As Ruo Lin introduced Han Yue, Han Yue stepped onto the square, and her opponent walked up with a miserable look on his face.
Being matched against Han Yue in an elimination round was outrageously bad luck.
Han Yue had voluntarily withdrawn after making it into the top fifty the previous year. After a year of further development, she was not only a prominent figure at the academy, but many also considered her the strongest in the Outer Academy.
When he was matched against Han Yue, he had already known he had no hope.
Even so, he drew his weapon and cupped his hands to Han Yue.
"Senior Han Yue, please enlighten me."
Han Yue maintained her usual aloof manner and gave a faint nod.
She knew that if she showed any friendliness, the other party would surely give an inch and take a mile, pestering her endlessly.
Years of experience had led Han Yue to build an icy shell around herself to ward off unwanted harassment.
With a turn of her wrist, Han Yue drew a frost-covered longsword.
The moment the referee called for the match to begin, Han Yue's figure flashed, and she charged at her opponent.
Although the student had no confidence whatsoever in his chances of winning, he didn't want to be taken out in a single move, either.
He reacted at once. Pale cyan Dou Qi surged around him, boosting his speed as he moved away from where he stood.
The instant after he left, the frost-covered longsword swept through the spot where his shoulder had been. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would likely have suffered for it.
The student had just begun to rejoice at escaping that close call and was about to rely on his Wind Attribute Dou Qi to maneuver against Han Yue.
Han Yue swung her longsword, and white mist swept out in every direction. It moved so quickly that the student could hardly escape.
The moment he came into contact with the white mist, a bone-chilling cold struck him, making his movements stiffen involuntarily.
Before he could react, a longsword gleaming with a cold light had stopped at his throat.
The student couldn't help swallowing, his Adam's apple bobbing.
The referee at the side immediately raised a hand and declared Han Yue the winner.
The next instant, earthshaking cheers erupted from below the platform.
Han Yue nodded to the student and the referee, put away her longsword, and turned to leave.
Instructor Ruo Lin smiled. "A very good response. Han Yue made full use of her advantage instead of competing with that student in speed."
Xiao Yao nodded as well. She had indeed played to her attribute's strengths, rather than relying on her higher cultivation realm to compete in speed with a Wind Attribute cultivator.
Before long, Xiao Yao heard his class and name called.
"Cheng Hu of Profound Class One versus Xiao Yao of Yellow Class Two."
Hearing his name, Xiao Yao nodded to Ruo Lin, Xun'er, and the others before walking toward the square.
Xiao Yao's opponent this time was from Profound Class One.
Generally speaking, students in the Profound Tier classes were usually more talented and stronger than those in the Yellow classes.
His opponent this time clearly shared that view. Standing in the square, he looked at Xiao Yao with a face full of disdain and even reached up to smooth his flowing hair.
Although Xiao Yao was exceptionally talented, he had only been at the academy a short time, after all, and most students knew almost nothing about him.
The crowd's reaction was rather subdued, especially compared to the reception Han Yue had received.
Xiao Yao said nothing about it and simply waited quietly for the referee's announcement.
"Begin!"
At the referee's command, Xiao Yao immediately used a movement Dou Technique. His figure became an afterimage as he charged toward Cheng Hu.
One moment, Cheng Hu still wore a look of disdain; the next, terror appeared on his face.
He saw a fist shimmering with the light of Dou Qi coming at him so quickly that he had no time to react.
Whoosh—
A violent fist wind howled past Cheng Hu's face, making him feel as though he were caught in a storm, his ears filled with the sound of the wind.
The violent fist wind carried a searing heat that made hot sweat break out on his face. It evaporated in an instant, leaving only traces of sweat behind.
He stared at the fist stopped three inches from his face and said in a trembling voice,
"I... I surrender!"
The referee at the side clearly hadn't expected the match to end just after he had announced its start.
Even so, the referee dutifully raised his hand and announced in a loud voice:
"Yellow Class Two, Xiao Yao wins!"
After a brief silence, the students watching around them erupted in thunderous cheers.
At the same time, countless curious gazes fell on Xiao Yao. He had secured victory with a single strike; not even Han Yue had put on such an outstanding performance.
Xiao Yao smiled and nodded to Cheng Hu and the referee before turning to leave the platform.
The referee glanced at Cheng Hu, couldn't hold back a laugh, and offered him a kind reminder.
"Student, tidy your hair after you get down."
Cheng Hu: ???
He hurriedly took out a crystal mirror and looked at his hair. He was dumbfounded.
The fist wind's searing heat had blown his flowing hair into a broom head, every strand standing on end. It looked utterly comical.
Cheng Hu gave a wry laugh, hastily pressed down his hair, and rushed off the platform.
The students below the platform also burst into laughter.
When Xiao Yao returned to his class's area, Instructor Ruo Lin smiled at him and said,
"You did very well. With a performance like that, I'm afraid it won't be long before you become a prominent figure at the academy."
"At first, only a small number of students knew about you. After this match, everyone at the academy will know your name."
Feeling the many gazes gathering on him, Xiao Yao nodded in deep agreement.
It would probably be just as Instructor Ruo Lin had said: he would become famous overnight, his name known throughout the land.
Before this, his talent had only earned him some recognition among the new students.
The academy was enormous and had a great many students, after all. It was hard for word of him to spread throughout the academy in such a short time.
Even among the new students, a large number didn't know Xiao Yao existed.
After all, the group of new students Xiao Yao belonged to had been recruited by the team sent to the Jia Ma Empire.
Jia Nan Academy sent recruitment teams to various empires every year, so it was only natural that the teams sent to other empires didn't know Xiao Yao.
Today, however, was a rare opportunity, with the vast majority of the academy's students gathered together. Once he showed his brilliance on this stage, his name was sure to spread throughout the academy.
Even Xiao Yao's opponent, the student named Cheng Hu, might become widely famous.
His fame, however, might be a little different from Xiao Yao's: he would be known for his comical appearance.
Xiao Yao watched two more matches, then lost interest.
He planned to try out his idea and see whether he really could store his own energy inside a Magic Core.
If it really worked, he would not only have an extra trump card and another means at his disposal, but could also give it to the people around him to use.