In the spacious resting area, a sudden burst of fierce aura from the two made the place slightly quieter. Immediately, the dozen or so people around them all stepped back with eager expressions. While training in the tower could indeed boost their cultivation speed, it was also extremely monotonous and boring. Thus, seeing someone fight was a welcome distraction for them. Lin Yan was stunned to see Xiao Yan directly facing off against Yao Sheng. He was about to stop him, but after a moment’s thought, he held his tongue. Although Xiao Yan’s surface strength was merely that of a two-star Dou Spirit, he knew that this fellow’s true combat power far exceeded that level. Therefore, even with Yao Sheng’s strength, defeating Xiao Yan would not be an easy task.
“Let him experience the combat power of those in the top twenty of the Strong Ranking,” Lin Yan thought. Taking a step back, he shouted at Xiao Yan with a laugh, “Knock that sissy out, and see if he dares to bother you again.”
Xiao Yan smiled and took another step forward. With a flick of his hands, a large, heavy ruler appeared in his palm, cutting through the air with a sharp sound. He swung the heavy ruler, pointing it at Yao Sheng. In such a setting, Xiao Yan’s fighting spirit surged like the tides, making his aura rise continuously.
As Xiao Yan’s aura grew stronger, the onlookers showed a hint of surprise on their faces. They thought to themselves, “This guy is indeed as rumored, with a powerful combat strength that belies his surface strength.”
Yao Sheng glared coldly at Xiao Yan, whose aura kept climbing. He rotated his hands, and a deep blue, dense Dou Qi seeped out. As this deep blue Dou Qi appeared, wisps of moisture gathered around him. In just a moment, a water shield with a slight dark hue emerged, enveloping Yao Sheng from head to toe. The surface of the water shield rippled continuously, like a spinning entity.
“Be careful, this is his specialty move, the Dark Whale Water Barrier. It’s specifically designed to counter strong opponents. It seems he knows you well, starting with a move to restrain you,” Lin Yan said loudly, noticing the dark water shield formed by Yao Sheng.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly surprised but nodded. It seemed that this guy’s position as the 17th on the Strong Ranking was no fluke. However, Xiao Yan had never been afraid of water-attribute Dou Qi users.
A cold smile played on his lips as a faint, pale green flame wrapped around the heavy ruler under the Dou Qi. With the help of the Green Lotus Earth Core, ordinary water-attribute Dou Qi was barely effective against him, reducing its power to only about seventy to eighty percent.
“Even if you know, what can you do?” Yao Sheng sneered, undisturbed by Lin Yan’s revelation.
“That may not be certain,” Xiao Yan replied with a nonchalant smile. His foot struck the ground, and a faint thunder sound echoed. Under the astonished gazes, Xiao Yan’s figure transformed into a blurry black shadow, darting towards Yao Sheng like a specter.
Yao Sheng watched the rapidly approaching black line with narrowed eyes, his expression growing colder. A steady stream of powerful Dou Qi surged through his body.
In the field, the clash of the two powerful auras grew stronger, and the fierce confrontation was about to erupt in the sixth layer of the tower.
For Xiao Yan, the distance of several meters was just a blink of an eye. However, the onlookers were no ordinary people, and although Xiao Yan was extremely fast, their eyes followed him closely.
“Whoosh!” Xiao Yan suddenly appeared mid-air, looking down at Yao Sheng. A fierce light flashed across his face as the power in his heavy ruler surged. With a fierce swing, a deafening sonic boom formed, resounding throughout the sixth layer.
Feeling the strength of Xiao Yan’s blow, even the somewhat disdainful Yao Sheng showed a hint of seriousness. He rapidly moved his hands, and a dark, moist Dou Qi flowed out, forming layers of water grids above his head.
“Boom!” The heavy ruler, imbued with immense force, crashed onto the layers of water grids. A visible shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact.
