The suffocating tension hanging over Ring Number Four finally shattered as the presiding referee's voice echoed across the massive Central Arena.
"Contestant Xiao Ning is the victor!"
The referee lowered his hand, his eyes still darting nervously between the gasping, terrified form of Su on the ground and the emaciated, unbothered youth adjusting his bandages.
"Furthermore," the referee announced, consulting a glowing jade slate in his hand, "because Contestant Su was officially seeded within the upper brackets, Contestant Xiao Ning has successfully usurped his position. You are now officially ranked in the Top 20th of the Outer Academy!"
Yoriichi's crimson eyes widened by a microscopic fraction.
'He was in the Top 20?' Yoriichi mused internally, a faint sense of genuine surprise rippling through his calm demeanor. Looking at this slender youth still coughing violently on the stone floor, Yoriichi realized the sheer magnitude of his luck. He hadn't just won a preliminary match; he had entirely bypassed the grueling, multi-stage meat grinder of the lower brackets by defeating a seeded heavyweight who had been too arrogant to raise his guard.
"Contestant Xiao Ning," the referee continued, stepping closer. "According to the tournament regulations, you have the right to initiate a continuous challenge. Do you wish to challenge the next seeded opponent immediately? A consecutive victory will significantly increase your standing and grant you a highly favorable bracket placement for the Top 5 contention."
A hushed murmur fell over the surrounding grandstands. Hundreds of eyes bore down on Yoriichi, eager to see if the "Demon Swordsman" would unleash that invisible, terrifying technique again.
Yoriichi stood perfectly still. His analytical mind, untainted by the intoxicating allure of crowd adoration, rapidly calculated the tactical reality of his situation.
'They have all witnessed the outcome of my technique now,' Yoriichi deduced, his gaze sweeping over the elevated judges' platform and the many wary faces in the waiting area. 'The element of absolute surprise is gone. Any subsequent opponent will immediately summon their Dou Qi cloak and maintain a strict, ranged distance, bombarding me with Dou Skills. In my current, physically starved state, if I am struck by even a stray kinetic shockwave, my fragile meridians will shatter.'
He could barely remain standing. The adrenaline was fading, and his knees felt like lead. To fight again today was absolute suicide.
"I decline the continuous challenge," Yoriichi stated, his voice a calm, even rumble that carried no trace of shame.
The referee nodded, unsurprised by the logical choice given the boy's horrifying physical appearance. "Very well. Then do you officially confirm your participation in the final qualifying round?"
"When is the final round scheduled?" Yoriichi asked.
"In exactly seven days," the referee answered. "Next week, the Top 20 will clash to determine the absolute Top 5 who will earn the right to enter the Hidden Library Pavilion."
"I confirm," Yoriichi nodded respectfully. "I will be there."
As Yoriichi turned to leave the elevated ring, the grandstands erupted into a chaotic symphony of divided opinions.
"What a smart move," one whispered to his faction members. "He knows his body is at its limit. Securing the Top 20 and buying a week to heal is a masterstroke of tactical patience."
"Smart? More like a coward!" another student scoffed from a few rows back. "He used a dirty, hidden trick to paralyze Su. He knows if he fights a real Dou Shi who is prepared, he'll be crushed into paste! He's just running away to hide!"
Yoriichi ignored the noise entirely. The opinions of sheep did not dictate the path of a dragon.
He slowly descended the stone steps, his bare feet touching the cool earth. Xiao Yu was waiting for him at the bottom, her pink-red eyes brimming with a mixture of overwhelming pride and deep, lingering anxiety. She immediately stepped to his side, offering her shoulder for support, though Yoriichi stubbornly maintained his own balance.
"Ning'er, you..." Xiao Yu started, shaking her head in sheer disbelief. "I don't even know what to say anymore."
"You do not need to say anything," Yoriichi replied softly.
Before they could walk back to the spectator area, a frantic blur of white robes intercepted them. Elder Kun practically sprinted over, his medical kit clattering against his hip. The elderly healer's face was pale, glistening with a thick layer of nervous sweat.
"Heavens above, boy!" Elder Kun gasped, immediately grabbing Yoriichi's wrist to check his pulse. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! When you raised your palm, I thought your meridians were going to violently detonate! Here, swallow this immediately!"
The elder produced a smooth, pale-blue pill that radiated a gentle, soothing aroma.
"It is a Tier-2 Meridian Soothing Pill," Elder Kun instructed sternly. "It will not heal your bone fractures, but it will stabilize the erratic energy flow in your starved Dantian and prevent any immediate backlashes."
Yoriichi did not refuse the goodwill. He took the pill and swallowed it. The medicinal efficacy dissolved smoothly, sending a cool, refreshing wave through his chest that instantly eased the painful tightness in his lungs.
"Thank you, Elder Kun," Yoriichi offered a sincere, shallow bow. "I feel significantly better."
"Just... just sit down," the elder sighed, pointing to a shaded stone bench near the competitor's entrance. "The tournament is scheduled to conclude by late afternoon. Rest there and watch. Do not do anything else that might put my head on the chopping block."
Yoriichi nodded and walked over to the bench, sitting down heavily. Xiao Yu took the seat right beside him.
For the next few hours, the siblings watched as the remaining brackets of the Outer Academy Tournament violently unfolded. The sheer caliber of the competitors was staggering. It was a clear demonstration of why the Jia Nan Academy was the holy land for cultivators across the continent.
"Next match! Contestant He Xiu versus Contestant Jian!"
