For no apparent reason, a pang of regret suddenly flashed through Xi Jingjing's mind. This regret was not because she felt she shouldn't have tried to please Yun Qingming, but because she wondered if she should have overlooked Lin Xuan while trying to please Yun Qingming.
Unfortunately, no matter what she did, she could only watch helplessly, without any chance to change anything.
On the arena, Lin Xuan looked at Cang Lie, whom he had blasted away, shrugged, and turned to leave the stage.
Unlike Cang Lie, he didn't constantly use sarcastic remarks.
Lin Xuan had already anticipated the outcome of this battle and was not surprised at all.
But Cang Lie watched his departing figure, his face suddenly flushed red. He gritted his teeth, got up from the ground, and remained silent.
Sometimes, silent mockery is even more humiliating than verbal mockery.
Just now, when he went up on stage, he told Lin Xuan that he wouldn't hold back in this battle. But in such a short time, he has already been knocked off the stage, and he only suffered minor injuries. It's obvious that Lin Xuan went easy on him.
If they hadn't shown him mercy, that One Sword wouldn't have been as simple as just sending him off the stage and causing him some physical pain.
Instead... he was seriously injured!
He showed no mercy, treating his junior brother whom he had always looked down upon and ignored, much less heeding the teacher's advice to take care of him. Instead, he did the exact opposite...
Furthermore, how could the opponent be so strong?
He was defeated with just One Sword strike. Even the Sword Fairy Duan Nianwei was not supposed to be this strong in Cang Lie's design.
Cang Lie's face alternated between pale and flushed, finding it hard to accept this fact.
His face felt burning hot.
After all, what's the difference between this situation and slapping him in the face?
His junior brother, whom he disregarded, was far stronger than him, making his previous words and actions no different from those of a fool who was just making trouble for himself!
The third senior brother was completely bewildered.
His junior brother, whom he had always disregarded, was actually far stronger than him, making his previous words and actions seem like those of a clown.
After the initial shock, those on the sidelines came to their senses and suddenly realized something.
If Lin Xuan's defeat of Venerable with his Perfect Emperor Realm cultivation wasn't particularly impressive before, then this battle has completely cemented his reputation as a dark horse!
The most important thing is...
Seeing Lin Xuan 'One Sword alone, everyone suddenly understood why Duan Nianwei had chosen to concede defeat when facing him.
There is no such thing as admitting defeat without a reason.
Only when you know you are no match.
Judging from their appearance, the two must have fought before the academy competition?
Moreover, it's quite possible that the Sword Fairy lost that battle; otherwise, why would she admit defeat?
This is an explanation that everyone finds acceptable.
This made everyone suddenly realize that Lin Xuan might be an even more monstrous existence than the Sword Fairy!
Everyone was well aware of Cang Lie's strength.
He is much stronger than the person the Sword Fairy defeated before.
Moreover, the Sword Fairy's cultivation level is already that of Venerable.
Lin Xuan, however, remained at the Emperor Realm.
A cultivator at the Perfect Emperor Realm defeated a powerhouse comparable to the peak of the Earth Venerable Perfection Realm... a full two realms apart! That's simply outrageous!
Most importantly, looking at the audience, Duan Nianwei's expression didn't change at all, as if everything was within her expectations. This further confirmed everyone's suspicions.
but...
If Duan Nianwei knew their guesses, she would only find it laughable.
That's her master, a prodigy! Isn't this perfectly normal?
The person who could make Duan Nianwei take the initiative to become his disciple could hardly be an ordinary person!
Lin Xuan's matches against Duan Nianwei and Cang Lie, one after the other, drew almost everyone's attention to him.
Even if some people didn't know him, they learned about his identity from what those around them said.
In just a moment, everyone present from the three academies knew that this person who had repeatedly defeated Venerable Realm students, each time with One Sword strike, came from the Supreme Institute!
Not only was he incredibly powerful, but he also directly eliminated Cang Lie, who had the potential to become one of the Ten Saints in the future.
Moreover, he was actually Cang Lie's junior brother!
The holy masters on the high platform also noticed Lin Xuan, and upon seeing this, they couldn't help but sigh slightly.
"This must be Yunzhao's disciple. I didn't expect her to have taken on another promising student."
"Yeah, haha, everyone says she's always been lazy, but I didn't expect her to actually have some ambition."
Little did they know, Sacred Master Yunzhao hadn't thought that far ahead at all.
She never imagined that the disciple she casually recruited would be even more Cang Lie than Cang Lie, defeating him with ease.
The masters chatted and laughed among themselves, while the disciples discussed this newly emerged dark horse.
Meanwhile, on the tenth arena, a detached young man gazed at the pale-faced, swaying student opposite him.
The student opposite him was completely dazed and incredulous. "I... I actually lost?"
At the same time, the elder in charge of Arena No. 10 spoke calmly.
" Heaven-Reaching Institute, Zhang Yu, wins!"
As the victory announcement rang out, Zhang Yu glanced coldly at the student slumped on the stage, then turned and left without hesitation.
This caused an uproar in the audience.
It wasn't that no one was paying attention to the secluded No. 10 arena; in fact, many people were drawn to it, and they were shocked and incredulous.
This is because, until now, this young man named Zhang Yu has never lost a single time. He has not only defeated many powerful senior students, but the one he just defeated is Yue Qian, who is on par with Cang Lie of the Supreme Institute and has the potential to become one of the Ten Saints!
He was a very famous person in the Primordial Beginning Institute.
In this competition, countless students from the Primordial Beginning Institute did not think Zhang Yu had a chance, but unexpectedly, he won...
Yue Qian was actually defeated in a single move!
This outcome is simply unacceptable!
"Just who is this guy? I've never heard of anyone this powerful in Heaven-Reaching Institute before!"
"Not among the Ten Saints, yet already displaying the demeanor of Ten Saints. Could this guy be the biggest dark horse in this Three Academies Competition?"
Upon hearing this, someone shook their head and pointed to the other side.
"Not necessarily. Look, didn't you notice the arena over there just now? Even though it was far away, I overheard it. It seems like the Supreme Institute has also produced an extraordinary prodigy."
How monstrous is he?
"Just like Zhang Yu, he defeated his enemy in one move; even Cang Lie lost to him."
"Hiss... There's such a thing? I wasn't paying attention over there. This is really... Are there really this many prodigies in this year's academy competition?"
Although the arenas were far apart, news traveled very quickly.
Some of the trainees who participated in the battle shook their heads in regret and spoke helplessly.
"Otherwise what? This competition, well, let's not even talk about anything else, just look at Duan Nianwei, the Sword Fairy of the Supreme Institute, Zhao Kongtong, Senior Brother of the Primordial Beginning Institute... all sorts of powerful figures, there's just one after another."
"With the addition of the Ten Saints, it's safe to say that this year's academy competition is the most intense in recent years."
Of course, these are the strong ones.
However, there were only two unexpected dark horses.
One of them is Zhang Yu.
The other one is Lin Xuan.
Both were virtually unknown before suddenly rising to prominence.
Both methods resulted in a swift and decisive defeat of the enemy.
They can also kill opponents of higher ranks without any difficulty...
With so many similarities, it's inevitable that people will compare the two.
"Tell me, if Lin Xuan and Zhang Yu were to face off, who do you think would be stronger?"
Someone suddenly spoke up.