As the audience stared at the battle before their eyes, Yan Xiaobao’s opponent clenched his teeth tightly. Clearly, he had not expected Hui Yue to truly live up to the title of genius, and sweat drenched his back as he stubbornly clung to the possibility of winning due to the larger Qi Pool he possessed.
The hostility between Yan Xiaobao and his opponent had been slowly building over the past three weeks. Yan Xiaobao vaguely understood why the other disliked him.
Even so, Hui Yue’s failure wasn’t due to the stroke of luck—or misfortune—he had faced in his lifeti. The fault lay in the fact that he now had to prove himself stronger than this young man standing before him.
Soon enough, the battle descended into chaos. Whenever his opponent unleashed a flurry of attacks, Yan Xiaobao would dart closer, only to spring further away to dodge in sharp, swift angles imdiately after the strikes were completed.
Each assault conjured an unsettling mory, prickling at the edges of his mind, but he forced himself to suppress these feelings during the match unfolding before him. That unease carried a mix of thrill and excitent, paired with the almost overwhelming urge to defeat his opponent.
These sensations were unfamiliar, sothing Yan Xiaobao had never experienced before, but they now threatened to break free of their bindings, leaving him feeling increasingly frustrated.
Determined, Yan Xiaobao suppressed the feelings once more and focused every ounce of attention on the fight at hand.
Yan Xiaobao launched another attack, and in that mont, the stark difference in power between the two beca undeniably clear. Fortunately, the older boy’s temperant was average at best, and his execution was vastly inferior to Yan Xiaobao’s.
The two fighters once again found themselves standing far apart, a great distance separating them. The hatred in their eyes burned fiercely as blood dotted the stage between them, reminiscent of the scenes between Rong Xing and her opponent throughout the competition.
To Yan Xiaobao’s opponent, it was unfortunate that he didn’t care to retreat or admire perseverance. By simple theory, Yan Xiaobao should have been at a disadvantage. After all, his rank as a cultivator was only at the nine stars level.
Watching the white-haired boy wielding his white Qilin dagger led many visiting family leaders into an uneasy state of fear.
All of these family heads quickly reached a consensus—the boy on stage wasn’t a genius; he was a monster.
A silver-haired monster stood there, his face cold and emotionless, his gaze condescending as he looked at his opponent. Should he decide to severely injure his rival, the victory would be his with ease.
Yan Xiaobao wasn’t stupid. From the start, he had seen the hatred and intent to kill deep within his opponent’s eyes. Now, he reciprocated. For anyone who showed such blatant disdain toward him, Yan Xiaobao would repay them with the sa contempt.
Yan Xiaobao’s face curved into a slight smile, though it was no longer the innocent smile of a teenager wielding uncalloused hands—it was the sinister grin of an adult preparing to unleash sothing dreadful. Turning his head from side to side, he allowed an ominous crack to echo before shrugging his shoulders.
"Are you going to forfeit?" Yan Xiaobao asked, his voice as cold as ice. "Or would you prefer to get serious?" Suddenly, a second blade appeared in his left palm, and within a second, Yan Xiaobao was now wielding dual daggers, poised to double the pain.
The two daggers in Yan Xiaobao’s hands emitted a malevolent aura, causing his opponent to feel sick. Yan Xiaobao had transford into an overwhelming presence.
When the older boy caught sight of the additional dagger in Yan Xiaobao’s grasp, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Anyone close enough to observe could clearly see the sinister glint in the young boy’s eyes. It was obvious that this child wasn’t as simple as anticipated. Gritting his teeth, he let the unbridled hatred blaze in his gaze.
The older boy wasn’t the only one shocked by the appearance of the second blade; the entire audience fell silent, their breaths heavy, as their eyes fixated on the unfolding spectacle before them.
The sheer presence of the boy made all Senior Experts throughout Liluo City furrow their brows slightly. It was evident that the aura he was exuding belonged to a cultivator ranked nine stars as a student.
This cultivation base, relying solely on human refinent, made it obvious to everyone that what they were seeing wasn’t the human form they originally expected—it was closer to that of a Demon Beast.
Nevertheless, no matter how deeply they analyzed the boy, the Dantian Cave carried peculiarities that seed to elude their every attempt to understand fully, leaving even the experts feeling deeply uneasy.
