Giving It Everything Yet Unable to Win

The Mountain-Splitting Spear hurtled through the air, and the audience below the arena held their breath, waiting for Qin Yu's reaction.

However, Qin Yu's actions took the audience by surprise:

Qin Yu slightly shifted his body, and his right hand swiftly reached out to grab the whistling Mountain-Splitting Spear that was hurtling towards him.

"He's gone mad?!"

Han Yue blurted it out.

That was Mountain-Splitting Spear thrown with all of Liu Qing's might; to catch it barehanded—was he really that confident in his own strength?

Boom!

The next second, a violent shockwave suddenly spread out, sending dust and gravel flying into the air, enveloping the entire arena in a hazy gray mist.

As the smoke and dust cleared, the scene on the arena gradually became clear.

Qin Yu stood still, the stone slab beneath his feet shattered into powder, but his right hand firmly gripped the Mountain-Splitting Spear.

Behind him, a gigantic dragon head formed from Dou Qi was prominently displayed!

The dragon's head was entirely brownish-brown with distinct scales, and its mouth was wide open, gripping the shaft of the Mountain-Splitting Spear tightly.

Dou Qi Materialization.

The signature ability of the Dou Ling.

The main reason Qin Yu was trying to condense the dragon head was because he didn't have a concrete impression of the Qilin and was worried that he would end up with something that didn't resemble a Qilin at all.

"... So it really is Dou Ling?"

On the arena, Liu Qing knelt on one knee, panting heavily.

But his eyes remained fixed on the dragon head behind Qin Yu.

It has burned itself out.

Encountering Dou Ling on the road, they fought with all their might, but could not defeat it...

"I lost."

Liu Qing readily admitted defeat and breathed a sigh of relief.

He always felt that Qin Yu's version of the Coiling Serpent Hand was even more troublesome than Lin Xiuyan's!

Qin Yu released his grip, and the dragon head behind him slowly dissipated.

He walked up to Liu Qing and extended his hand.

Liu Qing was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and shook his hand.

Qin Yu pulled hard, dragging him up from the ground.

The two exchanged a glance, Liu Qing suddenly raised his fist and lightly punched Qin Yu in the chest.

"That was really fun!"

Liu Qing harbored no resentment or bitterness, only a sense of being outmatched in skill.

"That is..."

He paused, a conflicted expression on his face:

"Next time we fight, could you please refrain from using the Coiling Serpent Hand?"

"Lin Xiuyan's Coiling Serpent Hand was disgusting enough, but yours... is even more disgusting!"

Before Qin Yu could respond, a burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

Lin Xiuyan stood there, his expression incredibly interesting.

He wanted to laugh, but felt it wasn't appropriate to laugh at this moment.

Moreover, what Liu Qing meant by saying that his Coiling Serpent Hand was disgusting enough?

Lin Xiuyan clenched his back teeth, his facial muscles twitching, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Lin Yan, who was standing next to her, was already squatting on the ground laughing. Han Yue couldn't help but smile, but she quickly regained her cool and aloof demeanor.

Lin Xiuyan took a deep breath and decided not to argue with that fool Liu Qing.

Qin Yu smiled and shook his head, then patted Liu Qing on the shoulder:

I'll try my best.

"Try your best? So you'll still use it?"

Qin Yu did not answer, and turned to walk off the stage.

Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yu were no longer in their original positions. Qin Yu scanned the crowd but could not find them.

He thought about it and realized that at this time, Xiao Yu should be cultivating after taking the Water-Nourishing Pill, so it wouldn't be appropriate to go find her.

Then let's go find Xiao Yi Xian.

Qin Yu turned and headed towards Xiao Yi Xian's detached dormitory.

When they arrived, the door to Xiao Yi Xian's dormitory was ajar.

Qin Yu walked to the door and was about to push it open when he heard a silvery laugh coming from inside:

"Sister Xiao Yu, stop tickling me! Haha... I can't take it anymore..."

"Calling me 'sister' won't work! Take this!"

Qin Yu pushed open the door and peeked inside.

Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yu were playing around, their clothes disheveled and their hair loose. Xiao Yi Xian was pinned down by Xiao Yu, laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down her face.

Xiao Yu's hand was tickling Xiao Yi Xian's waist, and Xiao Yi Xian was laughing and struggling, both of their faces flushed.

Qin Yu stood at the door, unsure whether to go in or back out.

The two girls turned around at the same time and saw him.

In an instant, the air froze.

"Why didn't you knock before you came in?!"

Xiao Yi Xian struck first, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him.

Xiao Yu quickly got off Xiao Yi Xian and hurriedly straightened her clothes, her face flushing even more.

"The door wasn't closed..."

Qin Yu caught the pillow and said matter-of-factly.

But... are all female friendships this strange? How can two people like these get along so well?

"You can't just come in even if it's not locked!"

Xiao Yu stood up, walked to the door, and shoved him out.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

"What are you waiting for? You dare to barge into the girls' dormitory?"

Xiao Yi Xian also came over and stood side by side with Xiao Yu at the door, the two of them blocking the entrance completely.

"I just came to take a look..."

Before Qin Yu could finish speaking, the door slammed shut in front of him.

Standing at the door, Qin Yu heard two girls laughing in hushed tones inside, along with a clear voice:

"Serves you right."

Forget it, I won't stoop to their level for now. There's plenty of time; these two girls will regret it someday.

When Qin Yu returned to his dormitory, it was already dark.

From a distance, he saw a figure standing at the dormitory entrance.

"Mentor Ruo Lin?"

"You're finally back! I've been waiting for you here for quite a while."

Ruo Lin's expression at this moment resembled that of a corporate slave anxiously waiting to submit a proposal so she could quickly go home.

"Did you need something from me?"

"It wasn't me who came to see you, it was the vice dean. There's been a result regarding Xiao Yi Xian's matter."

Qin Yu's brow twitched slightly.

"What was the result?"

"Go ask the vice dean yourself. I'm just a messenger."

Ruo Lin waved her hand, adding as she left:

"However... it should be good news, don't be too nervous."

Qin Yu nodded and quickly walked towards Hu Gan's office building.

"You're here, have a seat."

Upon arriving at the location, Hu Gan pointed to the chair opposite him. Qin Yu sat down, not in a hurry to speak, waiting for Hu Gan to speak first.

"You can see the reply from the Inner Academy for yourself."

Hu Gan picked up a file from the table and pushed it in front of Qin Yu.

Qin Yu took the file, unfolded it, and read it through from beginning to end.

The file was short and contained only three simple items.

Article 1: It is agreed that Xiao Yi Xian can enter the Inner Academy of the Jia Nan Academy and cultivate and live with Qin Yu.

Article Two: If Xiao Yi Xian's cultivation reaches the Dou Wang level, she must leave the Inner Academy immediately and may not remain there.

The third one is interesting.

The elders of the Inner Academy's Alchemy Department were quite interested in Qin Yu's Alchemy.

They hoped that after Qin Yu entered the Inner Academy, he could go to the Alchemy Department and have an "exchange and sparring" with the elders.

The real purpose was to test whether Qin Yu's Alchemy were genuine or not.

"Your Earth-Attribute Battle Qi being able to subdue Heavenly Flames has already astonished those guys in the Inner Academy."

"We heard you can concoct medicine; these old guys are all eagerly waiting for you to come over and show off your skills."