The collision made Xiao Yan frown. He could feel a strange adhesive force in the water grids. Although the adhesive force was significant, the power in the heavy ruler was unstoppable, destroying nearly a hundred layers of water grids in seconds. However, while the destruction was fast, Yao Sheng’s formation of the water grids was also swift, with his hands moving so fast that they left afterimages. The water grids reformed almost instantly.
After several seconds, when the heavy ruler was mere inches from Yao Sheng’s head, the adhesive force finally solidified it in mid-air. Despite this, the force in the ruler still transmitted through, causing Yao Sheng’s neatly combed hair to fly wildly and his head to spin with dizziness.
Yao Sheng’s face darkened; he hadn’t expected to lose ground on their first exchange. Though he wasn’t injured, his appearance was now quite disheveled, which he found hard to bear. A low growl escaped his throat. He curled his right hand into a claw, covered in a dark, moist Dou Qi, and formed a sharp, black claw. Swinging it, the sharp nails tore through the air, aiming at Xiao Yan.
Gripping the heavy ruler tightly, Xiao Yan unleashed his internal power, freeing it from the sticky water grid. He performed a somersault in mid-air and, with his feet wrapped in blue Dou Qi, collided with Yao Sheng’s claw.
“Boom!” A low, muffled sound rang out as both retreated from the force of the impact. As Xiao Yan landed, Yao Sheng also stabilized himself, glaring at Xiao Yan’s foot. Seeing the torn shoe, he sneered.
The intense battle, though brief, was full of danger. Any mistake would result in serious injury. Even the strong onlookers were impressed by Xiao Yan, who, despite facing the 17th-ranked Yao Sheng, did not fall short.
“This guy’s water-attribute Dou Qi has some corrosive effect. Strange, if not for the hidden aid of the Heavenly Fire, I might have been at a disadvantage,” Xiao Yan thought, surprised by the corrosive nature of Yao Sheng’s Dou Qi.
“Heh, Xiao Yan, not bad,” Lin Yan said, giving Xiao Yan a thumbs up. The battle was impressive, even to him. Despite Yao Sheng being a seven-star Dou Spirit with a peculiar Dou Qi, Xiao Yan held his own.
“This is just a warm-up. What’s there to be proud of?” Yao Sheng growled, his voice as chilling as his Dou Qi.
Xiao Yan glanced at him indifferently and, without a word, raised his heavy ruler, ready to strike again.
“Hmph! Stop it, both of you!” A cold snarl interrupted them. A figure appeared, exuding a fierce and domineering aura. Cracks spread from his feet, extending to the end of the resting area before gradually fading. The familiar aura immediately made everyone recognize the newcomer, and most present felt a mix of awe and seriousness. This person was clearly a significant figure even among the top inner court members.
Slowly, Xiao Yan lowered his heavy ruler and looked at Liu Qing, who had appeared, his expression neutral.
“Big Brother Liu Qing!” Yao Sheng exclaimed, overjoyed. Liu Qing waved to stop him and looked at Xiao Yan and Lin Yan. “I said, focus on training. Any grievances can be settled in the tournament!”
Liu Qing gave Xiao Yan a long look, clearly remembering him. Yao Sheng, at a loss for words, nodded and turned to Xiao Yan, his eyes cold. “You’re lucky this time. Hope we don’t meet in the tournament, or you won’t be so lucky.”
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes, ignoring the threat. He focused on Liu Qing, knowing he was the toughest opponent. Even with his current strength, he had no surety of winning.
“Xiao Yan, you’ve piqued my interest. Although my opponent is Lin Xiu Ya, I hope you can join us. But remember, in the tournament, it’s life or death. Though the inner court has rules against killing, accidents can happen,” Liu Qing said calmly, a hint of warning in his voice.
“Xiao Yan is under my protection. Who dares to touch him?” A young, clear voice rang out. Everyone in the resting area, except Xiao Yan, paled and turned to see a small figure standing at the entrance of a training room.
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