"Earth-rank Dou Technique?"
At this moment, Sun Hai and Wu Qiu had long lost their previous disdain. Feeling the restless energy of heaven and earth, this was definitely not something a Profound Rank Combat Skill could cause.
'Earth Rank' – these simple two words brought a profound silence to the surroundings, becoming instantly quiet.
Although there was only one rank difference between High Profound Rank and Earth Rank, the gap between them was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Profound Rank Combat Skills mostly exert their power by relying on the strength of the user, whereas Earth-rank Dou Techniques can already achieve destructive power by drawing upon the energy of heaven and earth. One relies on human strength, the other on the power of heaven and earth; the superiority of these two is clear.
While Profound Rank Combat Skills are quite rare, everyone who can enter the Inner Court is an elite of Jia Nan Academy. Even if they don't have High Profound Rank, they certainly have Mid or Low Profound Rank.
But an Earth-rank Dou Technique—no one had ever heard of anyone possessing such a combat skill.
Earth-rank Dou Techniques are powerful trump cards even at the Dou Wang (Battle King) and Dou Huang (Battle Emperor) stages. In the Inner Court, among the generally Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) population, it was indeed somewhat extravagant.
Cultivation emphasizes gradual progress. Strictly speaking, one only truly begins to access combat skills of the Earth Rank level when they reach the Dou Wang (Battle King) stage.
Looking at Jiang Yun, who was surrounded by cold pressure, both of their expressions became slightly solemn. Their auras continuously rose to collectively resist the pressure from Jiang Yun.
"Trouble?" Sun Hai and Wu Qiu exchanged glances, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.
"Isn't he a new student? How can he be so strong?"
Not only the members of the Black Demon and White Demon teams who were directly facing Jiang Yun's might, but even the many older students who had already been eliminated and were watching from afar were stunned.
"A combat skill of this level is definitely not Profound Rank."
At this moment, the few Elders watching from afar all had solemn expressions. Jiang Yun's surprises for them were truly one after another! Now, even an Earth-rank Dou Technique had appeared.
In this way, if the two sides fought intensely, one careless mistake might mean even they wouldn't have time to intervene and rescue.
"But, this Elder has seen the might of Earth-rank Dou Techniques. Although Jiang Yun's combat skill is equally terrifying in its power, this Elder feels there's still something missing?"
Similarly, some Elders, after their initial surprise, looked at the fiery giant hand in the arena with puzzled expressions.
"Yes! This Elder remembers that the Fire Cloud Hand is a common Profound Rank Combat Skill. How did it become Earth Rank?"
At this time, many Elders reacted and looked towards the Grand Elder, hoping to get an answer from him.
Su Qian, at this moment, had his back to everyone and curled his lips. How would he know how that boy Jiang Yun did it? As a Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor) who possessed a genuine Earth-rank Dou Technique, he was very certain that the combat skill Jiang Yun displayed definitely did not reach the Earth Rank standard.
However, the restless energy of heaven and earth could not be wrong. That could only be attributed to Jiang Yun's outstanding talent and terrifyingly high fire affinity.
"Wu Qiu, go all out!"
Sun Hai watched the descending fiery giant hand, his pupils instantly shrinking to pinholes. His entire aura rose to its peak. He quickly formed hand seals, and a massive lightning lion quickly took shape, pouncing towards Jiang Yun.
"Mad Lion Break!"
"Earth Flame Slash!"
Sun Hai reacted quickly, and Wu Qiu was not to be outdone. His Four-star Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) strength fully erupted. The earth rolled, and an extremely powerful energy surged from underground. In just the blink of an eye, the power had gathered completely.
This was an energy-formed earthen-yellow giant sword, identical to the greatsword on Wu Qiu's back. The opponent merged the two greatswords, and an 'enchanted' divine weapon was born.
An energy construct compressed and condensed from the power of the earth, combined with the sharpness of a divine weapon, its power was extremely immense.
"Boom—"
A violent explosion sounded. The scene had already turned into a sea of fire. The other members of the Black Demon and White Demon teams were frantically dodging the falling flames.
"Everyone, please exit!"
Just then, a faint voice sounded. The older students who were dodging the aftermath of the combat skill suddenly felt their ankles tighten. Before they could react, a dizzying sensation struck them the next moment.
"Ah—"
A chorus of screams rose, making Wu Qiu and Sun Hai, whose hands were numb, somewhat anxious. Ignoring the consumption of Dou Qi (Battle Energy) in their bodies, the two shook themselves vigorously, finally leaving the space where the combat skills had collided.
After they saw what the outside looked like, their faces instantly turned dark, and a wave of dizziness came over them.
They saw Jiang Yun calmly looking at them not far away, while their teammates were hanging upside down from a tree by a fiery rope, each with a pale face and prominent forehead, clearly having no strength left to fight.
"Jiang Yun, release them!"
