The sight of Liu Qing, standing as straight as a spear in the arena, brought a profound silence to the crowd. Even Zi Yan, when she appeared earlier, had not received such a reaction. After all, although she was indeed the true first on the Strong Ranking, her rarely seen face made her less famous in the Inner Academy compared to Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya. Liu Qing stood quietly in the center, ignoring the various gazes around him. His eyes slowly closed, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for his opponent to appear.
“Swish!”
Under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, a figure clad in light blue suddenly dashed onto the stage. The newcomer was a young man in blue robes, about twenty-four or five years old, with a rather handsome face. However, his face now was filled with bitterness. Apart from a select few, anyone else who drew Liu Qing as their opponent would likely be similarly distraught.
Generally speaking, meeting Liu Qing in the first round of the draw almost certainly meant losing the chance to enter the top ten. The blue-robed youth himself was not weak, holding a middle rank on the Strong Ranking. But facing Liu Qing, who was almost at the Dou Wang level, his chances of winning were practically nonexistent. This was clear not only to the students outside the arena but also to the blue-robed youth himself. This match was likely one where he would lose more than he would win.
“Both contestants are present. Let the match begin,” Su Qian declared with a wave of his hand, his voice calm and composed.
As Su Qian’s voice fell, the atmosphere in the arena immediately grew intense. Every gaze was filled with anticipation. Although the blue-robed youth did not have much hope for himself, he was still a highly ranked expert on the Strong Ranking. With this mental fortitude, he managed to suppress his inner panic after Su Qian announced the start of the match. He stared solemnly at Liu Qing, his hand flicking, and a light blue longsword appeared in his grip. The sword’s body was faintly adorned with strange water patterns, and it shimmered as if it were alive, quite peculiar.
With the sword in hand, the blue-robed youth’s aura solidified. A stream of light blue Dou Qi rushed out from his body, eventually enveloping the sword. In an instant, a faint sound of rolling waves could be heard from the sword’s body.
Sensing the gathering aura of his opponent, Liu Qing finally opened his eyes, giving a casual glance and a slight nod. At least, the opponent’s courage was not as low as he had expected.
“Senior Liu Qing, I request your guidance!” The blue-robed youth pointed his sword at Liu Qing, his voice steady.
Turning slightly, Liu Qing shook his body, and a series of cracking sounds emanated from within. His hands spread out, revealing palms unusually wide and large, slowly curling into sharp claws. Crossing his hands in front of him, invisible gusts of wind flashed down, striking the floor and leaving faint marks.
On the high platform, Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Liu Qing. He noticed that Liu Qing’s casual actions had not used even a trace of Dou Qi, relying entirely on physical strength.
“This guy’s physique is so strong. Truly a formidable opponent,” Xiao Yan murmured in awe. Cultivating the body was far more difficult and painful than cultivating Dou Qi. Without the help of many medicinal herbs, he would have found it hard to achieve such strength. It seemed Liu Qing’s physical strength was no weaker than his.
As Xiao Yan was marveling, the blue-robed youth named Lan Yan launched his attack. He was not weak, and Xiao Yan estimated his strength to be at least four-star Dou Ling. This level was already among the top in the Inner Academy. Now, with all his might, his powerful Dou Qi surged like waves, spreading a faint sound of the sea to everyone’s ears.
Lan Yan was well aware of how formidable his opponent was, so he held nothing back from the start. Both his Dou Qi and speed were pushed to their limits!
In just a few dozen meters, Lan Yan reached Liu Qing, his sword enveloped in dense blue Dou Qi, carrying a damp, aquatic aura. He fiercely stabbed at Liu Qing, the sharp sword light appearing especially cold in the water.
“Three Sharks Strike!” Lan Yan’s low roar echoed, and the blue light suddenly intensified. Faintly, the terrifying heads of sharks appeared, their huge mouths open, sending a mix of fishy wind and water rushing towards Liu Qing!
This attack was the strongest he could perform in a short time. Although water-based Dou Qi was not renowned for its offensive power, under such a massive force, even the softest water could have the destructive power of a bullet.
As Lan Yan’s sword struck, the entire arena was covered in a layer of moisture, and even two small pools of water formed under his feet.
