Xiao Yan’s calm voice faintly rippled through the open forest, stirring the blood of the freshmen standing behind him. The spirit of battle surged in their chests. Regardless of success or failure, as long as they fought with all their might, they could at least hold their heads high. The “Heavenly Fire Energy” they held was not much, and even if it were taken, it wouldn’t matter much. Besides, the hunting competition wouldn’t lead to any deaths; at worst, they would be beaten up, but there would be no significant loss.
Thinking this way, the fifteen weak freshmen raised their heads, glaring fiercely at Sha Tie and his four companions on the tree. Fear had completely vanished from their hearts.
“Hehe, quite a backbone. Since that’s the case, let my Black Fiend Team test you. Let’s see what makes you so special, this year’s batch of freshmen who have stirred the entire Inner Academy!”
Seeing that Xiao Yan showed no fear in the face of a strong team and instead rallied the spirits of his comrades, a look of surprise flashed in Sha Tie’s eyes. He nodded slightly. Although Xiao Yan’s resistance would bring him some trouble, he, who had long been involved in the Inner Academy’s arenas, deeply admired such a hard, unyielding spirit.
At least, Baitan’s act of abandoning his teammates and leaving alone earlier made him feel rather disdainful. Of course, these thoughts were only in his mind and he naturally wouldn’t say them out loud.
As Sha Tie finished speaking, five powerful auras surged from the five bodies, spreading over the clearing. The intense pressure made the freshmen, who were just brimming with fighting spirit, feel a bit heavy-hearted.
Feeling the overwhelming aura descending from the air, Xiao Yan took a deep breath and turned to the group, saying sternly, “Be careful, I’ll handle Sha Tie.”
“Brother Xiao Yan, Sha Tie is probably already at the level of a Dou Ling. In a normal fight, your chances of winning might not be high. But if you forcibly enhance your strength like in the selection match, it will be too harsh on your body.”
Liu Mei, furrowing her brows in worry, said this. She was very clear about the injuries Xiao Yan had suffered when he boosted his strength to the point of being able to compete with a Dou Ling. If it weren’t for the lucky level-up that day, it would have taken him at least half a month to recover to peak condition.
“Haha, don’t worry. I’ll try not to forcefully enhance my strength. With other methods, I can still fight him,” Xiao Yan waved his hand. He was well aware that although the “Three Mystic Transformations of Heavenly Fire” could temporarily boost his strength to the level of a Dou Ling, the violent energy released by the Flame Essence in an instant was a significant burden on his body. Therefore, if he could avoid using it, he wouldn’t. Even without using the Three Mystic Transformations, he was confident he wouldn’t fall to Sha Tie within a few rounds.
“Alright, be careful,” seeing Xiao Yan’s determination, Xuner merely nodded. She looked at the five people on the tree trunk and said softly, “Amber and Wu Hao are somewhat weakened after the previous battle. They can barely handle one person now, and the outcome is uncertain. I can also handle one, but the enemy still has one left.”
Hearing Xuner’s words, Amber and Wu Hao both nodded helplessly. After all, what she said was true.
“I’m better off, but Wu Hao, after fighting with Xiu Yan, has probably used up most of his Dou Qi. Although Xiao Yan’s pills have helped, it’s impossible for him to fully recover in such a short time. Moreover, these opponents are not weaker than Xiu Yan,” Amber sighed.
“Don’t worry too much. At least for ten minutes, he won’t defeat me,” Wu Hao said in a low voice. “It seems we’ll have to let the other freshmen handle the last one.”
“Don’t worry, even though our Dou Qi is almost depleted, there are still many of us. In a short time, that guy won’t be able to handle us. As long as one of you, senior Xiao Yan, can defeat your opponent, we can turn the tide of this battle,” a freshman smiled and spoke up.
“Yes, we can temporarily hold them back, but the final victory depends on you, seniors. With our current state, it’s hard to defeat a high-level Dou Shi. After all, we’re only at the 8-9 star Dou Shi level,” some other freshmen chimed in with a smile.
“Okay,” Xiao Yan nodded slightly and smiled, “In that case, I’ll rely on all of you. As long as you can hold back the extra person, we’ll do our best to defeat the others and then come to your aid.”
“Yes!” The fifteen freshmen responded in unison, their 8-9 star Dou Shi auras spreading out, forming a formidable force.
“Go, Senior Xiao Yan! Beat them!” On both sides of the clearing, many freshmen who had lost their fighting power supported themselves with difficulty and shouted loudly, cheering for Xiao Yan and the others.
