Feeling the change in her surroundings, Gu Yue's body reacted at once.
The air pressure inside her body remained constant while the pressure outside plummeted. The drastic difference struck her in an instant.
Her body inexplicably began to swell. Her eardrums and chest grew tight and uncomfortable, and every muscle and bone in her body felt tense and sluggish.
Gu Yue realized that Soul Power couldn't resist this ability.
Her breath caught slightly. She immediately summoned the elements to protect herself, suppressing the changes in her body.
"What did you do?"
"Isn't this just applying a little common sense?" Xiao Mu replied coolly, his tone carrying an air of certainty and arrogance. "Didn't you know?"
The thin air made Gu Yue uncomfortable, and her blood and qi kept surging outward.
Gu Yue understood completely. His ability was above her command of the elements.
The battle between Xie Xie and Wei Xiaofeng erupted on the other side.
The two figures crossed paths, moving so fast they blurred into afterimages. Xie Xie's twin daggers flashed, each strike infused with Soul Power and accompanied by a sharp whistle as it cut through the air.
Wei Xiaofeng's movements were elusive. After his Green Shadow Snake Martial Soul Possession, his body turned supple, and his First Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
First Soul Skill: Green Shadow Overlap!
His body blurred in an instant, transforming into a series of phantoms. One, two, three... Afterimages peeled away from his true form and fanned out, each one identical to him.
All six figures moved at once, their forked tongues flicking as green light flowed around them. It was impossible to tell which was real.
Xie Xie paused, holding the Light Dragon Dagger before him. A faint golden glow shimmered along its blade.
"If I can't tell them apart, then I won't bother!"
Just as Xie Xie made up his mind, all six green shadows sprang into action, converging from every direction.
Xie Xie charged straight at them, flipping the Light Dragon Dagger in his palm as its edge carved a sharp arc through the air.
The afterimages lunged at him. He sidestepped, and his dagger sliced through one in a smooth motion.
The afterimage shattered and vanished into green smoke.
To be fair, Xie Xie was a little unlucky. He didn't find Wei Xiaofeng's true form until the very last one.
Seeing this, Wei Xiaofeng's Second Soul Ring lit up.
"Green Shadow Devour!"
The Green Shadow Snake suddenly swelled in midair, transforming into a gigantic green phantom. Its jaws gaped wide as it swooped down to engulf Xie Xie.
Xie Xie narrowed his eyes, and his Second Soul Ring flashed beneath his feet.
"Light Dragon Storm!"
He spun, and the Light Dragon Dagger became a golden tornado, its edge gleaming as it slammed head-on into the Green Shadow Snake's gaping jaws.
Golden and green light intertwined and burst apart. A wave of force surged out, knocking both of them back several steps.
Wei Xiaofeng stumbled as he landed, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Twin Martial Souls really were a little stronger than a single Martial Soul.
Xie Xie steadied himself, still wary of Wei Xiaofeng. After all, there was still a gap between their Soul Power.
He was relying on the advantage of his Twin Martial Souls to fight him.
On the other side, Tang Wulin was in a completely different predicament.
Na'er's spearpoint easily severed Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass.
Na'er gave him no chance to catch his breath. Her silver hair streamed through the arena as she gripped the Silver Dragon Spear in both hands.
The slender shaft was covered in tiny hexagonal silver scales that glinted with a cold metallic sheen beneath the sun.
The Silver Dragon Spear tore through the air, its fine scales gleaming coldly in the light. The thrust was utterly plain, aimed straight at his chest, and as fast as a streak of silver.
Tang Wulin had no time to think. His right arm suddenly swelled, and diamond-shaped golden scales burst through his skin, covering the entire limb. Inch-long claws sprang from the tips of his fingers.
He raised his arm to block. Golden scales clashed with the spearpoint, sparks flew, and the shrill scrape of metal tore through the air.
"Clang—"
Tang Wulin staggered back three steps, his right arm numb. A white mark remained on the golden scales. They hadn't been pierced, but the force had passed through the armor and left his bones vibrating.
