However, just as Mura took out Xue Youyou, Gu Yuena used spatial teleportation to instantly approach the opposing Wind Chime Grass soul master, and with a huge fireball, blasted her out of the arena.
Meanwhile, Gu Chen executed a "Golden Dragon Soars" followed by a "Golden Dragon Shakes the Earth" stomp on Tan Qi's chest, kicking her straight off the stage.
Mura, seeing this, gave up on coordinating with her teammates altogether and charged straight at Xuan Mo, finishing him off in one combo.
When Luo Chen noticed Mura's gaze turning to him, he hurriedly tossed two servings of pre-made fried rice to Gu Chen and Gu Yuena, then crawled out of the barrier and jumped off the platform.
After eating the fried rice, Gu Chen and Gu Yuena showcased an astonishing synergy.
Gu Chen led the charge with a powerful "Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens," and as Mura attempted to dodge, the solid ground beneath her turned into sticky mud, dragging her down.
This was the same move that Gu Yuena had used in the previous round!
Mura's expression tightened—her Wind Chime Grass teammate had already been eliminated, leaving her with no way to break free from the control.
With no other options, Mura was forced to block the "Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens" head-on.
Just as she did, Gu Yuena moved—countless fireballs rained down from above, completely draining Mura's soul power.
With her soul power exhausted and physically drained, Miula collapsed to the ground.
"Team Gu Yuena wins!" the referee announced, noting Gu Yuena's score on the parchment scroll in his hand.
There are two rounds in the team battle. Each win grants five points.
Gu Yuena: 10 points.
Yan Xiaoli: 0 points.
Ling Xiaojiu: 0 points.
Miu Yu: 5 points.
Mura: 5 points.
These are the current scores for all the Saintess candidates.
The next day was the individual competition for the Saintess selection. The matches would conclude in a single day. Each participant could engage in up to four battles, with each win earning three points.
The next day, the individual tournament began.
By drawing lots, Gu Yuena's opponent was Miu Yu, Mura faced Yan Xiaoli, and Ling Xiaojiu got a bye.
From the start of the match, Gu Yuena used fierce tactics—teleportation, light sword, and fireballs—to overwhelm Miu Yu.
When Miu Yu's defense showed the slightest gap, Gu Yuena thrust her light sword and eliminated her from the field.
Next came a shocking twist: Yan Xiaoli exploded with power not shown during the team match and utterly crushed Miula.
In truth, the reason Mura's and Miu Yu's team beat Yan Xiaoli in the team round was simply due to Yan Xiaoli's poor social skills—she didn't have strong teammates willing to pair up with her.
Once her teammates were eliminated, facing a seven-on-one was clearly a hopeless scenario for her.
After the first round of the individual competition, the updated scores were:
Gu Yuena: 13 points
Yan Xiaoli: 3 points
Ling Xiaojiu: 3 points
Miu Yu: 5 points
Mura: 5 points
Only three participants remained for the second round since Miu Yu and Mura had been eliminated.
Thus, the second round consisted of three matches:
Gu Yuena vs. Ling Xiaojiu
Yan Xiaoli vs. Ling Xiaojiu
Gu Yuena vs. Yan Xiaoli
Because Ling Xiaojiu is a support-type soul master, she forfeited both matches.
This led to the final match between Gu Yuena and Yan Xiaoli.
Yan Xiaoli stepped onto the platform with an evil grin:"Yan Xiaoli, Martial Soul: Ghost Panther. 48th level, four-ring Soul Ancestor."
Yan Xiaoli was 21 years old—technically above the age limit for Saintess candidates—but her father, the Ghost Panther Douluo, held an important position in the Spirit Hall, allowing her entry.
"Gu Yuena, Martial Soul: Seven-Colored Dragon. 42nd level, four-ring Battle Soul Master," she replied. As she spoke, the Silver Dragon King possession activated, and a terrifying ring sequence appeared behind her: one purple, three black.
First Soul Skill – Ghost Panther Assault!
Yan Xiaoli dashed forward, sharp claws swiping directly at Gu Yuena's face.
She had long been jealous of Gu Yuena's stunning looks and aimed to ruin them.
Whoosh! Space energy rippled, and Gu Yuena reappeared dozens of meters away.
All of her soul rings lit up nearly simultaneously.
First Soul Skill – Elemental Tide!
Second Soul Skill – Elemental Control!
Third Soul Skill – Elemental Fusion!
Fourth Soul Skill – Elemental Staff!
A staff glowing with elemental light appeared before her, floating without her needing to control it directly.
At the same time, Gu Yuena's left hand held a dual-element mix of ice and fire, and her right hand wielded light and darkness—both launched toward Yan Xiaoli.
Meanwhile, the Elemental Staff fired off a rapid barrage of wind blades at Yan Xiaoli.
Each of these moves—be it the Ice and Fire of her left hand, the Light and Darkness of her right, or the Wind Blade Storm from her staff—had the power to kill a Soul Emperor.
Gu Yuena had been enraged by Yan Xiaoli's vicious tactics.
Faced with the deadly onslaught, Yan Xiaoli blanked out, then screamed in panic:
"I surrender! Referee, help!"
But it was too late. The wind blades arrived first, shredding Yan Xiaoli's body into ribbons. Though she survived, her injuries were so severe that she'd need at least a month to get out of bed.
The referee, realizing the seriousness, stepped in just in time. As a Soul Douluo, he barely managed to block the Ice and Fire and the Light-Dark burst.
Even so, when the Light and Darkness attack exploded, he grunted in pain, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Gu Yuena wins!" he declared, wiping the blood away.
Gu Yuena's score now reached 19 points—three more than the previous Saintess, Hu Liena.
Without question, Gu Yuena had rightfully earned the title of Spirit Hall Saintess.
When the Ghost Panther Douluo heard his granddaughter was gravely injured, he was initially furious. But given that Gu Yuena was now the Saintess of Spirit Hall and a favored candidate of his superior, Qian Xunji, he had no choice but to let it go.
Gu Yuena's reputation at the Spirit Academy soared. From then on, every student had to respectfully call her "Saintess, my lady."
With the Saintess chosen, it was time for the Saint Son Selection.
Candidates included:
Yu Jiu, son of Serpent Spear Douluo
Ci He and Ci Yu, sons of Thorn Dolphin Douluo
Lü De, son of Devil Bear Douluo
Jin Zi, son of Golden Crocodile Douluo
And Gu Chen, who received a personal nomination from the Pope
Among them, only Jin Zi's father, the Golden Crocodile Douluo, belonged to Qian Xunji's faction. The others were all under Bibi Dong's command.
The night before the Saint Son team battle began, Jin Zi approached Gu Chen in a hurry.
"You're Gu Chen, right? I'm Jin Zi, son of Golden Crocodile Douluo. I want to team up with you for the group battle," he said straight to the point.
"But with your strength, wouldn't you pass the group stage easily as long as you're not matched against me?" Gu Chen asked, confused.
Jin Zi was well-known at the academy—his Martial Soul, the Golden Crocodile King, was not inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
Jin Zi grinned at Gu Chen's confident tone."All the other candidates, except us, are children of Bibi Dong's followers. I've heard they plan to form a team together to eliminate us first. If we don't work together, we don't stand a chance."
"Ugh... so the prelims are the finals?" Gu Chen sighed, speechless.Whoever made these rules must've been brain-dead. How could they allow multiple Saint Son candidates to form one team?
"Achoo!"
In the Pope's Hall, Qian Xunji sneezed. He rubbed his nose."Who's cursing me?"