Entering The Arena

As a ray of morning light shone down, an ancient bell chime quietly rang out from the depths of the Inner Academy, then spread throughout the entire Inner Academy.

The moment the bell rang, students from all corners of the Inner Academy, each with a different appearance but all possessing a powerful aura, suddenly opened their tightly closed eyes. Their sharp eyes, mixed with a burning fighting spirit, surged rapidly amidst the ancient bell's toll!

The Central Plaza is the largest area in the Inner Academy. Normally, this square is not open to the public, but now that the Strong Ranking Tournament is the largest and most exciting competition in the Inner Academy, it is naturally the only place to hold it.

Although the Central Plaza covers a vast area, it was still filled with countless dark heads today. Looking around, the bustling crowd, accompanied by noise, spread in all directions and finally converged into a single mass that soared into the sky.

At this moment, large and impressive groups of people converged on the center of the square from all directions.

"Wow! That's Lin Xiuyai, ranked number one on the Strong Ranking! He's so handsome!"

"Look, look! The team coming over here is Liu Qing, the second-ranked Tyrant Spear the Strong Ranking. It's said that he only lost to Lin Xiuyai by a single move back then, so it's hard to say who will be number one in the Strong Ranking Strong Ranking Tournament later on."

"And this too..."

"Look, this is the Pan Gate, founded by the novice Xiao Yan. In just one year, they've already secured a place among the many sects in this Inner Academy."

As these teams arrived, various discussions began to circulate.

In the original story, because of Zi Yan's existence, the number one spot on the Strong Ranking was always held by Zi Yan. However, now that Lin Ming has gone back to take Zi Yan away, there is no Zi Yan in the Inner Academy, so the title of number one on the Strong Ranking naturally falls to Lin Xiuyai, and Liu Qing directly takes the second place.

With the arrival of the teams, many special passages guarded by Instructor were opened, allowing these teams to enter the designated areas within the arena. As these teams entered, the atmosphere in the square instantly became tense. After all, this Inner Academy was not a place of harmony; it was meant to be competitive. Therefore, those with existing conflicts immediately began to gather their strength, determined to settle all their grudges in the upcoming competition.

Among them, the most fiercely competitive are undoubtedly Lin Xiuyai and Liu Qing.

Liu Qing had no desire to compare himself to Lin Ming, since Lin Ming was never on the same level as them. So the object of their comparison was Lin Xiuyai.

Years ago, in the battle in the Outer Academy, Liu Qing lost to Lin Xiuyai by a slight disadvantage, and this slight disadvantage persisted even after entering the Inner Academy. However, despite his rapidly increasing strength over the years, Liu Qing did not seek out Lin Xiuyai for a match. The reason was that this arrogant fellow was waiting for this opportunity.

He was determined to reclaim all his previous disadvantages in the Strong Ranking Tournament. Their gazes met in mid-air, sparks seemingly flying. A tense atmosphere hung between them, and it looked as if a single disagreement could escalate into a full-blown fight.

"Thump~"

Amidst this tense atmosphere, the sound of an ancient bell suddenly rang out once more.

The sound of the bell lingered in the square, and under its toll, the noise gradually subsided until it finally disappeared completely.

"Laugh!"

The sound of the bell faded away, and suddenly a great whistling sound of wind breaking filled the sky. When everyone looked up, they could only see a blurry figure flash by. Then, when their gazes shifted downwards, they saw more than a dozen figures who had appeared at some point on the special high platform seats in the square.

Among the dozen or so figures, a young man stood out starkly against the aged ones. After all, the rest were elderly with white hair, while this man was so young, looking about the same age as them. Crucially, he was also incredibly handsome. Some people immediately began to swoon over him.

The young man who appeared with the elders sparked much discussion and speculation about his identity. Of course, some people immediately called out his name upon seeing him.

The silver-haired girl stood out the most, calling out to Lin Xiuyai, the one people had been Strong Ranking earlier, as soon as she saw him. "Class Leader! Lin Xiuyai, it's the Class Leader!"

Seeing their Leader display such a girlish demeanor, the sisters behind her were all stunned. After all, this person in front of them was one of the few female powerhouses on the Strong Ranking, and her ranking on the Strong Ranking was extremely high. She Yan Ran maintained a cold and aloof attitude, but now she was showing such an expression, so after a moment, someone couldn't help but ask, "Sister Yue, do you know this person?"

After speaking, Han Yue saw Lin Xiuyai nod before turning around. Then, hearing her friends behind her ask, Han Yue nodded and said, "He's the class Class Leader of my and Lin Xiuyai's class in the Outer Academy."

Upon hearing Han Yue's words, the group of people behind her were stunned.

After all, this person looks young, but there are elixirs that can enhance youth in this world, so maybe this person has taken such an elixir? However, Han Yue said that this person is her and Lin Xiuyai's Class Leader in the Outer Academy, so they are completely the same age!

Among their peers, having a monster like Lin Xiuyai was already suffocating. Now, they're saying there's someone else who far surpasses them.

After all, these are all elders. There are many more elders in the Inner Academy than just these, so those who have appeared are all powerful figures among the elders. And the fact that this person, at the same age as them, can suppress a large number of elders to attend the current Elder Council shows just how terrifying their strength must be.

Lin Ming's appearance not only caused Han Yue to react strangely, but also Xiao Yan, Liu Qing and others showed unusual expressions.

As everyone entered, Great Elder Su Qian slowly stepped forward, his hands gesturing as if pressing down. Instantly, the only sound in the entire plaza was the sound of breathing. Then, Su Qian's gaze slowly swept across the entire area, and wherever Great Elder Su Qian's gaze fell, everyone straightened their chests.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Great Elder Su Qian's eyes gleamed with a faint smile, and then his aged and deep voice resounded in the ears of everyone present.

"Those ranked above the Strong Ranking, enter the arena!"

As Su Qian's voice fell, figures flashed across the platform, tracing arcs in the air before landing scattered across the plaza.

Looking up at the countless heads around him, a surge of fiery fighting spirit quietly swelled within him.