Yan Xiaobao fully realized that if they asked whether he and the other participant would forego the competition, he had no interest in winning the tournant. What he truly wanted was a rematch with Wang Julong.
Both boys felt the sa way. Although they knew they could fight at any ti, an unspoken agreent had ford between them, making both of them tacitly agree to hold their grand rematch during the Royal Academy tournant.
The last month was exactly the sa as the previous six months for Yan Xiaobao—spending ti persistently training and maintaining his vitality, occasionally exchanging ideas with Deng Wu.
During this month, only Yan Xiaobao seed so relaxed. The other students of the academy were anxious about the tournant. This tension did not only arise from the high stakes; nor was it solely due to ticket sales starting. No, the main source of everyone’s unease was the mandatory attendance.
Usually, the eight tournant groups were ranked according to individual standing to ensure fair competition among students striving for the top eight positions. However, this year the Academy Chair had decided to implent a different system. This year, it was entirely a matter of luck. Looking at the board displayed within the academy, it was clear that reaching the top eight in earlier years seed unlikely.
Both Yan Xiaobao and Wang Julong felt disappointed about this. They had been placed into Group Two and Group Seven respectively. Seeing the two of them in separate groups far apart caused Hui Yue to reveal an unpleasant expression.
First, winners would be determined within each group. Following this, the winners of one group would fight against those of another group—the victors of Group One and Group Two would face each other, whereas those of Group Three and Group Four would do the sa, and so forth.
Once the winners of Group One and Group Two competed and a victor was decided, that person would then battle the champion of the match between Groups Three and Four. Ultimately, unless Yan Xiaobao fought his way into the finals, he would not face Wang Julong.
As Yan Xiaobao resolved to persevere no matter how challenging the path might be, a glimr of coldness appeared in his handso blue eyes. He was determined to enter the finals and clash against Wang Julong.
Long ago, the animosity between the two had steadily intensified. However, though they both hoped for the other’s demise, it wasn’t a hatred born of malice. Instead, it was driven by a fierce impulse—to prove their worth to one another. Yan Xiaobao had never experienced such strange competitive fervor before; it urged him to give his all. He knew Wang Julong would do the sa—he had already secretly approved of Wang Julong and his diligent ethics.
Looking back, how could anyone not recognize Wang Julong’s strenuous efforts to claim the title of genius? In every class they shared, he was constantly cultivating. Unless absolutely necessary, he never left the confines of his courtyard, choosing instead to cultivate diligently within his ho.
Hui Yue began to wonder whether Wang Julong had chosen the history class to foster peace, rather than risk antagonizing Yan Xiaobao, who had also enrolled in the class.
The reason Wang Julong spent so much ti enhancing his skills but did not refine his techniques like Hui Yue was related to his current martial arts attack skill, Thunder Lightning.
Thunder Lightning was an advanced technique—the highest-level skill he had been able to acquire thus far. Wang Julong had mastered it and saw no value in stepping back to learn lower-ranked techniques. As a result, his primary focus remained on improving his Qi vortex and breaking through to the Disciple Rank as swiftly as possible.
The only reason Yan Xiaobao had managed to keep up was due to the assistance of Lan Feng. Without Lan Feng and his near-limitless supply of dicine pills, Yan Xiaobao would have struggled to reach the pinnacle of the Ninth Star Student rank. Nor would he have had access to high-level skills capable of boosting his combat effectiveness, let alone the cultivation thod he was using to refine the purest Qi.
However, even though Yan Xiaobao had gained so much from Lan Feng, he felt little gratitude toward him. He still believed that Lan Feng was responsible for Lan Feng’s death. If Lan Feng had the audacity to kill him, then rescuing himself with his own power was only natural. Especially since Lan Feng’s revenge also relied on Yan Xiaobao.
Nevertheless, Yan Xiaobao continued to heed Lan Feng’s advice. If there was even a chance that he could reunite with Li Fen soday in the future, he wouldn’t hate Lan Feng for killing him. Lan Feng’s extensive knowledge during cultivation made following his orders a natural choice for Yan Xiaobao, though it was strictly utilitarian as far as he was concerned.
