Sensing that Tang Yan's Force actually made his own movements feel constrained, Qin Sheng was incredibly astonished. How could this kid be so bizarre?

The surrounding crowd, noticing that Tang Yan's aura actually suppressed Qin Sheng, watched with deepening interest.

In a dim corner in the distance, three elders were observing the exchange.

If any senior students were present, they would definitely recognize these three as Elder Zhen, Elder Huo, and Academy Master Xiao Cangshan of the Azure Dragon Academy.

Upon seeing the aura emanating from Tang Yan, the expressions of all three changed simultaneously.

"This kid... has he actually comprehended 'Force'?" Elder Huo exclaimed.

Elder Zhen and Xiao Cangshan also wore incredibly solemn expressions, their gazes toward Tang Yan filled with complexity.

"It should indeed be Force. I truly did not expect this young man to give us so many surprises!" Xiao Cangshan said with a wry smile.

He clearly remembered when Elder Mo recommended Tang Yan, all the higher-ups had mocked Elder Mo. Now, this young man had truly slapped many faces on Elder Mo's behalf.

"Being able to grasp Force before the Heaven Rank means having the Potential to become a Heaven Rank expert. The earlier one grasps it, the greater the Potential. Seeing how Proficient this guy is at using Force, he must have entered this state quite some time ago." A thick hint of envy flashed in Elder Huo's eyes as he smiled bitterly. "Old Zhen, you really picked up a good student."

"Student?" Xiao Cangshan looked at the two Elders in confusion.

"Cangshan, you don't know yet, do you? This kid has already been snatched away by Old Zhen to study Array-Martial Arts. At the seventh grade of the Black Rank, he can actually stay in the Nine Nether Fire Sea for three hours, and he possesses exceptionally high attainments in Formations." Elder Huo shook his head, his face full of regret. "This guy, why didn't he choose alchemy?"

Xiao Cangshan's scholarly face was written full of surprise.

As the master of the Azure Dragon Academy, he was well aware of what it meant for a seventh-grade Black Rank cultivator to stay in the third layer of the Nine Nether Fire Sea for three hours. This kid's Mental Power had to be absolutely superb.

He also knew that Elder Zhen and Elder Huo had extremely high standards. For a student to be fought over by both of them, his talent was naturally extraordinary.

But in this world, the status of an Alchemist was clearly higher than that of an Array-Martial Artist. Why did this guy specifically choose the latter?

"From what you two Elders are saying, Tang Yan has decent talent in crafting Formations. Can he form an Array Point within twelve hours?" Xiao Cangshan asked with a smile.

Elder Huo and Elder Zhen wore rather strange expressions. After a long while, Elder Zhen shook his head.

Xiao Cangshan was somewhat taken aback. "It took more than twelve hours?"

"No. In the time it took me to turn around, that kid had already formed an Array Point, and nine of them at that. From start to finish, in less than half an hour, he was playing with them to his heart's content," Elder Zhen said leisurely.

The muscles on Xiao Cangshan's face twitched rapidly. Even though he was over a hundred years old, hearing of Tang Yan's monstrous Array-Martial Arts talent still made him feel a pang of jealousy.

Beside them, Elder Huo's eyes filled with an even deeper look of regret upon hearing Elder Zhen's description. What a noble profession being an Alchemist was; why hadn't this guy chosen it?

"Who do you guess will win this battle?" Elder Zhen asked with a smile.

"I know a bit about Qin Sheng. He possesses extremely rich combat experience, and hailing from the Qin Family of Qin Immortal City, he holds a great advantage in both martial skills and strength. Although this kid Tang Yan is strong, there is still a two-grade gap between him and Qin Sheng. Qin Sheng's chances of winning should be higher. But if he wants to win, he will definitely have to pay a heavy price."

Xiao Cangshan's face showed some hesitation. "Furthermore, this kid Tang Yan constantly gives people surprises. It is not impossible for him to have a chance."

Although Xiao Cangshan's words were somewhat contradictory, the two Elders felt the exact same way. Their gazes fell upon the field simultaneously as they silently watched the situation in the arena.

By now, nearly a thousand students had gathered around the arena to watch the battle.

