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As Kong Mingan suddenly appeared on the competition stage, the entire arena first fell silent for a moment, then erupted in even more fervent cheers and shouts than before. There was no other way to describe the atmosphere.
Compared to regular one-on-one matches, the idea of one person defeating an entire team with overwhelming force was clearly more newsworthy. The audience had thought this young man wouldn't appear, but unexpectedly, he showed up again in the finals. One person in the crowd even shouted out that they wanted to see a real fight with high stakes.
On the competition stage, Wu Ming, who was preparing to show off her skills, also froze for a moment. Looking at the young man who had been chatting with them just before, she unconsciously frowned. Wu Ming didn't underestimate him because of his age.
After all, she and Zhang Lexuan had watched his match the day after their conversation. His strength was immense, but she couldn't quite understand what methods he used during his fights.
The relaxed expression on her face gradually receded, and Wu Ming's brow furrowed, becoming very serious. Without hesitation, scorching golden flames erupted from her body, and the powerful heatwave caused the protective shield around the arena to ripple slightly. Two yellow, two purple, and one black spirit ring rose from beneath her feet.
These five optimally configured spirit rings displayed her powerful cultivation as a fifty-ninth-level Spirit King without any reservation. A brilliant Golden Crow phantom spread its wings behind her. She lightly tapped her toes, leaving the ground, and looked down at her enemy. Her aura was sacred and scorching as she hovered in the air.
In response, Kong Mingan stood motionless on the tiled floor of the arena. The referee stood in mid-air, and after confirming both were ready, he announced loudly that the match should begin. Almost the instant his voice fell, Wu Ming didn't hesitate at all.
The Golden Crow wings on her back flapped fiercely, and the scorching air current lifted her body rapidly upwards. She quickly increased the distance from the ground. She knew very well that her advantage lay in her flexible aerial movement and her powerful flame bombardment ability.
This was an advantage for most Spirit Masters when they were fighting targets stuck on the ground. Looking down, she saw that Kong Mingan below did not pursue her. Instead, a thick, blood-red mist began to permeate around him. The blood-red mist rolled and spread like a living thing, quickly obscuring his figure completely. It left only an unsettling crimson area with a radius of about ten meters.
Wu Ming snorted coldly, thinking he was just putting on an act, but inwardly she was secretly vigilant. With a raised hand, her first spirit ring shone brightly. She called out her Golden Crow True Fire Blast. Several blazing golden fireballs fell like meteors from the sky, accurately striking into the blood mist.
However, the expected explosion and energy impact did not occur. After the fireballs entered the blood mist, they were like stones dropped into a deep ocean. They disappeared silently without even leaving a ripple.
Wu Ming frowned slightly as she watched this happen. She felt as if her attacks weren't being blocked, but rather losing control and then being swallowed up by the mist.
She didn't believe it and decided to try again. With her third spirit ring shining, she launched another attack. She used her Golden Crow True Fire Explosion. This time it was a wider-ranging and more sustained flame explosion attack.
A golden wave of flames surged into the blood mist, but the result was no different from before. It was still silently swallowed by the strange blood mist. Wu Ming felt a sense of difficulty because the opponent's method was too bizarre. She truly couldn't understand it.
Just as her thoughts were turning, a crimson spear appeared. It was entirely condensed from Qi and blood. It tore through the blood mist and shot out of the air without any warning. It was too fast for her to react easily. It even struck precisely in the gap of her thoughts, giving her no time to dodge normally.
She had to use her fourth spirit ring, which flashed with purple light. In the next moment, a condensed golden flame ring instantly formed in front of her for defense. The Qi and blood spear slammed heavily into the flame ring, emitting a dull roar. The flame ring trembled violently and barely blocked the spear, but then it shattered with a crash.
What surprised Wu Ming even more was that at the moment of impact, she felt a very brief stagnation in her spirit power circulation. It felt as if something had interfered with her control over her own Spirit Abilities.
Before she could think further, several more Qi and blood spears shot out from different angles through the mist. They sealed off all her space to move. Wu Ming gritted her teeth while golden flames erupted around her.
While desperately dodging and weaving, she activated her Spirit Abilities again to defend herself. She barely managed to destroy most of the spears, but one eventually pierced through a gap in the flames. It accurately hit her lower abdomen.
Wu Ming grunted, but the sharp pain she expected did not come. The Qi and blood spear instantly transformed into a crimson energy that surged directly into her body upon contact. Wu Ming's face changed dramatically, and her figure in mid-air stumbled violently. She felt as if the circulation of spirit power within her body had hit an invisible wall.
Her normally unobstructed meridians were forcibly blocked by an external, scorching, and stagnant energy. Her spirit power lost its pathways and crashed chaotically within her body. This brought an indescribable sensation of bloating, pain, and suffocation. It made her feel almost like she was going to be sick.
She raised her hand, trying to forcefully activate a stronger Spirit Ability, but she found her meridians were severely blocked. It was impossible for her spirit power to condense smoothly. This made even the Spirit Abilities that she could normally use with a single thought incredibly difficult to employ.
While she struggled, another Qi and blood spear was already flying toward her. This time, it solidly hit her shoulder. More Qi and blood power surged into her body, which instantly made the blockage worse.
Wu Ming could no longer maintain her flight. Her Golden Crow spirit attachment was forcibly dispelled, and she fell straight from the sky like a bird with broken wings. She plunged headfirst into the churning blood-red mist below.
Almost the instant she entered the blood mist, Wu Ming felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation. The surroundings were no longer filled with air. Instead, there was dense and unyielding Qi and blood.
It was frantically drilling into her body through her skin. Her meridians were completely blocked now, and her spirit power was entirely sealed within her body. She couldn't move at all. The feeling was like being held down in a deep pool of thick blood. She was unable to struggle, and despair began to engulf her like a cold tide. She started to wonder if she was going to die right there.
The thought surfaced, and the primal fear of a living being began to surge uncontrollably in Wu Ming's heart. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, and her pupils were filled with despair.
However, death did not come as she had expected. She fell into an embrace that was not wide, yet unusually steady. The suffocating sensation receded slightly, and Wu Ming struggled to lift her eyes to see who had caught her.
Within her blurry vision, she saw the young man's handsome face. He was incredibly close to her. She saw his calm and unruffled black eyes looking back at her. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment as she looked at him.
The young man's clear, cold voice sounded in her ear. He didn't sound like he was mocking her or celebrating a victory. He just asked her a simple question. He asked her if she surrendered. Wu Ming suddenly snapped back to reality.
The fear and despair she felt moments ago now transformed into an incredibly strong sense of humiliation. Subconsciously, she gritted her teeth and stubbornly told him that she would never surrender.