Focused Counterattack!

The Swift Star Wolf launched itself forward with unstoppable force — arrow-from-the-bow speed, spinning currents of air trailing in its wake...

When the first ripple of Ding Yumian's Mind Element washed over it, the Swift Star Wolf didn't slow at all. Only a flicker of confusion crossed its eyes.

At the second ripple, the savagery in those eyes vanished without warning, replaced — remarkably — by a rare trace of clarity.

The third ripple struck, and the wolf's stride began to falter, its charging momentum dissipating by more than half.

By now, the Swift Star Wolf had already closed the distance to Ding Yumian. The fourth Soothe ripple hit, and every shred of its wild ferocity evaporated like smoke. Even the deadly claws raised to strike had somehow lowered on their own...

"Good boy." Ding Yumian reached out and gently stroked the wild, disheveled fur around the Swift Star Wolf's neck.

The Swift Star Wolf was no longer a fearsome predator — it had become a full-grown husky, lolling its tongue out with a hilariously dopey expression, looking utterly content to be petted.

"Go play over there," Ding Yumian said softly.

The Swift Star Wolf obeyed without a second thought, wagging its normally-rigid tail as it trotted to the edge of the Barrier and plopped down at the very boundary of the arena. It sat there as docile as a large sled dog — all it was missing was a collar around its neck.

The horror on Mo Fan's face as he witnessed this was something else entirely. *Was this really the same battle-hungry, combative Summoned Beast — the Swift Star Wolf??*

Back at the Shamang River, Xinxia had used the Soothe skill constantly, and even then Mo Fan had considered Mind Element magic deeply unsettling. But he never imagined it could go *this* far — turning his own ferocious Summoned Beast into a docile oversized dog...

"Could you have *any* self-respect?" He couldn't stand to watch anymore and quickly recalled the Swift Star Wolf back into its dimensional space.

He genuinely feared that if Ding Yumian kept up the sweet-talking, the wolf would turn around and bite him.

Fortunately, Ding Yumian wasn't a High-Level Mage like the Ghost Woman. If Soul Capture and Mind Control had been used on the Swift Star Wolf, it really would have turned traitor.

The Swift Star Wolf was out of the picture. Mo Fan had to put everything he had into the Focus Pendant now — it was his only hope of winning.

"Blazing Fist — Nine Palaces!!!"

Ding Yumian fought like a force of nature. Her flame-wreathed fist — enlarged to twice its normal size — slammed into the ground, and nine dragon-fire pillars erupted, engulfing the entire arena in her light-brown flames.

These light-brown flames weren't the most powerful Fire Seed in existence — nothing like the Rose Flame's sheer dominance — but Ding Yumian's natural talent was terrifying, leaving Mo Fan absolutely nowhere to run.

**BOOM!**

A pillar of fire erupted without warning beneath his feet. His footwork had nearly carried him clear of the columns — but this one was a full measure wider than the rest, and he couldn't react in time. By the time he realized he was still standing within the Nine Palaces grid, the pillar slammed into him and launched him into the air.

A cry of pain. Suspended mid-air, he was engulfed by wave after wave of fire — the upper half of his clothes burned completely away, exposing skin charred and split open in places.

He crashed back to the ground and hit it hard, dazed and seeing stars.

Surrounded by the Nine Palaces fires still burning across the arena floor, Mo Fan dragged himself upright like an unkillable cockroach and spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged foam.

Ding Yumian studied him, surprise flickering across her face.

"You used Enchanted Gear to protect yourself even in that state?" she asked.

Whether it was the fire resistance from his Spirit Seed or because possessing three elements gave him a constitution beyond ordinary Mages — most would have been finished after taking a flame pillar like that head-on. Yet here Mo Fan was, getting back up.

"If you wanted to see my figure, how could I refuse?" Mo Fan grinned through the pain.

"Slippery tongue," she said coolly. "Next time you don't use your Enchanted Gear, you won't be getting up again for a month."

Mo Fan held his ground and began drawing the Star Chart.

Two vivid crimson Star Trails wove together swiftly, sketching the outline of the fire constellation. Countless Star Motes surfaced in the space around them, and as their light blazed, a clear line of stars linked them together...

"Pointless." Ding Yumian knew Mo Fan had run out of options.

Even if he summoned his Armor Enchanted Gear, it would accomplish nothing. He couldn't cast his magic — the armor would only buy him a little more time.

Seeing him draw a Star Chart at a moment like this, she assumed he had simply given up.

She let him reach even the Star Trail stage just to see what trick he had up his sleeve — she didn't believe for a moment he could actually succeed.

But when the Star Chart reached its fourth line, Ding Yumian decided she had seen enough.

A Mind Element Star Trail completed in nearly an instant. A soul shockwave rippled outward — invisible to the naked eye, a peculiar crackling discharge spreading through the air — and hurtled toward Mo Fan at blinding speed.

His body was unharmed. But his Inner World — the Star Nebula realm — took a devastating blow. The Star Motes that had been arranging themselves in precise, rapid sequence scattered in all directions like sheep fleeing a wolf, completely ignoring their Mage's commands.

"Focus!!"

At that moment, the diamond-shaped pendant hanging from Mo Fan's chest blazed with azure light.

The azure radiance flowed into his mind — not forming a Mental Wall to block the assault, but sinking deep into his consciousness, amplifying his concentration.

A soul shockwave worked by igniting a sudden, electric surge of pain inside the mind, causing Mages to lose their Control in the midst of agony. The Focus Pendant didn't numb the pain — instead, it multiplied the Mage's mental focus severalfold, leaving the pain unchanged but hardening the capacity to endure it.

The Star Motes scattered in fright — but Mo Fan immediately seized them all back with a surge of strengthened Control, forcing every last one back into formation.

The Star Chart nearly shattered before the fifth Star Trail could form — but the Focus Pendant's amplified concentration yanked it back from the brink at the last second. The fifth Star Trail completed successfully, and the sixth had already begun to take shape.

"A Focus Pendant???"

Ding Yumian finally understood why Mo Fan had dared draw a Star Chart right in front of her.

It was too late to fire another soul shockwave — and in a focused state, even if she did, there was no guarantee it would fully interrupt him.

"Time for my counterattack!"

Blazing crimson fire erupted across Mo Fan's entire body, roaring so ferociously that the very air around him ignited.

"Rose Flame!"

"Blazing Fist!"

"Nine Palaces!!!"