Yoriichi leaned forward slightly, his crimson eyes locking onto Ring Number One.
He Xiu, a sharp-eyed youth who had recently returned from a brutal tempering expedition in the Black-Corner Region, stepped onto the stone floor. His dark hair was tied back tightly, and he carried a sleek, unadorned silver longsword at his hip. His aura was terrifyingly dense—the unmistakable, solidified pressure of a 1-Star Da Dou Shi.
Opposite him was Jian, who wielded twin curved short swords. Jian's aura flickered with the erratic, high-speed energy like wind of a peak 9-Star Dou Shi.
"Senior He," Jian smiled sharply, dropping into a low, aerodynamic stance. "I know your cultivation is a realm higher, but the wind cannot be cut if it moves faster than the blade!"
"We will see, junior," He Xiu replied calmly, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword.
The match began with explosive intensity. Jian vanished, becoming a literal blur of green Dou Qi. He circled He Xiu at terrifying speeds, launching dozens of crescent-shaped wind blades aimed at the older man's joints and blind spots.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He Xiu did not summon the bulky, crystalline Dou Qi armor typical of his realm. Instead, his silver sword flashed from its scabbard with blinding, liquid grace.
He didn't frantically block the incoming projectiles. He Xiu moved with absolute, calculated minimalism. He stepped a half-inch to the left, letting a wind blade harmlessly cut the air beside his ear. He flicked his wrist, the flat of his silver blade perfectly parrying another strike into the ground. His footwork was a mesmerizing dance, weaving through the storm of wind without wasting a single drop of excess energy.
Jian, realizing ranged attacks were useless, closed the gap. He lunged, executing a highly complex, crisscrossing strike with his twin blades.
Clang!
He Xiu's sword intercepted both blades simultaneously. With a smooth, elegant twist of his wrist, he guided Jian's momentum entirely off-balance. Before the younger student could recover, He Xiu took a single, gliding step forward.
"High-Tier Xuan Skill: Falling Blossom Slash."
The silver blade blurred, tracing a beautiful, terrifyingly precise arc through the air. It bypassed Jian's defenses entirely, stopping a microscopic fraction of a millimeter away from the boy's throat. The residual, razor-sharp sword aura nicked the skin, drawing a tiny drop of blood.
Jian froze completely, his twin swords dropping to his sides. He swallowed hard. "I... I concede."
The crowd erupted in cheers for the flawless victory, but on the sidelines, Yoriichi's crimson eyes were glowing with profound appreciation.
'A truly refined blade,' Yoriichi noted inwardly, his mind cataloging the micro-adjustments in He Xiu's wrist. 'There is no arrogance in his strike, only the pure, lethal efficiency of a survivor. He treats the sword as an extension of his own arm. He knows exactly when to yield and when to strike. A magnificent swordsman.'
The matches continued at a blistering pace, each showcasing the bizarre and terrifying limits of Dou Qi manipulation.
"Following match! Contestant Shui versus Contestant Ba!"
Yoriichi's attention was immediately drawn to Ring Number Two. Shui was a graceful, blue-robed female student renowned for her mastery of the water attribute, sitting at the 8-Star Dou Shi realm. Her opponent, Ba Lie, was a hulking brute radiating the blistering heat of a 9-Star Fire Dou Shi.
"I'm going to boil you dry, Shui Yin!" Ba roared, his fists igniting into massive, roaring fireballs as he charged across the arena like a rampaging bull.
"Mid-Tier Xuan Skill: Explosive Meteor Fists!"
He launched a devastating barrage of fiery punches. Shui Yin remained perfectly calm. She gracefully waved her hands in a wide, circular motion.
"High-Tier Xuan Skill: Serpentine Aqua Coil."
Thick, heavy ribbons of dark-blue water erupted from her palms, forming a spiraling, multi-layered vortex around her. When Ba Lie's fiery fists struck the water, they didn't break through. Instead, the liquid Dou Qi violently spun, catching his kinetic force and dragging his arms into the swirling current. The intense heat of his fire produced massive clouds of steam, blinding him, but the water refused to evaporate entirely.
'She doesn't meet force with force,' Yoriichi analyzed, thoroughly fascinated by the physics of her defense. 'She uses the density of the water to smother the heat, while the spinning current bleeds off the physical impact. It is exactly the principle I read about in the pavilion archives.'
Trapped in the vortex and losing his balance, Ba Lie roared in frustration. Shui Yin capitalized instantly. She snapped her fingers, and the swirling water ribbons suddenly condensed, turning into thick, high-pressure liquid whips.
With a sharp flick of her arms, the water whips lashed out, wrapping tightly around Ba Lie's ankles. She pulled violently, completely sweeping his massive frame off his feet, and hurled him out of the ring boundaries with a concussive blast of localized water pressure.
"Contestant Shui wins!" the referee shouted.
Yoriichi sat back on the stone bench, a heavy, deeply satisfied sigh escaping his lips.
This was exactly what he needed. The raw, unfiltered friction of high-level combat to expand his own theories. He watched the earth-shakers, the wind-walkers, and the elegant swordsmen clash for hours, committing their unique mechanics to his eidetic memory.
The Jia Nan Academy was truly a cradle of monsters. And as Yoriichi looked at his own bandaged, starved hands, a quiet, unyielding fire burned in his Dao Heart.
He had exactly seven days to repair this broken vessel. Because when the final rounds began, he intended to show these titans the true, unadulterated terror of the Sun.