Chapter 108: The Unremarkable Xiao Yan

With the top ten seed players determined, the final ranking matches of the Dragon Pool List finally began.

Among the chat group members, the first to step onto the stage was Yue Buqun, whose opponent was a warrior at the mid-stage of Baoyuan Realm.

The latter’s strength was indeed formidable, and in pure foundation, he surpassed Yue Buqun by a wide margin—but he still stood no chance against Yue Buqun, who had spent decades mastering the Hua Shan Sword Art.

After all, Yue Buqun’s original talent was never poor; he was merely held back by world limitations.

After joining the chat group, with its assistance, Yue Buqun’s true talent had fully emerged.

After defeating his opponent, Yue Buqun’s dragon-shaped aura instantly detached from his body and lunged straight at the opponent’s dragon-shaped aura, visibly shrinking it at a rapid pace.

Feeling the strengthening of his dragon vein qi, Yue Buqun’s face quickly lit up with a hint of joy—though it soon turned gloomy again.

After all, with his current strength, he could at best climb into the top forty of this year’s Dragon Pool List; he would still lose to other competitors in later matches, so his dragon vein qi would hardly accumulate much at all!

Thus, the matches proceeded swiftly, one after another.

Since the top ten seed players had been separated in advance, the early matches lacked any truly anticipated battles.

After all, in many matches, competitors facing opponents far stronger than themselves immediately surrendered to preserve their strength, making the contests naturally dull.

After ten rounds, the dragon-shaped auras of all chat group members had grown significantly; among them, Xiao Yan had the best luck—he faced only experts from last year’s Dragon Pool List, and after defeating each, his dragon-shaped aura had stretched to six zhang and two chi.

While Pang Bo and the others were also selected as top ten seeds, their initial opponents were all ordinary, their dragon vein qi weak, so their dragon-shaped auras naturally fell far short of Xiao Yan’s—even the largest among them, Han Li, reached only four zhang and nine chi.

Because of this, Xiao Yan, with his six-zhang-two-chi dragon-shaped aura standing beside Pang Bo and the other top ten seeds, naturally drew intense attention—even many spectators had begun to notice him.

“Who is that guy? His dragon-shaped aura is larger than those of the top ten seed geniuses?”

“I remember him! His name is Xiao Yan—he’s with Pang Bo and the others. I heard they once entered together into a mysterious ancient inheritance site?”

“Could Xiao Yan be stronger than Ye Chen and the others?”

“Not at all! I watched his earlier fights—he only won because of incredible luck!”

“Still impressive! I saw he defeated Zhang Tao, who ranked thirty-third last year. He’s likely to break into the top twenty this year!”

…

Hearing the spectators’ murmurs nearby, some powerful geniuses looked down with disdain.

“Just a lucky bastard!”

Mo Yan, the eldest disciple of the Flying Demon Sect who failed to make the top ten seeds, gazed at Xiao Yan with icy coldness: “The ranking matches require you to fight every genius—you won’t be so lucky this time!”

“Besides, the better your luck now, the larger your dragon-shaped aura grows—eventually, it’ll all become someone else’s prize!”

“I hope I get to face you next—I’ll make you regret it!”

Other powerful geniuses naturally held the same thoughts.

After all, the ranking matches operated under completely different rules than the elimination rounds; in the two elimination rounds, each genius only needed ten fights, and with enough luck, one could easily avoid the strongest geniuses.

But the ranking matches were different!

Every genius on the list must fight every other top-tier genius—there was no way to avoid the strongest opponents anymore.

On the other side, the chat group members were teasing Xiao Yan.

Pang Bo turned to Xiao Yan and smiled: “Xiao Yan, everyone’s saying you got lucky—what’s your take?”

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, then replied helplessly: “Can I help it? I’ve been dying to test myself against the strong ones—but every time I fight, I get stuck with weaklings—I’m just as frustrated!”

Hearing this, Han Li beside him couldn’t help but feel jealous—he wanted such luck too.

Thinking of it, Han Li quickly turned to Xiao Yan: “Xiao Yan, your luck is insane—you always grab more red packets than anyone else in the group, and now in this tournament, you’ve barely faced any strong experts! Any tips? Teach me!”

At this, Xiao Yan’s face broke into a smile, and he replied modestly: “Brother Han, I’ve got no secret—just better looks.”

“This…”

Han Li, whose skin was dark, blinked in surprise, then said: “Xiao Yan, you better hope you don’t meet me later!”

“Brother Han, don’t get worked up!”

Xiao Yan quickly laughed and explained: “I was just joking! As for luck, how could I compare to you, who holds the Sky-Palm Vase and can trade resources with the group master anytime?”

