"Liu Fei!"
"Xiao Mei!"
On the battle stage, the standoff between the two girls elicited cheers from the audience.
Both were exceptionally attractive. Liu Fei was very popular among the senior students, especially since she was Liu Qing's younger sister, and her proud nature always made her look down on others. Xiao Mei, on the other hand, was one of the "Three Beauties of Pan's Gate" and was equally popular among the new students.
Thus, the cheers for both were about evenly matched.
"Mei'er, go for it!"
"Show off the might of our Xiao Family!"
Xiao Yu cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted loudly.
Xun'er quietly watched everything before her, thinking to herself: With things going this way, Xiao Family has firmly established itself in the inner academy, which also resolves worries for Xiao Yan, her brother.
Yun Tianming, serving as the referee, watched the spectacle from the sidelines.
"Lord Yun, please take a good look at Mei'er~"
Xiao Mei blinked in Yun Tianming's direction.
"Hmph! Don't think knowing Mentor Yun gives you the right to be arrogant, you newcomer!"
Liu Fei raised an eyebrow and started trash-talking.
"Liu Fei, just because you have a cousin on the strong ranking doesn't mean you can act recklessly, you old hag!"
Xiao Mei retorted without hesitation.
With tensions high, they quickly engaged in combat.
Liu Fei was a 3 Star Dou Spirit, slightly higher than Xiao Mei's, a 2 Star Dou Spirit. However, Xiao Mei had practiced an Earth Rank Low-Level Dou Technique and successfully challenged her superior opponent.
"The winner is Xiao Mei, advancing to rank thirty on the strong ranking!"
Yun Tianming announced the result.
"Pan's Gate."
Liu Qing carried the bruised and battered Liu Fei off the stage, glaring fiercely in the direction of Pan's Gate.
"The next match, Han Yue versus Xiao Yu."
"Senior Sister Han Yue! You can do it!"
"Xiao Yu, go for it."
From the cheers on the stage, it seemed Han Yue had slightly more support, not just because of her appearance, but also because she was the leader of the Spirit Faction, enjoying higher popularity and prestige.
"Senior Sister Han Yue, please guide me."
Xiao Yu clasped her hands in a respectful gesture, looking at Han Yue with a cautious expression.
"No need to be so polite, Xiao Yu. As a newcomer to reach this stage, you are indeed impressive."
Han Yue had a cool temperament and never made enemies, maintaining a good reputation among both senior and junior students alike.
Both sides began fighting, with Xiao Yu unleashing her full power from the start, displaying the strength of a 4 Star Dou Spirit and even employing an Earth Rank Low-Level Dou Technique. However, faced with absolute strength, she eventually succumbed.
"Han Yue wins, advancing to ninth place on the strong ranking."
Yun Tianming announced the result, not surprised by it. With a portion of Core Quenching Body Milk, Han Yue seized the opportunity to raise her level by two stars.
"Han Yue has actually reached the strength of a 9 Star Dou Spirit?"
Lin Yan looked surprised. Just a month ago, she was only at the 7 Star Dou Spirit level.
"I heard she and Lin Xiu Ya's group went to challenge a Fifth Rank Magic Beast and obtained some rare treasures."
Liu Qing furrowed his brow, casting a wary glance in Lin Xiu Ya's direction. Both he and Lin Xiu Ya were at the Half-step Dou King stage, and he didn't know if Lin Xiu Ya had broken through to a higher level.
"Ah, I lost."
Defeated, Xiao Yu returned to the Pan's Gate team with a discouraged expression.
"Don't be disheartened, Xiao Yu. Your opponent is a 9 Star Dou Spirit. You've managed to hold on this far, which is already impressive."
Xun'er consoled her. Her goal was to establish Pan's Gate's reputation within the academy, and Xiao Yu's challenge against Han Yue, an upperclassman, although a loss, still brought honor.
"The next match, Zi Yan versus Liu Qing."
"Oh, it's my turn? Facing this big oaf, should be interesting."
Zi Yan tossed a pill into her mouth, chewing it like candy.
Liu Qing's face darkened. He cursed his luck internally. He had hoped to confront someone from Pan's Gate to teach them a lesson, but now he was up against the top-ranked brute force queen. This was going to be troublesome.
"Liu Qing, he's really unlucky."
Lin Xiu Ya lamented. Originally, he had wanted to spar with Liu Qing, but it seemed that opportunity was now gone.
"Senior Sister Zi Yan, please enlighten me."
Liu Qing's expression was serious, yet fearless. Despite knowing his chances were slim, he was determined to give it his all.
"Come on then."
Zi Yan lazily beckoned with her pinky finger, showing no regard for Liu Qing, the sturdy man standing at nearly two meters.
"Great Rift Coffin Splitting Claw!"
Liu Qing's attack was his specialty in physical techniques. His arm shot out, and an invisible vigor formed a faint arc of light ahead of his claw, demonstrating astonishing momentum!
"Snap!"
Facing Liu Qing's fierce strike, Zi Yan simply lifted her hand and pointed at the center of Liu Qing's claw. The immense force sent him flying out.
"Decent explosive power, but lacks follow-through."
Zi Yan casually evaluated.
Liu Qing, pushed back by the strike, was greatly shaken. Compared to last year's Strong Ranking Grand Competition, the opponent's growth in strength had been too rapid, hadn't it?
With such a large gap in strength, his chances of winning were extremely slim.
Gritting his teeth, Liu Qing grabbed a spear from the ground and said in a low voice, "One move! This was originally my ultimate move to deal with Lin Xiu Ya, but now I can only use it on Senior Sister Zi Yan."
"Oh, go ahead then."
Zi Yan maintained her indifferent demeanor.
Suddenly, Liu Qing's arm shook violently. The spear pointed diagonally to the sky, then swiftly descended with a whistling sound. As it hit the ground, a terrifying dark force burst out, shattering the surrounding rubble and boulders into powder in the horrified eyes of the onlookers.
"Mountain Splitting Spear!"
Yun Tianming glanced indifferently. "Black Rank High-level Dou Technique, approaching the level of Earth Rank Low Level"
"Liu Qing's strike, even Dou King level experts wouldn't dare to underestimate," Yan Hao commented seriously.
"A bit of something, but not much," Zi Yan said casually, seizing the spear Liu Qing had unleashed with full force and slamming it heavily to the ground.
Simple! Rough! Direct!
Thud~
Liu Qing knelt weakly on the ground, looking dejected. "I've lost."
"Tsk tsk~ Senior Sister Zi Yan's move probably possesses the power of a Dou Emperor level expert. Liu Qing was really unlucky," Lin Xiu Ya shook his head helplessly. There was no way around it; this opponent was too formidable. Even he wouldn't stand a chance.
Zi Yan's victory was completely without suspense. Especially after soaking in Core Quenching Body Milk enhanced by the system, her strength had reached the pinnacle of Dou King, just one step away from advancing.
"Next match."
Yun Tianming paused slightly, his eyes showing interest as he looked towards a serene and stunning girl on the arena.
"Lin Xiu Ya vs Xiao Xun'er!"
"The opponent is Junior Sister Xun'er?" Lin Xiu Ya looked surprised, though his face brimmed with confidence.
Little did he know, the opponent he was about to face would be even more terrifying than the one Liu Qing faced!
Amidst the attention of the crowd, Xun'er rose gracefully and walked towards the competition platform, her voice light: "I didn't intend to draw attention, but for Pan's Gate's reputation, I'll show a bit of my skill."
Surprisingly, when she said this, Xun'er didn't look at her opponent Lin Xiu Ya, but instead fixed her sharp gaze on Yun Tianming, who was serving as the referee.
****
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