Su Mu had never experienced such a suffocating battle. His opponent was like a soul-tool artillery turret, constantly launching attacks.
Those ranged attacks not only packed considerable power, but their accuracy was terrifyingly precise, leaving him with no room to dodge.
He knew this was a result of overwhelming spiritual pressure—Gu Yuena's spiritual power was already strong enough to completely crush him.
Understanding he had no hope of victory, Su Mu's only goal was to hold on as long as possible—for himself, and to preserve some dignity for Monster Academy.
After more than ten minutes, Gu Yuena unleashed a mixed-element attack fused from six elements, blasting Su Mu out of the arena.
"Sun Moon Royal Academy's Gu Yuena wins and advances to the finals," the referee announced.
The finals of the individual competition would now be a match between two contestants from the Douluo Continent—this was disheartening for the citizens of the Star Luo Empire.
Many felt humiliated. Their empire's young geniuses were completely crushed by outsiders' talents, something they found hard to accept.
Doubts against Monster Academy quickly spread, with people questioning their teaching ability and feeling they no longer deserved the title of Star Luo's top academy.
Where one academy was criticized, another was praised—Sun Moon Royal Academy became widely celebrated after these battles, hailed by many as the new number one academy.
Of course, this was just some people's opinion. In their spare time, people loved to gossip—and in their excitement, the title of "Number One Academy" naturally stuck.
Recently, Sun Moon Royal Academy had completely overshadowed Shrek Academy in popularity across the Star Luo Empire.
The Sun Moon Royal Academy's board members were already grinning ear to ear—participating in this competition had clearly been the right decision.
After a three-day break, the individual competition finals would take place. The day before that, the 2v2 semifinals were held.
Yun Ze and Gu Yuena defeated the team of Yuanen Yehui and Xie Xie, and in the finals they would face the duo of Long Yue and Dai Yun'er.
Now, the day of the individual tournament final had arrived. Despite there being no Star Luo contestants, the public remained highly attentive.
Everyone was curious—between these two, who was truly stronger?
In their previous matches, both had performed brilliantly, their strengths making it difficult to distinguish who held the upper hand.
Thus, excitement and anticipation grew as people waited eagerly for this match to reveal who was superior.
"Just like we said—five minutes. Whoever is at a disadvantage when time's up admits defeat," Gu Yuena said with a smile.
"Okay." Yun Ze nodded. There was no need for them to fight to a true conclusion—just sparring to a point was enough.
"Then I'm starting," Gu Yuena said as her fourth soul ring lit up, and a nine-colored staff materialized in her hand.
She pointed the staff forward, and a howling wind roared forth. Azure gale-force wind surged like a storm, condensed into the form of steel blades.
Yun Ze leapt into the air, the Phoenix Longbow appearing in his hand. He drew the bow and fired an arrow toward the ground.
Moments after he jumped, a massive stone hand erupted upward, grasping toward him.
Boom! The flaming arrow and the stone hand exploded simultaneously, sending chips of stone and flames scattering together.
After releasing one arrow, Yun Ze continued firing—three more arrows were shot in different directions.
In each of those directions, the air rippled, and stone spikes shot out through spatial portals—only to be destroyed instantly by the arrows.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Three explosions resounded as Gu Yuena's space-transmitted attacks were completely neutralized.
Phoenix wings unfurled behind Yun Ze, flapping powerfully and generating a storm of flames as he charged toward Gu Yuena.
Around Gu Yuena, orbs of elemental energy materialized—combinations of multiple elements, brimming with terrifying destructive force.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh… The elemental spheres shot out in irregular arcs from all sides, forming a surrounding barrage.
Yun Ze ascended further, gaining altitude while maintaining distance from the energy balls. He drew his bowstring once more—five arrows appeared and were released simultaneously.
Immediately after, he swiftly drew again and fired another five arrows in different directions.
Boom boom boom… Ten arrows struck ten energy spheres, triggering massive explosions; the air was filled with violent energy.
Just as Gu Yuena prepared to swing her staff again, a sudden warning surged in her heart. She instantly used spatial power to relocate.
A massive arrow pierced through the chaotic energy, embedding itself into the ground at her previous location—most of its length buried deep into the earth.
While Yun Ze continued ascending and firing arrows to intercept the incoming energy spheres, he kept distance and control of the battlefield.
Whether the elemental orbs exploded or not was not solely based on impact—they were also subject to Gu Yuena's control.
Even without being struck, as long as she willed it, they could detonate—meaning dodging wasn't a real solution.
But Yun Ze's firing speed was too fast; he rapidly destroyed every incoming orb.
Firing arrows was far easier and quicker for him than generating elemental spheres was for her—in both speed and quantity, he held the upper hand.
With arrows outnumbering the orbs, the surplus arrows flew directly toward Gu Yuena's position.
Against Yun Ze, Gu Yuena could not recklessly launch all-out elemental barrages like she did against Su Mu.
Yun Ze's arrows were fast and accurate, forcing her to maintain high concentration and continuous movement just to avoid being hit.
But as she focused on dodging, her control over her orbs weakened, and her follow-up attacks grew weaker.
She wanted to go on the offensive fully—but if she stopped dodging these flaming arrows, even a single hit would pierce her defenses.
Even if the base arrow damage was limited, it could still break her skin. Once that happened, flames would invade her flesh, which would be worse than the physical wound itself.
Yun Ze's control over fire was terrifying—he could make the flames burn from within the opponent's body.
Burned flesh and scorched meridians were anything but pleasant—and could even disrupt one's soul power circulation.
That was why she had to dodge. Against others, she would gladly take a hit in exchange for striking back—but not against Yun Ze.
Thus, she was trapped in a deadlock: if she avoided the arrows, her attacks weakened, and Yun Ze would soon close in. If he got into close combat range, the battle would be over—she stood no chance there.
But if she ignored the arrows and launched a full offensive, she'd be pierced and burned internally, losing combat ability over time—leading to defeat anyway.
Whether she dodged or attacked—all paths led to disadvantage. She could not multitask at Yun Ze's terrifying level.
She could manage basic multitasking, but not while under such rapid, high-pressure assault.
Neither Yun Ze used his third or fourth soul skills, nor Gu Yuena her fifth.
After five minutes, Gu Yuena admitted defeat. She was clearly on the losing end; unless she fought ruthlessly, she had no chance to reverse the situation.
But there was no need for either of them to go all out — five minutes of battle was enough without determining a true victor or causing serious harm.
(End of Chapter)