The Selection Tournament Ends

After the referee announced the result, Zuo Rulong left the ring with a gloomy face.

Although he was seriously injured in his last fight with Lin Ming, he also fainted as a result. The feeling of helplessness from that defeat was not as great as it was this time.

Although Zuo Rulong's injuries from this fight with Lin Ming were not serious, he was still in a much worse state. This was because Lin Ming had defeated him without even using his Profound Tier High-grade fist Dou Technique.

This sense of defeat was unbearable for Zuo Rulong. Before the match, Zuo Rulong kept thinking that although he would lose to Lin Ming, it was only because Lin Ming's Dou Technique were of a higher level.

Truly, aside from Dou Technique, I Zuo Rulong, am no weaker than Lin Ming. But the fact is that Lin Ming ended the match without even using his Profound Tier High-grade fist Dou Technique.

When Lin Ming held a knife to his neck and asked the referee if the match was over, Zuo Rulong almost shouted out that he had to admit defeat.

When faced with the possibility of death, Zuo Rulong felt fear.

So after the match, Zuo Rulong left the ring silently with a gloomy face.

The sense of defeat, the disappointment of overestimating himself, the disparity between reality and his own humiliation, and the fear of death he had felt earlier all rushed towards Zuo Rulong at this moment.

This was something that Zuo Rulong, who was considered a dominant figure in the Outer Academy and was arrogant, could not face, so he could only flee on his own.

After Lin Ming finished his match, there were still three battles taking place on the other arenas.

The other person who finished his fight before Lin Ming was Cheng Chen. Cheng Chen's strength was recognized by everyone in this competition as being comparable to Lin Ming's.

Lin Ming also knew something about Cheng Chen. This person's cultivation level was the highest in this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament, reaching the level of Three Star Dou Grandmaster.

Moreover, before Lin Ming appeared, Cheng Chen was the only one who could consistently outmaneuver Zuo Rulong.

Compared to Zuo Rulong Lin Ming was indeed not in the same league. But among the other students in the academy, he was considered a true genius.

He managed to use a Profound Tier Mid-grade Claw Skill to the point where it rivaled High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique, which shows Zuo Rulong's talent.

Cheng Chen's ability to consistently outclass Zuo Rulong can be attributed to either an even greater talent than Zuo Rulong, enabling him to wield a low-level Dou Technique with greater power than Zuo Rulong's Claw Skill, which rivals High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique, or the possession of a genuine High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique.

Either of these two points demonstrates that Cheng Chen is capable of using Dou Technique with power equivalent to High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique. This is quite remarkable.

Not long after, another match ended on another arena. The winner was the last person to reach the Da Dou Shi.

This person was a rather attractive female student Su Xue.

Su Xue's reputation within the academy is arguably even greater than Lin Ming's. After all, in this field where cultivation is generally considered to be more aptitude-driven by men, Su Xue's ability to overpower a group of male students and secure one of the four Da Dou Shi positions in this year's competition is truly admirable.

Such a talented and beautiful woman would naturally cause quite a stir within the academy.

As for Lin Ming, he spends most of his time in the Alchemy Department, and occasionally he goes to visit his own class. He rarely goes out and shows his face in public.

If it weren't for participating in the Year-End Grand Competition at the end of last year, which made many people recognize and remember Lin Ming's appearance...

Most people probably only know Lin Ming as the youngest 4th Grade Alchemist in the academy, and very few know what Lin Ming looks like.

However, Lin Ming didn't care about becoming famous or how many people knew him. He'd rather use that time to improve his strength.

Half an hour later, the remaining two arenas also ended their matches. One of the winners on these two arenas was Xie Lei, and the other winner had the same cultivation level as Xie Lei, both at the Dou Master Nine Star.

The five who have won so far are not the final five. The five who lost in the round of ten to five still have one chance to challenge the other four players besides the one who just defeated them.

If someone can win the challenge, they can take the place of the opponent's top five. So after the top ten to top five competition ended, the ten people who had just participated returned to the ring to choose their final challengers.

Lin Ming arrived on the arena with a relaxed expression. Since it was highly unlikely that anyone would choose to challenge him, this round of challenges was basically irrelevant to Lin Ming.

Of course, if someone does come forward to challenge Lin Ming and waste this opportunity, Lin Ming will kindly grant their wish to lose.

The selection of challengers began. Zuo Rulong chose another Nine Star Dou Shi had just won, besides Xie Lei, to compete against.

