Tremor

In the sky, two figures crossed paths again and again, flashes of spiritual light bursting from time to time, dazzlingly brilliant.

Around the plaza, both new students and old students stared intently at the battlefield without blinking, seemingly afraid of missing even the slightest exciting detail.

Seeing that the two fighting in the sky were actually evenly matched, many old students could not help but sigh inwardly.

"Liu Bai is far too strong. With only early Heaven Fusion Realm strength, he can forcibly contend with someone in the late Heaven Fusion Realm without falling behind. He can probably claim the title of strongest new student of this class."

With such thoughts in mind, many people looked at Liu Bai differently.

Although the "strongest new student" was still only a new student, someone like him would undoubtedly accomplish great things at Northern Azure Spirit Academy in the future.

Looking at the current top twenty of the Heavenly Ranking, quite a few spots were occupied by monsters from the previous class.

It would not take long. Just one year—at most one year. With the talent and strength Liu Bai and the others had displayed, they would absolutely be qualified to challenge the top twenty of the Heavenly Ranking!

Boom!

Just as countless thoughts flashed through their minds, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out in the sky. The two intertwined figures were sent flying backward in opposite directions.

Liu Bai's clothes were somewhat wrinkled now, and there was even a thin tear at his sleeve cuff. Huo Yun was in an even sorrier state. His previously tied-up long hair had been knocked loose, scattering messily around him. Clearly, both had gone all out in their earlier exchange, but the outcome had taken everyone by surprise.

"You were actually hiding your strength earlier. How despicable!" Huo Yun said furiously, his aura somewhat disordered as he glared at Liu Bai.

During their recent close-quarters battle, Liu Bai had repeatedly used the Senluo Death Seal to clash head-on with Huo Yun, allowing the latter to witness the power of this spiritual art. Yet Liu Bai had only been using four death seals the entire time.

But in the final exchange just now, he had suddenly condensed five death seals to attack. Huo Yun, already accustomed to Liu Bai's moves, had been caught off guard and suffered a huge loss.

Liu Bai merely smiled calmly, utterly unconcerned by the other's accusation.

"As they say, all is fair in war. You made assumptions about your opponent's attacks during battle. Isn't that the sort of mistake only an inexperienced brat would make?"

"To be honest, I'm really curious how you managed to enter Northern Azure Spirit Academy and cultivate to your current level."

Pfft!

Those words were utterly vicious, and Huo Yun was so enraged that he nearly spat out blood.

"Don't get cocky. Our battle has only just begun!" Huo Yun gritted his teeth, then his gaze suddenly sharpened. He stepped forward, and his loose hair began to flutter wildly. Brilliant spiritual light surged from within him, expanding and contracting like countless sword beams in motion.

Starfall Sword Art, Thousand Stars Fall!

Huo Yun changed his hand seals and shouted.

As his voice rang out, sword qi instantly filled heaven and earth. The sword qi gathered before him, transforming into countless tangible sword shadows that blanketed the sky. Every sword shadow trembled incessantly, and within their hum was an incomparably sharp fluctuation.

"Hehe, sword qi? Then why don't you, Senior Huo Yun, experience my sword qi as well?"

As Liu Bai's voice sounded, a massive hundred-zhang array formed from countless mysterious spiritual lights suddenly enveloped the two of them at some unknown moment.

Liu Bai changed his hand seals. The next instant, the great array emitted a series of hums as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a hundred miles rapidly gathered, transforming into longswords suspended in the array overhead.

At that moment, sword qi soared to the heavens throughout the entire Spirit Array. Two distinct domains of sword qi collided above and below, and longswords condensed from spiritual energy crashed together before annihilating one another.

This stunned even the Mentors and academy higher-ups watching the battle.

"The Hundred Spirit Sword Array? That is a top-tier Third-Grade Spirit Array, yet a new student can cast it so easily?" A Mentor who was also knowledgeable about arrays changed expression and blurted out.

"If I remember correctly, didn't that kid exchange for this array just a few days ago?" Another Mentor in charge of the Spirit Value Hall suddenly spoke.

His words left the previous Mentor dumbfounded.

