As night slowly slipped away with the passage of time, when the last ray of moonlight disappeared at the edge of the horizon, a faint light began to dispel the darkness from the earth. As the first beam of dawn illuminated the inner courtyard, the tranquil atmosphere instantly dissipated. This day was the moment to determine the top ten spots in the Strong Ranking Tournament. At this point, the tournament had reached its true climax, and all the inner court students were eagerly awaiting the birth of the new top ten experts on the Strong Ranking.
The spacious square was packed with people in a short amount of time, and the bustling noise incessantly echoed in everyone’s ears. The fiery atmosphere made every person who entered feel infected. When Xiao Yan and his companions arrived at the high platform, it was already crowded. Although more than half of the participants had been eliminated over the past two days, for such high-level battles, even if they couldn’t participate, being able to watch from the sidelines was still very beneficial.
At this moment, Xiao Yan had undoubtedly become the biggest dark horse in this Strong Ranking Tournament. Having only entered the inner courtyard less than a year ago, he now had the qualification to challenge the top ten of the Strong Ranking. Such strength was enough to astonish ordinary people, so his entry attracted many gazes.
Ignoring the surrounding eyes, Xiao Yan and his group came to their previous position, sat down, and chatted softly as they waited for the tournament to begin. Just as they settled, a small figure appeared in front of them like a ghost, with long, pale purple hair tied in a ponytail and a cute appearance that could charm both men and women.
Zi Yan appeared and immediately grinned at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan glanced at Zi Yan, who had been absent for a day, and was startled. Her clothes were slightly torn, and her slender arms were covered in bruises.
“What did you do?” Seeing Zi Yan’s pitiful state, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but ask.
“I wandered in the deep mountains and found a spirit herb I liked. But I encountered a Battle Emperor-level magical beast guarding it. I fought with it, but I couldn’t win, so I ran back,” Zi Yan said nonchalantly, pouting.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others felt a wave of disbelief. This little girl was truly a monster, daring to challenge a Battle Emperor-level magical beast, truly a young bull not afraid of tigers.
“Pfft, that guy didn’t get off easy either. I hit him with a solid punch, and his skin split open,” Zi Yan said, looking at Xiao Yan’s expression.
Xiao Yan didn’t doubt her words. Though she was at the Dou Wang level, her strange power was terrifying. Even with the tough body of a magical beast, a full-strength punch from her would leave it in a bad state.
“Hey, Xiao Yan, let’s go together next time. I’ll hold that guy back, and you can just take the spirit herb,” Zi Yan suddenly leaned in, stopping her face close to Xiao Yan’s, and grinned.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes helplessly. Last time, dealing with a Snow Magic Sky Ape at the Dou Wang level had taken a lot of effort. Now, to deal with a Battle Emperor-level opponent, wouldn’t that be self-inflicted suffering?
Responding casually, Xiao Yan suddenly felt the atmosphere around him stir. Turning his head, he saw Lin Xiu Ya and his group entering. As the most dazzling star in the inner courtyard, the commotion he caused was even greater than Xiao Yan’s, and the shifting gazes clearly showed his unshakable reputation and status.
After Lin Xiu Ya and his group entered, they headed straight for Xiao Yan’s location.
“Hope we don’t end up facing each other today. I don’t want to meet you at this critical moment,” Lin Xiu Ya’s cheerful voice reached Xiao Yan’s ears before he arrived. The respect in his voice for Xiao Yan made the surrounding crowd look at him with surprise. In the inner courtyard, there were few people Lin Xiu Ya held in such high regard.
“If that happens, I might be in trouble,” Xiao Yan laughed. He didn’t want to face Lin Xiu Ya either; his goal was just to enter the top ten. Once he secured a spot, he could proceed without fear.
“Who dares to make you unlucky with me protecting you?” An old-fashioned voice sounded behind him. Zi Yan jumped onto the chair, looked down, and patted Xiao Yan’s shoulder, then arrogantly looked at Lin Xiu Ya, pressing her small fists together. “Little one, we better not meet. If we do, I’ll chase you and beat you even if you run off the field.”
