Chapter 155: Crap, We're About to Get Ganged Up On
In the following rounds of the selection tournament, things proceeded just as expected—Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan advanced smoothly without encountering any real obstacles. Any opponent who might have caused trouble for them, by sheer luck, ended up avoiding them entirely.
There was, however, a minor incident: Bai Shan, suffering from the aftereffects of his frozen meridians, was defeated in his final match by a student who was merely a Three-Star Da Dou Shi.
Needless to say, Bai Shan could not accept such an outcome. The moment the result was announced, he vomited a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.
It seemed he simply couldn't handle the blow.
In addition, the high-profile appearance of Wu Hao caught everyone's attention as well. His powerful strength made many wary.
Of course, there was also some good news. Xiao Yu, despite her poor luck, ran into a Two-Star Da Dou Shi who, in theory, should've beaten her. But to everyone's surprise, she fought with a reckless strategy, risking severe injury to secure victory and squeeze into the top fifty.
Even though Xiao Yuan had healing pills made by Yao Lao, Xiao Yu wouldn't be able to participate in high-intensity combat for at least three days—her combat strength was practically gone.
But she didn't care. Whether she got into the Inner Academy or not didn't matter to her. What mattered was whether she could enter alongside Xiao Yuan.
For that goal, she was willing to pay the price.
As long as she made it into the top fifty, she trusted that Xiao Yuan would carry her into the top five.
When Xiao Yuan and the others returned to the tournament square, they were again stunned by the sheer size of the crowd.
Today, the number of spectators was several times higher than the previous two days. Many of them weren't even Academy students—they had come from Jia Nan City itself. Over the years, residents had come to understand that today marked the liveliest event at Jia Nan Academy each year. Naturally, they wouldn't miss it.
Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yan, Xun'er, Wu Hao, and Hu Jia—these five had already proven their astounding strength in the previous rounds. Today, these five strongest Outer Academy students would finally clash in highly anticipated matchups!
Among them, Xiao Yuan had the highest betting odds. After Bai Shan was defeated the previous day, rumors spread claiming it was because Xiao Yuan's earlier palm strike had crippled Bai Shan's strength, leading to his upset loss against a mere Three-Star Da Dou Shi.
To be able to do that with one palm—and considering that Xiao Yuan had never needed more than five exchanges to end his matches over the past few days—no one believed he was just a Four-Star Da Dou Shi anymore.
Some sharp-eyed observers were already guessing that Xiao Yuan was deliberately concealing his true strength.
And they were absolutely right. Xiao Yuan was indeed hiding his power—not for the sake of his classmates, but to create an intentional information gap.
From now on, anyone who knew his true power would either be an ally—or a corpse.
Since traces of the Soul Hall's presence had already surfaced, that meant its influence on the Northwestern Continent had begun to take root. In this context, portraying himself as weaker on the surface was critical.
At a decisive moment, this might allow him to turn the tables.
When facing enemies, caution was never a mistake.
Of course, this would also bring certain inconveniences. When he reached the Dou Wang level, if he still pretended to be a Dou Ling, he wouldn't be able to use flight abilities like Dou Qi Wings.
Fortunately, he still had his female disguise. Different identities could wield different techniques.
Soon after they entered the square, Hu Jia strolled in casually as well, her gaze lingering momentarily in the direction of Xiao Yuan and the others. Many believed she was looking at Xun'er, but Xiao Yuan, with his keen senses, could clearly tell—Hu Jia's attention was mainly on him.
"Could she really have her eyes on me?" Xiao Yuan muttered inwardly.
Dong!
As the blazing sun rose high in the blue sky, a clear bell chime echoed through the square. At the sound, the previously rowdy arena quieted somewhat, and countless gazes turned toward the vast arena.
At the center of the arena, now the focus of all attention, Vice Principal Hu Qian slowly stood and swept his gaze across the crowd. His deep, powerful voice rumbled like thunder in the air above.
"Yesterday, the final fifty participants of the Inner Academy selection were determined. They have all earned the qualification to enter the Inner Academy. However, there are levels within the Inner Academy as well. If you want better training conditions there, you must achieve better rankings in this final match. Every position higher will benefit you greatly—so give it your all."
After observing the slightly excited expressions of the students, Hu Qian continued with a smile, "In previous years, this final round was done in head-to-head duels. But after a meeting this year, the Academy has decided to change the format a bit."
His words surprised the students, who immediately looked toward the center of the square with puzzled expressions.
"Now, all fifty participants, please enter the arena," Hu Qian called out.
Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow. If Instructor Ruo Lin hadn't confirmed it to him earlier, he wouldn't have dared to be certain that this selection would turn into the chaotic free-for-all he remembered.
Still, this was good news for him.
Because it meant Xiao Yu's final ranking wouldn't be bad—she might earn better rewards.
