While the other competing academies gradually vacated the main stage, the girls of Tianshui were huddled in a circle, intensely playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would actually have to stay behind and fight.
Three minutes later, four of the girls skipped away from the stage, holding hands and giggling happily.
"Well, looks like I'll be leading the team for this match," Dugu Yan remarked, watching Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu stroll out of the arena. She quietly assumed the role of temporary captain.
Even though Dugu Yan was technically the strongest member of the group, she deeply respected Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu as the original captain and vice-captain of Tianshui. Since she had joined the team later and everyone treated each other like sisters, she was usually more than happy to sit back and relax. But with the main leadership leaving the floor, it was up to her to act as the big sister.
"Mm-mm! Let's go, Sister Yan! I'm going to blow these sissies away with one punch!"
Wu Ling's face flushed with pure excitement. Fu Ye had promised them a very special reward if they secured the championship title of this tournament. Although Wu Ling didn't know exactly what it was, she knew with absolute certainty that anything coming from Brother Fu Ye's hands was a priceless treasure.
"Heehee, I feel like we've already won," another teammate chimed in. "Look at those sissies from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team. The moment they saw Sister Yan, they looked like frost-bitten cabbages—completely withered."
With the rest of the arena cleared, the head announcer's voice boomed across the amplification system.
"Now, let us welcome the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team to the arena!"
As his words fell, a deafening wave of cheers erupted from the packed spectator stands. The citizens of the capital clearly relished the grandeur of these high-stakes matches. In reality, the arena floor was divided into five distinct stages, but the other four were currently covered by thick black cloths, leaving the central stage completely isolated for the opening match.
"And next... let us welcome our crowd-favorite powerhouse team—the members of the Tianshui Academy Team!"
The announcer's passionate roar ignited the entire stadium, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
"Tianshui Academy!!" "Goddesses!!!"
A mountain-moving, ocean-overturning roar swept across the coliseum. Every single member of the Tianshui team was a breathtaking beauty chosen from a million, and their raw cultivation talent was staggering enough to easily crush any male prodigy of their generation.
In this lifetime, thanks to Liu Erlong's financial backing, Tianshui Academy was absurdly wealthy. Headmaster Han Ruyan never had to force her students to do public promotional events for gold coins, yet Tianshui's legendary reputation across the continent remained completely unmatched.
Shen Liuyu and Yu Hairou looked entirely unfazed by the sea of spectators; they had experienced similar grand crowds before. As the granddaughter of the Poison Douluo, Dugu Yan walked with absolute grace and indifference under the spotlight.
On the other hand, Ning Rongrong, Wu Ling, and Zhu Zhuqing had never stood before a crowd of this magnitude. Although their hearts beat with a nervous flutter, they expertly maintained a flawless, calm facade on the outside.
Meanwhile, on the highest VIP platform, Emperor Xue Ye observed the field with great interest.
"Sect Master Ning, I wonder which team you favor to take the championship title in this year's tournament?" Xue Ye asked, turning a curious eye toward Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi's lips curled into a subtle, knowing smile. "Naturally, it is Tianshui Academy."
The corner of Emperor Xue Ye's mouth twitched violently. His entire imperial treasury had been completely drained by the monster sitting right next to him all because of Tianshui Academy. Nowadays, just hearing that name made his joints ache with phantom trauma.
"Oh? May I ask what makes you so incredibly confident in—"
"My daughter, Ning Rongrong, is a core member of that team," Ning Fengzhi interrupted smoothly.
Silence fell over the VIP stands, heavy and awkward.
Down on the combat stage, Dugu Yan marched proudly at the front of her formation. The seven opponents facing her from across the field were literally trembling like mice staring at an apex predator.
"Sister Yan, big sister! We're just here to get some face and show our faces to the crowd. Could you... uh, please not hit us in the face?"
Stepping forward with a sycophantic grin, the captain of the Heaven Dou Second Team—Prince Xue Beng—bowed deeply and clasped his hands toward Dugu Yan in a desperate plea.
