"Damn it!" Suppressed from start to finish by someone whose cultivation was far beneath her own, Leng Ning burned with fury.

Just as she prepared to unleash her trump card, an incomparably bizarre fluctuation washed over her, and a wave of severe dizziness struck her mind.

Though her strength was profound and she quickly stabilized herself, a terrifying pressure had already arrived right before her eyes.

"Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword!" Because Lin Dongxue had been struck, Tang Yan's killing intent toward Leng Ning surged, and this time he showed absolutely no mercy.

A swath of white light slashed fiercely toward Leng Ning, tearing through the air with the momentum of breaking waves.

Leng Ning was greatly alarmed. She flicked her slender sword, and a tyrannical sword aura erupted in response.

However, because she was caught off guard and the grade of her technique fell short of Tang Yan's, the momentum of her strike was clearly a fraction weaker.

At this exact moment, an incredibly fast figure arrived at the scene.

This person was none other than Yu Juechen, who had sprinted here without pause.

He had originally been worried about Tang Yan's safety, but upon seeing the scene before him, his eyes widened. "No... no way? This fierce? A Black Rank Seventh Grade suppressing a Black Rank Ninth Grade?"

The surrounding crowd was no less shocked than Yu Juechen. They all craned their necks, their faces full of disbelief.

Bang! The two attacks collided, sending a blast of sand and gravel flying in all directions.

The explosive power of Tang Yan's martial skill swallowed Leng Ning's attack like a breaching whale, and the remaining force continued its deadly charge toward her.

The spectators' hearts leaped into their throats. Under such overbearing power, would Leng Ning's fragrant jade perish here?

In that life-or-death instant, a green light suddenly flickered on Leng Ning's body, enveloping her in a luminous shield.

Yet the momentum of the sword was simply too overwhelming. Like a leaf caught in a flash flood, Leng Ning was instantly blasted through the air.

Pfft! As she crashed heavily to the ground, a bright trail of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Tang Yan's eyes flashed, looking at her with considerable surprise.

He had been confident that this sword strike would heavily injure Leng Ning. He never expected that the burst of green light would forcibly blunt his attack by half.

Not giving anyone time to react, Tang Yan's figure blurred into a wisp of light smoke and darted toward her.

He had already defeated her, so what else did he intend to do? Silence her forever?

Recalling the killing intent Tang Yan had displayed earlier, fine beads of cold sweat broke out on the foreheads of the onlookers.

If a Black Rank Ninth Grade martial artist was slaughtered right here, it would be sheer madness.

Though the crowd was large, no one dared to breathe a word.

Slap! A crisp sound echoed, ringing out exceptionally loud across the clearing.

Slap, slap, slap... After the first strike, Tang Yan's hand didn't stop. In the blink of an eye, dozens of heavy slaps fell. Leng Ning's originally cold and beautiful face instantly swelled into a bruised mess.

"Today, I won't kill you. Nor will I shatter your Star Token." Tang Yan's chilling voice clearly reached her ears.

"It's not because I lack the courage, but because Lin Dongxue will personally return the humiliation you forced upon her!" Finishing his cold declaration, he reached out and stripped away her Storage Ring, claiming it for himself.

After conveniently plundering all the Star Value from her Star Token, Tang Yan hesitated for only a fraction of a second before unceremoniously patting down her body.

The expressions of the onlookers turned distinctly odd. This guy wasn't about to strip Leng Ning's clothes off in public, was he? The moment this thought arose, many men widened their eyes, eagerly craning their necks...

But they soon realized they had completely misunderstood his intentions. They watched Tang Yan rummage around before fishing out a Jade Shield. Although he didn't know its exact origins, he could tell it was absolutely not a Mortal Grade artifact.

Landing a heavy kick on her lower abdomen to seal the Qi in her Dantian, Tang Yan shifted his cold gaze onto Yun Zhonghe and Bai Yu.

---

Within the Azure Dragon Academy's grand council hall, the higher-ups of the academy had gathered once more.

Creak- The heavy, tightly shut doors of the council hall suddenly swung open, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

Two old men strolled in leisurely. One wore a crimson robe, bearing snowy white hair but the unblemished complexion of a youth, radiating a distinct immortal air.

