"Whoosh!"
Xiao Yan's words shocked everyone. Such a statement was a gross underestimation of the disciples of Burning Flame Valley. Although the people standing in front of him were not disciples with extremely high cultivation, almost all of them were experts above the Origin Transformation Realm. Even if he was strong, it was impossible for him to stand in the circle and fight against a group of hundreds of people from beginning to end.
"This kid is way too arrogant, saying things like that in public. What will he do when he loses?"
"Haha, he's just a young upstart. It'll be good for him to learn a lesson. Luckily, this is still within the territory of Burning Flame Valley, so no one will die even if something happens. Consider this a lesson for him to learn as he travels the continent in the future."
The onlookers, naturally, wore sarcastic smiles at Xiao Yan's words, chatting and laughing amongst themselves without taking them to heart. Xiao Yan, several elders and Qin Yan, who were in a distant pavilion, couldn't help but reveal surprised smiles.
"Hey, this Xiao Yan is a bit arrogant. Qin Yan, on the other hand, is in no way inferior to you!"
"This disciple understands. Although Xiao Yan is arrogant, he has the right to be so. In this tournament, among all the disciples and challengers, he will be my greatest opponent."
Hearing the old man's words, Qin Yan nodded respectfully and told him his judgment based on his observations over the past few days.
"Yes, he will be a very challenging opponent for you in the future, but that's good, it will definitely benefit your future."
The old man nodded slightly, raised his gaze, and looked at Xiao Yan through the gaps between the countless pavilions.
" Heavenly Flames... Valley Master, this child may become the greatest asset to our Burning Flame Valley!"
At the same time, upon hearing Xiao Yan Xiao Yan's words, the faces of countless Burning Flame Valley disciples immediately darkened. They were astonished that Xiao Yan dared to face them with such arrogance; he was the first person in all these years to do so.
"You brat, how dare you spout such nonsense! I'll beat you to a pulp today!"
As the roar rang out, a figure shot out from the front of the crowd. Powerful flames immediately clung to his body, and his hands clenched into fists, rapidly gathering fierce power in his palms. In the blink of an eye, the figure was already in front of Xiao Yan, swinging his fist and smashing it down hard on Xiao Yan's head, looking extremely fierce as he was determined to knock the person in front of him down with one punch.
" The Origin Qi is not condensed sufficiently, the aura is weak and sluggish, and the speed is too slow. This won't do."
However, facing this disciple's fierce attack, Xiao Yan calmly shook his head and gave a light comment. Then, he slowly raised his palm, and a white palm print landed seemingly casually on the chest of the figure in front of him. Then, with a slight tremor in his palm, an extremely concentrated force burst out, and the figure's forward-rushing figure was instantly stopped in mid-air. Then, with a bang, his figure was sent flying uncontrollably backward, returning to the crowd in the blink of an eye. However, the latter now looked much more disheveled.
"Damn it, again!"
The figure stood up, roared unwillingly, and was about to step forward again, but Xiao Yan slowly raised a finger, waved it lightly, and said:
"No, you've already gone too far. Next."
Upon hearing this, the disciple snapped out of his daze, looked down at his feet, and realized that he was currently standing several feet away from the circle drawn by Xiao Yan. According to the rules Xiao Yan had just mentioned, he had lost the right to continue the challenge.
"Damn it! I don't care about your stupid rules, just fall down!"
Enraged, the disciple disregarded everything else and charged forward again, determined to continue.
"Buzz!"
However, before he could even get close to Xiao Yan, the latter's body suddenly trembled, and an extremely powerful and domineering aura swept out from his body, transforming into an invisible force that actually stopped the disciple's forward momentum.
"You've already lost, next."
Xiao Yan glanced casually at the disciple before him with a sharp gaze, then shouted to the other disciples behind him. The crowd stirred, and after a while, someone stepped forward again. His body trembled, and his Origin Qi surged outwards. After making thorough preparations, he moved again, arriving in front of Xiao Yan in the blink of an eye. A flash of fire appeared in his hands, and the crimson flame Origin Qi instantly solidified, forming a pair of gauntlets that enveloped his hands. His fists flashed, striking Xiao Yan fiercely like a meteor shower.
The scorching wind of the punch rushed towards them, and the fierce force did not miss any joint or corner of Xiao Yan's body. Such a sharp and dense attack would probably only allow an ordinary person to dodge. Unfortunately, the person they were facing now was Xiao Yan.
"Not bad, the power is enough, but the speed is too slow."
Facing the disciple's attack, Xiao Yan barely touched the ground with his toes, twisting his body in all directions. He used an extremely strange technique to dodge all the oncoming fist imprints. Finally, to the disciple's astonishment, his palm once again pressed against his chest, giving him a gentle push. The figure immediately staggered back a few steps. Although he was not injured, he was now outside the circle.
"I lost."
Although somewhat unwilling, the disciple gritted his teeth, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Yan, and quietly withdrew.
Although he was still unconvinced compared to the previous person, he knew that excessive struggle would be futile and might even bring shame to Burning Flame Valley, so he chose to quietly retreat.
"Next."
"I am Meng Gua, and I have come to challenge you!"
Just as Xiao Yan finished speaking, another figure rushed forward. The speed at which he rushed forward drew gasps from the surrounding audience. Even his attack speed was much faster than the previous two. Most importantly, this guy's cultivation had clearly reached the Early-Stage Origin Return Realm, making him an opponent of the same level as Xiao Yan.
" Flame Star Hammer, Heavenly Dipper Waterfall! Retreat!"
This time was different from before. This guy named Meng Gua immediately used his signature Dou Technique as soon as he made his move. It seemed that he had also realized how strong Xiao Yan's one-on-one combat ability was, and that it would be difficult to defeat him with simple attacks. Therefore, he decided to use his Dou Technique to decide the outcome in one blow.
Even so, Xiao Yan remained unmoved, standing calmly with his hands behind his back. He completely concealed his aura, and with a thought, a faint golden light gradually covered his entire body. It seemed that he intended to withstand this attack head-on.