"Sure. If you surrender right now, I won't touch a single hair on your heads," Dugu Yan replied coldly, looking down her nose at him. "You should remember that I have officially cut all ties with the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."
She harbored absolute disdain for these pampered noble playboys and spineless cowards. To someone like Xue Beng, kidnapping innocent civilian women was considered a minor Tuesday offense; the sheer volume of atrocities committed by him and his noble circle was endless. Human trafficking, unlawful confinement, forcing respectable girls into prostitution—Dugu Yan had heard her grandfather list his crimes countless times. Just because he was old Xue Ye's son, his only punishment whenever he got caught was a few days of luxury house arrest.
"Brother Xue Beng, should we..." One of his teammates, a delicate youth gesturing with a flamboyant hand, whispered nervously.
However, the moment Xue Beng turned back to face his own teammates, his groveling expression vanished, replaced by an aggressive mask of imperial pride.
"We cannot forfeit! Forfeiting the very first match would completely drag the Imperial Family's reputation through the mud!" Xue Beng hissed. He knew they couldn't win, but a public forfeit on day one was entirely unacceptable. They carried the pride of the Heaven Dou Crown.
"Both teams, take your positions! Let the match begin!"
Following the announcer's declaration, Dugu Yan and her six teammates instantly unleashed their martial souls. A vibrant array of soul rings materialized around their bodies.
"Nine Treasure Turning Glass Pagoda!" Ning Rongrong chanted without a single moment of hesitation. "First Boost: Strength! Second Boost: Speed! Third Boost: Soul Power!"
A cascade of brilliant, multi-colored light instantly enveloped her allies.
Backed by the raw speed amplification, Zhu Zhuqing and Shen Liuyu—one an Agility System Master, the other a Power Attack System Master—shot forward like twin streaks of lightning. As they charged, three soul rings materialized beneath their feet: Yellow, Yellow, Purple. A standard Three-Ring Spirit Elder configuration.
Of course, they were deliberately suppressing their actual cultivation to avoid bringing unnecessary, explosive attention to themselves this early in the qualifiers. Revealing their actual ten-thousand-year black fourth rings right now offered zero tactical benefits.
Seeing the terrifying, oppressive momentum of the two girls rushing down upon them, Xue Beng and his team instinctively shuddled into a tight, panicked ball. Snapping back to reality, they desperately unleashed their own soul skills, throwing a chaotic barrage of elemental attacks forward to keep Zhu Zhuqing and Shen Liuyu at bay, temporarily halting their direct advance.
However, at that exact moment, two thick beams of auxiliary light slammed directly into Dugu Yan and Wu Ling.
Wu Ling stepped forward as three magnificent soul rings rose around her: Yellow, Purple, Purple! An absolute rule-breaking, over-limit ring configuration!
"Third Soul Skill: Yin-Yang Displacement!"
As her martial soul—the Yin-Yang Chaos Peacock—fused with her body, a massive, swirling Taiji diagram materialized. A dark, shadowy Yin circle manifested directly in front of Dugu Yan, while a bright, blinding Yang circle instantly erupted right beneath the feet of Xue Beng's tightly packed team.
Buzz!
In a literal blink of an eye, the space warped. Xue Beng and his entire seven-man team were instantly teleported across the stage, materializing directly in front of a fully charged Dugu Yan.
Before the noble princes could even comprehend what had happened to gravity, Dugu Yan's fist was already thrown. A massive, phantom golden dragon shadow roared to life, slamming head-on into the grouped formation with explosive force.
BOOM!!!
The sheer kinetic impact of Dugu Yan's single punch sent the entire noble squad flying across the arena like ragdolls, crashing so violently into the boundary walls that the reinforced stone cracked and splintered into spiderweb patterns.
Dust settled over the stage. Dugu Yan and the girls casually clapped the dust off their hands, gathering back together with absolute nonchalance.
"Heehee, I told you it wouldn't even take five seconds!"