Chapter 154: The Fall of Lingyun Academy

"Hahaha! Look at the expressions on those faces next to the boss!"

"Are they stunned or what?!"

"Absolutely dumbfounded! This is what you call close-quarters combat, Your Royal Highness!"

With the first round ending in victory, Xi Qi and the other Class Alpha disciples felt their spirits soar.

Seeing the imagery flashing across the massive screens, Mu Hongzhu felt a swell of delight, yet...

"What she just used... wasn't a martial technique?" Mu Hongzhu murmured, a trace of doubt in her voice.

"How could that be?!" The Second Prince stared at the martial arena in sheer disbelief. "She didn't use a martial technique just now, did she?! Breaking the Xi Wind Slash barehanded without a shred of martial technique?!"

The elder standing beside Mu Donglai sank into deep reflection. "That young girl just now, it seemed as if... she used a wealth of combat experience and flawless judgment to deftly sidestep the enemy’s line of attack at the perfect moment?"

"Close-quarters combat?" Mu Donglai was equally astonished. Though he had anticipated Nalan Mingxue's victory, he never imagined it would be achieved with such crisp elegance. "Owner Fang, does close-quarters combat truly possess such techniques?"

"That's exactly how close-quarters combat is meant to be used," Fang Qi explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You begin by feigning a movement to throw them off. This sort of thing inherently requires a touch of natural intuition to master."

Everyone seated around Fang Qi gaped in unison. "What in the world is close-quarters combat?! Does such a martial technique even exist?!"

Their faces were absolute pictures of bewilderment.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of those from the Three Great Academies remained paralyzed in shock.

"How is this possible?!"

"A single strike?!"

"Junior Brother Huangfu, did you see it clearly?" A youth clad in golden robes narrowed his eyes slightly. Standing right beside him was none other than Huangfu Jing, the top-ranked disciple of Shengjing Academy's Huang Division.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother. Though I might not be her match under equalized strength, after all, I am concealing my true power," Huangfu Jing replied with a serene smile.

"Good," the gold-robed youth nodded. "But there is no need to rush. Let her accumulate more points before you challenge her. Target the others first."

"Understood, Senior Brother."

Over in the seating section of Lingyun Academy, Qin Bing let out a heavy, frigid snort. "At long last, someone who hasn't disgraced our Lingyun Academy!"

By this time, Xiyi Palace and Shengjing Academy had already commenced their second match.

"Jiang'er, after a few more matches, you shall go up and challenge Bian Jie, the second-ranked disciple of Shengjing Academy's Di Division. Just now, that lass Nalan Mingxue fought far too swiftly, failing to display the grand majesty of our Lingyun Academy's martial techniques. Go forth and put them on proper display."

"Yes, Father!" Qin Jiang bowed respectfully. "But what of the Fifth Prince's side...?"

"The time is not yet ripe," Qin Bing said with a dismissive chuckle. "If no one challenges him, I will have Ning Hao and Xue Yuan challenge him first to drain his stamina. Only then shall you take the stage."

Qin Jiang nodded in agreement. True to their word, a few matches later, he decisively chose to challenge the second-ranked disciple of the opposing Di Division. It was glaringly obvious that he held absolute confidence in this battle.

When the clash truly ignited, it indeed required very little exertion, culminating in a rather beautiful victory.

"Lingyun Academy seems to have fared quite well in recent years..." At the main dais, an elder stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"That is only because the elite disciples of our own academy have yet to take action!" the elder surnamed Yu from earlier snorted coldly, evidently growing dissatisfied with the performance of his own academy's pupils.

Right at that moment, a resounding announcement echoed across the entire martial arena. "Shengjing Academy, Xiao Lengyu, top of the Xuan Division, challenges Wang Kun, top of Lingyun Academy's Xuan Division!"

"What?!"

"Xiao Lengyu?! From Shengjing Academy?!"

To initiate a challenge against a top-ranked disciple of Lingyun Academy at this juncture was completely beyond anyone's expectations!

One had to understand that a clash between titans was immensely draining; if a third party were to reap the spoils of their exhaustion, the loss would far outweigh the gain!

