Xiao Yan's Battle of Fame

Xiao Yan could not be judged by common sense. His cultivation was clearly only at the Third Grade Dou Zhe realm, yet his combat power far exceeded it. Even Ruo Lin, a Da Dou Shi, could not take him down quickly without showing her true skill.

Ruo Lin's weapon was a long blue whip embedded with a Magic Core. The aqua-blue whip radiated surging energy fluctuations, displaying its extraordinary attributes.

Her Dou Qi leaned toward the water element, and when it spread out, mist filled the area, making it feel as though they had been transported into a fairyland.

But if that fairyland was filled with killing intent, then it was far from wonderful.

The long whip in Ruo Lin's hand seemed like an extension of her body. It danced wildly like a nimble serpent, attacking Xiao Yan's vital points from all sorts of tricky angles.

As for Xiao Yan, since he had never cultivated any weapon-based Dou Techniques, the longsword in his hand clumsily blocked left and right. His movements possessed none of the agility of proper swordsmanship; he was clearly resisting on instinct alone.

"Clang!"

The long whip in Ruo Lin's hand seemed to transform into a sharp spear, shooting straight toward Xiao Yan's chest as if it intended to pierce right through him.

Every hair on Xiao Yan's body stood on end. He instinctively held his sword across his chest, and with a crisp sound, the ordinary refined-iron sword shattered on impact.

"Fire Blowing Palm!"

Seeing the sword in his hand turn to fragments, Xiao Yan remained calm despite his surprise. He tossed aside the sword that now only had a hilt left, then unleashed the Dou Technique Fire Blowing Palm that he had learned from Yao Lao.

This Dou Technique's offensive power was not particularly outstanding, because it had been created entirely for alchemy. It was only meant to increase the intensity of the flames, allowing the fire used in pill refinement to reach another level.

Although Fire Blowing Palm was not very powerful offensively, it was perfectly suited for this moment. After Ruo Lin's whip shattered the refined-iron sword, much of its force had already been spent, and it no longer possessed its former sharpness. Using Fire Blowing Palm now could completely neutralize the remaining force.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Xiao Yan possessed strong combat instincts. He knew when to hold back and when to give it everything he had.

For example, right now. Ruo Lin had just launched an attack and was at the moment when her old strength had faded but new strength had yet to arise. If he struck with all his might now, he could not only escape his passive situation of being beaten back, but also seize control of the battle for a short while. So long as Ruo Lin did not unleash overwhelming power, surviving ten moves was not impossible.

Yes, from the very beginning, Xiao Yan had never intended to defeat Ruo Lin, because that was simply unrealistic. She was a Five-Star Da Dou Shi, while he was merely a Three Star Dou Zhe. The gap between them was too great to be bridged by mere techniques.

The moment Eight Extremes Collapse was unleashed, Xiao Yan's strength soared sharply. His combat power shot straight to the level of a Nine Star Dou Zhe, even surging into the Dou Shi realm for an instant, leaving everyone present deeply shaken.

Many of those present were top-tier geniuses. Fighting above their level was as natural to them as eating and drinking, but most could only cross one or two minor ranks. None of them could achieve what Xiao Yan had—possessing strength comparable to a Dou Shi while still in the early Dou Zhe realm.

Forget achieving it; they had never even heard of such a thing.

Though Ruo Lin's expression remained calm, she was inwardly astonished. She resolved to keep this genius in the academy and nurture him properly. She absolutely could not let him run around outside.

With that thought, Ruo Lin, at the Five-Star Da Dou Shi realm, sharpened her gaze, and her aura rose by another degree.

"Profound Middle-Rank Dou Technique: Water Mandala."

The long whip in Ruo Lin's hand blazed with light as countless wisps of water vapor coiled around it, then formed a wildly dancing water serpent in the air. The water serpent opened its mouth in a roar and lunged back down at Xiao Yan.

"Good heavens, Xiao Yan is incredible. He actually forced Instructor Ruo Lin to use her signature technique."

"Water Mandala is not only an offensive Dou Technique, but also a binding one. Once someone is entangled by the water serpent formed from Dou Qi, unless their cultivation far surpasses Instructor Ruo Lin's, they can only surrender obediently."

Everyone present gained an even clearer understanding of Xiao Yan's strength. Though they were reluctant to admit it, the king of this year's newcomers could only be Xiao Yan. His cultivation might be lower than many of theirs, but his combat power left them streets behind.

Xiao Yan's face turned solemn, but his hands did not stop moving. The power of Eight Extremes Collapse was built up to its limit as he launched himself forward at top speed.

But Xiao Yan discovered that his feet seemed to have taken root. What had been a wild sprint turned into a snail's crawl. Every step required enormous effort, as though countless hands were gripping his feet and dragging them down.

He looked down and discovered that, at some point, faint water-element energy had wrapped around his ankles. The energy had formed two rings that tightly bound his ankles and continuously pulled them into the ground.

"Ha!"

Xiao Yan gave a low shout in his heart. Dou Qi circulated through his feet, shattering the two strands of water-element energy wrapped around his ankles.

But this delayed him for a moment. The water serpent in the sky swiftly encircled Xiao Yan and continuously compressed the space in which he could stand.

How could Xiao Yan dare let the water serpent entangle him? He struggled without pause, unleashing one Dou Technique after another that he had learned during this time. Yet he discovered that the thin mist, which looked like it would break at a touch, was unimaginably resilient. His Dou Techniques struck it as though hitting cotton—soft and without any purchase—leaving him with a body full of strength but nowhere to use it.

"Hmph, let's see you act so arrogant now. My Water Mandala isn't so easy to break. Looks like I won't be approving your vacation after all." Seeing Xiao Yan struggle with increasing helplessness, Ruo Lin said with a smile at the corner of her lips.

And that was indeed the case.

Xiao Yan had already used every trick at his disposal, yet he could do nothing against the water serpent that looked as though it would break at a touch. Left with no choice, he could only seek Yao Lao's help.

"Master, it looks like I can only rely on you." Xiao Yan said helplessly.

"Hmph, now you understand the gap between you, don't you? A Da Dou Shi isn't someone to be trifled with." Yao Lao gave an arrogant snort, but he also knew that this concerned Xiao Yan's future path and could not be taken lightly, so he directly took control of Xiao Yan's body.

Though Yao Lao only had his soul remaining and his strength had declined from its peak, he was still not someone a mere Da Dou Shi could defeat. Ruo Lin's Water Mandala could trap Xiao Yan, but Yao Lao broke it with ease.

Thus, after Ruo Lin finished speaking her few words of nonsense, she was shocked to discover Xiao Yan walking out completely unharmed, causing everyone's eyes to nearly fall out of their sockets.

"How is this possible? He's only a Dou Zhe. Although I've only used half my strength, I still wield the power of an early-stage Da Dou Shi. How could he possibly break Water Mandala?" Ruo Lin cried inwardly.

But the facts could not be denied. Xiao Yan had indeed emerged completely unharmed. According to their agreement, Ruo Lin had to approve his year-long vacation.