"...Yellow Class 2, Wu Yong."
"Battle begin!"
Bang!
"Wu Yong wins!"
The Outer Academy crowd thought they had seen plenty of one-sided battles, but this was the first time they had seen someone appear directly behind their opponent, kick them in the butt, and send them flying off the arena.
Anyone with elders in their family was familiar with this style of fighting. They had all been kicked like this by their elders when they were children.
Meanwhile, Wu Yong, who had already stepped down from the arena, returned to the area occupied by Yellow Class 2.
"Instructor."
"You did very well. I couldn't even see your movements just now." Ruolin smiled, clearly very satisfied with Wu Yong's performance.
Such utterly overwhelming battles made her feel that her advancement to Xuan-tier Instructor was all but certain!
After all, Ruolin had heard from the class gossip that Wu Yong's previous opponent had been an eight-star Dou Shi.
And anyone who could casually kick an eight-star Dou Shi off the arena needed no further proof of his strength.
Wu Yong's subsequent performance also confirmed Ruolin's guess. Whether it was a nine-star Dou Shi or a one-star Da Dou Shi, a single kick was all it took.
"Yellow Class 2's Wu Yong versus Xuan Class 1's Chen Shan."
The moment the referee announced the start of the match, Wu Yong's opponent moved.
A heavy earth-yellow Dou Qi Armor condensed around him, and he stomped both feet fiercely onto the arena, as though he were about to take root there.
Then, after pulling out a shield, Chen Shan grinned smugly and said to Wu Yong in a muffled voice, "Wu Yong, if you've got the ability, kick me off like you did the others!"
"Damn, isn't this guy too shameless?!"
"This guy is so pathetic..."
As soon as Chen Shan finished speaking, the surrounding spectators broke into scornful jeers.
Yet Chen Shan took pride in it instead of shame, even smugly crooking a finger at Wu Yong.
In the highest spectator seats, Jia Nan Academy's Vice Dean, Elder Huo of the Alchemy Department, and two Elders could not help but laugh wryly at the sight.
At the same time, they were curious how Wu Yong, who had kicked every opponent off the arena with a single kick since entering the tournament, would deal with this three-star Da Dou Shi renowned for his defensive power.
Would he keep competing out of sheer pride and kick him away with one strike, or...
"I don't want to waste time here. Be careful."
A gleaming longsaber fell into Wu Yong's hand. The expressions of the Dou Emperor experts in the stands changed sharply, and the Vice Dean, the one most skilled in combat, had even prepared to intervene at any moment.
Chen Shan was still feeling smug, because Wu Yong would not be able to kick him off the arena with one kick.
But in the next moment, as Wu Yong swung his blade, a saber aura over twenty meters long crashed down!
Boom!!!
The entire venue fell silent.
Everyone's eyes turned in unison toward the saber-wielding figure.
It had clearly been an ordinary slash, so why had it possessed such terrifying power?
They had not seen Wu Yong gather strength, and the Dou Qi around him had not fluctuated much either. So why had there been a saber aura over twenty meters long?
Unfortunately, Wu Yong had no intention of answering their questions. In the end, those doubts could only disperse into the wind like the dust.
When the dust cleared, Chen Shan stood there blankly.
His shield had been split in two and lay on the arena, while his earth-yellow Dou Qi Armor had long since shattered.
"I lost..."
Chen Shan lowered his head and conceded defeat, because he had felt the strike split into two after shattering his Dou Qi Armor, deliberately avoiding him.
Otherwise, even if he had not died, he would have been severely injured.
The Vice Dean and the others in the stands let out sighs of relief. Looking at Wu Yong as he stepped down from the arena, their faces held even greater approval and admiration.
"If I sensed correctly, that little fellow Wu Yong borrowed the Power of Heaven and Earth in that strike, didn't he?"
"That's right, the Power of Heaven and Earth! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that someone below the Dou Wang realm could borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth without using a Di-tier Dou Technique."
"What is even rarer is that, judging by how he avoided that little fellow at the end, his control over the Power of Heaven and Earth has reached an extremely profound level. Even some Dou Emperor experts may not be able to reach such a level!"
"Indeed, the Power of Heaven and Earth is not so easily controlled..."
Back in the class area, Ruolin could not help sighing in relief when she saw that Wu Yong's expression remained unchanged.
It seemed that this strike had not burdened him too much.
"Wu Yong, would you like a Qi-Recovery Pill to replenish the Dou Qi you used?"
"Thank you for your concern, Instructor, but the Dou Qi in my body is abundant. I didn't consume much."
Wu Yong shook his head. To be precise, he had not consumed anything at all. He had used the Power of Heaven and Earth, so his own Dou Qi was naturally still plentiful.
Ruolin looked somewhat incredulous, but she truly could not sense any weakness in Wu Yong's aura, so she believed him.
An hour later, Wu Yong's final opponent had recovered, and the finals of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament began.
"Come on, Wu Yong. Let's decide the victor in one move!"
Gao Yang held a longsword as fiery red Dou Qi poured into it. A two-meter-long flaming sword aura slashed toward Wu Yong.
But Wu Yong stood there as if he were a fool, allowing the flaming sword aura to pass through his body without spilling a single drop of blood.
!
Suddenly realizing something, Gao Yang felt an immense force strike his butt. His entire body flew uncontrollably into the air and landed below the arena.
When he raised his head, he saw Wu Yong stepping down from the arena with a calm expression, as though Gao Yang had not even been worth his notice.
Gao Yang felt utterly awful. Had this guy even listened to what he said?
Wouldn't it have been fine for them to decide the victor with one move?
Why did this guy insist on kicking him in the butt?
Gao Yang desperately wanted to chase after him and demand an explanation, but Wu Yong's distant expression gave him no courage to approach.
More importantly, on the Dou Qi Continent, the strong were revered.
In terms of speed alone, he had no way to deal with Wu Yong. He could only leave things as they were...
After all, he was the weaker one, wasn't he?
And what was wrong with getting kicked in the butt? Other than Chen Shan, which of Wu Yong's opponents had not been eliminated by a kick to the butt?
Thinking that way, Gao Yang felt much better.
Meanwhile, when Wu Yong returned to the class area, his classmates welcomed him enthusiastically. Beside them, Instructor Ruolin held her head high and looked at him with pride.
If not for her keen eye in spotting talent at that clinic and snatching this young man up early, who knew which class Wu Yong would belong to now?
A faint smile appeared on Wu Yong's face as well, and he joined his classmates in celebrating.
This was not the Black-Corner Region. This was Jia Nan Academy, one of the few places where someone like him, with no home to return to, could lower his guard.
That night, after finishing a meal with his classmates, Wu Yong lay contentedly on his bed, letting the haze of alcohol fill his mind and draw forth his drowsiness before falling into a deep sleep.
Before you continue