Wu Qiu, with his fiery temper, said in a booming voice, a hint of self-reproach in his eyes. As the captain of the Black Demon team, failing to protect his teammates was a dereliction of his duty, which he considered unforgivable.
Pure and thick Dou Qi (Battle Energy) condensed on the giant sword in his hand. His somewhat messy hair and clothing, coupled with his iron-blooded aura, gave him an unparalleled domineering presence.
"That's right, release them. We haven't decided the winner yet!" Sun Hai also spoke, his cold gaze fixed on Jiang Yun.
Hearing this, Jiang Yun released the rope that was holding the few people, and they immediately fell to the ground, having no more strength to fight.
"I had no intention of doing anything to them. These few have already been eliminated, so these belong to me!"
Saying this, Jiang Yun took several Fire Energy Cards from them, and following the same method, left them five days of Fire Energy, transferring all the rest to his own card. At this moment, his card already had over a thousand Fire Energy.
"Hmph—, you've already unleashed an Earth-rank Dou Technique. Your Dou Qi (Battle Energy) must be almost depleted, right?"
"You have no chance."
Wu Qiu's expression softened slightly when he saw Jiang Yun release the few people, but he still said coldly.
"That depends on your abilities!" Jiang Yun maintained his calm demeanor, as if everything was under control, which made people furious.
"I don't believe you, a Dou Grandmaster, have so much Dou Qi (Battle Energy)!"
Saying this, Wu Qiu rushed in front of Sun Hai, swinging his giant sword and releasing streaks of sword qi.
Jiang Yun watched the myriad sword qi approaching, flicking his fingers repeatedly. Immediately, streams of fireballs whistled towards the sword qi. Under Jiang Yun's control, the fireballs precisely hit each and every sword qi.
Looking at Wu Qiu rushing straight towards him, Jiang Yun's eyes flashed. Instead of retreating, he advanced, lightly tapping his toes, leaving afterimages in place, and quickly arrived in front of Wu Qiu. He raised his hand and struck, aiming directly at the opponent's forehead.
Wu Qiu's eyes narrowed. His combat experience was extremely terrifying. His body dodged Jiang Yun's punch at a strange angle, while at the same time, his giant sword swept upwards, intending to inflict heavy damage on Jiang Yun.
"Not bad—"
Jiang Yun's tone carried a hint of praise, but his hand movements were not slow. He raised his hand and chopped down, his bare hands seemingly transforming into the sharpest weapons in the world, intent on splitting Wu Qiu in half.
"Don't underestimate me—"
Seeing this, Wu Qiu's expression hardened. He did not retreat, but rather swung his greatsword forward with a direct thrust.
With a "ding—" sound, the sword tip collided with Jiang Yun's palm. His sword blade bent slightly, and his body couldn't help but slide backward, his feet heavily treading the ground, leaving two long furrows.
"Lightning Sword Finger!"
The moment Wu Qiu retreated, Sun Hai on the side also suddenly launched an attack. He circulated his Dou Qi (Battle Energy) with his left hand, gathering countless lightning sword qi on his five fingers, and at the moment it approached Jiang Yun, he thrust it towards his chest.
The timing he chose could not have been better. Jiang Yun had just forced back Wu Qiu, and this was precisely the moment when his old strength was gone and new strength was yet to be born.
Therefore, Sun Hai immediately used the highest combat skill he had learned, the High Profound Rank "Lightning Sword Finger."
Finger-type combat skills have always been the most powerful single-target attacks among all combat skills. Coupled with Sun Hai's extremely rare lightning-attribute Dou Qi (Battle Energy), the power of this move was enough to severely injure a high-level Dou Ling (Battle Spirit).
But Sun Hai underestimated Jiang Yun. The attack that had just forced back Wu Qiu was not his full strength.
So.
A slender palm quickly reached out, emitting a soft glow, like a piece of fine steel.
The finger and palm collided fiercely, and a low sonic boom suddenly erupted at the point of contact. A ripple of fierce energy, causing spatial fluctuations, surged out rapidly, finally spreading in all directions.
"This is impossible—" Seeing that Jiang Yun still had strength left, Sun Hai's state of mind was also somewhat unstable at this moment. His eyes were filled with terror. Looking at Jiang Yun's calm eyes, he felt, for the first time, the thought of being invincible.
Jiang Yun would not let go of the opponent's mistake. He shook his right hand, flinging out countless lightning sword qi.
"Fire Cloud Seal!"
A large fiery seal quickly condensed in his palm, and in Sun Hai's despairing gaze, it pressed onto the opponent's chest.
The next second, Sun Hai's body trembled violently. He only felt that at this moment, countless flames formed by fire were in his body, tightly entwining his meridians. As long as he used Dou Qi (Battle Energy), he would suffer the pain of ten thousand fires burning his body.
He was pale, staggering backward, each step leaving a deep footprint on the ground.
In this Fire Energy Capture Competition, the White Demon team was completely eliminated!
