Seeing Su Qingluo's attitude, Lu Tianyi's jealousy grew even heavier.
"This brat dares to have designs on the woman I, Lu Tianyi, have my eyes on! Just you wait!" Murderous intent surged wildly in Lu Tianyi's heart.
However, with so many eyes watching, especially with so many high-ranking academy officials present, he restrained himself.
He vowed inwardly that he would definitely find an opportunity to get rid of this detestable kid!
"Everyone, the New Student Ranking Tournament is about to begin. Now, let me briefly introduce the rules of the competition," Dean Shangguan announced clearly.
Immediately, the entire arena fell silent.
"The format of the tournament will mainly consist of arena duels. Opponents will be determined by drawing lots. The tournament will proceed in rounds; each participant will have three opportunities to fight in each round. Those who achieve three or two victories will qualify for the next round. Otherwise, they are eliminated. This will continue until the final ten students compete for the top ten rankings. Also, during the matches, please try to stop when your opponent yields, and it's best to avoid fatalities. After all, we are all members of the same academy; there's no need to be fighting to the death. Alright, now, let the tournament officially begin!" Dean Shangguan concluded.
"All new students, I will now draw lots to determine which arena you fight in and who your opponent will be," a deacon standing near a large black wooden box placed close to the dozens of arenas in the center of the training grounds announced loudly.
"Arena One: Chen Hu versus Huang Huasong. Arena Two: Lu Feng versus Lü Jinyue…" The deacon extended his hand into the black box, pulling out wooden placards one by one and calling them out clearly.
The new students whose names were called jumped onto their respective arenas to begin their duels.
"Arena Seven: Du Jinbiao versus Ye Yunfei."
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei heard his name.
"Already my turn in the first batch, huh," Ye Yunfei chuckled, then strode towards Arena Seven.
"Go get 'em, Boss!" Wu Heishan said.
"Good luck," Xiao Hui and her brother chimed in.
In this first batch, Wu Heishan and the Xiao Hui siblings hadn't been drawn yet.
"So this kid's name is Ye Yunfei. Good. Knowing his name makes things easier," Lu Tianyi watched Ye Yunfei walk towards Arena Seven, sneering coldly to himself.
**Arena Seven**
Du Jinbiao was a burly young man at the Mid Stage of the True Manifestation Realm. He held a large golden blade in his hand, his entire body pulsing with powerful spiritual pressure.
"I've been in seclusion cultivating for some time and only came out yesterday. But I've heard about you, Ye Yunfei. Seems you've been causing quite a stir recently! There's even a rumor that you can defeat Early Stage Yuan Foundation Realm experts. An Early Stage True Manifestation Realm cultivator defeating an Early Stage Yuan Foundation Realm cultivator... Ha! Only a fool would believe such a far-fetched tale. Now, I will defeat you in front of everyone and expose your true colors…" Du Jinbiao stared at Ye Yunfei, grinning nastily.
"Too much talk. Get lost," Ye Yunfei swung his right hand casually. A burst of pressurized palm force shot out like a peal of thunder, striking Du Jinbiao squarely on his left cheek.
*Bang!*
Du Jinbiao was thrown back as if struck by lightning. He flew off the arena, crashed onto the ground, and couldn't get up for a long moment.
Instant defeat. Like swatting a fly.
Seeing this scene, many students' gazes were filled with shock and wariness.
"Truly lives up to being the ruthless character who stormed the Xiao Sect headquarters twice!" a student murmured in awe.
"Hmph! So he relies on physical strength. This person's prospects are limited! A mere ant like this is utterly unqualified to compete with me for Qingluo's affection!" After watching Ye Yunfei's performance, Lu Tianyi dismissed him with contempt.
"His strength really has improved tremendously!" Seeing the combat prowess Ye Yunfei displayed, Su Qingluo became so excited her pretty face flushed pink.
"Indulge in your arrogance, Ye Yunfei. Once you encounter me, I will make you weep in despair," Feng Yun'ao stared fixedly at Ye Yunfei, a cold sneer constantly playing on his lips.
Soon after, Xiao Hui, Yuan Dayong, and Wu Heishan also stepped onto arenas for their matches. In this first round, all three were victorious. Xiao Hui, in particular, having activated her True Phoenix Physique, possessed an increasingly ethereal aura and extraordinarily formidable fighting power. Even simple moves in her hands erupted with terrifying force.
"Look! Feng Yun'ao is taking the stage on Arena Two!" someone suddenly shouted.
Immediately, many people's gazes turned to Arena Two.
On the arena, Feng Yun'ao stood in a white robe, hands clasped behind his back, his expression aloof, his head held high, not even bothering to look at his opponent. A tall, lanky youth stood across from him, holding a long spear, looking at Feng Yun'ao with fearful eyes. This tall youth was at the Mid Stage of the True Manifestation Realm. He knew he was likely no match for Feng Yun'ao. But with so many eyes on him, he seemed somewhat embarrassed to surrender immediately.
"Enough. Just surrender. Don't waste my time." Feng Yun'ao had stood on the arena for less than two seconds before turning to leave.
"Senior Brother Feng, you…" the tall youth was taken aback and called out.
"Get lost!" Feng Yun'ao suddenly roared. A powerful wave of Soul Power slammed into the tall youth's head.
"Ah!" The tall youth screamed as if struck by lightning, staggering back several steps, looking at Feng Yun'ao with a horrified expression.
Without a backward glance, Feng Yun'ao descended from the arena.
The entire arena fell silent.
Most people could tell Feng Yun'ao had executed a Soul Force Martial Art. Possessing such a level of Soul Power at such a young age was truly astonishing. Moreover, for martial artists of the Tianxuan Continent, Soul Force Martial Arts were incredibly rare. Ordinary martial artists simply had no chance to come into contact with such techniques.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei was drawn again to step onto an arena. His opponent this time was actually a Saint Realm cultivator. Ye Yunfei casually backhanded him, ending the match in less than a second.
Each participant had three chances to fight per round. After the first round concluded, Ye Yunfei, Xiao Hui, Wu Heishan, and Yuan Dayong all passed, advancing to the next round.
The subsequent matches were practically negligible for Ye Yunfei. Most of his opponents were defeated by him in a single move. Some even surrendered immediately upon seeing it was Ye Yunfei. Because whether it was a Saint Realm expert, a True Manifestation Realm expert, or even a Late Stage True Manifestation Realm opponent, none could withstand even one move from Ye Yunfei. When encountering a few particularly powerful and troublesome Late Stage True Manifestation Realm opponents, Ye Yunfei ended the battle within two moves.
Ye Yunfei's eye-catching performance naturally drew gasps of amazement.
Su Qingluo watched with great excitement. When things got thrilling, she couldn't help but clench her small fists, cheering for Ye Yunfei.
Standing beside Su Qingluo, Lu Tianyi felt the envy within him churn like a furnace. He desperately wished he could rush onto the arena and slay Ye Yunfei on the spot.
Feng Yun'ao's matches were almost identical to Ye Yunfei's. Even more exaggeratedly, most participants who encountered Feng Yun'ao surrendered outright. Because Feng Yun'ao showed no mercy; once he moved, his opponents were either crippled or severely injured!