Chapter 178: I Still Prefer the Way You Used to Be—Arrogant and Unruly
Bang!
Spears clashed fiercely. Xiao Yuan slammed into Bai Cheng with his full might. As the gusts of force rippled out, Bai Cheng stumbled back five steps, while Xiao Yuan only retreated four. Clearly, with the boost from his Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Change and his formidable physical strength, Xiao Yuan had gained a slight advantage in the direct clash!
"Hmph, brute force—that's all it is!" Though Bai Cheng was forced back, his expression darkened as he swung his spear and sneered. "If that's all you've got, once your secret technique's duration ends, you'll be lying on the ground!"
"You sure do talk a lot of crap."
Xiao Yuan let out a cold laugh and shot forward like a black streak. Every stomp of his foot left a half-inch deep imprint on the ground, his surging momentum like a humanoid magical beast—visually overwhelming.
Seeing this fearsome, thunderous charge coming at him, Bai Cheng finally began to waver. Only now did he realize he had truly underestimated Xiao Yuan from the beginning.
Gritting his teeth hard, Bai Cheng tightly gripped his spear. His gaze fixed sharply on the approaching Xiao Yuan, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes. He knew just how important this battle was—for if he lost, his ranking on the Strong Ranking would immediately be taken by Xiao Yuan, and Bai Gang's prestige would collapse, their standing in the Inner Academy plummeting. No matter how difficult Xiao Yuan was to deal with, he had to defeat him today at any cost!
"Arrogant bastard. Today, I'll show you what real strength from the Strong Ranking looks like! These low-tier tricks have made you far too confident."
A sharp edge passed over his face. Deep yellow Dou Qi gushed from Bai Cheng's body like the Yellow River, enveloping him completely until his body was entirely wrapped in a glowing sphere of golden light, rippling like water and swirling like a luminous yellow vortex.
The light trembled slightly. Then, under everyone's gaze, Bai Cheng let out a low shout. His long spear lashed out like lightning, creating afterimages with each thrust. In a mere moment, the shadows blanketed the space before him.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan appeared at the edge of the spear image storm like a charging beast.
"Haah!"
The dense yellow spear shadows paused in the air, the spear tips glinting ominously. Enhanced by the Dou Qi, each shadow carried the power to pierce solid stone. With a shout, Bai Cheng unleashed a barrage of piercing strikes, each one screaming through the air with sharp wind-splitting sounds.
The sheer volume of spear shadows revealed just how powerful Bai Cheng was. A true expert of the Strong Ranking.
Ordinary Dou Lings would be overwhelmed by this ferocious offense. But Xiao Yuan's combat experience was no less than Bai Cheng's. Straightening his waist, he swung his Mystic Ice Dragon Spear like a massive dragon.
A wave of black spear shadows blanketed the sky, emitting waves of biting cold that made many watching shiver involuntarily.
"Such pure ice-type Dou Qi!"
Han Yue's eyes flickered with surprise. It was her first time seeing Xiao Yuan in action. She had assumed he was just a cocky youth—but now she realized he must have had confidence to act so boldly.
Still, if this was all his strength, he probably wouldn't be able to completely overpower Bai Gang. If he failed to beat Bai Cheng before the secret technique's time limit expired, he could be in serious trouble!
Several of her companions also showed surprise. Based on Xiao Yuan's current performance, only Han Yue herself among their Yue Ling faction could face him as an equal.
Was this really just a freshman? He was almost too strong!
Ding! Ding!
Spear shadows imbued with sharp force collided again and again, emitting crisp, metallic clashes. The shadows vanished in rapid succession, each clash releasing visible waves of force that rippled out from their impact.
As most of the spear shadows dissipated, only a few remained. They suddenly stopped the flurry and condensed into a single solid spear that shot forward like lightning, aiming for Xiao Yuan's chest with razor-sharp wind condensed at the tip.
However...
The next moment, Bai Cheng grit his teeth and pulled back to defend, for Xiao Yuan had once again gone for his throat with a precise counterthrust.
Though confident in his Earth-type Dou Qi's defense, Xiao Yuan's eerie, high-heat ice-type Dou Qi left him unsettled. He wasn't about to gamble with his life.
Xiao Yuan's all-out, reckless style was giving Bai Cheng a serious headache.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Xiao Yuan pressing the attack again, Bai Cheng clenched his jaw. A tremor ran through his arm as the spear burst with light. A blinding yellow radiance exploded from the battlefield like a blazing sun.
Shhh!
The golden glow surged outward, and a yellow sand serpent formed from energy shot forth, its snarling maw lunging toward Xiao Yuan.
But Xiao Yuan's spinning spear formed a flawless defensive wall of spear shadows. Black frost spread out and crystallized into ice, layering onto the defense like a translucent mirror of black ice!
Boom!
