The Inner Court Selection Competition, as one of the major events of Jia Nan Academy, naturally attracted a lot of attention. Moreover, during this selection competition, the prominent figures who usually made waves in the Academy would all make an appearance.
This was undoubtedly a huge attraction for the male and female students who regarded these individuals as their idols and objects of affection.
On the day of the competition, the Academy had prepared a giant arena in the plaza, which was now surrounded by an impenetrable crowd.
Jiang Yun, with Zi Yan, quietly arrived at his class's designated area, his gaze sweeping across the plaza before settling on the central viewing platform.
That was the best vantage point, with three seats, currently occupied by three white-haired, white-bearded old men.
Jiang Yun recognized one of them, Vice Dean Hu Gan. He hadn't met the other two. In Jiang Yun's perception, one of them had sharp eyes; despite trying his best to suppress it, Jiang Yun still seemed to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
This should be Wu Tianlang, the captain of Jia Nan Academy's Law Enforcement Team.
Around the three, occasional spatial ripples would emerge. Such spatial fluctuations only occurred when the Dou Qi within one's body reached a certain limit, resonating with the external space, and was also a sign of touching the Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor) realm.
Evidently, all three were peak Dou Huang (Battle Emperor) level powerhouses, only a half-step away from Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor), which showed the strength of Jia Nan Academy.
However, this half-step was incredibly difficult. If they had the Po Zong Pill, they could probably directly enter the Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor) realm.
Although Jia Nan Academy was not short on money or medicinal ingredients, it lacked a high-level Alchemist capable of refining the Po Zong Pill. This half-step had stubbornly trapped them for an unknown number of years.
Although Elder Huo had now entered the sixth-grade realm, he still had a long way to go to refine the peak sixth-grade pill, the Po Zong Pill.
Just as Jiang Yun shifted his gaze, Wu Tianlang, one of the three, frowned slightly and continuously scanned in Jiang Yun's direction.
"What's wrong?" Discovering Wu Tianlang's unusual behavior, Hu Gan couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing." Finding nothing, Wu Tianlang withdrew his gaze and said indifferently.
Hu Gan nodded as well. Seeing that it was almost time, he waved his hand towards a certain spot.
The next moment, with the appearance of the referee, the Inner Court Selection Competition finally began, and the atmosphere in the arena reached its peak.
"First match, Wu Da of Yellow Class 1 against Du Hao of Yellow Class 2! Combatants, take the stage!"
"Second match, Hu Yun of Yellow Class 2 against Lü Lie of Black Class 3! Prepare to fight!"
"Haa~~~, Xiao Yun, it's so boring!"
In the stands, the 'eternally' twelve-year-old Zi Yan was leaning on Jiang Yun's shoulder, utterly uninterested in the 'chicken pecking' matches below.
With her strength, she was among the top in the entire Academy, so she naturally had no interest in the battles between Dou Master and Dou Grandmaster below.
"Just bear with it a little longer, it'll be over soon!" Jiang Yun dotingly ruffled Zi Yan's hair. At this moment, he was a head taller than Zi Yan, looking more like an older brother.
This could be seen from Zi Yan's way of addressing him.
"Ninth match, Jiang Yun of Yellow Class 3 against Li Yunzhi of Black Class 2! Combatants, take the stage!"
Zi Yan, who had been looking rather sleepy, immediately perked up upon hearing the familiar name and excitedly shook Jiang Yun's arm: "Xiao Yun, it's your turn!"
Jiang Yun nodded and walked towards the arena amidst the surprised gazes of his classmates.
After Jiang Yun left, the classmates who had come to their senses exchanged glances.
"Is that from our class?"
"Have you seen him?"
"I haven't, have you?"
"Me neither!"
If his classmates were so surprised to see Jiang Yun, let alone the other students. Jiang Yun had been very low-key these past two years, not interacting with anyone, becoming a cultivation recluse, so his presence was not strong.
Su Qian's initial hopes were dashed. He thought Jiang Yun would stir up trouble in the Outer Court and make the Academy lively. Who would have thought he would be so composed, directly becoming a cultivation recluse, which resulted in him being quite a stranger in the Outer Court now.
Li Yunzhi, Jiang Yun's opponent on the stage, looked eighteen or nineteen years old and was a five-star Dou Master. He was considered good in this cohort, but still a bit uncertain about making it into the top fifty.
However, upon seeing Jiang Yun take the stage, his face immediately lit up with wild joy, and he said in a relaxed tone: "Little friend, this isn't the place for you to be. Turn around and jump down yourself, and you can avoid a beating!"
Jiang Yun remained silent, looking at the referee nearby.
Looking at the somewhat'stubborn' Jiang Yun, the referee gave him a sympathetic glance, but still dutifully announced:
"Match start!"
