Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Many Love Rivals

    ?

    Word Count: 3,712 Words

    ******

    However, after observing for a round, Xiao Yan noticed that no one was using medicinal pills during the matches. At most, they would use healing-type pills to recover from injuries afterward.

    ''It''s probably not allowed. If using pills were permitted, it would simply become a competition of who can afford the most expensive ones.'' Xiao Yan shook his head inwardly, but there was no trace of dejection or disappointment in his eyes.

    "Xiao Yan ge-ge will definitely make it into the top five." Ever since that day, Xun Er had become much bolder. She nestled closely against Xiao Yan like a little bird.

    Xiao Yan sighed lightly, "Ah, it''s not a big problem for me to get into the top five, but it''ll be a bit challenging for Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning to break into the top five as well. If only we could use medicinal pills."

    Instructor Ruo Ling sitting nearby glanced sideways at Xiao Yan, "You rascal still have time to worry about others. Don''t be too careless. That Bai Shan who attacked you before entered the Outer Academy a year earlier than you, and his strength isn''t weak. He''s cultivated several High Xuan Class Dou Techniques. I''ve heard he can already defeat peak Dou Grandmasters. He even once killed a Dou Spirit expert."

    "There''s also Wu Hao from the Outer Academy''s Law Enforcement Unit. The Law

    Enforcement Unit faces the vicious villains from the Black-Corner Region. The number of Dou Grandmasters who have died at his hands is countless. Even Dou Spirits have fallen to him. His strength is not to be underestimated."

    "That red-clothed girl Hu Jia who''s been staring at you is the granddaughter of Hu Gan, the Deputy Headmaster of the Outer Academy. She''s the same age as you and Xun Er, and her strength is not beneath Xun Er''s. Her talent is exceptional; such a high level of talent hasn''t appeared in the Outer Academy for decades."

    Xiao Yan looked at Instructor Ruo Ling as she talked on and on and couldn''t help but complain about the low quality of Jia Nan Academy''s teaching.

    He didn''t believe that Hu Jia''s strength was on par with Xun Er''s. Xun Er, this kind-hearted girl, seemed evenly matched with everyone, but only he knew that if she truly unleashed her full power, her real strength might be even more terrifying than his own.

    "Don''t worry, Instructor Ruo Ling. Whether it''s Bai Shan, Wu Hao, or that tiger girl, I have confidence in defeating them all. The first place in this Outer Academy Qualifying Competition will definitely come from our Huang Class Two." Xiao Yan couldn''t help but comfort her, giving her a boost of confidence.

    The qualifying competition proceeded one round per day. Although those who could participate in the Inner Academy selection were the elites of each class, after all, students could study in the Outer Academy for four years. Third-year and fourth-year students would also participate, so the number of participants in the competition was around a hundred. The victors of the first round would be paired up. Those who won two consecutive matches would automatically secure a spot in the top fifty, and the same for the losers. Those who lost two consecutive matches would have no chance to enter the Inner Academy. Then, the third round would have those with one win and one loss compete for the final twenty-five spots.

    In the second round, the first to go on stage was Xiao Mei. Interestingly, Xiao Yan was up right after her, and this time, his opponent was also an alchemist!

    "Xiao Yan''s opponent is actually Lu Mu? Hey, Yu Er, isn''t that your Lu Mu?" Xue Ni, sitting beside Xiao Yu, laughed as she pressed her twin peaks against Xiao Yu''s arm.

    Xiao Yan had seen this Xue Ni during the enrollment two years ago. His impression of her was that she had a pair of deadly weapons, quite ample indeed.

    "Yours, my ass! That guy was just spouting nonsense. I have no relationship with him whatsoever, not even as friends." Xiao Yu hurriedly denied it and glanced at Xiao Yan, who was sitting in front waiting for his turn.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    Xue Ni revealed a mischievous smile and deliberately said loudly, "Hehe, that Lu Mu is Yu Er''s number one suitor. Back then during enrollment, that guy pretended to be a new student and pulled Yu Er around the academy for most of the day. Later, when Yu Er realized it, she directly kicked him into the pond. Who knew that after being kicked once, that guy would start sticking to Yu Er like glue?"

    Xiao Yu''s delicate brows furrowed slightly when she saw that Xiao Yan had no reaction. Her slender jade-like leg lightly kicked his back.

    "Hey, I''m still the Little Clan Leader, you know." Xiao Yan naturally knew Xiao Yu was nudging him with her foot and turned his head to look at her with mild annoyance. "Hmph, what kind of Little Clan Leader are you? Someone''s pestering your people, and you don''t even teach him a lesson." After Xiao Yu finished speaking, a blush immediately appeared on her pretty face, feeling that her words seemed somewhat inappropriate.

    Xiao Yan sighed and slowly stood up as Xiao Mei was about to defeat her opponent. He said helplessly, "He''s just a one-move nobody. How do you expect me to help you teach him a lesson?"

    As Xiao Mei''s agile movement landed a palm on her opponent''s neck, knocking them unconscious, the referee shouted, "The match is over! The winner is Xiao Mei!"

    "Yay!! Cousin Xiao Yan, I''ve advanced!!" Xiao Mei couldn''t contain her joy. Her face revealed a radiant smile as she waved at Xiao Yan.

    Watching Xiao Mei bouncing up and down excitedly like a little white rabbit, many male students who preferred this cute and petite type revealed silly grins.

    Xiao Yan smiled and waved gently as he slowly walked down from the spectator stands. "Lu Mu from the Alchemy Department versus Xiao Yan from Huang Class Two!" With the referee''s loud announcement, the noisy plaza quieted down for a moment. Then, countless gazes instantly shifted to Xiao Yan. Those gazes held various emotions, and naturally, there were more unfriendly ones among them.

    After all, Xiao Yan was surrounded by several beauties. It was hard not to attract envy, especially after that kiss, which directly made Xiao Yan the public enemy of the entire

    academy.

    Although she knew Xiao Yan''s strength was very strong, Instructor Ruo Ling couldn''t help but remind him, "Looks like many people are waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. This Lu Mu is not comparable to Xue Beng from yesterday. His strength could be considered among the top ten in the entire Outer Academy. Moreover, as an alchemist, he can control a flame with considerable destructive power. He''s quite tricky to deal with, so be careful."

    "Xiao Yan ge-ge, good luck," Xun Er playfully encouraged him from the side.

    Xiao Yan waved his hand. To him, these worries were unnecessary, but they also made him

    feel gratified.

    Just moments after he entered the arena, a clear whistle suddenly sounded from outside the plaza. Then, a blue figure instantly swept across the sky above the plaza and finally tapped the pillars surrounding the battle stage with the tip of his toes, flipping through the air and

    landing on the stage.

    Xiao Yan watched this flashy entrance and felt embarrassed for him.

    After this blue-clothed figure appeared, the surrounding stands immediately erupted into tsunami-like cheers. It seemed that in Jia Nan Academy, many people hoped that this Lu Mu could suppress the newly arrived yet extremely domineering Xiao Yan.

    "This battle should force Xiao Yan to give it his all. That Lu Mu guy isn''t the same as Xue Beng from yesterday." Bai Shan looked indifferently at the two in the arena, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "I want to see what skills you, Xiao Yan, have to be with Xun Er!"

    "Fight, fight! It''s best if both of them end up half-crippled. Then Xun Er won''t have to be ruined by that Xiao Yan. Otherwise, I''ll have to step in again." In another area of the stands, the red-dressed girl Hu Jia glanced at today''s most attention-grabbing match and curled her lips.

    The blue-robed youth who appeared before Xiao Yan had his hair casually draped over his shoulders. A hint of laziness hung on his face. His body was tall and straight. Although his appearance wasn''t as handsome as Bai Shan''s, he could still make people feel amiable. His harmless-looking face easily made people lower their guard. No wonder even with Xiao Yu''s temperament, she was tricked by this guy the first time they met.

    "You are Xiao Yan, the Little Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan?" While Xiao Yan was sizing up the blue-robed youth, Lu Mu also looked at him with a smile and asked.

    "Mm." When Xiao Yan saw that this guy did not have the same expression as Bai Shan, he nodded slightly in response.

    "Hehe, we''re all family here, family! Don''t worry, Brother Xiao Yan. When the match starts later, I''ll go easy on you. I definitely won''t let you get hurt. Otherwise, I''ll be in trouble if Yu Er gets angry." Lu Mu immediately chuckled and spoke warmly when he saw Xiao Yan nod.

    "Uh..." Xiao Yan was left speechless. This guy was really overly familiar. Meeting for the first time, yet he could pull their relationship to such a level. Truly a character.

    Xiao Yan shook his head and said, "Then I''m really sorry, but as the Little Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, I refuse to allow weaklings into our clan."

    Lu Mu was stunned. He was a 3-star Dou Grandmaster and also an alchemist. How was that

    weak?

    "Let''s begin." At this point, even the referee couldn''t stand it anymore and waved his hand,

    announcing loudly.

    the Inner Academy," Xiao Yu nodded in agreement.

    Xiao Yan''s eyes narrowed as he revealed a meaningful smile and said, "How could someone

    from my Xiao Clan be defeated so easily?"

