Qin Xiaowan was now the focus of everyone's attention. The strength and peerless beauty she had displayed during the preliminary trials left a deep impression on many.
"Go, Xiaowan!" Ye Feifei couldn't help but shout.
Qin Xiaowan turned slightly and smiled at Ye Feifei. "I know. I won't let you down!"
All the participants in the qualification tournament then stepped onto the arena stage. In the very center of the stage stood a stone table, upon which sat a large box. Inside were the number tokens for this final tournament.
"Everyone standing on this stage is an elite from all corners of the land. Each time Linyuan Academy recruits, in addition to accepting family recommendations, we also provide opportunities for those with outstanding talent and formidable strength. Today, who among you becomes a student of Linyuan Academy will depend entirely on your performance.
Inside this box are many number tokens, each one different. You will come up in order to draw your token. You will then be matched according to your number. The winner advances, the loser is eliminated. You should know that Linyuan Academy recruits only the most outstanding talent.
Now, please begin drawing your number tokens from the box. Good luck to you all!" the middle-aged man from Linyuan Academy announced.
The participants on the stage then walked one by one to the stone table and drew an oval-shaped, white plaque from the box. The material was unfamiliar, and each plaque had a number inscribed on it.
Qin Xiaowan drew her token and glanced at it: number thirty-seven. 'Not bad,' she thought. 'There are at least thirty-six people before me. I can carefully observe their fights and gain more combat experience.'
After a moment, the middle-aged man spoke again. "Now that everyone has their number, I will announce the rules for this qualification tournament. There are a total of two hundred and thirty people on the stage. Number one will fight number two hundred and thirty. Number two will fight number two hundred and twenty-nine, and so on.
One person will receive a bye and advance directly. It took great luck to draw that specific token from over two hundred contestants. Originally, the academy planned to recruit only one hundred students. However, we've made an exception this time and will accept all of the slightly more than one hundred students who advance. Therefore, you each have only one chance.
Now, everyone please clear the stage, leaving only number one and number two hundred and thirty. Who will they be? Let's wait and see!"
The crowd descended from the stage, leaving two young men behind. From a distance, Ye Tian gauged their strength; both appeared to be at the One Vein Sixth Layer. 'It's no simple feat to stand out from several thousand people,' he mused.
Generally, the contestants who remained on the stage had reached the One Vein Seventh Layer. Needless to say, these two must have something that set them apart.
Both young men looked grim. Neither wanted to be the first to fight, but there was no escaping it. "Let the match begin!" As the middle-aged man's voice fell, the first bout of the qualification tournament commenced.
Both young men wielded longswordsāone fiery red, the other white.
Ye Tian could clearly see powerful Energy fluctuations pulsing from the fiery-red longsword, as if flames were burning along its blade. A sword like that was no simple weapon; it had to be a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact at the very least.
The two stood facing each other, about ten meters apart. The young man with the white longsword pointed it to the sky, executed a quick, showy flourish, and then the longsword shot from his hand like a Hidden Weapon, flying toward his opponent.
It was the first time Ye Tian had seen such an attack, and he found it quite peculiar. 'He's probably not just throwing his longsword like a Hidden Weapon, though,' he thought. 'It's more likely he can control its direction to continue the assault.'
The young man with the fiery-red longsword showed a flicker of surprise before quickly slashing out with his weapon. A two-meter-long stream of red Flame Sword Qi erupted, appearing before the crowd.
As the Sword Qi appeared, the temperature of the surrounding air shot up, and it began to CRACKLE as if it were about to ignite. The crowd was bewildered.
'Such powerful Flame Sword Qi,' Ye Tian thought, astonished. 'What kind of Martial Skill is he using?'
A look of confusion also crossed Ye Feifei's face. Martial Skills capable of producing an Elemental Attack were all incredibly formidable. The power of this young man's strike was at least equivalent to the One Vein Seventh Layer; he was not to be underestimated.
Everyone was now worried for the young man using the Flying Sword. Against such immense Attack Power, a longsword that was no longer in its master's control seemed useless. However, something unexpected happened.
The longsword began to spin rapidly in a bizarre fashion, continuously emitting powerful Sword Qi. After a few breaths, it flew back into the young man's hand.
Ye Tian couldn't understand how the young man had done it. Once a longsword leaves the hand, it should simply fall to the ground. Yet, this one had returned. 'If he's controlling it with his body's Spiritual Power, then his Spiritual Power must be incredibly immense.'
'I certainly can't do that right now. It's almost like how Elder Qing could pull someone over from a distance. But I can't see any Spiritual Power emerging from this young man's hand. It's very strange.'
The powerful Flame Sword Qi quickly collided with the other youth's Sword Qi. Perhaps his was a fraction weaker, because the Flame Sword Qi broke through as if unstoppable, reaching him in the blink of an eye.
The other young man, however, dodged in a flash and slashed out with his longsword again. The blow was much weaker, but it was aimed directly at the vitals of the youth who had used the Flame Sword Qi.
If the fire-wielder didn't dodge, he would be gravely wounded, perhaps even killed. In contrast, the attack heading for the other youth would, at worst, only cause a serious injury. At this critical juncture, the fire-wielder had no choice but to evade.
And just like that, a powerful attack was countered, and with ease.
The combat experience of both fighters was extraordinary, which surprised Ye Tian. He was especially impressed by the youth using the Flying Sword, who had found the optimal way to counter his opponent's strike in the shortest possible time.
'That requires facing the situation with extreme calm. A panicked dodge might have resulted in getting hit by that powerful Flame Sword Qi, which would have meant serious injury and elimination.'
Ye Tian was astonished, and the middle-aged man on the stage was visibly shocked as well. He was extremely satisfied with the performance of these two. Losing either of them would be a loss for Linyuan Academy.
He secretly decided that he would allow the loser to enter the academy as well. The only problem was that letting both of them pass right now would cause an uproar and make people think this qualification tournament for Linyuan Academy was unfair.
A solemn expression also appeared on Qin Xiaowan's face. The fight between these two had given her a profound insight. In that moment, she seemed to grasp a new understanding of Martial Skills. She slowly closed her eyes, lost in contemplationā¦