The sudden appearance of Zi Yan made Lin Xiu Ya’s smile fade. He awkwardly said, “Of course, who in the inner courtyard can match Senior Zi Yan?”
“Good, you’re smart,” Zi Yan grinned, about to say more, but Xiao Yan pulled her ponytail and lifted her off the chair, ignoring her struggles, and held her behind him, smiling wryly and shrugging at Lin Xiu Ya.
Seeing Zi Yan, though struggling, behaving like a petulant child, Lin Xiu Ya was stunned. Since when did the brute force king not get angry at being treated like this? If this happened before, whoever dared to push her head down would be caught and beaten up even if they fled to the outer courtyard.
“What did Xiao Yan give this brute force king to make them get along so well?” Lin Xiu Ya thought, not daring to linger. If Zi Yan started yelling at him again, even if everyone knew how terrifying she was, they might laugh secretly. So, he quickly exchanged a few words with Xiao Yan and hurried to his seat.
Seeing Lin Xiu Ya flee, Xiao Yan and the others couldn’t help but laugh. They never expected the most illustrious figure in the inner courtyard to be so wary of Zi Yan. It truly was one thing controlling another.
Shortly after Lin Xiu Ya’s entrance, another heavyweight participant, Liu Qing, also entered the field. Originally, his path would have passed by Xiao Yan, but he quickly spotted the girl with the pale purple ponytail sitting next to Xiao Yan, subtly changed his expression, and then casually turned a corner, avoiding Xiao Yan and his group.
Although Liu Qing’s change of route was subtle, it was still noticed by some sharp-eyed people, and they couldn’t help but chuckle. These inner courtyard elites, in front of the cute little girl, lost their usual demeanor as strong individuals.
As time passed, the number of people in the square increased, and the noise rose to the sky. When the elders on the judging platform took their seats, a bell chimed, signaling the start.
With the bell’s chime, the noise in the square gradually subsided, and all eyes focused on the judging platform.
Under everyone’s gaze, Su Qian straightened his robe, stood up, and announced, “After two days of elimination, there are thirteen contestants left. To enter the top ten, three will be eliminated today. According to the rules, we will randomly select six for the competition. The winners will enter the top ten, and the losers will be ranked lower.”
Placing a bamboo tube in front of him, containing thirteen slips, Su Qian continued, “These thirteen slips contain the names of the remaining contestants. I will randomly draw six for the competition.”
As the bamboo tube was placed, the atmosphere tensed. Many people stared intently at the judging platform, as the final decision for the top ten spots was about to be made.
Under the watchful eyes, Su Qian drew a slip and read aloud, “Yan Hao.”
Yan Hao’s face on the high platform tightened.
“The next one is the opponent competing with Yan Hao for the top ten,” Su Qian drew another slip and read, “Qian Mo.”
Qian Mo, ranked eighth on the Strong Ranking, was also at the peak of the Dou Ling level but was weaker than Yan Hao. Hearing his opponent was Yan Hao, Qian Mo’s brows furrowed.
Ignoring the crowd, Su Qian continued drawing, “Zi Yan.”
A buzz went through the crowd, and even Lin Xiu Ya and Liu Qing on the high platform grew tense.
Su Qian understood their reactions and smiled inwardly, continuing, “Qin Zhen.”
The crowd sighed, looking sympathetically at Qin Zhen, who, despite being sixth on the Strong Ranking, likely had no chance against the brute force king.
“Last one,” Su Qian said, opening the final slip, “Liu Qing.”
The crowd hushed, and some murmured, thinking another unlucky person was about to be chosen. Liu Qing, however, showed no emotion. As long as his opponent wasn’t Zi Yan, he had no fear, even if it was Lin Xiu Ya.
To build suspense, Su Qian slowly opened the last slip and, with a surprised look, said, “Xiao Yan.”
The crowd fell silent, and many turned to look at the black-robed youth on the high platform, who frowned slightly.
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