Nan Qiuqiu had never encountered someone who could so forcefully break through her Annihilation Body Shield.
Di Mingli's expression was cold and calm. She didn't say a word, but the golden light around her grew even more dazzling.
That overwhelming dragons might swept across the arena, more unrestrained than ever.
Nan Qiuqiu's face was unsightly. Di Mingli's arrogance and disregard made her feel extremely stifled.
Moreover, that exceedingly domineering bloodline pressure was a major disturbance for her.
This kind of absolute suppression at the martial soul level made her feel completely out of sorts.
Gritting her teeth, Nan Qiuqiu chose to pull back and put distance between them.
She could already tell that Di Mingli was an overwhelmingly strong melee-type power-attack soul master.
Although she was also skilled at close combat, it was obvious that Di Mingli was even more forceful and violent.
So, if she wanted to deal with Di Mingli, she'd have to keep her distance as much as possible.
Then, she could use her Annihilation power to whittle Di Mingli down from afar.
She acted immediately. The third soul ring on Nan Qiuqiu's body lit up, and clusters of pink light rapidly shot out.
They exploded one after another around Di Mingli.
Annihilation Chain Explosion!
This was Nan Qiuqiu's proud thousand-year soul ring technique, capable of greatly draining her opponent's soul power.
Although she didn't know how Di Mingli could break her Annihilation Body Shield, she believed Di Mingli couldn't be completely immune to the effects of Annihilation.
But in the end, Nan Qiuqiu still underestimated Di Mingli. Facing Nan Qiuqiu's so-called attrition, Di Mingli directly activated her sixth soul skill.
Golden Dragon's Sixth Soul Skill: Indestructible Golden Dragon Body.
All attributes increased by 100%, and physical resistance greatly improved. For a short period, she became immune to physical damage and could greatly weaken energy-based attacks.
Undoubtedly, for a power-attack soul master, this was a god-tier skill.
Di Mingli was already violent; with a soul skill like this, she became utterly unstoppable.
Di Mingli charged straight through Nan Qiuqiu's Annihilation power, closing in on her.
With an overwhelmingly domineering stance, she shattered all of Nan Qiuqiu's defenses.
Under Nan Qiuqiu's shocked gaze, Di Mingli knocked her down with a single punch—she couldn't even get up for a while.
The referee counted for a few seconds, but Nan Qiuqiu still couldn't stand and was directly declared defeated.
People from the Earth Dragon Sect quickly carried Nan Qiuqiu off, and the rest of their members took the field.
There was no question—if even the strongest Nan Qiuqiu lost, the remaining members posed little threat to Di Mingli.
Di Mingli effortlessly defeated the remaining three, securing the final victory.
With this, Di Mingli completed the feat of defeating seven opponents in a row.
The crowd stirred below, and applause thundered. On stage, Di Mingli let out a gentle breath.
Eliminating seven people in a row was no small effort for Di Mingli, especially after using her sixth soul skill.
Although the sixth soul skill was powerful, such a strong ability naturally consumed a lot of energy.
Di Mingli wasn't Su Yu, who could recover soul power anytime and anywhere.
After seven battles, Di Mingli was also mentally exhausted.
"Match over. The winner of this match is Holy Slayer Palace."
The referee announced the result—Di Mingli's seven-in-a-row victory, giving Holy Slayer Palace a perfect score of twelve and advancing them to the next knockout round.
As for the Earth Dragon Sect, having been eliminated in the first round, they naturally had to pack up and go home.
On the VIP platform, Xu Tiannan, who had witnessed the entire match, chuckled, "What a domineering dragon martial soul. Hall Master, you were right. This girl did manage to defeat seven in a row."
"Looks like Su Yu's Holy Slayer Palace is quite something. With such outstanding soul masters, even Shrek Academy might not have many like them."
Jing Hongchen smiled faintly without speaking.
Beside him, Zhongli Wu's gaze was strange, and he spoke coldly, "If I'm not mistaken, that girl's martial soul should be the legendary Golden Dragon, right?"
"The Golden Dragon, ancestor of strength. Such a pure dragon martial soul—who would have thought someone could possess it."
"This Su Yu's Holy Slayer Palace has quite a few talents!"
"You know, the Golden Dragon martial soul is even rarer than ordinary ultimate martial souls."
Zhongli Wu's tone was ambiguous, possibly hinting at the threat Di Mingli posed.
After all, if a Golden Dragon martial soul grew into a Title Douluo, it would be a formidable challenge.