"Gale Palm!"
With the referee's command, Li Yunzhi shot forward with a 'whoosh', Dou Qi condensing in his palm, and wind forming under his feet, blasting towards Jiang Yun. It must be said, Li Yunzhi cultivated wind-attribute Dou Qi, and his attack speed was quite fast.
Unfortunately, no matter how fast he was, he couldn't escape Jiang Yun's lock-on, nor could he overcome the disparity in cultivation realms.
Jiang Yun merely shifted his body slightly, easily dodging the opponent's attack. At the same time, his palm was already pressed against the opponent's chest, making it look as if the opponent had crashed into him.
With a 'bang', Li Yunzhi was sent flying by Jiang Yun's palm. While still in mid-air, he clutched his chest, looking at Jiang Yun with a face full of horror.
At this moment, he only felt that his whole body was shaken to pieces, unable to muster any strength, and could only watch helplessly as he fell off the arena.
"Whoa—"
Watching Li Yunzhi's easy defeat, the spectators were momentarily silent. The outcome was simply too dramatic. If they didn't know that the opponent couldn't possibly throw the match, some might even suspect he had been paid off.
At this moment, the referee also snapped out of it, looking at Jiang Yun's retreating figure with horror. He was closer and felt it more clearly; just now, he sensed a terrifying aura erupt from Jiang Yun, a lethal threat. One must know, he was a five-star Dou Ling (Battle Spirit).
This child is terrifying!
This scene was also fully observed by Vice Dean Hu Gan and the other two on the viewing platform. Hu Gan, with a hint of surprise, looked at Wu Tianlang beside him and asked: "That aura just now?"
"That's right, the strength of a Dou Grandmaster, but exactly to what extent, I'm not sure yet!" Wu Tianlang nodded. Even with his composure, he was somewhat shaken at this moment. Could such a genius really exist in the world?
A ten-year-old Dou Grandmaster?
"The Great Elder really picked up a little monster!" Hu Gan let out a long breath, saying with some emotion. Then, as if he thought of something, a gloating smile appeared on his face, "This year's Inner Court probably won't be peaceful!"
The two nodded in succession. They thought Hu Gan was referring to Jiang Yun. Indeed, with Jiang Yun's talent entering the Inner Court, he would inevitably clash with the older students, and the Inner Court was indeed about to become lively.
Unfortunately, Hu Gan was referring to someone else. However, it didn't really matter who it was!
"Xiao Yun, well fought!" Seeing Jiang Yun return victorious, Zi Yan was even happier than if she had won herself, excitedly dancing with joy.
"There's nothing to be proud of, he's just a Dou Master!" Jiang Yun shook his head indifferently, his tone calm.
"Match 40: Zi Yan of Yellow Class 3 against Wang Shan of Black Class 3."
Zi Yan looked at the somewhat 'Versailles' Jiang Yun, nodding earnestly. Indeed, a Dou Master was not worth being happy about.
Just then, Zi Yan heard her name, and her eyes immediately lit up. She said enthusiastically: "It's my turn, Xiao Yun, just watch my performance!"
Watching Zi Yan rush towards the arena, Jiang Yun quickly called out: "Watch your limits, don't be too heavy-handed."
Looking at Zi Yan who waved her hand, Jiang Yun looked at Zi Yan's opponent, a tall, burly man with a powerful physique, displaying an extraordinary aura.
Compared to the opponent, Zi Yan was 'vastly' different in size, but at this moment, Jiang Yun could only silently mourn for the opponent in his heart, hoping Zi Yan wouldn't be too heavy-handed.
"Jiang Yun, is Zi Yan very strong?" At this moment, Wu En, who had quietly crept over, happened to hear Jiang Yun's instruction to Zi Yan and asked curiously, sizing up Zi Yan's back.
"Hmm, very strong. Under normal circumstances, I'm not her match." Jiang Yun pondered, seemingly estimating his chances against Zi Yan, before giving his answer a moment later.
"That strong?" Wu En was a bit surprised. In his eyes, Jiang Yun was already a representation of unfathomable depth, and his recent performance confirmed his guess. So, what level of strength was Zi Yan, who was even stronger than Jiang Yun?
Dou Ling (Battle Spirit)? Or Dou Wang (Battle King)?
"Then, under what special circumstances are you stronger?" Although he knew the answer, Wu En still asked curiously, what kind of special circumstances were those?
Jiang Yun did not answer, smiling silently as he watched Zi Yan standing on the arena, his fingers incessantly rubbing the Storage Ring in his hand.
Seeing Jiang Yun not answer, Wu En no longer pursued what the situation was, silently staring at Zi Yan on the stage, wanting to see what was so magical about this little girl.