The sand serpent slammed into the crystalline defense with a deafening roar. Ripples of force spread outward, cracks spidering across the floor from beneath Xiao Yuan's feet.
"Break!"
Slamming his palm on the spear's shaft, Bai Cheng unleashed his full six-star Dou Ling power. The immense force struck the icy defense with a powerful thrust!
And yet—the expected shattering never came. Instead, the spear's power was reflected back with terrifying intensity!
The counterforce numbed Bai Cheng's hand. As Xiao Yuan followed up with an icy storm blast from the spear tip, Bai Cheng's weapon was sent flying from his grasp!
"What?!"
The Bai Gang spectators were dumbfounded. Their leader—a six-star Dou Ling ranked 34th on the Strong Ranking—had just been disarmed by a freshman?
Bai Cheng, now weaponless, was instantly pressured by Xiao Yuan's follow-up attacks. Were it not for the Earth-type Dou Qi's defensive might, he would've been bleeding already.
This one-sided beatdown caused many to burst into laughter. For an upperclassman with three years of training to be beaten like this by a newcomer—how humiliating!
Rolling across the ground to escape, Bai Cheng jumped to his feet. Hearing the crowd's laughter, his face turned from red to pale and back. After a moment, he resumed his grim demeanor and stared icily at Xiao Yuan.
"Heh... I really underestimated you."
"Too much talking."
Xiao Yuan gave him no time to recover. With a sneer, he lunged forward again like a ghost. His spear, filled with fierce power, thrust sharply at Bai Cheng.
This time, prepared for the assault, Bai Cheng responded swiftly, forming a new spear with his Dou Qi and dancing it in tight patterns to counter. He finally began to stabilize the fight.
The battlefield erupted in chaos once more. Blue and yellow Dou Qi clashed like thunder, tearing cracks through the stone floor at a frightening pace.
Boom! Boom!
Deep collisions rang out. Eventually, the two figures became little more than blurry lights due to their explosive energy output. The pressure was so intense that even those standing dozens of feet away found it hard to breathe.
Spectators were stunned. From what they could see, the fight was evenly matched—a shocking realization.
Though not as famous as Lin Xiuya, Bai Cheng was a recognized elite of the Inner Academy. But here he was, fighting to a draw with a freshman who had joined less than a week ago!
For the veteran students, this was sobering.
As the battle reached its climax, the crowd quieted. Everyone watched nervously. At this point, any slight delay could expose a fatal flaw.
Truthfully, even if Xiao Yuan lost now, his reputation would remain intact. After all, Bai Cheng was a seasoned student with years of experience. That Xiao Yuan could match him already made a powerful statement.
But for Bai Cheng, a draw wasn't acceptable. He had to win—otherwise, his reputation would become Xiao Yuan's stepping stone.
Eyes flashing with desperation, Bai Cheng realized he had no choice. He had to use one of his trump cards—or risk another opening being exploited by Xiao Yuan.
With a spin of his right hand, he gathered deep yellow Dou Qi into a compressed orb the size of a palm and hurled it at Xiao Yuan with a fierce shout.
"Mysterious Earth Rotating Spiral!"
The compact brown sphere howled through the air with a high-pitched screech. Energy arcs twisted along its surface, peeling away the surrounding air like a drill.
Xiao Yuan's dark pupils shrank as the orb grew in size before him. He didn't flinch. He threw a punch of his own—an Icy Spiral Fist he had used before.
Boom!
In an instant, the two techniques collided in midair. A massive shockwave exploded outward, and Xiao Yuan and Bai Cheng collided again. Their spears met, and ripples of energy surged from the impact, tearing the ground apart.
"Haah!"
A roar rang out, followed by a dragon's cry. Without warning, Xiao Yuan summoned a gigantic ice dragon that dwarfed Bai Cheng's earlier sand serpent.
A moment later, Bai Cheng was sent flying like a rag doll. If not for his near-solid Dou Qi armor, the fight might have ended right there!
Earth-type Dou Qi offered incredible defense, and the full-power armor Bai Cheng summoned was indeed formidable. He even sneered:
"This fight—I might not win. But with this armor, you won't beat me so easily either!"
Xiao Yuan rolled his eyes. A moment ago, Bai Cheng claimed Xiao Yuan would be left lying on the ground. Now he was trying to save face?
"Is that so? Then let me show you how I'll break your turtle shell!"
With a sneer, Xiao Yuan formed a hand seal. His Dou Qi surged into the ice dragon, which then swelled to twice its size!
Even Han Yue broke into a cold sweat. She doubted she could do more than barely withstand such an attack—let alone fight afterward. Xiao Yuan's strength was simply unbelievable.
Roar!
With a deafening cry, the ice dragon charged. With overwhelming power, it shattered Bai Cheng's prideful armor.
Bai Cheng's body crashed to the ground like a ragged dog.
And thus—the battle ended.
(END CHAPTER)
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