The other old man was short in stature, but his prominent forehead and piercing eyes gleamed with such a sharp light that others scarcely dared to meet his gaze.

"Elder Huo. Elder Zhen." Seeing who had arrived, all the Elders in the hall immediately stood and bowed in greeting.

"Dispense with the formalities. We two simply had some free time, so we came to join the liveliness and see if there are any promising seedlings this year." The two waved their hands casually and found seats.

Every Elder present held these two in the highest esteem. Not only was their cultivation base terrifying, but they both possessed peerless mastery in their respective fields.

Elder Huo was the Azure Dragon Academy's premier Alchemist. As for his exact grade, the others only vaguely knew that he was at least a high-grade Third Rank Alchemist.

Elder Zhen, meanwhile, possessed profound attainments in Formations. He had dedicated his life to researching how to fuse Formations with martial combat, and the vast majority of the grand defensive formations around the Azure Dragon Academy had been laid down by his hands.

"This time, there truly is some fresh blood showing considerable promise in both alchemy and Formations. You two Elders can take a closer look at them shortly." Xiao Cangshan smiled, then looked toward the Eleventh Elder. "Elder Bai Kong, you have been monitoring the new student selection. Please share a detailed account of what has transpired with everyone."

"Understood." The Eleventh Elder, Bai Kong, was remarkably well-maintained. He looked quite young and possessed an exceptionally refined, scholarly air. After bowing to the assembly, he spoke in a measured tone, "In terms of Star Value, the rankings across the four major regions fall roughly in line with our previous predictions. Among them, Earth Rank cultivators have already emerged in the Northern, Southern, and Western Regions."

"Oh?" Hearing this news, many Elders in the hall revealed expressions of surprise. The oldest among these new disciples was no more than twenty-five years old, yet there were already experts who had broken through to the Earth Rank?

"The current first place on the Star Value rankings is Jing Wuhen of the Northern Region, possessing a total of three thousand Star Value points. Furthermore, he is already a Third Rank Alchemist." The Eleventh Elder cupped his hands toward Elder Huo.

"Oh? Now that is interesting." Elder Huo's eyes lit up.

"Ranked second remains the same as when everyone checked last-Lang Qingyun of Water Elegance City, sitting at two thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven Star Value points. Moreover, he has a rather profound understanding of Formations." The Eleventh Elder then cupped his hands toward Elder Zhen.

"Not bad at all!" Elder Zhen praised, silently resolving to observe this disciple closely.

"Ranked third is Xue Xiao from Snow City..."

The Eleventh Elder listed off all the top-ranked talents before clearing his throat. "Although the Eastern Region possesses the weakest overall strength among the four major regions, quite a few interesting developments have occurred there."

"Interesting developments?" The other Elders looked somewhat puzzled.

"There is a disciple recommended by Elder Mo Bin named Tang Yan. His Star Value has just surpassed one thousand three hundred points. If memory serves, when this boy first entered the selection trial, his cultivation was merely at the Black Rank Fourth Grade. Yet just a few days ago, Li Kuanglan's Star Value was completely cleared out, and it was this very boy who did it."

"I remember Li Kuanglan. Wasn't his cultivation at the Black Rank Eighth Grade?" the Second Elder, known for his impatient temper, asked loudly.

"Correct. But a Black Rank Eighth Grade expert was utterly defeated by Tang Yan. The vast majority of Tang Yan's Star Value was plundered directly from Li Kuanglan's hands.

"Moreover, as you all know, each of the four major regions conceals a natural spiritual treasure. The treasure hidden within the Eastern Region was also snatched up by this boy, Tang Yan." The Eleventh Elder smiled faintly as he dropped this explosive piece of news.

Shock was plainly written across the faces of the assembled Elders. If defeating Li Kuanglan could be dismissed as a fluke, managing to steal a natural spiritual treasure from right under everyone's noses without having his Star Token shattered proved that this kid possessed true strength.

"Eleventh Elder, what is Tang Yan's current situation?" Xiao Cangshan asked.