He had only exchanged for it a few days ago, yet he had already thoroughly mastered such a complex Third-Grade Spirit Array diagram and could set it up so effortlessly. Just how terrifying was this kid's talent in the Array Dao?

Compared to him, didn't that make him, a fifth-grade Spirit Array Master at over fifty years old, complete trash...?

"You people, haven't you noticed that he secretly set up the array while fighting? With that kind of ability, Mentor Li Qi, can you do it?" At that moment, an elder from the academy's Mission Hall suddenly questioned the first Mentor knowledgeable in arrays.

Momentarily stunned by the question, Mentor Li Qi immediately came to his senses. His face filled with shock as he said, "Right, right, right! This kid was actually able to divide his attention and set up an array amid such an intense battle. His Array Dao Realm has likely reached Heart Array Advanced. He may even be slightly stronger than I am!"

As soon as those words were spoken, every Mentor and elder concealed nearby fell silent. When they looked at Liu Bai again, their eyes burned with fervor.

"No, I'm going to find the Dean right now. Such a peerless monster with supreme Array Dao talent must be handed over to our Array Dao Institute for training. I'm even confident that I can nurture a Heaven Tier Spirit Array Master in the future!" As he spoke, Mentor Li Qi turned to leave.

Before he could take a step, however, several people beside him grabbed him and held him back.

One burly middle-aged man could not help saying, "Mentor Li Qi, that isn't right. That kid has been at Northern Azure Spirit Academy for less than a month, yet he already possesses cultivation strength comparable to the late Heaven Fusion Realm. This shows that his cultivation talent is equally heaven-defying. How can we trap him in the Array Dao Institute and waste his life..."

"What? Shi Jian, what do you mean by that? How is studying arrays in my Array Dao Institute wasting his life? Are you looking down on Spirit Array Masters?" Li Qi immediately demanded angrily.

The others hurriedly spoke up to calm him. "Mentor Li Qi, don't be angry. Mentor Shi Jian did not mean it that way. Still, some of what Mentor Shi Jian said makes sense. Liu Bai is not merely talented in the Array Dao; his other talents are also outstanding. Perhaps he is even interested in pill refining, so we should not rashly seek out the Dean. It would be better to let the kid choose for himself in the future..."

Naturally, the person saying this was a Mentor from the Spirit Pill Institute, and he was clearly trying to smooth things over. After all, Liu Bai had not displayed any talent in pill refining whatsoever. Moreover, the requirements for becoming a Spirit Pill Master were even higher than those for becoming a Spirit Array Master, so no one believed he would be interested in joining the Spirit Pill Institute in the future.

While these Mentors argued fiercely over Liu Bai, on the battlefield elsewhere...

The moment Huo Yun saw that Liu Bai had silently set up such a terrifying array, his heart sank to the bottom of the sea.

Although the sword art he cultivated was powerful, it was nowhere near the Hundred Spirit Sword Array, whose every sword strike could unleash the power of the middle Heaven Fusion Realm.

When countless Spirit Swords rained down like raindrops, all he saw was a torrent of sword qi. It crushed his Spirit Swords with unstoppable force, then swept toward him from all directions with boundless killing intent.

"Not good!"

At that moment, the members of the Punishment Hall secretly watching the match changed expression. They revealed themselves one after another and prepared to rush into the battlefield to save him.

Before they could enter the battle zone, however, the torrent of sword qi beneath the Spirit Array abruptly stopped, halting less than a meter away from Huo Yun.

At that moment, heaven and earth fell silent enough for a needle to be heard dropping. Huo Yun was drenched in cold sweat. Looking at the sword qi so close before him, at the spiritual-energy swords gleaming with cold light, he involuntarily took a step back and swallowed with difficulty.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Soon, three black figures rushed into the battlefield, pulling away the stunned Huo Yun before loudly announcing, "This battle goes to Liu Bai!"

Seeing this, Liu Bai's lips curved into a smile. He changed his hand seals, and the great array in the sky vanished with a boom. The torrent of sword qi also transformed back into specks of spiritual light, quickly dissipating into the surrounding air.

At that moment, huge cheers instantly erupted among the new students.

