Word Count: 2,042 Words
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The sound of tearing through the air echoed. The petite and adorable Zi Yan perched on Xiao Yan's shoulder. Together, they suddenly shot down from the sky.
The students of the Inner Academy were mostly in their early twenties, and reaching the Dou Spirit realm was already quite commendable; however, advancing to the Dou King realm and manifesting Dou Qi Wings remained a distant goal.
Hence, many senior students revealed expressions of astonishment when they saw Xiao Yan arrive with Zi Yan using what appeared to be Dou Qi Wings.
However, some knowledgeable students, or those who had seen Xiao Yu use a flying-type Dou Technique, quickly understood what it was.
After all, advancing from a 3-star Dou Spirit to Dou King in seven days was impossible no matter how one thought about it.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Xiao Yan's calm voice resounded like thunder, echoing in the ears of everyone around the arena.
The sudden voice instantly silenced the murmurs that had just arisen. For a moment, the entire arena was deathly silent.
All eyes turned to the black-eyed, black-haired young man. Everyone present knew that the outcome of this faction battle hinged on him.
If Xiao Yan could easily defeat the two experts, Yao Sheng and Bai Cheng, as well as some low-star Dou Spirits, then numbers would not matter as much.
"Hmph, who does he think he is? Does he think he's Cousin Liu Qing?" Liu Fei's pretty face immediately showed displeasure upon hearing people discuss that Xiao Yan might win.
Her beautiful eyes then noticed something amiss with Yao Sheng beside her. She frowned and asked, "Yao Sheng, what's with this panic-stricken look? Where's your composure?"
Ever since Xiao Yan had appeared, Yao Sheng's face had turned deathly pale, and his body trembled. He pointed a shaky finger in Xiao Yan's direction, so shocked that he could not speak for a moment.
"Brute... Brute... Brute... Brute Force Queen!!!" Yao Sheng's teeth chattered. Yet, it was not Xiao Yan he feared; it was the white-clothed little girl, Zi Yan, who had jumped down from his shoulder!
Not only Yao Sheng, but even Bai Cheng—another ranked individual on the Strong Ranking—was so frightened that cold sweat streamed down his face. His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, and his legs shook.
Bai Shan immediately noticed that something was wrong and asked, "Cousin? What's wrong?"
"That girl!" Bai Cheng's face changed dramatically. He confirmed it countless times, hoping he was mistaken, but reality proved otherwise.
"What about that girl?" Bai Shan and the other members of the White Gang also looked curiously at the little girl beside Xiao Yan.
"She is the Brute Force Queen! Number one on the Strong Ranking!"
When Bai Cheng shouted 'Number one on the Strong Ranking,' his voice was extremely loud, practically echoing throughout the entire arena. Everyone heard his words.
Naturally, Xiao Yan could not possibly be the number one on the Strong Ranking, as this year's Strong Ranking Grand Competition had not even started yet. There was only one possibility!
Xiao Yu and the others naturally heard Bai Cheng's words and simultaneously looked at Zi Yan, who appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old.
This little girl is the number one on the Strong Ranking?!
Only Xiao Yan, who had sparred with Zi Yan, secretly nodded. Zi Yan possessed Dou King strength and had given him a thorough thrashing. It was not surprising that she held the top spot on the Strong Ranking.
Xiao Mei tilted her head and asked puzzledly, "She's the number one on the Strong Ranking? This little girl?"
"Got a problem with that, big-breasted woman?" Zi Yan's eyes narrowed as she coldly snorted. Due to the Body Transformation Grass, coupled with the long lifespans and inherently slow growth of magical beasts, her figure had always been flat and petite.
Xiao Mei's pretty face instantly flushed red. It wasn't her fault she was well-developed!
Hu Jia and the others observed the three elders wearing wry smiles without any objection. They understood that Zi Yan was indeed the mysterious number one on the Strong Ranking; in other words, she was the strongest student in the Inner Academy!
Elder Liu asked, "Xiao Yan, Zi Yan isn't a member of your Xiao Hall, is she?"
The three elders exchanged glances. If this girl joined the Xiao Hall, then there would be no point in fighting. Even Liu Qing of the Splitting Mountain, ranked 3rd on the Strong Ranking, and Lin Xiuya of the Wolf Teeth, ranked 2nd, could not match this girl.
She alone was enough to defeat everyone.
Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head. "She's not participating. We just happened to meet outside the academy and returned together."
Bai Cheng and Yao Sheng heard these words and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. If the number one on the Strong Ranking participated, they would have surrendered immediately; it would have been a one-sided, crushing defeat.
But they had not yet realized one crucial point: how did Xiao Yan come to know Zi Yan?
As the saying goes, 'birds of a feather flock together.' The fact that Xiao Yan was able to befriend the top-ranked student definitely was not because of his good looks.
"Since you're here, kid, get on the stage." Elder Liu waved his sleeve. Even the First Elder Su Qian was paying close attention to this battle.
Many higher-ups in the Inner Academy were curious to see whether this freshman Xiao Yan could overturn the so-called unspoken rules of the Inner Academy and establish a new order!
Both sides took the stage. On Xiao Yan's side, there were about forty people in total, while the senior student alliance numbered nearly two hundred—a fivefold difference in numbers.
Moreover, the overall strength and cultivation levels indicated that the senior students were significantly stronger.