Wang Shan looked at the small figure rushing towards him and was silent for a moment. After repeatedly confirming that no one else was coming up, he reminded her with some reluctance: "Little girl, you should still go down. At your age, I really can't bring myself to attack!"
Zi Yan on the stage immediately attracted countless gazes. Some even beat their chests and stamped their feet, full of regret, and couldn't help but shout in their hearts as they looked at their opponents.
'Why isn't that guy me?'
In their opinion, Zi Yan was simply a 'fortune-bringing child', here to give away points! They didn't know if the instructor of Yellow Class 3 had lost his mind, how could someone of this strength successfully register?
Under the strange gazes from all around, Zi Yan's dark eyes glanced sideways at Wang Shan opposite her, a mischievous smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. She interlaced her fingers and pressed them slightly, and immediately, crackling sounds came from her bones. She raised her head, looked towards the referee, and said in an old-fashioned tone: "Hey, can we start?"
On the high platform, the referee was sweating profusely at this moment. He didn't even dare to look directly at Zi Yan. The moment Zi Yan looked at him, he felt as if he saw a terrifying magical beast, coldly staring at him, and his heart trembled uncontrollably.
Receiving no response for a long time, Zi Yan frowned slightly, looking at the referee with some disdain in her heart. What a weakling, Xiao Yun wouldn't be scared by her.
Thinking of this, a slight curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Alright, let's begin. Remember, don't take a life!" Just then, Hu Gan's faint voice came, immediately resolving the referee's awkward situation.
Zi Yan looked up at the three old men on the high platform, pouting. All of them were guys she couldn't beat.
"Hmph—, then we'll see if he can endure it!"
"Is that one of the geniuses the Great Elder brought back?" Wu Tianlang asked curiously, looking at Zi Yan.
"Indeed, don't let her small appearance fool you. From what I know, her true form is a magical beast with extraordinary bloodline. She accidentally consumed a Shapeshifting Grass, which is why she looks like this. Her strength was at the peak of the fourth tier before entering the Academy, and now she has probably reached the fifth tier." Hu Gan explained softly to the two, looking at Zi Yan.
"Fifth tier?" Even Wu Tianlang, as the captain of the Law Enforcement Team, who had experienced countless battles and had long since cultivated a calm demeanor even when faced with collapsing mountains, couldn't help but twitch his mouth upon hearing this.
"A Dou Wang (Battle King) can already be king in the Inner Court, why did the Great Elder keep her in the Outer Court?" The last peak Dou Huang (Battle Emperor), Elder Li, asked in confusion.
"She herself didn't want to go, saying she wanted to wait for that young man!" Hu Gan explained softly, pointing in Jiang Yun's direction.
Jiang Yun keenly sensed someone observing him, looked up, and their eyes met. He nodded slightly, then continued to watch Zi Yan on the arena.
"Such keen perception. The quality of this year's new students is very high!" Wu Tianlang said with some emotion, looking at Jiang Yun.
"Hehe! I'm more envious of his romantic luck!" Elder Li chuckled, his smile somewhat mischievous.
"You old pervert!" Hu Gan laughed and cursed lightly, also feeling envious.
Who wouldn't want to have a talented, devoted childhood sweetheart in their youth, someone they could grow up with? Moreover, this 'childhood sweetheart' had extremely strong backing, the kind that could be relied on for a lifetime.
Unaware of how Hu Gan and the other two were discussing and envying him, Jiang Yun was currently watching Zi Yan on the arena with great interest. The battle had already begun.
"Arrogant!" He had just kindly reminded her out of consideration for her being a little girl, but she had shown such contempt in public. Wang Shan's face couldn't help but darken, and he said very sternly: "Don't think that just because you're a little girl, I'll go easy on you. The Inner Court isn't a place for babies like you to enter. Let this senior teach you a lesson!"
Looking at Wang Shan, who had adopted a lecturing posture, Zi Yan impatiently flicked her light purple ponytail, her cute and neat little incisors grinding against each other. Then, her slender foot lightly lifted, and a moment later, it slammed down!
"Bang!"
As her foot landed, a dull explosion roared, and then, amidst the long and shocking exclamations, a crack half a foot wide rapidly extended from Zi Yan's foot.
In an instant, it reached the equally stunned Wang Shan. An invisible force shot out from the ground, heading straight for Wang Shan.
Wang Shan's reaction was swift. Although his heart felt a shadow and unease due to the terrifying strength Zi Yan displayed in that instant, he still quickly responded.
With a sharp shout, a powerful Dou Qi surged from his body, and in a flash, it formed a yellow Dou Qi armor on his body.
He was clearly a Dou Grandmaster, a seed contestant vying for one of the fifty spots. Unfortunately.
He encountered Zi Yan. Sometimes, luck was more important than strength.