"We won! We won!" An Ran clenched her delicate fists excitedly and even swung one fiercely through the air. Her pretty face had already flushed red.

Beside her, Guo Xiong grinned broadly and let out a hearty laugh.

As for Zhang Heng and Shao Rui behind Guo Xiong, they were already jumping and cheering.

Having recovered from his earlier fright, Huo Yun's face alternated between green and red before turning deathly pale.

Unwilling to accept the result, he wanted to say something to save face. Yet when he saw the youth opposite him wearing that faint smile, all his words caught in his throat.

In the end, he could only leave behind a disgruntled remark. "It's best two out of three. You're celebrating too early..."

He had been unlucky to encounter such a freak, but Huo Yun did not believe the other new students would be like Liu Bai. They still had a chance!

Ten minutes later, that chance was cut in half once more.

Li Xuantong had ultimately defeated his opponent. Unlike Huo Yun, Xiao Jian conceded very decisively. He even handed over his Spirit Value directly, then left without waiting for the final result.

This allowed everyone to witness Li Xuantong's terror as well. Liu Bai in particular learned for the first time that the Spirit Beast Core Li Xuantong had fused with was actually that of an Ancient Suanni...

The Ancient Suanni was a descendant of the Divine Beast Sky Swallowing Beast. It was a powerful Heavenly Beast ranked thirtieth on the Earth Ranking, even higher than the Ancient Golden Crow.

Yet although he had defeated his opponent and even gained a terrifying amount of Spirit Value, Li Xuantong did not appear particularly excited.

Instead, when he looked at Liu Bai, a trace of complexity and solemnity flashed through his eyes.

"I never expected you to possess such powerful talent in Spirit Arrays. It seems that in Northern Azure Spirit Academy from now on, you will be my strongest opponent!"

Looking at the youth before him with a gentle smile, Li Xuantong spoke in a solemn tone he had never used before.

Liu Bai smiled faintly and replied, "I'm actually quite practical. Compared to empty titles, I care more about tangible benefits..."

If it had not been for gaining more Spirit Value, he would have had to be out of his mind to step forward and cause all this trouble. With that time, he might as well take on a few missions with generous rewards!

"As for the opponent you want, you should look for someone else. For example, that person..."

Following Liu Bai's gaze, Li Xuantong saw Shen Cangsheng on another battlefield, where the victor had also been decided...

Without any surprise, Shen Cangsheng had likewise defeated his opponent.

According to the rule of winning two out of three rounds, the new students had already won.

However, perhaps the consecutive victories of Liu Bai and the other two had provoked him, for Crane Demon, who had still been fiercely battling his opponent, suddenly erupted.

With a deafening boom, vast spiritual energy of heaven and earth howled through the sky, raging like a violent gale.

Crane Demon suddenly threw back his head and let out a long cry. The cry was piercing and echoed between heaven and earth, while dazzling light erupted from within his body.

The light spread outward, forming an enormous crane shadow behind him. The crane shadow was roughly a thousand zhang tall, blotting out the sky and sun with an astonishing presence.

Crane Demon's eyes suddenly snapped open, his gaze sharp. His hands formed seals, his hand movements resembling a long crane soaring into the sky. Afterimages flickered continuously, as though sharp crane cries were ringing from between his seals.

Screech!

The cry of a crane echoed through heaven and earth. The enormous crane shadow behind Crane Demon transformed into a black cloud that blotted out the sky and sun, directly pressing down upon his opponent.

The middle Heaven Fusion Realm youth facing Crane Demon changed expression instantly. Spiritual energy surged wildly within his body, condensing a mighty Golden Lion behind him...

The instant the Golden Lion appeared, it let out a roar. Its four claws took flight as it charged directly toward the crane shadow.

Boom!

The sky shook violently as the two giant beasts collided, then both vanished amid a terrifying spiritual-energy storm.

At the same time, Crane Demon and another figure flew out of the storm. After the former landed, the enormous impact dragged his legs across the ground, leaving behind a long trail.

As for the latter, he smashed straight into the ground, creating a massive pit in the hard earth before passing out.

Soon, two more members of the Punishment Hall appeared and rescued the unconscious old student.

However, his pale face proved just how serious his injuries were...