After being chosen by Zuo Rulong, this person's expression was exactly the same as Zuo Rulong's when he learned that his opponent was Lin Ming. Both had a gloomy face.

The only difference was that Zuo Rulong then, chuckled now, while his opponent remained gloomy.

Xie Lei was chosen as the challenger by another Nine Star Dou Shi. Of the remaining three who failed, one of the Nine Star Dou Shi chose Su Xue, while the other two gave up their choices.

Now, only Lin Ming and Cheng Chen remain to be challenged. One of them has reached the level of a Three-Star Dou Master, and the other's combat power is probably even more terrifying than that of the three-star Great Three-Star Dou Master.

With their mere Dou Master cultivation level, challenging these two powerful figures was tantamount to handing themselves over for a brutal beating, with no chance of survival.

If that's the case, and I'm not being foolish enough to challenge these two big shots, why should I do it?

Therefore, there are only three matches left to challenge, and two people have directly given up their chance to challenge.

With no match to play, Lin Ming and Cheng Chen were happy to have some free time. They left the ring and went to wait for the challenge match to end.

The challenge match ended quickly with Su Xue, Zuo Rulong, and Xie Lei emerging victorious. Su Xue and Zuo Rulong both won by a significant margin.

After all, the two of them were fighting against a mere Dou Master with the cultivation level of Da Dou Shi, so it's not surprising that they were able to achieve a quick victory.

Xie Lei was able to end the battle so quickly not because of the difference in cultivation level, but because Lin Ming Xie Lei's opponent, like Xie Lei, had consumed a lot of Dou Qi in the top ten to five competition.

This means that even if they wanted to prolong the match in the challenge, they wouldn't have enough Dou Qi to sustain it, so it's better to have a quick duel and decide the winner before both sides run out of Dou Qi.

With the end of the challenge, Lin Ming and the other five who made it to the top five came to the central arena.

After Lin Ming and his group of five arrived on the arena, an older referee also came up to the stage. The referee then announced, "After so many days of intense competition, the top five in this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament have been determined."

"The five people standing next to me now are the top five students in this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament. Their names are Lin Ming! Cheng Chen! Zuo Rulong! Su Xue! Xie Lei!"

As soon as the referee announced the result, a deafening roar of applause and cheers erupted in the square. Countless people cheered, shouted, and offered their blessings to the five people standing on the stage.

After Lin Ming and his group enjoyed a round of applause and cheers, Vice Dean Hu Gan's thunderous voice fell silent, and the scene quieted down as his words echoed in the air.

"Based on your performance over the past few days, the academy has ranked the five of you."

"First place: Lin Ming!"

Second place: Cheng Chen!

Third place: Zuo Rulong!

Fourth place: Su Xue!

Fifth place: Xie Lei!

"If there is any dispute regarding the rankings given by the above academies, you may challenge the corresponding person. If you win the challenge, you will replace their ranking."

"I wonder if any of you five would like to take on the challenge?"

Vice Dean Hu Gan asked the five people on the arena.

Of the five people on the stage, only Lin Ming and Xie Lei showed little expression. This was because Lin Ming was currently in first place, and even if he wanted to challenge someone, no one could. He couldn't very well challenge himself.

Xie Lei simply knew that he couldn't defeat any of the other four people in the ring.

Of the five strongest competitors on the arena, only I am a Dou Shi (Dou Master) and the other four are all Da Dou Shi), so being ranked fifth is fine!

As for the other three, their expressions were quite interesting. Some were deep in thought, some hesitated, and some were uneasy. But in the end, none of them stepped forward to challenge them.

"Alright! Since none of you want to take on the challenge, it seems you agree with the ranking given by the academy."

"I hereby declare this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament over!"

As Vice Dean Hu Gan announced the end of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament, Lin Ming and the others stepped off the stage and went their separate ways.

As for entering the Scripture Pavilion to select an item, that will be arranged by the academy.

Anyway, the reward will be redeemed before Lin Ming and the others set off for the Inner Academy, so there's no need to worry about it now.

It was nearly evening when the Inner Academy Selection Tournament was declared over. So after leaving the square, Lin Ming returned to his residence.

Lin Ming played two matches today, and sweating is inevitable when fighting against others. So after returning to the dormitory and taking a shower, Lin Ming felt much cooler.

With the conclusion of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament, it shouldn't be long before Lin Ming and the others who secured their spots in the Inner Academy Slot head Inner Academy.

So let's spend the next day or two saying goodbye to Instructor Zhang Man!

After thinking about the aftermath, Lin Ming entered into cultivation.