"I will make you understand that in the face of absolute power, all techniques are futile." Qin Sheng let out a soft shout, and the long sword in his hand suddenly burst from its sheath.

"Cloud-Turning Slash!"

A crisp sword hum rang out from Qin Sheng's hand, and a sharp sword intent suddenly materialized in midair. A faint white light radiated fiercely from the edge of his blade.

A high-grade Black Rank martial skill!

Tang Yan's eyes narrowed. Catching the mockery in Qin Sheng's gaze, he immediately understood Qin Sheng's intention: to deploy a martial skill right at the start and defeat him with the speed of lightning.

"Using a killing move so quickly, are you trying to humiliate me? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed..." he thought to himself, and in an instant, the Unblemished Sword was gripped tightly in his hand.

"Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword!" Tang Yan roared, raising his heavy sword high. A blinding white light shot from the hilt straight to the tip, then surged toward the sky.

"Go!" The white light shot forward like a bolt of silk, rushing toward Qin Sheng like a flood of savage beasts with an irresistible momentum.

On the path of martial arts, not only did each cultivation grade represent a vast gulf, but martial skills held the exact same dividing power.

"An Earth Rank martial skill!"

Seeing Tang Yan's move, a trace of shock flashed through the eyes of many onlookers. This freshman actually had some real ability.

Bang! The two attacks clashed head-on. A dull boom resounded, and both figures quickly stumbled back.

In their first exchange, Tang Yan had relied on a high-grade martial skill to barely fight to a draw.

So strong! Seeing Tang Yan successfully block Qin Sheng's strike, many praised him in their hearts. The number one rookie of the East District was clearly not just an empty title.

Qin Sheng was slightly surprised. This kid's True Qi was actually bizarre as well; he vaguely felt that Tang Yan's True Qi had devoured at least a tenth of his martial skill's power.

But so what?

"Falling Stars!" Qin Sheng raised his long sword once more. Countless sword shadows danced wildly through the air, dazzling the eyes. As the sword shadows continuously shifted, the surrounding sword energy gradually solidified.

When the number of sword shadows reached a critical limit, they began to merge in pairs, eventually converging back into a single long sword.

A suffocating aura rolled outward, impossible to underestimate.

"An Earth Rank martial skill!" Feeling the momentum radiating from Qin Sheng's martial skill, the expressions on the crowd's faces grew increasingly animated.

An Earth Rank martial skill from a ninth-grade Black Rank opponent. Against such an adversary, unless Tang Yan could unleash an even stronger martial skill, he would only end up defeated.

But Tang Yan's strength was merely at the seventh grade of the Black Rank. With his current strength, he simply could not execute more profound martial skills. This time, Tang Yan was probably...

"Flame Burst Palm!"

A crimson halo flared around Tang Yan's body. The glow gradually converged toward his arms, forming a terrifying Pressure.

"Still just an Earth Rank?" Looking at the martial skill Tang Yan displayed, Qin Sheng sneered. "Then I'll just have to defeat you."

Tang Yan did not speak. The Phantom Step instantly unfolded, and he shifted his angles as he charged toward Qin Sheng.

"Trying to attack from a different angle? Useless." Qin Sheng taunted, his long sword tracking Tang Yan's shifting trajectory.

Suddenly, Qin Sheng felt his head grow heavy, as if struck by a heavy blow. The momentum surrounding his body abruptly weakened by a fraction.

"That is..." In the distance, Elder Zhen looked at Tang Yan in surprise.

"It should be a type of mental attack. This kid's Mental Power is truly impressive, actually able to affect an opponent's mind across cultivation grades." Elder Huo, who was quite sensitive to Mental Power, immediately pointed it out.

"Not bad, but unfortunately, there is still a gap compared to Qin Sheng." Xiao Cangshan sighed. "If Tang Yan's strength could reach the eighth grade, he could make up for the disparity in power."

"Die!" Qin Sheng explosively roared, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

This time, whether in raw strength or martial skills, Tang Yan was at a disadvantage in both.

Just as victory seemed within reach, the hairs on Qin Sheng's body suddenly stood on end.

Eight beams of light and shadow inexplicably appeared above his head, dancing rapidly like fireflies, as sharp blades plummeted from the sky!