Strong Ranking Tournament Begins

"I'm guaranteed a spot in the top ten!!"

Xiao Yan's sudden shout startled everyone around him.

He didn't care about all that. He knew his older brother very well. If he had a problem, his brother would frown and he was in trouble. He had been beaten a lot when they were kids, the kind of beatings he couldn't fight back from, the kind where he was morally superior.

"That's more like it."

Han Yue was very puzzled. How could Xiao Tian and the other person talk about the top ten of the Strong Ranking as if it were a simple matter? She looked at Xiao Tian with a puzzled expression.

"My younger brother is no ordinary person; I trust him."

"Senior Han Yue, if you work a little harder now, getting into the top ten shouldn't be a problem."

Xiao Tian's voice was full of encouragement. Han Yue's cultivation level could not be hidden in front of Xiao Tian Xiao Tian had already detected it.

"Then..." Upon hearing Xiao Tian's words, Han Yue took a deep breath, as if she had been injected with adrenaline, and exclaimed with great enthusiasm, "I'll give it a try."

Xun'er looked at Han Yue, who had been completely fooled, and felt helpless. This child was hopeless.

Thump!

A long, drawn-out bell rang in everyone's ears.

A dozen or so figures swiftly landed on a special high platform seat in the square from a distance, with Grand Elder Su Qian leading the way.

The others are all powerful Elder from the Inner Academy.

The entire square fell silent the moment they appeared; their arrival meant the competition was about to officially begin.

They all suppressed their excitement, not daring to make a sound, their faces turning red from holding it in.

Those whose names Strong Ranking, please enter.

Su Qian glanced at the tall and upright Xiao Tian, a faint smile on her lips, and her aged yet powerful voice rang in everyone's ears.

In an instant, figures shot out from all directions of the arena and finally landed on the plaza.

Liu Qing, the Tyrant Spear, entered the arena with his domineering aura and powerful physique, shattering the ground as he did so, his entire body brimming with a ferocious fighting spirit.

Lin Xiuya, on the other hand, used his Wind Attribute to demonstrate a way of Treading on Air on air, gracefully landing on the field, showcasing extremely refined control over his Dou Qi.

Seeing that everyone had taken the stage, Xiao Yan immediately activated his Three Thousand Lightning Movements Technique. After a low rumble of thunder, Xiao Yan instantly moved from the high platform into the arena.

"Xiao Yan is so fast, I can't even see how he appeared."

The audience stared in astonishment at Xiao Yan, who stood quietly, while the contestants looked at Xiao Yan with serious expressions. The speed Xiao Yan had just displayed had surpassed theirs, and everyone, including Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing, felt a slight sense of apprehension.

"Roar!"

Just as they were in surprise, a tremendous dragon roar resounded.

A four-colored thunder dragon, about seven or eight zhang long, was seen circling in the sky, rapidly swooping down towards the square.

"What is this? Is this an air raid? Am I going to die?"

Tell my mother I'm not a coward.

Many people in the audience gasped in shock at the sight.

"Screw you, didn't you see there were two people up there?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up and saw a woman wearing a dark blue robe and a woman with silver hair and a silver dress.

"Are these Senior Xiao Tian and Senior Han Yue?"

The Thunder Dragon landed on the field with a violent aura, and those who were nearby were immediately forced back several steps by its power.

The enormous thunder dragon slowly lowered its head and finally disappeared, while Xiao Tian and Han Yue slowly floated down.

Xun'er looked at the two of them and pouted, "After today's competition, I'll make you condense a thunder dragon and fly for a whole day. I'll exhaust you."

The onlookers gasped in surprise.

"Wow, that's so cool! That Thunder Dragon's aura almost scared the pants off me."

"I thought I was going to see my great-grandmother."

"Speaking of which, I just remembered that rumor that was circulating in the Academy before."

"Hehe, look at them now, it seems like we can confirm it."

The onlookers watched the two people standing shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the stage and gave them strange smiles.

Hearing the whispers around her, Han Yue blushed and lowered her head shyly, but did not leave Xiao Tian's side.

Seeing Han Yue like this, her admirers were completely speechless.

The others glanced at Han Yue in the arena, then at Xun'er outside, their expressions revealing amusement.

The contestants looked at Xiao Tian with grave expressions, sensing his unparalleled power.

Using Dou Qi to condense objects, even Dou Ling can do it, condensing such a large object and allowing it to fly continuously, not to mention carrying people along. Even Dou Wang would consume a large portion of their Dou Qi.

In a competition, even the slightest bit of Dou Qi is extremely important, and only those with extreme confidence would act this way.

However, Xiao Tian showed no change whatsoever; his Dou Qi qi remained undiminished, and his formidable strength astonished everyone present.

"It seems there are many Dark Horse; this year is likely to be a fiercely competitive year."

The Elder on the high platform watched the contestants displaying their skills with anticipation in their eyes.

However, the Grand Elder ignored them and looked at Xiao Yan instead. "How come this little guy has the Three Thousand Lightning Movements of the Wind Lightning Pavilion? If he's discovered, it'll be another problem."

Xiao Tian had previously told him that Xiao Yan could solve the problem of the Fallen Heart Flame, so he collected information about Xiao Yan and started paying attention to him.

"Forget it, that brat Xiao Tian definitely knows. With his talent, there's really no need to worry too much about the Wind Lightning Pavilion. Let that kid worry about it himself."

Su Qian's mood immediately soured when he thought about how Xiao Tian had manipulated him before. He even suspected that Xiao Tian had harbored this intention from the beginning.

After Xiao Tian and his companion appeared, a little girl in a white dress slowly walked up the steps amidst the stunned gazes of the others.

It kept chewing on something, its big, dark eyes darting around as if searching for something.

Upon seeing Xiao Tian, he waved to him, grinned, and revealed his cute little tiger teeth.

Finally, he stood at the very front of everyone.

Those around Zi Yan who didn't know her kept whispering among themselves, while those who did knew her looked on with a hint of fear in their eyes, and those who had been beaten trembled slightly.

"Ahem! Now that everyone is here, I hereby declare the competition officially open!"

The Grand Elder stood up, cleared his throat, and announced the start of the competition.

"Wuhu, it's finally begun."

"My big D... my greatsword is itching for a fight."

The audience erupted in cheers, some even standing up and shouting the names of their favorites.

When Su Qian and the others had reached a certain point, he gently pressed down with both hands, and the noise in the room gradually subsided.

"The rules are the same as before; a lottery system will be used."

With a gentle wave of his hand, Su Qian blew away the black cloth covering the arena, revealing the stone platform underneath.

On the stone platform is a bamboo tube containing fifty Bamboo Slip.

"Inside are red and blue Bamboo Slip numbered 1 to 25. Players with the same number but different colors are opponents. The winner advances, and the loser is eliminated."

"Now, we can draw lots."

After the Grand Elder finished speaking, the contestants all went up in an orderly fashion and randomly drew a Bamboo Slip.

(Did you go out shopping or sightseeing on the first day of the Lunar New Year? In our area, it's customary to go out at least once on the first day of the Lunar New Year, no matter how far away it is. Going out today is believed to bring good luck.)