This Is Bad, We're About to Get Ganged Up On

In the subsequent Selection Competition, unsurprisingly, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan made smooth progress, and those who could cause them any trouble were very fortunate to avoid them.

There was a minor incident during this time. Due to the aftereffects of Bai Shan's meridians being frozen, he was defeated by a Three-Star Dou Grandmaster in the final battle to enter the top fifty.

He clearly could not accept this outcome. As soon as the result was announced, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

It seems they can't withstand such a blow.

In addition, Wu Hao, who also made a high-profile appearance, caught everyone's attention. His formidable strength also aroused a lot of apprehension.

Of course, there was also good news. Xiao Yu was a bit unlucky and encountered a Two-Star Great Dou Master. In theory, he should have been able to defeat Xiao Yu, but Xiao Yu unexpectedly used a rather desperate fighting style and won the match at the cost of serious injury, successfully entering the top fifty.

Even though Xiao Yuan had Healing Pill made by the Yao Lao master, Xiao Yu was unable to engage in strenuous exercise for three days, and his combat power was almost non-existent.

But Xiao Yu didn't care. She didn't care at all whether she could enter the Inner Academy. What she cared about was whether she could enter the Inner Academy with Xiao Yuan.

She was willing to pay a price for this.

Moreover, as long as she could get into the top fifty, she believed that Xiao Yuan could definitely carry her into the top five.

When Xiao Yuan and his group re-entered the square, they were still shocked by the number of spectators.

The number of spectators gathered in the square today is several times that of the previous two days. These spectators are not all students of the academy. Many of them have come from Canaan City outside the academy. As residents of Canaan City, they know that today is the most lively time of the year for the entire Jia Nan Academy, so they naturally would not miss such a grand event.

Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yan, Xun'er, Wu Hao, Hu Jia have clearly demonstrated their astonishing strength to everyone in the competition over the past two days. Today, these five strongest students from this year's Outer Academy will engage in a highly anticipated clash!

Among them, Xiao Yuan has the highest odds. After all, after Bai Shan was defeated yesterday, some rumors circulated that it was because of Xiao Yuan's previous palm strike that Bai Shan was unable to exert his full strength, which is why he was defeated by Three-Star Dou Grandmaster.

The fact that Xiao Yuan could achieve this with a single palm strike, coupled with the fact that in the past few days of competition, although he still displayed the strength of Four-Star Dou Grandmaster, each battle would end in less than five rounds, shows that no one regards him as an ordinary Four-Star Dou Grandmaster anymore.

Some astute individuals have already guessed that Xiao Yuan was actually deliberately hiding his strength.

And that was indeed the case. Xiao Yuan was indeed hiding his strength, but not for the sake of the people in the academy, but to create an information gap.

From now on, those who know his true strength are either his own people or the dead.

After all, now that traces of the Soul Hall have been discovered, it means that the Soul Hall's influence in the Northwest Continent has been cultivated. Creating the impression of a weaker force is extremely important.

If not at the crucial moment, it can be used to make a comeback from a desperate situation.

It's always good to be cautious when dealing with enemies.

Of course, this will also bring some trouble to Xiao Yuan. After all, when he becomes Dou Wang, if he still wants to show the strength of Dou Ling, it will be difficult to use the method of Douqi Transformation Wings.

Fortunately, he also has female aliases, which allow him to use a variety of methods.

Not long after they entered the square, Hu Jia walked in slowly and leisurely, but her gaze lingered on Xiao Yuan and the others for a moment. Many people thought she was looking at Xun'er, but with Xiao Yuan's keen perception, he could clearly tell that Hu Jia seemed to be paying more attention to him.

"Could it be that Hu Jia has really set her sights on us?"

Xiao Yuan had some doubts in his heart.

"Thump!"

As the sun rose high in the azure sky, the clear chimes of bells finally rang out in the square. Hearing the chimes, the noisy square quieted down slightly, and countless eyes followed the sound of the bells to the extremely wide square.