    "Use the Secret Technique," Xiao Yan transmitted his voice to Xiao Yue Liang in the arena

    using his Spiritual Strength.

    Xiao Yue Liang sighed inwardly upon hearing the Little Clan Leader''s spiritual transmission,

    feeling remorseful that his cultivation was lacking and he had to rely on external aid to defeat his opponent.

    "Hahaha! Victory is mine!" Xiao Yue Liang''s opponent took advantage of his momentary distraction and threw a punch at his face.

    Suddenly, a ball of blood-red flame emerged from Xiao Yue Liang''s body with a buzzing

    sound. His aura surged rapidly at this moment.

    "Hmm? Is that a Secret Technique?!" Deputy Headmaster Hu Gan frowned, somewhat

    uncertain.

    "Secret Technique, my ass! That brat Xiao Yan hid a bit of Heavenly Flame in Xiao Yue Liang''s body. But if you want to call it a Secret Technique, that works too. The principle of Secret Techniques is also to activate some kind of energy within the body to enhance strength."

    Others might not recognize it, but Elder Huo, who specialized in fire, could naturally tell. It was the same kind of Heavenly Flame that Xiao Yan used.

    Roar!! Xiao Yue Liang seemed to have gone berserk at this moment. His eyes turned blood-red

    and his muscles became robust and bulging. He grabbed his opponent and slammed him onto

    the

    ground.

    The suddenly ferocious Xiao Yue Liang caught his opponent off guard. His punches and kicks

    were powerful and forceful. After being strengthened by the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, the opponent''s Dou Qi Armor could no longer withstand his attacks.

    In the end, Xiao Yue Liang won by throwing his opponent off the stage. Instructor Ruo Ling watched as Xiao Yan treated Xiao Yue Liang''s injuries. She still hadn''t

    recovered from the shock. All the members of the Xiao Clan had entered the top fifty-they were all entering the Inner Academy!!

    Huang Class Two had made a name for themselves.

    ...

    After the second day, twenty-five people advanced in the Inner Academy Qualifying Competition, twenty-five were eliminated, and the remaining fifty would compete tomorrow to determine the last twenty-five spots for entering the Inner Academy.

    Xiao Yan and the others naturally didn''t need to watch anymore; it was equivalent to having a

    day off.

    From this day on, the name of Xiao Yan-or rather, the Xiao Clan-began to spread throughout the entire academy. Those who were jealous of Xiao Yan, those who questioned

    Xun Er''s judgment, gradually began to hold their tongues.

    On the fourth day, the fifty people who had advanced to the Inner Academy all gathered in the

    plaza for the final competition to determine the top five and earn the qualification to enter the Book Collection Hall.

    When Xiao Yan and the others arrived outside the main plaza and saw the human tide that almost blocked the entrance completely, they couldn''t help but feel a bit speechless. In the end, with Instructor Ruo Ling''s connections, they entered the plaza through a heavily guarded passage.

    Sitting on his chair, Xiao Yan was chatting and laughing softly with Xun Er beside him when

    he suddenly stopped talking and turned his gaze toward a special passage in the plaza. Over there, surrounded by a group of people like stars surrounding the moon, Bai Shan was looking over. Noticing Xiao Yan''s gaze, a cold smile appeared on his handsome face. His lips moved

    slightly, and although he made no sound, Xiao Yan could still discern what he was saying. I want to make you lose all face today!

    Xiao Yan merely glanced at him and paid no further attention. If talking big was all it took,

    then he could say he wanted to become a Dou God.

    "You''re Xiao Yan? Do you dare to fight me?!" Just as Xiao Yan was about to say something to

    Xun Er, someone approached him.

    Xiao Yan looked over. He remembered this person seemed to be called Wu Hao or something, known as the Blood Shura of the Law Enforcement Unit. All his skills were honed for killing.

    He had slain countless people; the murderous aura on him was like a dragon, and his entire being reeked of blood. Rumor had it that he was also one of Xun Er''s suitors.

    "I-" Before Xiao Yan could even get a word out, another voice came from not far away.

    "Wu Hao, get lost! Xun Er is my woman. I''ll be the one to defeat this Xiao Yan!" A red-clothed

    girl put her hands on her hips and said in a brash manner.

    The Little Witch Hu Jia. Xiao Yan had heard this name during the enrollment back then.

    Wu Hao ignored the Little Witch. Instead, his eyes revealed a sharp battle intent as he stared

    fixedly at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan turned his head to look at Xun Er sitting next to him. Helplessly spreading his hands,

    he said, "Xun Er, you really are a killer of both men and women, huh."

    Xun Er glanced at Xiao Yan, who was teasing her. It''s not my fault I''m good-looking!