"A confrontation between the new and the old. The end of every old era marks the beginning of a new one. However, challenging the old era requires more than just courage," the First Elder Su Qian mused aloud. Standing atop a distant pavilion, he stroked his beard while gazing toward the arena with a smile.
"I wonder what trump cards this little fellow with the Heavenly Flame has up his sleeve."
Bai Cheng looked at Xiao Yan on the stage and sneered, "If Senior Sister Zi were willing to help you, you might have the qualifications to be arrogant. But as you are now, you do not have that right."
After saying that, he did not forget to glance at Zi Yan's reaction. When he saw that she was quietly eating something unknown without speaking, he finally relaxed.
It appeared that Zi Yan was indeed not on the Xiao Hall's side.
"Arrogance requires the capital to back it up. If you find it an eyesore, feel free to try me." A faint smile appeared on Xiao Yan's handsome face, but beneath that smile, anyone could see a hint of indifference.
"You won't be so lucky this time." Yao Sheng looked at Xiao Yan with vicious eyes. The daggers in his hands spun rapidly, drawing dazzling arcs reminiscent of two extremely agile and deadly pitch-black venomous snakes.
The two hundred senior students resembled hungry wolves, just waiting for the referee to announce the start. Then they would swarm and eliminate everyone from the Xiao Hall, reasserting the dominance of the senior students!
The rules were still to be set by them, the older generation!
Seeing that both sides were ready, the referee shouted loudly, "Duel, begin!"
"Charge!!"
"Defeat them!"
"Teach them how to respect their seniors!"
Countless senior students brandished their weapons and shouted.
As soon as the referee's voice fell, Xiao Yan slowly took a step forward and waved his hand, forming a spiritual barrier that enveloped the forty members of the Xiao Hall.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge?" Xun Er was somewhat puzzled. Why trap them inside?
While the freshmen were still confused about what Xiao Yan was doing, they saw him suddenly take a deep breath, and faint dragon roars actually began to emanate from his abdomen!
The Ten Thousand Beast Flame surged through his meridians into his lungs. The trace of the dragon aura from the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill was amplified by the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and suddenly erupted.
In an instant, a burst of dragon might exploded from within Xiao Yan's body.
"Hmm?!"
"What's this!"
"Why do I feel that Xiao Yan is exuding dragon might???"
The three referee elders sprang to their feet and exchanged shocked glances. Could he be a descendant of dragons?!
A thunderous boom sounded as the dragon might erupted under the urging of Dou Qi and the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, overwhelming the entire arena!
Even the three elders present could not help but feel their legs tremble slightly. Those seated in the audience, many of whom were merely 1- or 2-star Dou Grandmasters at the bottom tier, began to lose their composure as their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
They were completely suppressed under the dragon might strengthened by the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. Had they been magical beasts rather than human, they would likely have been forced to prostrate themselves on the ground.
"What's happening!" In an instant, the charging senior students trembled, overwhelmed by an instinctive fear from the depths of their hearts! Under this aura, they all felt as insignificant as ants, and when they looked at Xiao Yan again, he appeared to have grown larger!
The next second, blood-red flames surged out from Xiao Yan's body, with the flames towering like a tsunami. If one looked closely, one would notice that within the sea of blood-red flames, a coiling dragon seemed to be hiding!
"Dragon might! Why does Xiao Yan possess dragon might!" Yao Sheng cried out in shock as he sensed this aura.
Dragons—even magical beasts with just a trace of dragon bloodline were existences that commanded awe in their territories!
"Not good!" Bai Cheng and the others were horrified as they sensed the eruption of dragon might. But it was too late.
"A bunch of idiots." Zi Yan bit off the main ingredient of a tier 5 medicinal pill with a crunch, munching as if she were eating candy. Her eyes glanced indifferently toward the arena.
She hadn't joined this battle not because she was unacquainted with Xiao Yan; on the contrary, if Xiao Yan needed her help, she would undoubtedly step in.
The reason for this outcome was that Xiao Yan didn't need her assistance. These people served perfectly as test subjects to gauge the power of his Dou Technique.
Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened, and within the flames of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, a fire dragon seemed to open its eyes simultaneously.
ROOOAR!!!
At this instant, the Ancient Dragon Roar shook the sky and earth. It was as if an invincible, true dragon had awakened within the sea of flames formed by the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and let out an earth-shattering roar.
The dragon's roar surged forward, infused with a dragon might capable of destroying everything. The domineering dragon might swept across the surroundings.
At this moment, in this instant, the weapons, armor, and Dou Qi Armors of the senior students all shattered with a bang. The weapons and armor could not withstand this sonic attack and crumbled one after another. The senior students below the Dou Spirit realm rolled their eyes back and lost consciousness; their knees hit the ground with a thud as their heads tilted back, with white foam appearing at the corners of their mouths.
The senior students at the Dou Spirit realm all gritted their teeth and fully activated their Dou Qi defenses. Dou Spirits could condense Dou Qi, and the Dou Qi within their bodies provided some protection. However, facing the Di Class Ancient Dragon Roar, a sonic Dou Technique that could penetrate defenses, and coupled with the dragon might, they were not faring well either.
Quite a few Dou Spirit-level senior students had traces of blood seeping from their ears. It seemed that the more they resisted, the stronger the attack became! Those who had fainted were spared from the influence of the Ancient Dragon Roar instead.