throughout the tournament, each academy had revealed their full strength.

Sun-Moon had a formidable Soul Emperor; Dou Ling Academy also had one; Shrek and St. Freya were beyond question.

Any of these would be contenders in any previous tournament—except perhaps the last one.