Between the new and old students, a vacant area was marked out.
Sha Tie didn't want to bully anyone, so each time someone stepped up, it was from their side first.
On the side of the old students, after discussion, Su Xiao and Leng Bai stepped forward to battle, while Xiu Yan chose to observe.
The first to take the stage was Leng Bai, facing off against Bai Shan.
After a fierce fight, Leng Bai emerged victorious, eliciting cheers from the old students while dampening the spirits of the new ones.
The second to take the stage was a member of the Black Evil Stopper Team, facing Wu Hao.
The result was also unsurprising.
Despite Wu Hao giving it his all, he still fell before his opponent.
After winning two consecutive matches, the new students began to feel increasingly uneasy.
The third to step onto the stage was Hu Jia, who appeared somewhat nervous and took a few deep breaths.
Her opponent was a member of the Black Evil Stopper Team.
"Elder Su, what do you think?"
Elder Su glanced at the arena, then shifted his gaze to the side.
"Of course, Hu Jia will win."
Hu Gan spoke confidently.
As he predicted, Hu Jia emerged victorious, albeit with some effort, narrowly defeating her opponent and securing her first victory.
"Well done."
Facing a staggering Hu Jia being supported by someone, Xiao Yan nodded slightly.
Hu Jia forced a smile, "Enough with the flattery, you two will definitely win against them!"
"We will, for sure!"
Xiao Yan replied.
On the side of the old students, Su Xiao and Sha Tie exchanged a glance, their lips moving as if discussing who would go first.
In the end, Su Xiao took a few steps forward.
"Brother Xiao Yan, leave him to me."
Xiao Xun'er volunteered for the challenge.
"Alright, be careful."
Xiao Yan expressed his confidence in her and didn't offer too much advice.
Voices rose from the crowd of new students, cheering Xun'er on.
"Back in the outer courtyard, I heard about Xun'er's outstanding talent, but never had the chance to witness it."
Su Xiao wore a faint smile, seemingly unaffected by any pressure.
"Senior Brother, you'd better go all out."
Xun'er didn't want much conversation. With her palms together, a long golden energy whip emerged as she pulled apart her hands.
The whip was covered in a faint golden flame, emitting terrifying heat that caused slight distortions in the surrounding air.
The two engaged directly in battle, with Su Xiao wielding a dagger, his figure graceful as he was enveloped in Wind Attribute Dou Qi.
However, faced with the whip that made the air hum each time it was swung, Su Xiao found himself somewhat at a loss, struggling to get close.
Xun'er's whip was terrifyingly hot, and every time it struck the ground, the once damp soil would immediately dry up at a visible speed.
Even though the people around weren't directly facing Xun'er, they could still feel the pressure Su Xiao was under at that moment.
If he were to be hit, it wouldn't just be a simple matter of getting bruised.
Su Xiao dodged several times, noticing a pause in the whip's movements between strikes, and without hesitation, he lunged forward.
"He's falling for it!"
Xiao Yan murmured.
In the center of the arena, facing Su Xiao's attack, Xun'er remained calm. When the distance between them was mere inches, her jade-like hands flipped, pushing towards Su Xiao.
In an instant, a golden palm print shot out from Xun'er's palm, breaking through Su Xiao's Dou Qi Defensive Armor and hitting him in the chest.
Pfft!
Su Xiao flew backward, crashing to the ground, blood spewing from his mouth.
"Did he lose? Su Xiao couldn't even defeat a girl?"
"The battle ended too quickly, it feels like Su Xiao didn't even touch the opponent's clothes throughout."
"..."
On the side of the old students, someone rubbed their eyes, suspecting they might be seeing things. According to reason, Su Xiao's strength should be stronger than Leng Bai's, so how did he lose so quickly?
With two consecutive wins, the new students were once again uplifted, smiles appearing on their faces one by one.
"Brother Xiao Yan, keep it up."
As she passed by Xiao Yan, Xun'er flashed a playful smile.
This scene immediately caused a stir.
Xiao Yan chuckled and nodded.
"I thought I wouldn't get a chance to act." Sha Tie's face still showed lingering surprise.
Xiao Yan looked at him, "Your intervention wouldn't change the outcome. I won't let Xun'er's efforts go to waste. I must win!"