Na'er drew back her spear, surprise flickering in her silver eyes.
This was the power of the Golden Dragon King.
Tang Wulin's right arm still burned. Beneath the golden scales, his blood surged like boiling water. The power urged him to attack, to tear her apart, to destroy.
Blue Silver Grass surged from his left hand, winding toward Na'er's ankles.
Na'er lightly tapped the ground with her toe and shifted aside, sweeping the Silver Dragon Spear across.
The shaft struck the Blue Silver Grass. Silver light flashed, and the vines snapped one by one, scattering into blue motes.
"Your Blue Silver Grass is useless against me. You're only wasting your Soul Power."
Tang Wulin gritted his teeth, clenched his scaled right hand into a fist, and punched toward her face. His fist tore through the air with a low, fierce howl.
Na'er didn't dodge. She held the spear horizontally before her, lowered the shaft slightly, and guided his punch aside at the instant it reached her.
Tang Wulin felt his strength diverted. His balance vanished, and he stumbled forward.
Na'er smoothly flicked the butt of her spear upward, striking him beneath the ribs.
Tang Wulin flew sideways and crashed down at the edge of the platform, his golden scales scraping against the floor with a shrill screech.
He pushed himself up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stood again, his golden scales glaring in the sunlight. Blue Silver Grass gathered once more, his fist covered in golden scales. He charged with both, one on either side.
Na'er didn't hesitate. The Silver Dragon Spear spun halfway around in her hands, its fine scales humming.
The spearpoint pierced through layer upon layer of Blue Silver Grass. Then she turned the shaft and knocked aside his heavy, golden-scaled punch with a fluid motion.
Tang Wulin's entire assault was neutralized. The golden scales could be as hard as they liked; they were useless if he couldn't land a hit.
Na'er suddenly drew back her spear and flashed aside.
First Soul Skill: Silver Dragon Flash.
She appeared beside Tang Wulin and struck the back of his knee with the shaft. Tang Wulin dropped to one knee, bracing himself with his golden-scaled right arm. Before he could look up, the spearpoint was already at the back of his neck.
The chill of the spearpoint seeped through his skin.
Tang Wulin immediately turned his head and rolled aside, evading the attack as he headed toward Xie Xie.
On the other side of the arena, Xie Xie's Light Dragon Storm finally tore through the Green Shadow Snake's phantom.
He landed with a gasp, the light on his Light Dragon Dagger dimmed. Wei Xiaofeng sat slumped on the ground, his Soul Power exhausted and his strength too spent to even stand.
But Xie Xie had no time to catch his breath before he saw the state of the arena.
Tang Wulin was being suppressed. Gu Yue was being suppressed head-on. Her fireballs wouldn't ignite, and her ice crystals wouldn't freeze properly. The temperature had dropped.
As for the wind blades, they were no longer under her control.
Only earth, light, and space could still be used normally. She had kept her dark element hidden all along.
Meanwhile, all three students from Class One were completely unharmed.
Xiao Mu stood in place, without even moving a step. His force field was like an invisible net, enveloping the wide area centered on him.
He continued lowering the air pressure, trying to make Gu Yue faint from lack of oxygen. He could have simply created a vacuum, of course—but anyone who entered would die.
Gu Yue knelt on one knee, her palm pressed against the platform. Earth elements seeped through her fingers into the ground. Brown lines spread outward from her, the platform began to tremble, and tiny grains of sand floated into the air.
"Did you think I didn't have any other tricks up my sleeve?"
"Your attacks are futile." Xiao Mu's expression remained calm as his shoes slowly lifted off the ground.
He raised a hand, and the force field pressed down. The gravity on Gu Yue's shoulders suddenly doubled. Her knees slammed into the platform with a dull thud.
Gu Yue gritted her teeth, keeping her hand pressed to the ground.
Earth elements surged beneath the surface, gathering thicker and thicker.
"Take this!"