In the center of the square, where all eyes were focused, Vice Dean Hu Qian slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping around the surroundings. His powerful voice, like muffled thunder, echoed through the air above the square:

"Yesterday, the Inner Academy Selection Tournament selected the final fifty students. They are all qualified to enter the Inner Academy for cultivation. However, there are also clear levels within the Inner Academy. If you want to obtain better cultivation conditions in the Inner Academy, you must do your best to achieve the best results in this final competition. Every improvement will be of great help to you. So, do your best to obtain better cultivation conditions!"

Hu Qian glanced at the students who were getting excited and smiled, "In previous years, the Selection Competition was a round-robin tournament, but this year, after discussion at the academy meeting, we have slightly changed the format of this final round."

Upon hearing Hu Qian's words, all the trainees were taken aback, and then turned their puzzled gazes toward the center of the arena.

"Now, please have the first fifty students enter the arena," Hu Qian said with a loud laugh.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow. If it weren't for Mentor Ruo Lin's confirmation, he wouldn't have been sure that the Selection Competition would really turn from a turn-based system into a free-for-all, just like he remembered.

However, this is indeed good news for him.

Because this means that Xiao Yu's grades won't be bad either, and she will be able to get more opportunities! Thinking this, Xiao Yuan smiled at Xiao Yu, then took her hand and leaped into the arena.

Xiao Yan and Xun'er, who were standing to the side, also landed in the arena as if flying side by side.

"This year, we don't want round-robin matches, but a chaotic and exciting elimination tournament. Whoever lasts the longest in this elimination tournament will rank higher, and vice versa." Looking at the many participants entering the arena one after another, Hu Qian smiled and said, "In this square, you can use any means you want, even if you team up with others, as long as you can survive the chaotic battle, then you have won."

As soon as Hu Qian finished speaking, some whispers arose in the square. Clearly, this format, which was different from previous years' competitions, had caught them somewhat off guard.

"Once the match begins, whoever enters the fray loses. We have people specifically counting the losses. Therefore, if you can hold out a little longer in the chaos, your ranking might improve significantly. So, perseverance is victory."

Xiao Yuan and the other three exchanged smiles; such competition rules were perfect for them.

If things got serious, Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yan, Xun'er all possessed the ability to clear the area.

As for Xiao Yu, all she needs to do is cheer her on from the sidelines.

As for Xiao Mei and Xiao Ning, their strength was relatively weak, so they were unable to make it to the end and can only wait for next year's Selection Competition.

Standing together, Xiao Yuan and his three companions were the most eye-catching figures in the room.

Many people's eyes were focused on the four of them.

After all, in the elimination rounds these past few days, Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yan, and Xun'er hadn't really gone all out. The others who made it into the top fifty were at least at the Peak Dou Master, like Xiao Yu. With their overwhelming numbers, they might not have been unable to eliminate Xiao Yuan and the other two.

After a silent consensus was reached to drive out the stable little group of the Xiao Clan family members first, many people began to look at the four members of the Xiao Clan who occupied a corner.

"Do you all understand the rules of the game?"

When no one else entered the square, Hu Qian scanned the area and asked in a loud voice.

"Understood!" Upon hearing Hu Qian's question, a unified shout rang out from the crowd.

"Alright, now that everyone understands, I hereby announce..." Hu Qian slowly raised his hand, and finally, under the gaze of countless eyes, brought it down with a thud. "The final round of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament is now beginning!"

"Boom!"

As Hu Qian's palm fell, the once quiet arena erupted with a deafening boom, dozens of Dou Qi of different colors bursting forth in a dazzling display. With a series of muffled thuds, figures in the arena quickly darted away, most of them retreating rapidly towards the edge of the plaza. They were all afraid of being blasted out of the arena by underhanded tactics in this place where enemies were everywhere.