More importantly, Di Mingli was one of Su Yu's people.
Didn't this suggest that Su Yu's side was too powerful?
No ruler could ignore a powerful person strong enough to cause unrest.
Zhongli Wu was just deepening this impression.
Jing Hongchen's face darkened slightly, and he said blandly, "The Ice God Palace has been hidden for tens of thousands of years. Su Yu is the young master of Ice God Palace, so it's normal for him to have some outstanding friends."
"Besides, it's just one Golden Dragon martial soul user. Compared to the empire's machinery, it's still far from a match."
"You're right, Hall Master Jing. But now, Su Yu isn't just the young master of Ice God Palace—he's also the master of Holy Slayer Palace."
"Ice God Palace may be reclusive, but Holy Slayer Palace is not."
Zhongli Wu said in a sly tone.
Jing Hongchen laughed coldly. "So the master knows this is Holy Slayer Palace. Guess who the 'Holy' refers to, and who they want to kill?"
"It's just rivalry between two sects. I don't think it's escalated to the national level yet."
"You—!"
A flash of anger appeared in Zhongli Wu's eyes. Jing Hongchen's words made things very clear.
The grudge between Holy Slayer Palace and Holy Spirit Sect had nothing to do with the Sun-Moon Empire.
Jing Hongchen had completely separated the Holy Spirit Sect from the Sun-Moon Empire.
Xu Tiannan's eyes flickered, his thoughts racing.
He wished Su Yu would die sooner, but he also didn't trust the Holy Spirit Sect.
A bunch of lunatic perverts—he'd be crazy to trust them.
He'd just been forced to compromise.
Once his goals were achieved, he'd cut ties—or even settle accounts—with the Holy Spirit Sect.
Thinking this way, Holy Slayer Palace seemed useful.
He hated Su Yu, but profit came first.
If he could use Holy Slayer Palace to hold back the Holy Spirit Sect's power and let them both suffer, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
A flicker of calculation flashed in Xu Tiannan's eyes.
The next moment, he put on a kind smile and once again tried to mediate between Jing Hongchen and Zhongli Wu.
On the other side—
Di Mingli came down from the arena and walked toward the rest area.
With this battle, Di Mingli's reputation was thoroughly established.
Stunning looks, outstanding temperament, ice-cold goddess, powerful strength, a seven-in-a-row win.
With all these factors combined, she instantly gained a huge fanbase, her popularity peaking on the spot.
Meanwhile, the members of the Earth Dragon Sect, having lost, were utterly dejected.
Losing was one thing, but to lose so badly was just unbearable.
They'd come full of hope, wanting a good result at the tournament, but were swept out in the very first round.
Anyone would find that hard to accept.
Nan Shuishui, the sect master of the Earth Dragon Sect, also looked upset and was scolding her disciples.
Nan Qiuqiu, being scolded by her mother, even had red eyes.
Gritting her teeth, a stubborn look flashed in Nan Qiuqiu's eyes, and she ran straight toward the pavilion.
"Qiuqiu, what are you doing?"
Nan Shuishui was startled and quickly chased after her.
At this moment, Di Mingli had just sat down in the pavilion when Nan Qiuqiu rushed over, with Nan Shuishui following close behind.
"Qiuqiu, don't make trouble. Come back with me."
Nan Shuishui grabbed Nan Qiuqiu's hand to take her back, but Nan Qiuqiu was stubborn and refused to leave.
She stared fixedly at Di Mingli, her eyes red.
Wang Dong'er, watching this, couldn't help but laugh, nudging Di Mingli beside her and teasing, "Look at how badly you beat her—now she's here to demand payment."
Di Mingli shot Wang Dong'er a look, then gazed coldly at Nan Qiuqiu.
"What do you want? Can't accept losing?"
"Who said I can't accept it? I'm not like that!"
Nan Qiuqiu immediately got anxious, her tone indignant.
"Then why chase after me?"
Di Mingli's tone was icy.
Nan Qiuqiu bit her lip, as if making up her mind, and declared, "I just wanted to tell you, even though we lost this time, I'll win it back sooner or later."
Wang Dong'er burst out laughing. Di Mingli frowned, a look of impatience in her eyes.
"That's all you wanted to say?"
To Di Mingli, Nan Qiuqiu's bold words were nothing.
Nan Qiuqiu was talented, but it depended on who she was compared to.
To beat her? Impossible in this lifetime.
Apart from Su Yu, there was no one in the world more talented than her.
Nan Qiuqiu wasn't even her match now, let alone surpassing her in the future—what a fantasy.