Facing Lan Yan’s fierce attack, Liu Qing’s expression remained unchanged. His eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching sword, while his hands curled into a peculiar arc.
“Ha!”
With the attack imminent, Lan Yan’s sword stabbed out, the blue sword light forming a ferocious shark, its mouth wide open, ready to bite Liu Qing’s head.
“Swish!”
Liu Qing calmly watched the surging shark sword light. His coiled claws suddenly turned a light golden color. His right claw shot out like a bolt of lightning, colliding directly with the shark sword light!
At the moment of collision, Liu Qing’s claw transformed into a strange arc. Two fingers curved and clamped, firmly catching the fierce sword light between them.
“Break!” With a fierce shout, the light gold glow on Liu Qing’s palm intensified, and the sword light was instantly shattered…
“Swish, swish!”
The first sword light was broken, and Lan Yan’s face changed. His arms vibrated, and two more sword lights shot out. Still in the form of sharks, these sword lights were even more powerful. The third one was three times stronger than the first!
Such a sequence of increasingly powerful techniques must be of a high grade.
“Great Rift Splitting Coffin Claw!”
Narrowing his eyes, Liu Qing’s hands, now in a strange arc, shot out. As they rotated eerily, they once again clamped the two fierce sword lights, then dispersed them with a shake.
Three sword lights, capable of defeating an ordinary four-star Dou Ling, were easily nullified by Liu Qing. Even Lan Yan, with his composure, was momentarily stunned. This match was not on the same level at all.
“The match is over,” Liu Qing’s voice rang out calmly. Lan Yan’s hair stood on end as he felt a burst of force hit him. A fierce burst of energy surged, destroying his protective Dou Qi completely.
“Spurt!”
Lan Yan’s face paled, and a mouthful of blood spewed forth. His body skidded across the ground, violently crashing out of the arena.
As the crowd watched Lan Yan slide out of the arena, bleeding, a deep silence fell. Gasps of shock rose and fell, and many people, who had seen Lan Yan’s fierce attack, never expected it to be obliterated so quickly. And Lan Yan, was thoroughly defeated…
Many people were puzzled by this outcome.
“What a bizarre claw technique,” Xiao Yan said, his face serious, looking at Liu Qing’s broad palms. Lan Yan’s attack, even he had to admit, was impressive. But the three sword lights, each stronger than the last, were completely nullified by Liu Qing’s bare hands, a truly shocking feat.
Liu Qing had two major techniques: the Rifting Mountain Spear and the Great Rift Splitting Coffin Claw. This claw technique was a high-level Xuan Tier technique, but in Liu Qing’s hands, it had the power of a Di Tier technique. He had spent nearly two decades refining this technique, and it was no surprise that it had reached perfection.
A light laugh sounded beside him, and Xiao Yan turned to see Lin Xiuya, who had arrived sometime earlier.
“Indeed, very strong,” Xiao Yan nodded in awe, his respect for Liu Qing increasing. This guy was truly formidable.
“Ha, Senior Lin, you defeated Liu Qing with both his major techniques. You must be even stronger,” Xiao Yan said, smiling.
Lin Xiuya smiled and shook his head, “I only won against him by luck. I’m not sure if I can do it again. His resilience and talent are truly astonishing.”
His gaze then shifted to Xiao Yan, and he said, “If you use all your techniques, I think even I and Liu Qing would find it hard to defeat you.”
“Senior Lin, you overestimate me,” Xiao Yan laughed, shaking his head. Suddenly, his brow raised, and his gaze turned to the arena. The iron-towered war god, Liu Qing, was staring intently at the two of them, and as his gaze moved, the entire crowd’s attention focused on him and Lin Xiuya.
When the crowd saw that Liu Qing’s gaze included Xiao Yan, they were somewhat confused. Lin Xiuya, with his strength, was naturally a target, but Xiao Yan, though a strong dark horse in the Inner Academy, should still be a step behind Lin Xiuya, shouldn’t he?
Ignoring the surrounding gazes, the three locked eyes, and the fighting spirit welled up in their chests, unstoppable!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage