News of Xiao Yan's advancement to the final four spread throughout Tianbei City as if it had grown wings. Killing Blood Butcher, a core disciple of the Blood Shadow Cult, with his bare hands was an achievement enough to place him among the foremost of the Northern Region's younger generation. Countless people began to regard him as the strongest contender for the championship.
The other three spots in the final four went to Wang Hao, Su Muxue, and a dark horse from a small frontier city. In most people's eyes, however, the only ones truly capable of competing for the championship were still Xiao Yan, Wang Hao, and Su Muxue.
The semifinal matchups were soon announced: Xiao Yan would face Su Muxue, while Wang Hao would face the dark horse.
That meant the battle of "ice and fire" between Xiao Yan and Su Muxue would take place early, in the semifinals.
The news sent all of Tianbei City into an uproar. One was Xiao Yan, a dark horse famed for his Heavenly Flames and formidable combat strength; the other was Su Muxue, a cool and breathtakingly beautiful young genius known for her ice-type Origin Qi. Their clash was undoubtedly the most anticipated event of the semifinals.
On the day of the match, the martial arts plaza was packed once more, livelier than it had been for any previous match. Countless people arrived early just to secure a good spot and witness this peak showdown with their own eyes.
On the raised platform, Zhou Xiaotian, Wang Zhan, and the other major figures watched the main arena with anticipation. Even Li Kuangshi, who had harbored resentment toward Xiao Yan all this time, had composed himself and fixed his gaze on the arena, evidently full of curiosity about the match.
At the referee's command, Xiao Yan and Su Muxue leaped onto the main arena at the same time.
Su Muxue wore white as before, her skin fairer than snow and her face breathtakingly beautiful. Only the coolness between her brows had deepened. A faint chill radiated from her, making the air around her seem to congeal. Her presence was steady and vast, having unmistakably reached Peak Origin King, a further improvement from before.
Xiao Yan, by contrast, looked calm. After his great battle with Blood Butcher, his presence had grown more condensed. Although he still appeared to be an Intermediate Origin King, he felt even more unfathomable than an ordinary Peak Origin King.
"Xiao Yan, your Heavenly Flames are strong," Su Muxue said first, her voice cool and clear as jade stones striking one another. "But my ice is enough to freeze everything."
Her words were brief and direct, carrying an unquestionable confidence.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly. "Then we'll have to see whether your ice is colder or my fire burns fiercer."
Before he had finished speaking, Su Muxue moved.
Her figure flickered as she drifted across the arena like a snowflake. A longsword formed of solid ice had appeared in her hand at some point, its crystal-clear blade radiating a bone-piercing chill.
"Thousand-Mile Ice Seal!"
With a soft shout, Su Muxue swept her ice sword through the air. Countless white icicles shot out like a torrential rain, sweeping toward Xiao Yan with a fierce wind. Thick, solid ice instantly formed on the ground in their path, and even the air seemed to freeze.
The sword stroke looked gentle, but it contained terrifying ice-type Origin Qi. It covered such a vast area that there was no avoiding it.
The spectators below gasped. Su Muxue had opened with the signature technique that had made her famous, evidently intending to end the fight quickly.
Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, and he dared not be careless in the slightest. Su Muxue's ice-type Origin Qi was pure and domineering, far surpassing Li Hao's, whom he had faced before. It could even faintly contend with his Heavenly Flames.
"Green Lotus Core Flame, rise!"
With a low shout, Xiao Yan stirred the Origin Qi within him. The green lotus core flame erupted before him, forming an enormous barrier of fire. Red flames churned and leaped, radiating scorching heat as they collided with Su Muxue's icicles.
"Sss! Sss! Sss!"
The icicles struck the flame barrier, instantly producing great clouds of white mist. The flames melted the icicles one after another, but the icicles' chill also suppressed the fire. The barrier shook violently, as though it might collapse at any moment.
What powerful ice-type Origin Qi! Xiao Yan was secretly shocked. Su Muxue was even stronger than he had imagined.
Su Muxue was evidently somewhat surprised as well. She had not expected Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames to block her Thousand-Mile Ice Seal. But she did not pause. Gliding forward again, she thrust her ice sword straight at Xiao Yan's chest, an even denser chill trailing from the blade.
The thrust was extremely fast and came from a devious angle, as though it could freeze a person's soul.
Xiao Yan flickered aside, narrowly avoiding the ice sword. At the same time, he waved his right hand, and the fallen heart flame transformed into a whip of fire that coiled toward Su Muxue's wrist like a spirit serpent.
Su Muxue reacted instantly. With a turn of her wrist, she traced an ice-crystal sword flower and slashed at the fiery whip.
Clang!
The fiery whip struck the ice sword with a crisp ring. The domineering fallen heart flame instantly melted the ice sword somewhat, but ice-type Origin Qi poured continuously from Su Muxue into the blade. It soon forced the flames back, and the sword returned to its original state.
The two instantly clashed. Red flames and white ice collided and intertwined across the arena, while scorching waves of heat and bone-piercing winds struck each other, forming a peculiar storm of power.
Xiao Yan's movements were nimble and graceful, and his use of Heavenly Flames had reached a state of perfection. At times they became a rain of fire that filled the sky; at others, they condensed into sharp blades of flame. His attacks were domineering and fierce.
Su Muxue's movements were light as snowflakes, and her use of ice-type Origin Qi was exquisitely subtle. At times she froze a thousand miles; at others, she thrust with her ice sword. Her defense did not let a drop of water through, and her counterattacks were as deadly as ice.
For a time, the two fought to a standstill, trading exquisitely executed moves of boundless power. The spectators below watched in dazzled fascination. Cheers and cries of amazement rose and fell, pushing the atmosphere to a climax.
"Wonderful! Now this is a duel between top geniuses!"
"Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames are too domineering! Every attack has the might to burn mountains and boil seas!"
"Su Muxue is no worse! Her use of ice-type Origin Qi is practically divine. She nearly froze Xiao Yan several times!"
"Who's going to win?"
On the raised platform, Zhou Xiaotian stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of admiration. "It is truly fortunate that the Northern Region's younger generation has talents like these."
Wang Zhan, meanwhile, stared intently at Wang Hao on the field, a complicated look in his eyes. He had originally been full of confidence that Wang Hao would win the championship, but after seeing Xiao Yan and Su Muxue's strength, he could not help feeling his confidence waver.
In the arena, the battle between Xiao Yan and Su Muxue had entered a white-hot phase.
Xiao Yan found that Su Muxue's ice-type Origin Qi was not only domineering but also exceptionally pure. Her control over Origin Qi in particular had reached an inconceivable level. She could direct every trace of chill precisely against his Heavenly Flames, greatly weakening their power.
Su Muxue was secretly alarmed as well. The strength of Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames far exceeded her expectations. That domineering power, capable of burning all things to ash, was consuming her ice-type Origin Qi at a tremendous rate. If she had not already condensed an Ice Spirit, she would probably have been suppressed by the flames long ago.
I can't keep dragging this out, Xiao Yan thought. Su Muxue's defense was too solid, and breaking through it would be no easy task. He had to use a stronger method.
At that thought, a fierce glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. The two kinds of Heavenly Flames within him began to intertwine and fuse wildly.
"Heavenly Flames: Lotus Fury!"
With a low shout from Xiao Yan, the green lotus core flame and fallen heart flame instantly fused, condensing into an enormous lotus of fire before him. The lotus bloomed layer upon layer, each petal radiating a terrifying presence capable of destroying heaven and earth. The scorching heat made the entire arena burn hot.
"This is bad!" Su Muxue's expression changed. Sensing the terrifying power contained within the fiery lotus, she dared not be careless. The ice-type Origin Qi inside her erupted without restraint.
"Ice and Snow Storm!"
Su Muxue rapidly formed hand seals. The chill around her surged, and countless ice crystals condensed and spun before her, forming an enormous storm of ice and snow. Ice blades whirled within it, and the cold pierced to the bone, as though it would freeze all of heaven and earth.
"Go!"
Xiao Yan and Su Muxue shouted at the same time. Like two meteors, the fiery lotus and the ice and snow storm collided in the center of the arena!
"Boom!"
A heaven-shaking explosion rang out. Red flames and white ice intertwined and annihilated each other in a frenzy. A terrifying shock wave spread in every direction like a tsunami, instantly leveling the entire arena and leaving a huge, deep crater in the hard black stone-steel ground!
The scorching heat and bone-piercing wind struck each other, forming a barrier of power visible to the naked eye that enveloped the entire plaza.
Frightened by the terrifying force, the spectators below retreated again and again, shock and horror written all over their faces. Such power had already far exceeded the limits of the Origin King level. Even an Origin Emperor expert could do no more than this!
Zhou Xiaotian and the others on the raised platform also acted, releasing barriers of Origin Qi to protect the people around them from the shock wave.
At the center of the storm, Xiao Yan and Su Muxue's figures were both somewhat indistinct.
Xiao Yan's face was pale, his Origin Qi greatly depleted. A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but his gaze remained sharp as he stared intently at Su Muxue across from him.
Su Muxue was in no better condition. Ice crystals covered her white clothes, her face was just as pale, and her breathing was somewhat uneven. She had evidently exhausted a great deal of strength as well, but she still gripped her ice sword tightly, showing no intention of retreating.
The flames and ice gradually dissipated, revealing the two of them, battered but standing tall.
"Your fire really is fierce," Su Muxue said, looking at Xiao Yan. A complicated look flashed in her eyes: surprise, admiration, and a trace of unwillingness to accept defeat.
"Your ice is cold enough too," Xiao Yan said calmly, breathing heavily.
Both knew that their last attacks had pushed them to their respective limits. Neither could unleash a stronger attack.
The outcome would now depend on who could recover a trace of strength first and launch the final blow.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment. The entire plaza fell utterly silent. Everyone held their breath and stared at the two on the arena, their hearts pounding.
Just then, Su Muxue suddenly moved.
Using the last of her strength, she hurled her ice sword at Xiao Yan. Then her body swayed. Unable to hold herself up any longer, she fell to the ground and lost consciousness completely.
Carrying the last of its chill, the ice sword flew slowly toward Xiao Yan, no longer possessing its former power.
Xiao Yan looked at Su Muxue lying on the ground, then at the approaching ice sword. A complicated look flashed in his eyes. He could sense that Su Muxue had held back most of her strength at the last moment. This sword strike was more like a gesture of surrender.
Xiao Yan reached out and easily caught the ice sword. It melted as soon as it touched his hand, turning into a pool of clear water that dripped onto the ground.
He walked over to Su Muxue and checked her condition. Only after finding that she had merely fainted from exhaustion and was in no danger of dying did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Only then did the referee come to his senses. His voice trembling slightly, he announced, "Xiao Yan wins the first semifinal!"
The entire crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, louder than at any previous time.
The clash of ice and fire had ended in Xiao Yan's victory!
Xiao Yan stood on the arena, looking at the cheering crowd below. His expression was calm, but he felt little joy in victory. He greatly admired Su Muxue's strength and tenacity. Had she not willingly conceded at the end, the outcome of the match would still have been uncertain.
Soon, the medical staff came onto the arena and carried Su Muxue away for treatment.
Xiao Yan also leaped down from the arena and returned to the resting area, where he began circulating his Origin Qi with all his might to recover.
He knew the real challenge still lay ahead-the battle with Wang Hao for the championship.
Meanwhile, Wang Hao defeated the dark horse with an overwhelming advantage and advanced smoothly to the final.
When Wang Hao learned that Xiao Yan had defeated Su Muxue, a trace of gravity flashed in his eyes, but there was even more excitement and fighting spirit.
"Xiao Yan, it seems you really are my final opponent." Wang Hao clenched his fists, Hegemon Qi stirring faintly within him. "But the championship is destined to be mine!"
The finalists had been decided: Xiao Yan against Wang Hao.
One was a dark horse who had appeared out of nowhere with heaven-defying combat strength; the other was a genius from a great family, with deep foundations and formidable strength.
This peak showdown would undoubtedly decide the final standings of this Northern Region Youth Strongest Expert List, and it would also become the focus of the entire Northern Region.
The atmosphere in Tianbei City grew tense and fervent once more, as everyone looked forward to the final battle.