Yet, ten years later, Lan Feng beca the only person who completely understood Yan Xiaobao, and vice versa, forging them into an odd pairing of friends. Yan Xiaobao sighed deeply as he realized his soul had completed its fusion; he would never entirely rid himself of this arrogant Phoenix. His lips curled slightly at the thought.
Yan Xiaobao’s gaze locked onto Wang Julong, only to notice that the two of them were staring at each other. They silently established an agreent through sharp looks, clearly conveying the ssage: "Don’t you dare fail before the finale."
Once the ssage had been delivered, Wang Julong imdiately turned and walked back to his courtyard, undoubtedly refining more Qi and aiming to break through the bottleneck between Ninth Star Student rank and First-tier Disciple rank.
Yan Xiaobao, although in the sa rank as Wang Julong, showed no urgency in tackling this bottleneck. The lack of feeling was too profound for him. Instead, he focused his efforts on his martial arts skills. Throughout the Royal Art Academy, when it ca to martial arts techniques, no one could surpass him.
Hui Yue beca a focal point for many students. If they were to face him, nearly anyone in his group expressed willingness to forfeit, causing Yan Xiaobao to feel slightly irritated.
Yan Xiaobao did not plan to reach the finals through opponents’ capitulations. If he couldn’t beat them, how would he defeat Wang Julong?
The tournant was set to last three weeks. On the first day, four thousand participants would be reduced to two thousand. After each day, there would be a day of rest, followed by another round that halved the number of competitors yet again. This cycle would continue until only eight students remained as group winners.
The first ten days of the tournant would proceed in this manner. After identifying the eight group winners, there would be two days of rest before narrowing the group to four contenders. These four contestants would then rest for three days before being reduced to two. Following this, an additional five days would be allocated for rest before the grand finale.
Guests invited to the tournant were encouraged to stay for the full three weeks. To facilitate guest housing, an additional mountain peak had been cleared, creating a residential sector specifically for visitors. This peak, designated for teachers, ensured that guests couldn’t interfere with the participating students.
Adjacent to the arena mountain peak was a large board displaying the nas and ranks of all the competing students.
Posters showcasing each participant indicated their ranking, odds of victory, and their first opponent.
Thanks to the dicine pills provided by Yan Xiaobao, the Rong twins were among the top-ranked healers. Although Yan Xiaobao had also given Gao Yan so pills, they weren’t sufficient to help him achieve a breakthrough. Nonetheless, Gao Yan remained a Ninth Star Disciple, with a solid cultivation base that allowed him to share the second rank with another youngster.
Due to the Seventh Star Disciple ranking, both Ma Kong and Deng Wu were recorded, which made Yan Xiaobao scoff slightly. If anyone discerned Deng Wu’s true cultivation level, they would undoubtedly be stunned, though Yan Xiaobao understood why Deng Wu couldn’t disclose it yet.
Yan Xiaobao himself had a relatively low ranking, which was expected, as he was rely a first-year student who hadn’t yet broken through to the Disciple Rank in cultivation. Despite being recognized as a genius and a promising talent in his early years, he remained far from being among the academy’s stronger students.
Walking out of the courtyard, Yan Xiaobao suddenly stopped, noticing five individuals standing before him. Their shaless smiles made him mirror their expression with a wry grin. Before their cheerfulness lifted his mood, he let out a deep sigh.
"You forgot it was today, didn’t you?" Rong Ming asked with a grin. Yan Xiaobao nodded with a sheepish smile.
Today was the first day of the tournant.
The six of them headed to the dining hall together, only to find it packed with students, making it impossible to find seats for all six. They opted not to have a large breakfast, instead ordering stuffed buns to go and heading to the arena.
Across all the venues, even the smaller ones had gathered many adults, several of whom Yan Xiaobao had seen at auctions before. All of them would be present at the academy for the next three weeks, watching the students milling about.
A few individuals drew significant attention, as they included two top-seeded participants—not to ntion sons of families who continued to expand their influence across the city.
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