On the fighting platform.
Shock waves kept spreading outward!
Rumbling rang out constantly across the platform!
Spiritual Qi raged wildly!
The battle between Tian Cheng and Huang Yuan was still going on.
The two were evenly matched in cultivation.
Tian Cheng possessed innate divine strength.
Huang Yuan's palm techniques were likewise exceptionally intricate.
Neither could get the better of the other!
For the moment, neither could claim victory.
Just then, Tian Cheng stamped hard on the ground and let out a beastlike roar!
Waves of sound rolled out!
The muscles across his body swelled furiously, and his entire body doubled in size!
At that moment, there was a sense of space being compressed all around Tian Cheng!
His physical strength alone could affect his surroundings!
That showed just how powerful Tian Cheng's physical strength was.
At the sight, Huang Yuan's gaze sharpened.
He turned both hands over, and streaks of azure light covered them like armor!
Within that azure light, there seemed to be Wood Intent!
Indeed, Huang Yuan had already touched the threshold of Wood Intent!
It was precisely because of this that Huang Yuan's palm imprints flowed without end, his Spiritual Qi endlessly renewing itself!
Tian Cheng grinned at the sight and said, "Settle it in one strike?"
Huang Yuan said nothing, but the gravity in his eyes and the Spiritual Qi rapidly gathering in his palms both conveyed his answer!
His strength gathered at that moment. Tian Cheng stomped down and shot toward Huang Yuan!
With a cold snort, Huang Yuan turned his palms over and struck!
Azure wood palm imprints swept toward Tian Cheng as though churning rivers and overturning seas!
Rumble!
Tian Cheng's fists hammered into those palm imprints again and again!
The palm imprints shattered one after another as Tian Cheng kept pressing forward!
But Tian Cheng's strength was also rapidly dissipating!
Clearly, both sides were constantly consuming Spiritual Qi!
Whoever exhausted their Spiritual Qi first would lose!
Everyone stared intently at the two on the platform.
Probably only Jian Chaomian and the others at his level could take part in a battle like this!
A while later.
The raging Spiritual Qi on the platform gradually dissipated.
Both figures retreated at the same time.
Anyone watching closely would have noticed.
Both their faces were now slightly pale!
Clearly, such an intense clash had consumed a tremendous amount of their Spiritual Qi!
"So who actually won?"
Just as that question was asked.
Huang Yuan said, "Shall we leave it here?"
Tian Cheng nodded in agreement. "Then call it a draw?"
"A draw."
Seeing this, the elder standing nearby also stepped onto the platform and announced the result. "Huang Yuan of the Southern Region versus Tian Cheng of the Eastern Region-a draw!"
The crowd erupted!
This result had clearly exceeded their expectations.
After all, the Southern Region lagged far too far behind.
Under normal circumstances, in a battle between the leaders of the two teams, the Southern Region would be crushed every time.
Yet now, they had fought to a draw!
The elder stepped onto the platform and said, "Now, each side has one person left. Come up."
The Eastern Region had one man at the peak Purple Mansion realm remaining.
As for the Southern Region, only Ye Qiubai remained.
Under everyone's gazes, the two walked onto the fighting platform.
Murmurs immediately broke out.
"It's finally Ye Qiubai's turn. I'd like to see just how he earned more points than Senior Brother Jian with his late Purple Mansion realm strength."
"The gap in cultivation is very difficult to bridge with anything else, especially when both sides are academy prodigies."
"Whether he's a donkey or a horse, we'll know once they've fought."
On the platform.
The man from the Eastern Region held his sword and said, "Your Southern Region has done well to make it this far. You can stop here."
Ye Qiubai did not answer.
After all, so much talk was useless. He could simply prove it with his strength.
The man from the Eastern Region frowned slightly at this. As soon as the elder called, "Begin," he swung his sword at Ye Qiubai!
The man's swordsmanship was exceptionally intricate. His Sword Qi sealed off all of Ye Qiubai's escape routes, forcing him to face the attack head-on.