Smiling, Xiao Yuan looked at Xiao Yu, then gently took her hand and leapt into the arena.
At the same time, Xiao Yan and Xun'er also flew into the field like twin swallows.
"This year, we're not doing duels. Instead, it will be a passionate, adrenaline-filled elimination melee. The longer you last in this free-for-all, the higher your ranking. The opposite is true as well," Hu Qian said, watching the participants enter. "Use whatever methods you like. Teaming up is allowed. As long as you're the last ones standing, you win."
As soon as his words fell, murmurs rippled across the arena. Clearly, the unexpected format change had caught many off guard.
"Once the match begins, anyone who leaves the field is eliminated. We have staff recording everything. If you can just hang on a little longer, your ranking may jump significantly—so endure! Survival is victory."
Xiao Yuan and his group of four exchanged knowing smiles. This format suited them perfectly.
If things got serious, Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yan, and Xun'er could wipe the field.
As for Xiao Yu, she just had to cheer them on from the sidelines.
Xiao Mei and Xiao Ning, being weaker, had already been eliminated and would have to wait until next year's selection.
The four of them standing together formed an eye-catching group, drawing many gazes.
After all, during the past few rounds, none of them had shown their full strength. Most of the other top-fifty students were at least peak Dou Shi level like Xiao Yu. With superior numbers, many assumed they could gang up on and eliminate even Xiao Yuan's trio.
Unspoken agreements began to form. A number of people turned their attention toward the Xiao family's small but formidable team.
"Do you all understand the rules?" Hu Qian asked, scanning the arena.
"Yes!" came the unified shout.
"Good. In that case…" Hu Qian raised his hand and then, under countless watchful eyes, slammed it down. "The final round of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament—begins now!"
Boom!
With his declaration, the once-quiet arena exploded in light. Dozens of multicolored Dou Qi flared up at once, dazzling the eyes. Thunderous crashes rang out as figures zipped across the field. Most people immediately retreated to the edges, wary of getting sneak-attacked and thrown out early.
Up in the stands, watching the instantaneous eruption of combat, the crowd broke into deafening cheers. Fans screamed themselves hoarse in support of their favorite contestants. The chaos was far more thrilling than a simple duel.
"Hehe, Vice Principal, this idea wasn't bad at all. It may not be perfectly fair, but situations like this really cultivate a sense of caution. And teaming up teaches people about group strength. A good change."
An old man on the main platform turned to Hu Qian and praised.
"I was just tired of the same format every year and thought we'd mix things up. Seems it's working. But some students who don't socialize well might struggle without trustworthy allies."
Hu Qian chuckled as he turned his eyes back to the battlefield.
In the arena, students clashed briefly before quickly disengaging, wary of ambushes. Many darted their eyes nervously in every direction, fleeing or striking at anything that moved too close.
Xiao Yuan's group held a corner of the square. Anyone foolish enough to target them was immediately blasted out by Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yan, and Xun'er.
Xiao Yu simply stood behind them with peace of mind. If not for the awkward timing, she might have just sat down and watched the show.
Black, blue, and gold Dou Qi flared from the three of them, shattering the hopes of weaker fighters. Even the more aggressive challengers, lacking numbers, couldn't pose a threat.
The intertwined scorching and freezing energies disoriented their enemies, disrupting their defenses and knocking them out instantly.
Xiao Yuan shook his head at their foolishness.
If only those idiots had teamed up against Hu Jia or Wu Hao instead, maybe they wouldn't have been eliminated so fast.
He, Xiao Yan, and Xun'er all wielded Heavenly Flames. Their combined attacks were terrifying.
Though Xiao Yuan's Dou Qi appeared ice-type, he had layered a thin sheet of Yin Flame over it to coordinate better with the others' flames.
Even though the Heavenly Flames were only partially fused into their Dou Qi, the resulting power was monstrous. Bai Shan, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao would struggle to take such an attack head-on.
Realizing how dangerous the trio was, others grew cautious and stopped charging blindly. Instead, they began forming teams to eliminate weaker loners.
Amid thunderous shouts from the stands, contestants continued to be thrown out, while staff rushed to record eliminations.
Soon, only small teams remained—most with at least two members, and several four-person squads like Xiao Yuan's.
Five such groups remained. Wu Hao's team was the most aggressive, followed by Hu Jia's. The rest consisted of two teams led by high-level Da Dou Shi students and one group made entirely of peak Dou Shi students.
Originally, there had been more Da Dou Shi-level participants, but they'd foolishly attacked Xiao Yuan's group first—and got blasted off the stage.
Clearly, in this selection tournament, awareness and judgment were key.
Pick the wrong target, make the wrong call—and pay the price.
But then... something happened that Xiao Yuan hadn't anticipated.
All five remaining teams turned their gaze toward him and his group.
Looks like they were all planning to eliminate them first.
(END CHAPTER)
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