Seeing the high morale of his team, Xiao Yan’s face lit up with a smile. Gripping the Heavy Scale Ruler, he exchanged a glance with Xuner and the others, and then the four of them shot out in four different directions.
“Xiao Yan, I’ll deal with him. One person per target, the extra one, get rid of those freshmen, and then switch targets quickly,” Sha Tie ordered as the four of them separated.
“Yes!” Four voices responded in unison. As the voices faded, five figures tapped the tree trunks and leaped into the air, transforming into black shadows, like bats hunting in the night. In two breaths, they appeared in front of the four retreating Xiao Yan and his companions. Another figure, like a meteor, crashed into the group of fifteen freshmen, releasing a fierce Dou Qi.
Xiao Yan firmly planted his feet on the ground, stopping his forward momentum. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the towering Sha Tie. The oppressive aura emanating from his bulky frame made Xiao Yan frown. This guy was indeed a formidable opponent.
“The battle is about to begin. I won’t underestimate you for any reason because those who think that way usually don’t earn much ‘Heavenly Fire Energy’ in the Inner Academy arena. So, those who can perform well in the arena usually understand the principle of the lion capturing the rabbit.”
Sha Tie twisted his neck, and a dark golden Dou Qi slowly emerged from his body, eventually rendering him as if he were a metal-cast Vajra, creating a strong visual impact.
“Gold Dou Qi? This guy has such a property?”
Seeing the dark golden Dou Qi on Sha Tie’s body, Xiao Yan’s eyebrows rose. This kind of Dou Qi was quite rare, with extremely strong offensive and defensive capabilities. If it weren’t for the sluggishness of those who practiced it, it would indeed be a very troublesome opponent.
Sha Tie didn’t wield any weapon, clearly indicating that he was a master of close combat.
Identifying the opponent’s attack pattern, Xiao Yan’s expression relaxed slightly. It was perfect since he was also of this type. This way, he could fully utilize his preferred fighting style.
Placing the Heavy Scale Ruler firmly in the ground, Xiao Yan felt the surging Dou Qi within him. He exhaled slowly, and a green Dou Qi rose from his body. Occasionally, the Dou Qi would flicker with faint flames, which would disappear instantly, making them hard to detect under the cover of the green Dou Qi.
“6-star Dou Shi? No wonder he defeated Su Xiao. This kind of strength can already compare to those seniors who have been in the Inner Academy for about a year.”
Feeling the aura emanating from Xiao Yan, Sha Tie seemed to realize something and said, “But with just this rank, it won’t be easy to defeat me.”
Smiling at Xiao Yan, Sha Tie clapped his fists together, producing a crisp sound like clashing metal.
“How about trying it out?” Xiao Yan smiled faintly. He slowly rubbed his feet on the ground, his body tensing like a drawn bow. As his heels touched the ground, a burst of green Dou Qi surged out from his feet. With a sharp sound of energy, Xiao Yan’s figure transformed into a blurry shadow, darting towards Sha Tie.
Seeing Xiao Yan choose close combat, a sneer appeared on Sha Tie’s face. Clenching his massive fists, he bent his elbow, and the dark golden Dou Qi condensed, smashing down viciously on the black shadow that had appeared beside him. The wind from his elbow tore through the air, creating a two-inch deep hole in the ground several feet away.
Feeling the sharp sound of the wind from above, Xiao Yan’s expression remained unchanged. His arm shot up, and a green energy keratin layer rapidly spread over his fist, colliding with Sha Tie’s elbow.
“Bang!”
A low, dull sound echoed where the two met. The force from the collision pressed Xiao Yan down slightly, but his face remained calm. His left hand shot out, stopping an inch from Sha Tie’s chest, and then a powerful invisible force erupted.
Fire Palm!
Xiao Yan had mastered this technique years ago. With his current strength, the force from the Fire Palm was enough to injure a Dou Shi. It no longer simply sent people stumbling.
The invisible force exploded on Sha Tie’s chest, causing his body to waver. Under the impact, he stepped back two steps.
“Strange and varied techniques, Xiao Yan, you truly make me look forward to this. But these side techniques have no real effect on me. Show me your real skills,” Sha Tie said coldly, slapping his chest, which produced a clanging sound.
Seeing the unperturbed Sha Tie, Xiao Yan exhaled slowly, his expression becoming serious. Twisting his hands, a green flame flared up in his palms.
Just as the green flame in Xiao Yan’s palms erupted, the two old men watching from the dense forest, opened their eyes in shock, exclaiming, “Flame Essence?”
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