In the three qualifying rounds, Xiao Yao was lucky enough to draw three students at the Da Dou Shi level.
If he hadn't known there was nothing wrong with the wooden box, Xiao Yao would have suspected that the academy had set him up.
But after he won all three fights, those draws, which had seemed unlucky to outsiders, became a brilliant splash of color in Xiao Yao's record.
So when everyone went onstage to draw lots for the fourth round, the other six all looked at Xiao Yao with a touch of apprehension.
Even Han Yue, who was quietly regarded as the Outer Academy's number one, couldn't help looking a little nervous when she saw Xiao Yao.
If she drew Xiao Yao in this round, her chances of reaching the top five would be in doubt.
Perhaps it was because of the fearsome reputation he had earned in the first three rounds, but when everyone went onstage this time, they looked at one another, and no one stepped forward. It was as though they had left the first draw to Xiao Yao.
Seeing that no one was stepping forward, Xiao Yao didn't delay. He walked up and took a small ball from the wooden box.
When he saw the white ball in his hand, Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow. This time, it was actually his turn to get a bye.
And when the remaining six saw the white ball in Xiao Yao's hand, they all breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Rather than face Xiao Yao, they would much prefer he got a bye.
Having drawn the white ball, Xiao Yao shrugged and said nothing more. He merely shrugged, walked off the stage, and continued infusing Magic Core energy.
This round would narrow seven down to four. With his bye, Xiao Yao had already secured a place in the top five.
Come to think of it, in the Inner Academy Selection Tournament's qualifying rounds, once someone made it past the first round, if their luck exploded and they got byes all the way through, they could force their way into the top five on luck alone.
Of the people remaining onstage, a full four were Da Dou Shi.
In other words, apart from Xiao Yao, none of the other Da Dou Shi had faced one another in the previous qualifying rounds, and all had advanced smoothly.
No wonder the others were so intimidated when they saw Xiao Yao.
There were only seven Da Dou Shi in the entire qualifying stage, and Xiao Yao had taken down three of them by himself.
Of those six, four were Da Dou Shi. The two remaining Nine-Star Dou Shi prayed frantically that they would draw each other, so they would at least have a fighting chance. Otherwise, against a Da Dou Shi, their chances of winning were slim.
Unfortunately, both drew Da Dou Shi, while Han Yue drew the last Da Dou Shi.
The student matched against Han Yue gave a bitter laugh.
Although he hadn't drawn Xiao Yao, facing Han Yue didn't seem much better.
Xiao Yao sat below the stage, watching the matches at his leisure.
The two Nine-Star Dou Shi didn't unleash hidden potential and pull off a stunning reversal, fighting and defeating opponents at a higher realm.
A Nine-Star Dou Shi might not necessarily be incapable of defeating a Da Dou Shi, but they were all heaven's favored children of the academy, with the same foundations and talent. Could a Da Dou Shi really be defeated by a Dou Shi fighting above his level?
Han Yue also won the last match easily, or rather, his opponent didn't fight with all his strength, choosing instead to conserve it.
After the seven were narrowed down to four, the three who lost this round would compete for fifth place. With his strength as a Da Dou Shi, wouldn't competing with two Nine-Star Dou Shi for fifth be easy?
Even so, he still chose to play it safe, holding back some strength in his fight with Han Yue.
Before the top four drew lots, the losers of this round competed first, giving the top four more time to recover.
The three drew lots, and one got a bye. The winner would then fight the person with the bye for fifth place.
The Da Dou Shi was unlucky and didn't draw the bye, but he didn't mind much. It was nothing more than fighting two Nine-Star Dou Shi in a row.
Sure enough, the contest for fifth place soon drew to a close.
The Da Dou Shi dealt with the two Nine-Star Dou Shi swiftly and cleanly, claiming fifth place with great delight.
At least as far as the opportunity in the library was concerned, there wasn't much difference between first and fifth place.
Xiao Yao and the other members of the top four went onstage to draw lots.
Unlike in the previous draw, this time they all looked at Xiao Yao with fighting spirit.
They had already secured places in the top five, so even if they lost to Xiao Yao, there would be little to regret.
On the contrary, they were also eager to fight Xiao Yao.
If they could defeat him, then the illustrious reputation Xiao Yao had built over the first three rounds would become a wedding dress sewn for them.
Xiao Yao also noticed what they were thinking and curled his lips. They wanted to use him as a stepping stone, yet weren't afraid of falling and splitting their heads open.
He casually took a small ball from the wooden box. Number one!
The others also stepped forward one after another. In the end, a somewhat frail-looking male student drew number one.
At the referee's command, only Xiao Yao and the male student remained on the stage.
"My name is Mu Bai. I'm from the Alchemy Department. Please enlighten me."
"The Alchemy Department?" Xiao Yao looked him over carefully. He did fit Xiao Yao's idea of an alchemist.
"Could it be that you think all alchemists are weak and frail, Junior Xiao Yao? I did make it into the top four, after all," Mu Bai said with a smile.
"Of course not. There are powerful alchemists too, and you're proof of that, Senior Mu Bai."
Xiao Yao smiled. "But fighting me might be a little unpleasant for you, Senior."
Mu Bai paused, then laughed. "Is that so? Now I'm looking forward to it."
As his words fell, both men unleashed their Dou Qi at the same time. Mu Bai went straight to using tangible flames.
But to Mu Bai's great discomfort, his tangible flames had very little effect on Xiao Yao.
As a result, he didn't hold out for long before he was defeated amid a dazzling shower of sparks blasted apart by the spear.
Mu Bai smiled helplessly. "You were right, Junior Xiao Yao. It really was unpleasant, very unpleasant!"
"Haha, thank you for going easy on me, Senior Mu Bai. You could say I saved you some strength for the fight for third place."
Mu Bai rolled his eyes and waved at Xiao Yao. "Then I suppose I should thank you. Good luck taking first place."
In the second semifinal, Han Yue faced a lightning-attribute cultivator.
Lightning and frost filled the plaza, drawing cheers and applause from the spectators.
After all, the first match had ended too quickly to feel like a contest between the top four. Although it had been exciting, the spectators preferred to see a battle on a grand scale.
In the end, Han Yue was stronger and won the match.
After the contestants for third and fourth place had fought and settled their rankings, Han Yue immediately turned her gaze to Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao smiled back and said, "Senior Han Yue, do you need more time to recover?"
Han Yue shook her head. "No need, Junior Xiao Yao."
The two went onstage. Han Yue fixed her cool, iceberg-like gaze on Xiao Yao and said seriously:
"Junior Xiao Yao, I hope you'll give it your all. It seemed to me that you hadn't fought with all your strength before."
Xiao Yao smiled faintly and said, "Then as you wish, Senior Han Yue."
As his words fell, Xiao Yao's figure vanished. With his terrifying physique, comparable to that of a Third-Rank Magical Beast, enhanced by a movement Dou Technique, the speed he unleashed was terrifying.
Han Yue knew the situation was critical and didn't dare be careless in the slightest.
She unleashed her full strength, cold Dou Qi erupting like white mist as solid ice formed across the ground.
But in the next instant, the ice to Han Yue's right exploded. By the time she came to her senses, she felt only an icy chill against her neck.
She looked down and saw that a spear was already resting against her neck.
The sight made countless spectators gasp.
They hadn't expected that once Xiao Yao truly unleashed his strength, even Han Yue wouldn't last a single move, and he decisively claimed first place in the Inner Academy Selection Tournament!