The only way to hide sothing from the experts here was through cultivation at an extraordinarily high level. Yet, this boy held secrets even they couldn’t decipher.
"I forfeit," the opponent said, his eyes torn between anger and despair as he clenched his teeth. If this guy retaliated against the world’s expectations, Yan Xiaobao wouldn’t be surprised. However, for now, the other boy simply wanted to leave.
Yan Xiaobao exhaled a sigh of relief.
"Is it truly that terrifying?" Lan Feng asked curiously, clearly soone who understood Yan Xiaobao more than anyone else present.
"What do you even want?" Yan Xiaobao replied irritably. "This is my first ti shedding flesh. Even if it isn’t fatal, it’s still a revolting sensation."
’Get used to it.’ That was the only answer he received from Phoenix after the match’s outco beca apparent. Before turning slowly to his friend and leaving the arena’s peak, Yan Xiaobao swiftly removed the Qi Country Guard insignia and his transforming weapon. "Why do you have to be so aggressive?" Deng Wu asked worriedly, the only one among Yan Xiaobao’s ranked friends who knew his position as third. Seeing Yan Xiaobao openly display such emotions shocked Deng Wu.
"Don’t worry," Yan Xiaobao said with a smile as they headed toward the cafeteria for a free lunch. "If I need to win, I still have hidden secrets."
"You aren’t planning to use... uh, him...are you?" Deng Wu asked, genuinely concerned about the prospect of Yan Xiaobao releasing Lan Feng’s power. Protecting Li Fen’s identity was imperative, but Yan Xiaobao only scoffed at his worried friend’s reactions.
"I have other options. Don’t worry," he assured.
"What are you two talking about?" Rong Ming asked curiously, but Yan Xiaobao and Deng Wu didn’t answer. Instead, they rely smiled.
Back at the arena’s peak, the next match hadn’t started yet, as a brief intermission was granted. Even the instructors gathered together, discussing the student who had just demonstrated three advanced martial arts skills.
The audience held similar discussions, with several families stepping away from their seats to theorize with other households about the background of this mysterious genius.
The entire battle had been recorded by the judges and was already disseminated to various instructors. Eventually, the school decided to sell the footage to visitors.
Every major family purchased at least one version of the recording produced from the battle. The primary motivation wasn’t admiration for Yan Xiaobao’s prowess but rather an effort to analyze and understand the displayed advanced martial arts skills. If they could manage to replicate and develop sect-level techniques, they believed they could forge their own skills in half the usual ti required.
Had Yan Xiaobao known that these prospective n hoped to learn or create high-tier techniques by studying his performance through the recordings, he would have laughed. Yan Xiaobao had spent years perfecting the skills he used—the Qi Guard and Speed Flow could never be understood easily, and the transforming weapon would prove even harder to grasp. Among its myriad possible forms, the weapon he showcased held nowhere near enough depth for anyone to obtain even basic comprehension.
A half-hour passed before the academy proceeded with the battles for the next group. Everyone settled back into their seats, eager to see what the new round had to offer. To their dismay, the forthcoming matches weren’t nearly as enthralling as the earlier ones, leaving people scattered across their seats quietly debating various numbers.
On a nearby hilltop, Yan Xiaobao sat with his friends, calmly enjoying his dinner before the ti ca for them to return. Two additional fights remained to determine whether Gao Yan and Rong Ming could secure spots among the top eight contenders.
"I never knew you had another advanced martial arts skill," Rong Ming said admiringly, though a trace of jealousy lingered in his tone. The Rong Family possessed two advanced techniques, but Rong Ming wasn’t qualified to learn either. Despite being Yan Xiaobao’s friend, Rong Ming couldn’t suppress his envy toward him. At the sa ti, suspicion began to brew within him.
Rong Ming was Yan Xiaobao’s first friend—they had known each other for years. But now, Yan Xiaobao was no longer the sweet, innocent boy Rong Ming once knew.
Could he have a secret teacher? Rong Ming wondered, deeply intrigued by Yan Xiaobao’s newfound secrets.
Rong Xing had acquired an advanced martial skill from the City Lord’s mansion—a technique that inflicted severe pain upon her previous opponent. During the academy tournant, it was against the rules to utilize weapons, but then again, any weapon created by Qi didn’t count as martial arts attack skills.
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