"Eh? Isn't that the girl we ran into on the road yesterday?" Fang Qi peered toward the martial arena. He recognized the woman stepping onto the field clad in tight-fitting black attire instantly—she was the very same woman who had been riding the Silver-Winged Great Eagle the day before.

"This passerby girl looks like she's actually pretty strong?"

"What do you mean, passerby girl?!" The veins on the foreheads of those sitting next to Fang Qi throbbed violently. "That is the granddaughter of the Duke of State! Her spear technique has long since reached absolute mastery!"

"Lingyun Academy, Wang Kun. I seek your guidance!"

"I admit that Lingyun Academy fought well in the previous matches," the young woman in black remarked on the field, lifting her silver spear. "But it ends here!"

The shaft of her spear vibrated violently, sending sand flying and rocks rolling as a tempest of energy surged, culminating in a blinding, piercing flash of cold light upon the spear's tip!

The long spear in the maiden's grasp thrust forward, wrapped in an incomparably powerful torrent of energy!

"Mountain-Cleaving Fury!" Sensing the imminent peril, Wang Kun gripped his saber with both hands, unleashing his own strongest martial technique. In the blink of an eye, the two colliding forces crashed together with a thunderous roar!

Boom!

A figure was seen flying backward through the air amid a swirling cloud of dust!

"A single point of cold light arrives first, then the spear lunges forth like a dragon?" Fang Qi smacked his lips slightly. "This passerby girl really does seem quite formidable."

"What kind of godforsaken passerby girl is that?!" The audience inside the internet cafe no longer had the strength to protest.

"This girl truly seems incredible!"

"I'm rooting for the passerby girl! As long as you don't challenge the players from our internet cafe, you're doing great!"

"..."

"So strong! Likewise a single strike, yet it directly defeated the top disciple of Lingyun Academy!" Around the martial arena, disciples from various academies began to gasp in admiration.

"Let me take the next round," right then, a youth in golden robes stepped forward from among the disciples of Shengjing Academy.

"Next match, Ji Yang challenges Qin Jiang of Lingyun Academy's Di Division!"

"What?!" It was one thing for Xiao Lengyu to challenge Wang Kun earlier, but now even the Fifth Prince possessed such supreme confidence?! To immediately pick the absolute strongest of Lingyun Academy's Di Division right from the start?!

Standing behind Qin Bing, Qin Jiang’s face turned thoroughly ashen. "Are they looking down on me?!"

Five minutes later...

Staring at Ji Yang, who remained completely unscathed despite his own all-out assault, the faint golden martial aura enveloping the prince resembled an insurmountable chasm, shattering all of Qin Jiang's hopes!

"Ji Yang against Qin Jiang! Ji Yang wins!"

...

"Next match! Ying Zongxuan, top of Xiyi Palace's Tian Division, challenges Wang Zhishui!"

...

"Ying Zongxuan wins!"

"What?!" No one expected the two great academies to disregard standard conventions so entirely. Most importantly, every single battle had been won with effortless ease! With virtually no significant exhaustion incurred, Lingyun Academy's hopes of using a war of attrition to turn the tables vanished into thin air!

Under wave after wave of ferocious onslaughts, it was entirely unexpected that Lingyun Academy would be the first to suffer a crushing defeat, their top-ranked disciples' points utterly wiped out!

The situation had taken a sudden, drastic turn for the worse!

In the spectator stands, people began to whisper and gossip fervently.

"Lingyun Academy's methods of nurturing disciples are far too gentle, and far too rigid after all."

"Defeat was inevitable."

"Now that the top ranks are lost, what follows is merely clearing out the small fry."

High upon the elevated platform, one particular elder's face was visibly livid.

"Vice Palace Master Xu, thank you for conceding the match." The other two leaders wore expressions of smug triumph.

No one expected the three top disciples of Lingyun Academy to be completely swept away. The sole surviving seed left on the field was now only Nalan Mingxue, the top-ranked disciple of the Huang Division.

The once-promising situation had taken a sudden, devastating plunge!

Qin Bing’s face was now equally ashen, dark with a terrifying fury!

.