Meanwhile, Wu Qiu, whose numb arm had recovered, stopped. Looking at the tiny chip on his sword's edge, and then at Sun Hai, who had been defeated in an instant, his gaze towards Jiang Yun changed for the first time, filled with deep disbelief. He couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Are you even human?"
The strength Jiang Yun displayed at this moment could no longer be described merely as 'genius'; it was simply monstrous.
For Wu Qiu, Jiang Yun defeating Sun Hai didn't shock him as much as Jiang Yun's terrifying physical body.
Although there were strong physical cultivators among humans, they were all cultivators who had immersed themselves in it for many years. Jiang Yun was so young, his Dou Qi (Battle Energy) cultivation was high, and when he first appeared, he also subtly revealed his not-weak soul cultivation.
Now, even his physical body was so abnormal, making Wu Qiu, who had grown up in the halo of genius since childhood, couldn't help but lose his composure.
"As you can see!"
Jiang Yun walked towards Wu Qiu with a leisurely pace, shrugging his shoulders in the process.
Wu Qiu took a deep breath, looking at Jiang Yun getting closer and closer. An invisible pressure weighed on his heart. Wu Qiu felt that even the top ten of the Inner Court's Strong Ranking couldn't give him more pressure than this.
"Jiang Yun, I know you're very strong, and I'm not your opponent. However, I still have one last move. Let's decide the winner with one blow!"
Hearing Wu Qiu's words, Jiang Yun raised his hand, gesturing for him to use whatever moves he had!
Wu Qiu looked solemnly in Jiang Yun's direction, slightly exerting force on his arm, and slammed his giant sword into the ground.
He suddenly grasped the hilt with both palms, and a somewhat dark red Dou Qi (Battle Energy) flowed along his somewhat large hands, completely enveloping the sword body. The dark red Dou Qi (Battle Energy) swirled around the blade, subtly condensing, emitting a chilling glint.
"Cracked Rock Mountain Splitter!"
Accompanied by a loud shout, Wu Qiu leaped up and went straight for Jiang Yun. The giant sword in his hand, carrying the force of thunder, violently slashed down towards Jiang Yun. An invisible gust of wind formed a faint arc in front of the blade. The air around Jiang Yun became still, and the momentum was extremely astonishing.
"Fire Cloud Blade!"
Jiang Yun looked calmly at the descending Wu Qiu. He shook his hands, and a blade of fiery qi, condensed from white flames and emitting terrifying heat waves, shot directly towards Wu Qiu in mid-air, splitting towards Wu Qiu's face in mid-air.
Before the fiery blade qi even approached, the moisture in the surrounding air seemed to have been sucked dry, making Wu Qiu feel parched. But seeing the expectant eyes of the older students nearby, he gritted his teeth, a trace of blood oozing from his chapped lips, and gathered all his strength, slashing towards Jiang Yun.
"Bang—"
Wu Qiu crossed his arms diagonally to block the fiery blade qi. After a loud burst of fierce energy, a ripple of energy storm surged out. Wherever the ripple passed, gullies appeared everywhere, and the entire ground seemed to have been ploughed over.
The storm quickly subsided!
"We lost."
Accompanied by a lost voice, the awakened older students of the Inner Court all looked at the scene in the arena with disappointment.
A figure slowly walked out, and behind him were two 'corpses' lying on the ground, with a green fire crystal card on their faces, looking so glaring. Those two were none other than Wu Qiu and Sun Hai!
After Jiang Yun dealt with the White Demon and Black Demon teams, he didn't go far before he saw a raised hillside not far away. The hillside was also scattered with irregular rocks.
And at this moment, on these rocks and beside them, were middle-aged men with steady auras, either sitting or standing. Clearly, they should all be administrators of the Inner Court.
Zi Yan was also among them, and seeing Jiang Yun, she excitedly waved her hand.
Jiang Yun returned a smile, and on another part of the hillside, there was a platform built of giant stones. On this platform, two old men sat.
It was Su Qian and another Elder Qing. Seeing Jiang Yun emerge, his clothes neat, it was as if the Black Demon and White Demon teams hadn't caused him any trouble at all.
Su Qian and the other Elders' mouths also twitched slightly.
"Is this guy really only ten years old? He's been bulldozing his way through this whole time. Now, we haven't even seen through his true capabilities, but the Inner Court's secrets have almost been completely exposed by this kid!"
Elder Qing, who had witnessed Jiang Yun's entire 'challenge' process, said somewhat helplessly.
"..."
Su Qian also fell silent. About this child he had picked up, he only knew that the other party had an extraordinary background and exceptional talent. Considering the other party's young age, he hadn't interfered much, waiting until the other party entered the Inner Court.
The result seems to be...
Well! Jiang Yun didn't need his help at all. With his endless combat skills and unreasonable cultivation speed, as long as he was given a stable environment to grow, he could give you a whole sky!