Han Yue!

After lightly lifting her foot and kicking Liu Qing away, Zi Yan's figure flashed again. In just a few breaths, several more figures were sent flying. Before long, no one could remain standing within twenty meters of Zi Yan.

"I concede!" A cool voice suddenly rang out from the outermost edge of the arena.

Following the sound, everyone discovered that it was Han Yue, the cold and beautiful woman ranked among the top ten of the Strong Ranking.

"I concede too!"

"I'm done fighting. I concede."

After Han Yue, the remaining thirty-odd people in the arena almost spoke the words of surrender in unison.

"How boring!"

Seeing everyone choose to concede so quickly, disappointment appeared on Zi Yan's adorable, doll-like face.

The students watching from outside the arena were equally speechless. Who could have imagined that a Dou Wang expert—and a little girl at that—would emerge in a Strong Ranking Tournament between students?

"Grand Elder! What's the reward for first place?"

After everyone had conceded, Zi Yan, still suspended in midair, gradually turned her gaze toward Su Qian.

When Zi Yan brought up the rewards, Lin Xiuyai, who had been knocked flying and was still lying on the ground, suddenly perked up. He closed his eyes and pricked up his ears to listen.

"You little girl, why are you in such a hurry? You'll naturally find out once all the tournament results are out!" Su Qian said with a smile.

"What a bother." Twirling her purple ponytail, Zi Yan muttered before flying out of the square.

Seeing Zi Yan win, the expressions on the faces of the other elders beside Su Qian were extraordinarily varied.

After discussion, all the rewards for this Strong Ranking Tournament had been gathered by the elders drawing lots and paying out of their own pockets.

And when they drew lots, Gu He had happened to draw the task of preparing the reward for first place.

"Haha, from the looks of it, Elder Gu He hasn't suffered any losses at all!"

"The generous reward for first place ended up in his own disciple's hands."

Not long after Zi Yan left, the elders looked at the dozen or so Strong Ranking contestants who had been knocked to the ground and discussed postponing the competition by a day. Otherwise, those who had taken a punch or kick from Zi Yan today would probably end up at the bottom of the rankings.

Fortunately, Zi Yan had shown some restraint. These people were generally only in great pain and had not truly suffered serious injuries. However, compared with those who had not been hurt, they would more or less be affected in the following days of the tournament and certainly would not be able to display their full strength.

A few days later, the Strong Ranking Tournament finally reached its final stage.

Since first place had already been taken by Zi Yan, this final match would only determine the ultimate candidate for second place in the Strong Ranking.

Moreover, the two people participating in this final were completely different from the candidates everyone had predicted before the competition.

Because Lin Xiuyai and Liu Qing were too seriously injured and had gone through consecutive battles, they had no choice but to withdraw before the finals.

This caused everyone to sigh in regret, while further deepening their impression of Zi Yan.

At this moment, as two figures entered the final arena, the atmosphere in the stands immediately grew heated.

On one side of the arena stood a cold and beautiful woman in a silver dress, with a slender figure and long silver hair. On the other stood a man wielding an enormous black iron hammer that seemed mismatched with his build.

"Han Yue, I didn't expect that among us, you'd be the only one who hasn't suffered under the Brute Force King." Yan Hao covered his right shoulder with his left hand and gave a bitter smile.

"Yes. Although a ranking gained this way cannot represent my true level at all, there's nothing to be done about it. Liu Qing withdrew of his own accord." Han Yue shook her head slightly and said helplessly.

"Lin Xiuyai is the unluckiest one. It seems the Brute Force King used him to test how much force she should use on everyone else. Who knew she would use too much strength on the first hit? Lin Xiuyai lay there for three days without moving." Yan Hao said with a sigh.

"Do you need to withdraw?" Han Yue's gaze suddenly sharpened. "I won't go easy on you just because you're injured."

"No need to go easy on me. Since I've stepped onto the arena, wouldn't asking you to hold back make me a joke? I'll concede when I can no longer hold out." Yan Hao spoke bluntly.

"Then let's begin!"

After speaking, Han Yue did not waste any time. A stream of white icy air quickly gathered in her jade-like hand before shooting toward Yan Hao.

Yan Hao swung his black iron hammer heavily, instantly stirring up a sharp howl of wind. The people closest beneath the stage could not help covering their ears.

As Yan Hao swung his iron hammer, the oncoming white icy air was completely blocked.

However, when Yan Hao raised his arm, Han Yue had already launched her second attack. It was just as swift, shooting straight toward Yan Hao's feet.

With a puff, Yan Hao swung his hammer down at the ground with all his strength, but he was still a beat too slow. The icy air had only been cut off halfway; its front half had already darted onto Yan Hao's feet.

"Hiss!"

A chill rose from Yan Hao's soles. Combined with the pain from his shoulder, he began to shiver.

Yan Hao's hammer technique had always been broad and forceful, while his reactions were sharp and his speed astonishing. But after taking a kick from Zi Yan, his wound had continued to ache faintly.

Although Yan Hao had been struck by Han Yue's icy air, once his black iron hammer smashed heavily into the ground, arm-thick cracks rapidly spread from the point of impact. An incomparably dense dark-yellow energy burst from the cracks, heading directly beneath Han Yue.

A trace of panic appeared on Han Yue's face at Yan Hao's move. She lightly tapped the ground with her toes and rose upward. The dark-yellow energy swept beneath her skirt just as she left the ground.

"Haha, in weather this hot, Han Yue, that really chilled me to the bone!" Seeing Han Yue evade the attack, Yan Hao laughed loudly. He suddenly shattered his upper garment, and the Dou Qi within him surged rapidly. The skin across his body became as hard as rock, carrying a grayish-white hue.

Yan Hao's Dou Qi belonged to the earth element and was the relatively rare Rock Dou Qi. This kind of Dou Qi could make a cultivator's body as hard as stone.

Seeing the change in Yan Hao's body, Han Yue's gaze sharpened. She knew that in this state, Yan Hao could temporarily alleviate the injuries Zi Yan had inflicted on him, and his defensive power would be greatly enhanced.

Although Yan Hao had temporarily eliminated Zi Yan's influence, that did not guarantee he could defeat Han Yue.

Han Yue used ice-element Dou Qi; she did not rely on brute force to attack.

(End of chapter)