"You... Don't look down on me. I'll redeem myself one day."
Nan Qiuqiu could see Di Mingli's disdain and protested indignantly.
Di Mingli said nothing, not even bothering to respond.
At this point, Su Yu spoke up, "Young lady, if you have something to say, just say it. There are a lot of people here, so it's inconvenient to stand around like this, don't you think?"
He looked at Nan Shuishui.
Nan Shuishui, who looked to be in her thirties and was well-maintained, wore a white-pink gradient brocade robe. She had a curvy, alluring figure, full of mature feminine charm—like a ripe peach, exuding the unique aura of a beautiful woman in her prime.
Nan Shuishui's gaze was fixed on Su Yu.
Of everyone present, Su Yu left the deepest impression on her.
Nan Qiuqiu only had eyes for Di Mingli, but Nan Shuishui noticed Su Yu.
Was Di Mingli strong? Yes!
But even someone like Di Mingli was just a team member.
The young man before her was the team captain.
That alone said it all—Su Yu was extraordinary.
What's more, she was shocked to find she couldn't see through Su Yu at all.
She was a dignified Soul Douluo, yet she couldn't see through a young man. That was astonishing.
Nan Shuishui's eyes flickered as she spoke, "What Qiuqiu wants to ask is actually about that young lady's martial soul."
"I'm also curious—what kind of martial soul could suppress our Earth Dragon Sect's Rouge Dragon?"
"Young man, could you enlighten us?"
Su Yu smiled lightly. "You're straightforward, Senior. But this is our sect's secret. With so many people around, I can't reveal it."
"Senior, could we move to a quieter place?"
The first round was over, so there was no reason to stay.
Besides, Su Yu wanted to get closer to Nan Shuishui and her group—he was very interested in the Ten-thousand-year Profound Ice Marrow.
"Of course!"
Nan Shuishui nodded.
She looked at Nan Qiuqiu, only to find her daughter staring at Su Yu in a daze.
Seeing Qiuqiu about to drool, Nan Shuishui's pretty face instantly darkened. "Qiuqiu!"
"Eh!"
Nan Qiuqiu snapped out of it, realizing several people were giving her strange looks. Her pretty face flushed red with embarrassment as she quickly looked away.
Nan Shuishui sighed helplessly and glanced at Su Yu again. With looks like his, he did have the potential to be a pretty boy.
She had to admit, his face was indeed lethal to some young girls.
"Then, Senior, please follow me."
Su Yu greeted Zhang Lexuan, Meng Hongchen, and the others, then got up.
Nan Shuishui watched the whole time, a glint in her eyes.
On the left was Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and on the right was Shrek Academy.
The best spot in the entire rest area and pavilion belonged to Su Yu's group.
Just who was Holy Slayer Palace that they could rank ahead of both Shrek Academy and Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy?
And judging by Su Yu's demeanor, he seemed to have good relations with both academies.
This realization made Nan Shuishui even more curious.
Su Yu led everyone back to the hotel. On the way, Nan Shuishui arranged for her sect's members, then followed Su Yu and the others to the top floor's No. 1 Sky Villa at Bright Moon Hotel.
Seeing the luxurious sky villa, both Nan Shuishui and Nan Qiuqiu were stunned.
"This... The No. 1 Sky Villa? You're staying here?"
Nan Qiuqiu looked around in disbelief.
No. 1 Sky Villa was the best accommodation in Bright Moon Hotel.
Nan Shuishui was also surprised, but she accepted it faster than Nan Qiuqiu.
After all, she'd already guessed from the rest area seating that Su Yu and his group were extraordinary. This only confirmed it.
Su Yu smiled lightly. "It's just a more luxurious room, nothing special. Please, come in."
Stepping through the castle-like arched door, the luxurious furnishings filled their eyes.
Su Yu invited them to sit on the sofa, and Jiang Nannan timely brought tea.
Other than Su Yu and Di Mingli, the others left the living room, giving them privacy.
"Senior, and this young lady, please have some tea."
Su Yu said with a smile.
Nan Qiuqiu, holding her teacup, quickly said, "I'm Nan Qiuqiu. You can just call me Qiuqiu. This is my mother Nan Shuishui, the sect master of the Earth Dragon Sect."
"Sect Master Nan, Miss Qiuqiu."
Su Yu nodded, introducing himself, "I'm Su Yu. This is my fiancée, Di Mingli."
"You have a fiancée?!"
Nan Qiuqiu cried out, obvious disappointment in her eyes.