"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
That voice came again.
Xiao Yan and Lin Yan practically leaped apart, putting several zhang of distance between them in an instant.
If this got out, it would be a disaster. Tomorrow, the Inner Academy would be flooded with gossip—"Shocking! Pan Gate's Xiao Yan and Wolf Fang's Lin Yan—What's Their Real Relationship?!"
Even the women chatting nearby couldn't help but reveal those telltale "auntie smiles"—warm, knowing, thoroughly amused.
After a few rounds of playful teasing, everyone understood it was just a joke. The atmosphere on the high platform grew livelier, conversations flowing more freely.
Under Elder Su Qian's lot-drawing arrangement, Han Yue's turn soon arrived.
Her opponent was no pushover—a Dou Ling highly skilled in earth-element Dou Techniques. His defenses were formidable, his strikes heavy.
Unfortunately for him, he was facing Han Yue.
Her cultivation far surpassed his. Her sword, wrapped in biting frost, pierced through his earthen defenses like a needle through silk.
One clean strike.
He was sent flying off the stage.
Victory.
As Han Yue sheathed her sword, gratitude swelled in her chest—gratitude toward Xiao Jietian.
The man she had just defeated was someone who had once beaten her in a previous Strong Ranking Tournament.
Now, she had crushed him in mere moments.
All because of him.
A faint, involuntary smile curved her lips as she returned to Xun'er's side.
Wu Hao's match followed.
He fought fiercely for ten rounds. Then his opponent's palm strike landed squarely on his chest, sending him flying off the arena.
Yet when Wu Hao picked himself up, there was no dejection on his face.
His eyes gleamed with realization, with the satisfaction of a man who had just gained valuable experience.
This battle… it was worth it.
Then came Xiao Yan's match.
Against Yao Sheng.
As Liu Fei's most devoted follower, Yao Sheng naturally obeyed her arrangements. Even though the terror of Xiao Yan's brother still lingered in his bones, for the sake of his "white moonlight," he swallowed his fear and stepped onto the stage.
The match began.
At first, Xiao Yan was caught off guard by Yao Sheng's strange black-water Dou Technique and his superior cultivation. But the moment Xiao Yan activated the Three Mysterious Changes of the Heavenly Flame, the tide turned.
Yao Sheng unleashed his signature move—the Black Water Realm.
Xiao Yan's flame suppressed it completely.
In the end, Yao Sheng was sent flying by a strike from Xiao Yan's heavy ruler. He landed hard, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan with unwillingness, resentment, and something else—something unspoken.
Then, silently, he turned and walked away.
He did not look back.
It was as if, in that moment, he had made a decision.
Several matches passed.
Finally, it was Xiao Jietian's turn.
His opponent was ranked thirteenth on the Strong Ranking—Mao Yi, a nine-star Dou Ling.
The two stood facing each other.
Mao Yi cupped his fists respectfully. "Senior Xiao Jietian… please grant me your guidance."
Xiao Jietian nodded.
Mao Yi exhaled, relief flickering across his face. Immediately, his demeanor shifted. Green Dou Qi armor coalesced around his body. A longsword appeared in his grip.
"Wind-Piercing Thrust!"
He became a streak of green lightning, his sword aimed directly at Xiao Jietian's chest.
"That's Mao Yi's ultimate technique! He's going all out from the very first move?!"
Murmurs of shock rippled through the audience.
Xiao Jietian stood motionless.
The sword tore through the air, whistling. Yet his expression remained as calm as still water.
Just as the tip was about to reach his chest—
He raised a single finger.
Dou Qi swirled around it.
Tap.
The tip of the sword met his fingertip.
And stopped.
Mao Yi gripped his hilt with both hands, pouring every ounce of his Dou Qi into the blade. His face flushed crimson.
"…How is this possible?!"
His voice was barely a whisper, thick with disbelief.
He was a nine-star Dou Ling. Even an ordinary Dou King couldn't receive his technique so effortlessly.
So this… this is the gap between us?