On the stands, watching the battle erupt almost immediately, excited screams filled the air. Many people were shouting themselves hoarse to cheer for their favorite contestants. This kind of large-scale battle was far more exciting than a single round of matches.

"Hehe, the Vice Dean's idea is not bad. Although it is not absolutely fair, this kind of situation where you have to be on guard against underhanded tricks is very easy to cultivate people's cautiousness. Moreover, those who join forces will gradually understand the power of teamwork. This is a good move."

Looking at the chaotic scene, an old man in the central stands smiled at Hu Qian beside him.

"I was just tired of the usual turn-based combat, so I wanted to try something different. It seems pretty good now. However, some students who are not good at socializing might have a harder time in this situation where they are surrounded by enemies and don't have anyone they can trust to help them protect their backs."

Hu Qian smiled and said something, then turned his gaze to the chaotic scene.

Inside the arena, people were exchanging blows from time to time. However, many were clearly afraid of underhanded tactics, so even when they were fighting, they would only make a brief contact and then retreat, not daring to engage in prolonged combat. Their eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings cautiously, and anyone who entered their attack range would cause them to retreat or attack like frightened birds.

Xiao Yuan and his three companions occupied a corner of the square. Anyone who tried to make a move against them was basically blasted away by Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yan, Xun'er.

As for Xiao Yu, she comfortably hid behind the three of them. If it weren't for the inappropriate timing, she probably would have sat down and watched the show.

Black, cyan, and gold—three powerful Dou Qi erupted from Xiao Yuan and his companions, shaking out the unrealistic ideas of some weaker individuals. As for those less rational individuals, because their combined numbers were insufficient, they posed no threat to Xiao Yuan and his companions.

On the contrary, the two scorching and one extremely cold energies intertwined, making it extremely difficult for people to adapt. As a result, many people were unable to defend themselves effectively and were sent flying on the spot.

Xiao Yuan could only shake his head helplessly at such a foolish child.

If they had joined forces to deal with Hu Jia and Wu Hao, they wouldn't have been knocked down so quickly.

You should know that the three of us— Xiao Yan, and Xun'er— all possess Heavenly Flames, and the combined attack we launch is actually extremely powerful.

Although it appears that he is unleashing Ice Attribute Dou Qi, in reality, in order to perfectly intertwine with Xiao Yan and Xun'er's Dou Qi, the surface of the Ice Attribute Douqi is covered with an extremely thin layer of Yin Fire.

Although the three Heavenly Flames were only mixed in with the Dou Qi, the power they unleashed when combined was undoubtedly extremely terrifying. Even Bai Shan, Hu Jia, Wu Hao would find it difficult to withstand such an attack on their own.

After realizing that the three were not easy to mess with, many people calmed down and stopped rushing forward. Instead, they began to win over familiar people, form small groups, and eliminate some unlucky people who were not popular in the past.

Amidst the deafening shouts from the stands, players were constantly being knocked out of the arena. Meanwhile, the recorders, who were already nearby, quickly registered the players who had left the field.

Soon, the pairings were completed, and the unlucky lone individuals were all eliminated. Those who remained were at least small teams of two, while most were teams of four or more, like Xiao Yuan and his group.

There are five such teams, among which Wu Hao's team has the most imposing momentum, followed by Hu Jia's team, then two teams with Da Dou Shi experts, and a five-person team composed entirely of Peak Dou Master.

Actually, there were several Da Dou Shi at the beginning, but unfortunately, they chose to deal with Xiao Yuan and his group of four first, and were directly blasted off the stage.

After all, with their strength not even reaching the level of Five-Star Dou Grandmaster, there was no way they could withstand the combined attack of Xiao Yuan and his two companions.

In this Selection Competition, keen observation and judgment are clearly also part of the assessment.

Choosing the wrong opponent or making the wrong decision naturally comes with consequences.

However, things still developed in a way that exceeded Xiao Yuan's expectations.

All five teams simultaneously turned their gazes toward their own four members.

It looks like they're going to eliminate the four of them first!