"Second Spirit Skill: Annihilation Body Protection."
Nan Qiuqiu reacted extremely quickly, immediately activating her second spirit ring. A thick pink halo enveloped her entire body, protecting her tightly. This shield also carried a strong annihilation property, capable of continuously dissolving any Soul Power attacks it contacted.
Caelus's wind blade struck the shield but dissipated into pure specks of light.
"Third Spirit Skill: Annihilation Chain Blast."
She waved both hands repeatedly, firing several highly compressed pink annihilation energy balls like a rapid-fire cannon at Caelus. These energy balls attracted each other during flight, forming an overlapping attack net that would produce a violent explosion upon nearing the target or being intercepted, with a vast annihilation range.
Caelus moved.
He didn't use any Spirit Abilities. His figure became incredibly agile under the enhancement of Dustless Land, weaving through the dense annihilation energy balls as if weightless.
The high-speed flowing air currents perfectly deflected and slid away all approaching energy impacts.
Even when Nan Qiuqiu actively detonated the pink energy orbs, the resulting airwaves and shockwaves were diverted by the flowing currents of Dustless Land the moment they neared Caelus, unable to harm him in the slightest.
While weaving through the explosion's shockwaves, he held his right hand with fingers pressed together like a blade. The air at the edge of his palm presented high-temperature distorted transparent ripples due to extreme compression and high-speed flow.
Facing Caelus's close-quarters attack, Nan Qiuqiu didn't sit waiting for death; her figure retreated rapidly, her speed not slow at all.
Although the Rouge Dragon was a long-range attack type, its physical enhancement was not weak either.
But Caelus would not let Nan Qiuqiu open up the distance.
His figure flickered as if merging into the wind. When he reappeared, he had already closed in within a few meters of Nan Qiuqiu.
Nan Qiuqiu spat out a pink beam of light again, intending to intercept Caelus's approach.
Simultaneously, the pink dragon wings on her back spread open, and her body hovered, flying toward another direction.
"Vortex Shackles."
He tapped his finger lightly, and the air at the joints of Nan Qiuqiu's limbs instantly distorted. Several pairs of transparent air vortices rotating in opposite directions suddenly formed, biting down hard like invisible chains.
Nan Qiuqiu felt her body grow heavy, and her movements instantly became incredibly sluggish, as if she had fallen into a thick quagmire. Even maintaining Annihilation Body Protection became difficult.
She struggled hard but felt chaotic pulling forces from different directions, making her lose her balance.
Immediately after, Caelus lightly pressed toward Nan Qiuqiu's chest from a distance.
"Vacuum Negative Pressure."
Nan Qiuqiu felt her chest suddenly stifle as the surrounding air seemed to be instantly sucked away. A massive external pressure squeezed hard against her chest and internal organs.
"Ugh."
She let out a muffled groan as her blood and Qi surged, and the circulation of her Soul Power fell into chaos. The light of the Annihilation Body Protection around her flickered violently, becoming unstable.
Vacuum Negative Pressure was also a Self-Created Spirit Skill that Caelus had researched over the years with Istaroth's help.
This Spirit Ability could instantly evacuate the air in a small area in a very short time, forming a brief local vacuum and taking away the air the target needed to breathe.
At the same time, the surrounding atmospheric pressure would instantly squeeze in, attempting to fill the vacuum.
The immense external air pressure would suddenly compress the target, leading to internal organ damage and surging blood and Qi.
Just as Nan Qiuqiu's old strength was exhausted and her new strength had yet to arise, while being under multiple restrictions, the clock hands in Caelus's eyes accelerated slightly.
"Third Spirit Skill: Empty Dream Shadow Flit."
His figure disappeared from the spot without warning, leaving no trace of movement. The next moment, he appeared behind Nan Qiuqiu.
The Super-Pressure Air Blade, swirling with dangerous transparent ripples, was already lightly resting against Nan Qiuqiu's fair and fragile neck.
The cold sensation and that peerlessly sharp aura caused Nan Qiuqiu to instantly freeze, not daring to move.
"You lost."
Caelus's calm voice sounded in her ear.
Nan Qiuqiu's body trembled, her pink lips tightly bitten. Her face was full of unwillingness, but even more so of shock and a hint of... an indescribable throb.
She could feel that Caelus had been at ease from beginning to end, and had not even used his first two Spirit Abilities.
She had gone all out, using all three of her Spirit Abilities, yet she hadn't even managed to truly touch the corner of his clothes.
"...I surrender."
She finally lowered her head, her voice carrying a bit of defeat, but even more of genuine admiration.
'He... is really strong.'
Nan Qiuqiu thought to herself.
'I'm afraid even that annoying Yu Tianlong is absolutely no match for him. When Yu Tianlong deals with me, he also needs to give his all, but he... obviously still has strength in reserve.'
The referee Elder announced at the right moment: "The match is over. Caelus wins."
The whole place fell silent, followed by even more heated discussions.
All the Earth Dragon Gate Disciples looked at Caelus with eyes full of awe and amazement.
Caelus slowly dissipated the air blade on his hand and the Soul Power around him. His clock pupils returned to normal, and he nodded slightly to Nan Qiuqiu, who was still somewhat dazed.
"I was lucky to win, Young Gate Master. The annihilation power of the Rouge Dragon truly lives up to its reputation."
His words weren't entirely polite; as a lower tier of the Destruction Attribute, the Annihilation Attribute was quite troublesome.
Looking at Caelus's calm yet exceptionally handsome face and hearing his gentle words, Nan Qiuqiu's face turned red again. Most of her previous sense of defeat actually dissipated, replaced by an indescribable complex emotion.
As the referee Elder announced the result, Nan Shuishui stood up from the main seat and walked toward the stage with composed steps.
She first cast an appreciative gaze at Caelus, her tone gentle yet full of affirmation.
"Little friend Caelus is indeed exceptionally gifted. Your use of power is exquisite and subtle, truly breathtaking. It is well-deserved that Shrek Academy could Cultivate such a talent as you."
Her praise was heartfelt; the strength, control, and grasp of the battle situation Caelus displayed far exceeded her understanding of Soul Masters at this age.
"Sect Leader Nan, you flatter me."
Caelus shook his head and spoke modestly.
As for Nan Shuishui attributing his strength to Shrek Academy's teaching, Caelus did not refute it.
Although his strength had nothing to do with Shrek Academy, it wasn't important.
He couldn't very well refute it to her face that his strength had nothing to do with Shrek Academy, especially since Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and the others were still there.
Immediately after, Nan Shuishui turned her gaze toward Nan Qiuqiu, who was standing aside with her head lowered, her cheeks still flushed from the battle and showing clear signs of defeat. Her tone carried a bit of appropriate teasing and admonishment.
"Qiuqiu, do you now know what it means that there is always someone better and a heaven beyond the heavens? I usually tell you to calm your heart and Cultivate hard, but you always ignore me, only thinking about playing wildly with Xixi and the others. Now that you've seen the true gap, do you still think I'm just nagging you?"
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