Xiao Jietian ignored his expression.
He flicked his finger.
Clang—
The sword was deflected, the force carrying Mao Yi's entire body in a half-turn. A surge of power traveled from the blade into his arms, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
He retreated several steps, channeling his Dou Qi frantically to dispel the residual force.
His hands still shook.
Xiao Jietian glanced at him. "Continue."
Mao Yi took a deep breath. His grip tightened on his sword.
"Senior Xiao Jietian… this is a new technique I've been practicing." His voice was steady now. Resolute. "Please… give me your assessment."
He drew his palm across the blade.
Blood welled up, trickling down the steel.
"Blood-Drenched Severing Heaven!"
A crimson crescent erupted from the sword, whistling as it hurtled toward Xiao Jietian—a slash of pure, concentrated lethality.
Xiao Jietian extended his hand.
Bare. No weapon. Only Dou Qi cloaking his palm.
He caught the slash.
"Is he insane?!"
"That strike—I can feel its killing intent from here!"
The audience erupted.
But the explosion they anticipated never came.
The crimson slash, under the lightning-wreathed grip of Xiao Jietian's hand, slowly… ground down. Dissipated. Vanished.
"The intent is good." Xiao Jietian's tone was calm, analytical. "An ordinary eight-star Dou Ling would not be able to receive this without injury."
He paused.
"But the force is too diffuse. The slash is wide, the power scattered. Compress it. Condense it."
Mao Yi stared at him.
Then, slowly, he bowed—deeply, sincerely.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Xiao Jietian."
He turned to Su Qian.
"Elder Su Qian… I concede."
Su Qian showed no hesitation. The gap between the two was already an insurmountable chasm.
"Xiao Jietian… wins."
Xiao Jietian returned to the high platform.
Xun'er and Han Yue both stepped forward to congratulate him.
The surrounding male students watched as he was flanked by two beauties, their envy practically dripping from their pores.
Some people… are just born lucky.
Later, Han Yue took the stage again.
Her opponent was weaker than her, but she did not underestimate him. Ten rounds of probing. Then—
Frost Moon Slash.
A crescent of ice swept her opponent off the arena.
Clean. Decisive. Merciless.
With Han Yue's match concluded, the second day's competition came to an end.
Thirteen contestants remained.
Most of them wore smiles.
Except for one.
Zi Yan sulked in the corner, her face dark as a thundercloud. She had been a spectator the entire day. Not a single fight. Not a single punch.
She was so angry she wanted to yank Su Qian's beard off.
Su Qian, acutely aware of the little girl's "fierce" glare fixed upon him, pretended to be very, very interested in the clouds.
After leaving the arena, Xiao Jietian sensed the tension radiating from Han Yue.
Xun'er, perceptive as always, offered a gentle smile and an understanding nod.
Thus, Xiao Jietian found himself walking beside Han Yue along a secluded path of the academy—one rarely traveled by students.
Among the remaining thirteen contestants, only Xiao Yan and Han Yue were not nine-star Dou Lings.
The top ten was within reach.
But the gap was still there.
Xiao Jietian considered his options. Two paths. Two methods.
"Senior Han Yue," he said directly, "what is your strongest technique?"
Han Yue did not hesitate. She trusted him.
"Profound High-rank Absolute Frost Finger," she replied. "Profound Mid-rank Frost Moon Slash. And Frost Sky Palm."
She laid out her entire arsenal without reservation.
Xiao Jietian listened silently. Then, after a moment of contemplation—
He raised two fingers.
And gently touched her glabella.
Han Yue's body went rigid.
Not because she feared an attack. She trusted him completely.
No…
It was because no man had ever touched her head before.
And in that instant, within the vast expanse of her sea of consciousness, a new Dou Technique materialized.
*Cold Starfall. *
A Supporting Technique—one that accompanied Ya Fei's cultivation method. It possessed no fixed rank. Its power was determined solely by the strength of one's Dou Qi.
Han Yue read its description.
And froze completely.