"Did you notice anything?!"
Tian Kun frowned, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by excitement.
"Didn't you smell the sweet, fishy scent in the air?! And aren't you feeling overly excited?! Plus, your whole body is tingling?! You're almost dehydrated!"
"Poison!"
Tian Kun's expression instantly changed. He quickly covered his nose with his hand.
But even this simple action made him realize how dulled his body's senses had become — this movement alone took him twice as long as before. His body was much more sluggish.
A quick glance around revealed the cause.
Xu Yang's Solar Spirit continuously raised the temperature of the entire area, and the poisonous wall, which had originally condensed but not dispersed, spread out with the rising heat, filling the entire Spirit Arena. The sweet, fishy scent he smelled was caused by the diffusion of the Excitement Poison and Paralysis Poison.
The Thunder Serpent Team had already taken the antidote prepared by Dugu Yan beforehand, so the diffused poison didn't affect their condition.
But the opposing Running Wolf Team was a different story, especially the four Spirit Masters who weren't optimally configured; they were all highly excited and didn't realize their movements were sluggish due to paralysis. They just kept attacking hard, but with no effect whatsoever.
Because they were so excited, they had no idea they were poisoned and instead thought the opponents were just too fast to hit.
"What a clever countermeasure — first, the high temperature causes dizziness, blurred vision, and sensory confusion, so they don't notice the poison spreading and unknowingly get severely poisoned. Then, the poison excites them so they're unaware of their own condition."
Ning Fengzhi smiled at the corner of his mouth. He never expected such a clever synergy between heat and poison.
He then shifted his gaze to the two nearby zones. Yufeng, Shimo, and Shi Mo had already knocked two spotted cat Spirit Masters off the platform. As disciples of the Xuanming Sect, they had plenty of ways to deal with agile offensive Spirit Masters. Plus, Yufeng, a flying agile offensive Spirit Master, provided support from the side. The two poisoned Spirit Masters had no chance to fight back and were sent flying with just a few charges.
The other zone was even worse. The Flexible Snake Tendon Spirit Master was completely suppressed by Dugu Yan's Bi-Lin Horned Dragon. Even if they managed to control Dugu Yan occasionally, the corrosive poison from Dugu Yan would quickly eat through the Flexible Snake Tendon Spirit Master, making those attempts ineffective.
Dugu Yan's third soul skill was not the canonical Jade Phosphor Serpent Venom, but a highly corrosive toxin colored gray-green that could corrode any living thing or object it touched with tremendous power. Ordinary Spirit Masters would be corroded completely in just a short time.
This was also why Qin Ming forbade Dugu Yan from using her third soul skill — once opponents were enveloped by this lethal poison, it was essentially a death sentence.
However, being unable to attack didn't mean she couldn't defend. By coating herself and her hands with the corrosive poison, Dugu Yan could corrode and nullify the opponents' attacks.
After just three punches, she had sent Yuan Hui and Shi Le off the platform.
"Smack!"
After defeating her opponents, Dugu Yan lightly snapped her fingers, dispersing the poisonous wall dividing the battlefield. The whole arena scene came into view, and a smile appeared on her lips.
"Looks like everyone won!"
"Sister Yan, you're done here too!"
Yufeng flashed down from the air, landing in front of Dugu Yan with a smile.
"That's right, now only Xu Yang's side remains. But judging from the situation, it's almost over!"
Dugu Yan smiled back and turned her gaze toward Xu Yang and Tian Kun not far away. As for the two Iron Horn Bull Spirit Masters, one was knocked unconscious by Yu Tianheng and lying on the ground, and the other was trapped by four Solar Sacred Blades, unable to move.
However, both were in poor condition — especially the one trapped by the Solar Sacred Blades. Since the Solar Sacred Blades were manifestations of the Solar Spirit, their temperature was extremely high. His skin was flushed red, and he kept shaking his head wildly, unable to stand steadily. He was clearly suffering from heatstroke. If his spirit power hadn't been relatively untouched, he probably would have passed out long ago.
"Still not surrendering?! If this continues, the three of you will be in real danger!"
Xu Yang slowly stepped toward Tian Kun, the light of his Solar Spirit blazing fiercely behind him. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed, surpassing 60 degrees Celsius in the blink of an eye, and the blinding sunlight made everyone squint.
The host even had to ascend into the air and concentrate spirit power into his eyes to form a dark protective film in order to see the battlefield clearly.
"Hey, Xu Yang, we're still on the field, you know?!"
Dugu Yan covered her eyes and shouted in discontent, steadily retreating to keep as far from Xu Yang as possible.
Shi Mo and Shi Mo (the two stone brothers) tore their clothes right then and there — the high temperature had made their clothes unbearable. They didn't have as much spirit power as Dugu Yan to resist the heat and protect their clothing.
"Bang!"
The Iron Horn Bull Spirit Master who was still holding on fell to the ground.
"I surrender!"
This collapse was the last straw. Tian Kun reluctantly raised his right hand to signal surrender to the referee.
As soon as he spoke, Xu Yang immediately withdrew his Solar Spirit and turned to look toward Ye Lingling, who was hiding far away. He quietly called, "Lingling!"
Ye Lingling rolled her eyes but still stepped forward, mobilizing her limited spirit power to use soul skills on Tian Kun and the other two, healing some of their heat-related injuries and pulling the two fallen Spirit Masters out of life-threatening conditions.
"Thunder Serpent Team wins!"
The host, struggling to hold back the pain in his eyes, announced the result with difficulty. Looking at Xu Yang, his gaze held a special feeling. He was now certain that as long as this young man did not die prematurely, he would have a place in the future of Douluo Continent.
After the three's conditions stabilized, Xu Yang led Dugu Yan and the others toward the resting area.
Just then, Tian Kun's hoarse voice sounded fearfully from behind.
"Can you tell me your real name?!"
Xu Yang paused his steps and turned to Tian Kun, speaking softly, "Xu Yang of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
His voice was low, only audible to those nearby and Tian Kun opposite him. After learning Xu Yang's identity, a relieved smile appeared on Tian Kun's face. He waved to Xu Yang, then picked up the Iron Horn Bull Spirit Master from the ground and walked down from the platform.
Xu Yang and his team first registered their points, then went to the resting area.
There they immediately saw Ning Fengzhi sitting with a smile, leaning on his cane. Sword Douluo sat nearby drinking tea, and Ning Haiyan stood respectfully behind. Only Qin Ming was a bit uneasy, unsure of what to do — it was his first time meeting a Title Douluo.