"Then let us first see the results of this Spirit Road Trial." Tai Cang stopped locking horns with Tian Sheng and turned toward the several battle platforms slowly rising into the air.
Tang Qiu, dean of the Ten Thousand Phoenix Academy, nodded with a smile. Looking at the young figures on the high platform, she spoke in a voice as melodious as a flowing stream. "Students who have obtained a Level-Nine Token, you are eligible to compete for the final Spirit Crown of this Spirit Road Trial. It comes with certain rewards from the Five Great Academies.
"Of course, the choice is yours. If you feel confident, you may enter the battle platforms now and compete against others to test your current strength.
"The Spirit Crown Holder will be decided from among everyone who steps onto the battle platforms. Once no more challengers come forward, the platforms will begin pairing off one by one. Whoever remains standing at the end without a single defeat will be the final Spirit Crown Holder.
"And once the Spirit Crown Holder emerges, we deans will bestow King-Sealing Titles upon you..."
Her pleasing voice echoed between heaven and earth, stirring excitement in almost every participant. After their empowerment, they possessed formidable strength. Now they could watch the clashes between the very best, making them even more excited.
Although most of them did not possess a Level-Nine Token, witnessing battles between the strongest participants would give them invaluable experience for their future cultivation.
"Then any students who are interested may enter the battle platforms," Dean Tian Song of the Azure Heavens Spiritual Academy said with a faint smile.
"Are you really not going up to give it a try?" Wen Qingxuan asked Yun Mo with a smile, her phoenix eyes gleaming.
"Heh, I really have no interest. If you want to, you can go up and test your current strength." Yun Mo's mouth twitched. He suspected that the moment he stepped onto a battle platform, Wen Qingxuan would follow him onto the very same one.
Wen Qingxuan gave a soft huff, then flashed onto a battle platform.
Qing He and Wu Ling exchanged a glance, itching to join in. But after seeing the strength of the people on the other platforms, they let their fighting spirit die down.
There were barely even a few Heaven Fusion Realm cultivators among those people. They simply could not muster any interest.
"About twenty people, most of them at the peak of the Divine Soul stage. Those few in the Heaven Fusion Realm haven't gone up yet. Let's wait a little longer," Wu Ling said to Qing He.
"There are only a handful in the Heaven Fusion Realm anyway, and Ji Xuan is the only one at its peak. We can just wait for him," Qing He said, glancing at the cold-faced Ji Xuan in the distance.
"Sure. We can take turns fighting him when the time comes. I get the feeling he's far from simple."
"Of course he isn't. I fought him on the Spirit Road before. All I can say is that he hides his thoughts deep and his methods are rather ruthless. The face he shows everyone is just a disguise." Qing He frowned slightly as he recalled their clash on the Spirit Road.
"Then Captain Yun Mo and I will watch you fight him from down here. You'd better not lose," Wu Yingying said with a smile.
"Didn't you say you wanted to leave those old men dumbstruck? Why aren't you going up now?" Yun Mo asked, somewhat surprised.
"I cultivate for myself. What does it have to do with those old men? I was just saying that offhand before. Hey, look! Someone's about to challenge Sister Qingxuan!" Wu Yingying rolled her eyes. She could grow and mature too, all right?
"Looks like it. Who actually has that much nerve? He seems to be in the Heaven Fusion Realm, too." They all turned toward Wen Qingxuan's battle platform.
"It's the one we robbed before, Ji Xuan's ally." Wu Yingying remembered him vaguely.
"So he wants revenge, does he?" Wu Ling and Qing He smiled, licking their lips as they fixed their eyes on the white-robed Ji Xuan.
Meanwhile, Wen Qingxuan watched with an indifferent expression as Liu Qingyun stepped onto her battle platform, a long halberd in hand.
Their confrontation drew most of the spectators' attention. They could sense that both combatants were in the Heaven Fusion Realm, and the girl in golden armor and a red dress seemed to have reached its peak.
"Finally, a main event."
"Who do you think will win?"
"Isn't that obvious? I reckon the one with the halberd won't last a hundred exchanges. I've fought that monster before."
"Is she really that strong?"
"Very strong. Among the Spirit Road participants, she definitely has the strength to contend for first place. Well, excluding that person in the Heaven Transformation Realm."
The Heaven Transformation Realm... They looked at the person standing below the battle platforms and fell speechless.
"Forget it. Let's just watch how they fight."
Everyone turned their eyes back toward the platform where the battle had already begun.
The radiance of Wen Qingxuan's golden spear blotted out the sky. Terrifying spiritual energy erupted from her slender body, and with a flick of her delicate hand, she brought boundless spiritual power crashing down upon Liu Qingyun.
Liu Qingyun drew a deep breath, his expression grave. He had already decided against entering this battle platform, but Ji Xuan's generous promises had tempted him. Besides, according to Ji Xuan, he only needed to probe her strength a little.
At that thought, he hesitated no longer. An equally terrifying aura erupted from his body as he swept his azure-glowing halberd straight toward Wen Qingxuan's spear.
Clang! Clang!
Their battle now was nothing like their clashes on the Spirit Road. Every strike unleashed a storm of spiritual energy. Had the battle platform not been special, the force of their clash might even have injured the weaker students.
"Hmph."
Wen Qingxuan's lovely face turned icy as she snorted. Her delicate hand tightened around her spear once more, making it suddenly blaze with even more dazzling golden light. Anyone listening closely could almost hear clear phoenix cries rising from her body and ringing through heaven and earth.
"Golden Phoenix Spear!"
At the sight of that divine spear radiance shooting toward him, Liu Qingyun's expression changed drastically. He likewise shouted:
"Wind God Halberd, Wind Howl!"
Faintly visible runes suddenly appeared across the azure-glowing halberd, transforming the spiritual energy it held into wind fiend that surged fiercely toward the golden divine spear.
Yet the golden divine spear pierced through the whole with a single point, seemingly punching straight through the wind fiend formed from spiritual energy and shattering it completely. Then, as though nothing stood in its way, it shot toward Liu Qingyun's face.
At that moment, Liu Qingyun could no longer remain calm. He had thought his mid-stage strength would let him uncover something even against this girl. He had never expected that, once she unleashed her full power, his very life might be in danger.
Buzz...
Fortunately, just as the divine spear was about to strike his head, the battle platform lit up with a shimmering glow, blocking the potentially fatal blow.
The spectators' eyes widened, once again awed by Wen Qingxuan. Some even flushed red, their eyes
filled with nothing but her graceful figure.
An uproar rose...
"I told you! The fellow who dared to challenge her definitely wouldn't last a hundred exchanges. He only managed twenty or thirty. In fact, if that girl had used that spear strike right from the start, it probably would have ended immediately."
"You're right. I'd like to see who else has the nerve to go looking for humiliation."
"That fellow in white seems to have moved. Uh... but it looks like he landed on another battle platform."
"He's at the peak of the Heaven Fusion Realm too. Maybe they'll face each other in the end."
"Huh? Why did people head straight for the fellow in white the instant he landed on the platform? And there are several of them."
Everyone looked over and saw at least three people shooting toward him.
One held a war staff, another carried a war lance, and the last was a silver-haired girl with a long sword in hand.
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