But Ye Qiubai had no intention of retreating anyway. A wooden sword slid into his hand, and he faced those streams of Sword Qi, slashing again and again!
"A wooden sword?"
"Isn't he being far too arrogant? His opponent is at the peak Purple Mansion realm."
"He's putting on airs. That wooden sword will be shredded in no time!"
Things did not unfold as those people had claimed.
Like the sturdiest treasured sword in the world, that wooden sword suffered no damage whatsoever amid the Sword Qi. Not even a wood shaving was sliced off!
By contrast, those streams of Sword Qi kept shattering beneath the wooden sword!
This startled the man from the Eastern Region. Although he had not used his full strength.
It still should not have been something someone at the late Purple Mansion realm could block so easily.
He was just about to swing his sword again.
But Ye Qiubai had already vanished from where he stood.
The man's expression changed drastically!
Under everyone's horrified gazes, Ye Qiubai appeared before the man in the blink of an eye, his wooden sword already resting against the man's neck!
There were no flashy sword techniques!
Nor was there Sword Qi filling the sky!
This was suppression through sheer strength!
Whether it was his speed or the timing of his strike, both left the man from the Eastern Region utterly unable to defend himself!
The man from the Eastern Region wore an ugly expression.
He had actually been dealt with so cleanly and decisively by a Southern Region barbarian?
And his opponent's cultivation was even lower than his!
He looked into Ye Qiubai's eyes, as still as an ancient well, with not the slightest surprise or any satisfaction.
As though all of this were only natural.
This left the man from the Eastern Region even more dispirited.
It turned out that the person he looked down on did not think anything of him either!
The elder stepped onto the platform then and announced, "Ye Qiubai of the Southern Region wins!"
"In this exchange, the Southern Region has two people remaining: Huang Yuan and Ye Qiubai.
The Eastern Region has one person remaining: Tian Cheng.
Thus, the Southern Region advances."
Tian Cheng's expression turned slightly ugly.
The crowd found it even more unbelievable.
Not merely because the Eastern Region had lost.
They were even more astonished by Ye Qiubai's strength!
Someone at the peak Purple Mansion realm had been overwhelmed by Ye Qiubai, who was at the late Purple Mansion realm.
They had not even drawn out his trump cards!
What did this mean?
It meant that Ye Qiubai's strength went far beyond this!
As the people from the Western Region watched this scene, some looked calm, while others seemed slightly surprised.
"The Southern Region seems stronger this time than in any previous exchange."
"And quite a bit stronger, too. Although the Eastern Region ranks third, their overall strength probably isn't much weaker than ours."
"Really, the Eastern Region also has itself to blame for underestimating its opponents."
Among the Northern Region's people, someone said in surprise, "The Southern Region seems rather different this time."
Jian Chaomian simply looked calmly at Ye Qiubai on the platform, seemingly lost in thought.
On the dais, Qin Tiannan revealed a smile.
Meanwhile, no expression could be seen on the Eastern Region academy dean's face.
Having reached their level and position.
They no longer showed their thoughts on their faces.
"Congratulations, Dean Qin."
Dean Qin cupped his fists. "Just luck."
Wu Deshi also smiled. "It seems the Southern Region has taken in quite a few promising seedlings this time. Your disciple Huang Yuan alone has already touched the threshold of Wood Intent. That's quite impressive."
He spoke of Huang Yuan, yet made absolutely no mention of Ye Qiubai!
Clearly, Ye Qiubai's performance was not yet dazzling enough!
It was not enough to catch these people's eyes.
Qin Tiannan merely smiled and said nothing.
In the seat of honor, Jiang Chan watched this scene and let out a slight sigh of relief.
PS: I went out for New Year's Eve yesterday, and then the power was out when I got up this morning. Sorry for being so late. I'll try to post more updates today.
Also, happy New Year's Eve, everyone.