"As the Captain of the Black Evil Stopper Team, what I love most among the new students is someone like you, a troublemaker!"
Sha Tie smiled faintly as Dou Qi surrounded his body, forming a suit of armor.
Xiao Yan saw that Sha Tie's Dou Qi was of the metal attribute, and it seemed that he didn't intend to use weapons, which eased his mind slightly.
In terms of Qi Method, he was very confident!
"Sha Tie has already stepped half into the Dou Spirit realm. This Xiao Yan, a 6-Star Dou Grandmaster, doesn't seem too impressive. I wonder if he has any Secret Techniques."
Elder Qing commented.
"Secret Techniques? What a joke, Xiao Yan doesn't need them at all."
Hu Gan interjected.
His confidence in Xiao Yan immediately drew the attention of the two elders.
"Why hide your cards? If you have any tricks up your sleeve, just say it, can't you?" Elder Su stared at him for two seconds, then seeing Hu Gan's silent smile, couldn't help but give him a couple of punches on the shoulder.
The next second.
The fluctuation of flames in the arena below immediately caught the attention of the two elders.
"Heavenly Flame?"
As they gazed at the Green Flame in Xiao Yan's palm, the two elders, watching as if it were a play, suddenly widened their eyes and exclaimed in shock.
Feeling their gazes, Hu Gan smiled and nodded.
"No wonder you're so confident in him!" Elder Su exclaimed.
"This kind of thing, even us old folks don't have it. This kid is so lucky. Sha Tie won't last much longer."
A hint of envy flashed in Elder Qing's eyes.
The Heavenly Flame had immense power, and when attached to Dou Qi, it could cause great disturbance to opponents.
Sha Tie might be stronger than Xiao Yan, but his chances of winning weren't high.
"After passing this hurdle, the final five members of the White Evil Stopper Team probably won't be able to stop so many new students working together."
Elder Su was already considering what reward to give Xiao Yan.
The Fallen Heart Flame at the bottom of the tower is growing stronger day by day, and measures must be taken to deal with it.
And the natural way to deal with the Heavenly Flame is, of course, with the Heavenly Flame.
This kid named Xiao Yan, when he enters the inner courtyard, we can instruct others to keep an eye on him.
In the future, if the Fallen Heart Flame erupts, his Heavenly Flame might prove quite useful.
"In the past two years, the Academy has been producing one genius after another. It's a good thing. Last year, there was a monster like Lin Xiu, and this year, we have a little guy with Heavenly Flame. Jia Nan Academy hasn't been this lively in a long time."
Elder Qing sighed.
As a member of the Academy, he was genuinely pleased to see outstanding students within the Academy.
At his words, Hu Gan seemed to recall something, furrowing his brow, "Right, didn't you say Lin Xiu also participated? Where is he? We're almost at the end of the forest, but I haven't seen him."
"He's outside."
Elder Qing raised his chin, pointing to the exit of the forest in the distance.
"He's mixed up with the White Evil Stopper Team?"
Hu Gan was taken aback.
"No, he's alone. He's been lurking at the exit since before the match began, with a momentum that seems like he could single-handedly block off an army."
Elder Qing explained.
"Is he crazy? Does he want to take all the Fire Energy from the new and old students by himself again?"
Hu Gan blurted out. Given last year's incident, it wasn't hard to guess Lin Xiu's intentions with such behavior.
"Old man Hu, do you know what a monster is? Lin Xiu is alone, but with his 1-Star Dou Spirit strength, coupled with his immense power and physique, his chances are quite high."
Elder Su glanced at Hu Gan. He could tell that Lin Xiu had practiced the Starlight Body Forging Technique. To progress so quickly, Hu Gan must have helped. Why was this old guy still so surprised?
With Lin Xiu's physique, facing these newcomers, there were probably very few who could withstand a punch from him.
If it weren't for seeing the Heavenly Flame, he would lean more towards Lin Xiu having a greater chance of winning in the end.
"A 1-Star Dou Spirit? It's only been a year, is he using pills as his staple diet?"
Hu Gan muttered to himself, then realized it might be related to last year's incident of taking away so much Fire Energy.
"By that logic, the outcome of the match is still uncertain." Hu Gan looked at Elder Su.
---
Check out my Patreon for up to 50 Advanced Chapters.
Link : patreon.com/AlbertTL