Canaan Academy, in the arena.
Xu Ran and the girls caused quite a stir when they arrived.
Xun Er and the others were new faces, yet each of them was strikingly beautiful.
However, the people of the Inner Court were clearly more astute than those of the Outer Court. Even if they didn't recognize Xu Ran, they didn't approach to provoke him. Those who came from the Outer Court to the Inner Court all suffered immensely in their first year. Now, whatever they did, they wouldn't be so impulsive, much more cautious instead.
"How about Cousin Xiao Yu and I give it a try first? After I lose, then you can defeat Xiao Mei," Hu Jia suggested directly and bluntly. Xiao Yu was very strong, already a Five-Star Dou Ling by now.
Xiao Yu and the others were progressing so quickly that breaking through a star each month was considered slow. They were able to advance almost every two weeks. Even people from the Imperial Clan would be shocked by the speed of their cultivation.
"What the heck. It's like you're saying I'm very weak. But I agree," Xiao Mei pouted, clearly dissatisfied. It was obvious to her that she was regarded as the weakest link. Even so, after Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei wore each other out, her chances of securing a victory at full strength against the loser would be much greater.
It so happened that both Xiao Yu and Hu Jia used whips as their weapons.
In the arena, as soon as the two women stepped onto the stage, Hu Jia immediately launched an attack.
"Darkwood Poisonous Serpent Vine!"
The whip shadows flickered like poisonous snakes, striking with venomous and tricky ferocity.
Xiao Yu countered with leisure and composure. From Xu Ran, Xiao Yu had also acquired Water-element Earth Class Dou Techniques, all self-created by him. Although Hu Jia had recently caught up in "Cultivation Level" quite rapidly, there was still a great disparity between them in terms of Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques.
"This is bad. Don't tell me Xiao Mei is also that formidable?" Hu Jia was surprised by Xiao Yu's strength. It seemed that Xiao Yu had yet to make a serious move. The gap between them appeared much larger than Hu Jia had imagined.
Xu Ran's nurturing of Xiao Yu and the others wasn't just about supplying Elixirs; Dou Techniques and Cultivation Techniques were equally unmatched.
"Cousin Xiao Yu's strength is second only to mine. Below the level of Douwang, there are probably only a few people who could defeat her," said Xun Er, standing to the right of Xu Ran, with Xue Ni on his left.
"Hmm. Yu Er has already mastered some Earth-Level Dou Techniques. Hu Jia won't be a match for her," Xu Ran also stated seriously.
The strength displayed by both women in the arena far surpassed that of an average Dou Ling. Many spectators were drawn to the match.
"Forget it. I surrender. I will go and fight for the slightly weaker puppet with Xiao Mei," Hu Jia swiftly conceded after realizing she was not a match, only a few minutes into the fight.
...
"Hey, since when did such beautiful girls appear in our Inner Court? How come we didn't hear anything about them? And their strength is so substantial, they are definitely worthy of the Inner Court's power rankings. We should recognize all of Heaven's Proud Daughters on that list."
"I heard this time in the Outer Court there appeared a few super talents, all with the strength of Dou Ling, and they are all girls. Those must be them, right?"
"That's got to be them. The one with the wood attribute using the whip is Hu Jia, known in the Outer Court as the Little Demoness. Yet, she was defeated by another girl from the Outer Court, which I didn't expect. And that pink-haired girl wielding a sword seems very strong too."
"The Inner Court has suddenly become home to so many monsters."
In the Inner Court, Hu Jia's popularity was not low. As Hu Qian's granddaughter, Hu Jia was recognized by many there. And now, the appearance of so many talented young women whose strength was not less than Hu Jia's was something no one had anticipated.
Previously, when several geniuses came to the Outer Court, many in the Inner Court didn't take it seriously. After all, each year around this time, numerous rumors would circulate, often ridiculous, especially regarding the junior female students. Tales about the 'campus beauties' and 'lily flowers'... Those rumors served as a bit of entertainment aside from cultivation activities at the academy.
No matter the time, beautiful girls always became the most talked-about topic in private on campus. In Canaan Academy, they even started ranking the girls early on. Currently, Han Yue held the highest ranking, but now they felt Senior Han Yue's top position might not be so stable.
"Wow, to think they're even stronger than Senior Han Yue."
In a certain area of the arena, Han Yue and some members of "Moon Spirit" were completely dumbfounded.
Han Yue was also a Dou Ling, but compared with Xiao Yu and the others, her strength was much lower. Even though Xiao Mei and the others weren't as serious about their cultivation as Han Yue's group, the items Xu Ran provided them with were just too good. Moreover, Xu Ran's elixirs cleansed their meridians of impurities and even improved their talent a notch.
In such circumstances, even if they were to just laze around, they would still be stronger than the others.
"Xiao Mei, from the Xiao Family of Utan City, had a Dou Qi Fourth Stage strength a year ago."
"Xiao Yu, from the Xiao Family of Utan City, was a Two-Star Fighter a year ago."
"Hu Jia, a month ago, was still only a high-level Great Fighter; although her exact 'Cultivation Level' was unknown, it surely wouldn't have exceeded an Eight-Star Great Fighting Master. But now, she has already become a Four-Star Dou Ling."
Han Yue had made her inquiries early on. The information about Xiao Mei and Xiao Yu was provided by her family, while there was no need to investigate Hu Jia; asking around in the Outer Court was enough.
Without a doubt, without even thinking, everyone knew that these people's sudden growth was all because of Xu Ran. Originally, their talents weren't even as good as hers.
If she could also gain Xu Ran's favor, wouldn't she become very strong as well, and maybe even have a chance to enter the top twenty of the Inner Court's strength rankings? Hu Jia's rapid growth in just a month was indeed terrifying.
Ah, Han Yue, what are you thinking? It would already be quite fortunate just to strike up a conversation with that person and obtain an elixir. How could she even entertain the thought of asking for more?
Han Yue chastised herself internally. When had she, like those other girls, started to indulge in such wild and wishful thinking?
"Senior, should we directly approach and try to win them over?"
"I'll go. You guys just wait here," Han Yue said, taking a deep breath before walking towards Xu Ran.
"Um..., hello, I—I am Han Yue, the founder of Moon Spirit. I was wondering if the two of you would be interested in joining a faction? If possible, you might consider our Moon Spirit..."
Unlike the usual cool and composed Han Yue, the one who approached Xu Ran and Xun Er even became somewhat inarticulate, with an evident nervousness visible on her face.
According to the information from the Han Family, Xu Ran was at least a Seventh Rank Alchemist, and being so close to such a legendary figure naturally made Han Yue somewhat nervous, and she held a degree of reverence toward Xu Ran.