"That stingy Old Man Su!"
Zi Yan pouted in dissatisfaction but didn't say much more. For her, another fight was nothing; it just meant spending a little more time.
"Next, let's begin the drawing of lots."
Elder Su Qian smiled and nodded, pointing to the bamboo cylinder on the stone platform in the arena. Hearing this, many participants swiftly flashed onto the stage, sequentially drawing bamboo slips from the cylinder.
"Eleven, that's not a very lucky number!"
Yan Qingshan casually glanced at the number on his bamboo slip, then followed the others back to the high platform, quietly waiting for the upcoming battles.
"Strong Rankings Tournament, Second Round, First Match, Number Eleven!"
Yan Qingshan had just prepared to sit down when he heard Elder Su Qian's loud announcement. His eyes were wide with surprise, but he quickly stepped onto the stage.
Although there was a one-twelfth chance of drawing the first spot among twenty-four people, actually encountering it still surprised him. And the number eleven, of all things, made him find it rather amusing after he calmed down.
"Begin!"
Elder Su Qian's faint voice resounded, like a spark igniting a powder keg, instantly detonating the tense atmosphere in the arena. Yan Qingshan's opponent didn't say a word, charging directly. With one slash, a crescent-shaped arc of fire shot out.
"Fire-attributed Dou Qi!"
Yan Qingshan shifted his body back, frowning slightly. Although he wasn't afraid of fire-attributed opponents, this type of Dou Qi instinctively made his wood-attributed Dou Qi uncomfortable.
However, he didn't ponder for too long. He directly stepped forward, his hands moving to unleash countless sword threads that enveloped the entire combat stage like a spider web.
Puff... puff…
The fire-attributed Eight-star Dou Spirit didn't slow his long saber, continuously employing fierce saber techniques to chop. Wherever the fiery saber arcs passed, the sword threads in front of him snapped immediately.
Unfortunately, Yan Qingshan's sword threads were simply too numerous. After being woven into a net, not only was their deployment faster, but their toughness and sharpness doubled. His opponent fell into a quagmire. In the later stages, let alone getting close, even moving became difficult.
What happens when a fire-attributed explosive Dou Spirit battles a wood-attributed Dou Spirit in a war of attrition? It was evident. This expert, a peak Eight-star Dou Spirit in the top twenty of the Strong Rankings, was sent off the combat stage after only a few exchanges with Yan Qingshan, losing in a humiliating way.
"Winner, Yan Qingshan!"
Elder Su Qian calmly confirmed the result, a peculiar light flashing in his eyes. This Yan Qingshan was considered the most outstanding genius in the inner Academy. Should he be given a spot in this year's top ten on the Strong Rankings?
This wasn't a random thought for Elder Su Qian. The top ten on the Strong Rankings were already considered quasi-high-level members of the academy, and their decision-making body had to be cautious.
In terms of cultivation, Yan Qingshan was only a Five-star Dou Spirit. He couldn't compare to the current top six Dou Kings, nor could he compare to those in the lower ranks of the top fifteen, as most of them were Nine-star Dou Spirits, many having even reached the peak.
These peak Dou Spirits were the ones who most needed to refine their bodies with the Fallen Heart Flame this time. After the body refinement, it was very likely that more Dou Kings would emerge among them, which further aligned with the academy's interests.
As for Yan Qingshan, his cultivation was still far from the peak of Dou Spirit. Even if he used the Fallen Heart Flame, he wouldn't be able to achieve Dou King in the short term. However, his potential was immense, and Elder Su Qian was considering whether to give him a chance.
After Yan Qingshan advanced in the second round, he would be among the top fifteen on the Strong Rankings. inner Academy students at this level had previously been at least Nine-star Dou Spirits. In the third round, those like him who advanced through "luck" would usually be arranged to fight Dou Kings to be eliminated.
But now, Elder Su Qian was considering whether to give him a chance, arranging for an older student from the lower ranks of the top ten on the Strong Rankings, allowing him to also qualify for the Fallen Heart Flame.
"I'm truly getting senile, why am I thinking so much! Let fate decide!"
Elder Su Qian ultimately couldn't make a quick decision. On one hand, most of the current top ten on the Strong Rankings were already veteran students, and this was almost their last chance. On the other hand, he truly thought highly of Yan Qingshan, this genius.
So, in his dilemma, he simply stopped thinking about it. At worst, he wouldn't manipulate the matches then; he would just randomly draw to see who would be arranged as his opponent.
"Ninth round, Number Five!"
Yan Qingshan, who had been dozing off on the stands, suddenly woke up when he heard Elder Su Qian's announcement. This was Lin Yan's number, and he was the last of the four Qingshan Faction members to enter the second round to appear.
Among the four who entered the second round this time, besides Yan Qingshan who advanced through his own strength, the others suffered defeat. Their opponents all had at least Seven-star Dou Spirit cultivation. Liu Qing was even unluckily matched against a peak Dou Spirit who was ranked ninth on the Strong Rankings, and he was "kindly instructed" because of yesterday's events.
"How could it be him?!"
As Lin Yan just appeared on stage, another effeminate young man with lake-blue wings on his back arrived opposite him. He fanned himself with a folding fan, displaying extraordinary technique and fluctuations. This was the second-ranked on the Strong Rankings, Kuaishui Fan, Mu Yun.
Yan Qingshan frowned deeply. The opponent Lin Yan faced was not just troublesome; even if Lin Yan had now switched to a Di-tier cultivation technique, he probably couldn't last many moves. More critically, Mu Yun was someone who held grudges.
Zi Yan and Yan Qingshan had specifically mentioned these Dou Kings in the inner Academy, including the three newly advanced ones and these two veteran Dou Kings.
Kuaishui Fan Mu Yun, second on the Strong Rankings, specialized in Kuaishui Xuanyin Gong, an extremely bizarre Dou Qi technique.
Water was gentle, but mixed with yin, it became even more formidable. Moreover, his Dou Qi also carried strange water poison, causing many opponents to mysteriously become limp and be defeated by him.
"Lin Yan, just give it a try."
Yan Qingshan called out to Lin Yan on the stage, reminding him not to be too impulsive. He was genuinely worried that this guy would recklessly try to fight to the death. Not everyone would hold back like Wu Kai did for Yan Hao.
"Lin Yan, please!"
Lin Yan took up his stance, his fiery red long spear imbued with pale red Dou Qi, and his aura instantly became ferocious.
Mu Yun fanned himself with a calm expression, not putting Lin Yan in his eyes. Instead, he calmly said, "You're from that Qingshan Faction, right? You know Lin Xiu Ya, don't you?"
"Of course, I do."
Lin Yan wouldn't hide such a thing and readily admitted it.
"Very good. Then you can suffer my Soft Water Entangling Silk Hand in his stead!"
Mu Yun's hands suddenly released strands of viscous water. Lin Yan immediately felt a sense of dread. He shook his long spear, unleashing his strongest Dou Skill to collide, then used the momentum to retreat, preparing to leave the stage directly.
He was just a martial arts fanatic, not truly stupid. With an opponent a whole major rank higher, why would he truly fight to the death? This was a genuine Dou King, someone he simply couldn't contend with.