At that moment, Ye Chen suddenly spoke up: “Actually, I think Xiao Yan didn’t face strong geniuses in the elimination rounds because of everyone else’s bad luck.”

Pang Bo paused, then asked: “Ye Chen, what do you mean?”

Ye Chen quickly explained: “Brother Pang, think about it—if Xiao Yan had faced the strongest opponents from the start, wouldn’t we have taken up one more slot among the top ten seeds?”

“That’s true!”

Pang Bo laughed: “If Xiao Yan had faced Sikong Sheng early on and accidentally beat him, this year’s Dragon Pool List would’ve been boring!”

Hearing this, all chat group members burst into laughter.

Xu Jing, standing beside them, listened to their conversation and grew bewildered.

Since Xu Jing was Ye Chen’s future wife, Pang Bo and the others often spoke freely around her, so she had noticed their peculiar traits.

But even so, saying such things was utterly absurd!

Could that Xiao Yan—who always seemed ordinary, and in Xu Jing’s eyes, matched her own strength—really have the power to defeat Sikong Sheng, last year’s number one on the Dragon Pool List?

Thinking of it, Xu Jing shook her head and quickly dismissed the thought entirely.

Time passed swiftly, and the next day arrived—finally, in the thirty-ninth round, Xiao Yan faced an immensely powerful opponent: Lin Yun, eldest disciple of the Tianyin Sect.

Lin Yun ranked fifth last year and was already extremely strong; before this tournament, he had advanced his Earth-grade supreme cultivation technique to the eleventh layer, making his power terrifying.

Even the Tianyin Sect Master believed Lin Yun had the potential to claim the number one spot on the Dragon Pool List—he promised Lin Yun the position of next Sect Master upon victory, and mobilized the entire sect to equip him with numerous deadly techniques to counter other geniuses.

“Round thirty-nine, match fifteen: Lin Yun vs. Xiao Yan!”

Hearing the referee’s announcement, many spectators—and even Dragon Pool List geniuses—grew excited.

After all, Xiao Yan’s luck had been too good!

In this ranking stage, apart from the top ten seeds, every other genius had already suffered one or two losses.

Bing Ling, eldest disciple of the Bingjue Sect, lost to Yan Chihuo, who ranked second last year; Gan Yun, second disciple of Luoxia Sect, lost to Lin Yun; Gu Youyun, disciple of Xuan Kong Mountain, lost to Tuobu Ku; and Mo Yan, disciple of the Flying Demon Sect, suffered the worst fate—he lost again to Pang Bo, who had already defeated him before!

Remember, Bing Ling and the other three were the strongest geniuses outside the top ten seeds!

If even they fell to the top ten seeds, what hope did the others have?

Only Xiao Yan was the exception!

In all previous matches, Xiao Yan had never faced any of the top ten seeds, nor any of Bing Ling’s group—until now, he remained undefeated, just like the top ten seeds!

Yet in every fight, Xiao Yan had never displayed overwhelming power, leaving everyone with the feeling that “no heroes existed, so a mere boy rose to fame.”

Now, Xiao Yan finally faced a top ten seed—and not just any one, but Lin Yun, one of the strongest among them!

“Xiao Yan finally met a top ten seed!”

“Yeah, I thought his luck would last forever!”

“I wonder if Lin Yun will use the technique he used to defeat Gan Yun?”

“Probably not! Xiao Yan’s strength is decent, but I doubt it matches Gan Yun’s—he’s only undefeated because of luck!”

On the other side, Lin Yun, upon hearing his name, instantly unleashed his aura, his body flashing like a meteor as he slammed onto the arena, his domineering presence shocking everyone.

Unlike Lin Yun’s arrogant dominance, Xiao Yan wore a faint smile, then stepped lightly onto the arena.

In the eyes of all, a match devoid of surprise—but rich in meaning—was about to begin.

“Hahaha, my luck is truly great!”

On the arena, Lin Yun, gazing at Xiao Yan’s dragon-shaped aura, nearly equal to his own, laughed loudly: “Earlier, we were chatting and guessing who you’d face first—never thought it’d be me!”

“Xiao Yan, meeting you first is my fortune—but for you, it’s pure misfortune!”

“Don’t worry—I’ll be merciful. Since you’ve handed me so much dragon vein qi, I’ll end this quickly—won’t hurt you too badly!”

Inside the chat group:

【Pang Bo: This Lin Yun’s really putting on airs!】

【Han Li: I thought Mo Yan, the unlucky one, would face Xiao Yan first—turns out it’s this guy!】

【Yue Buqun: I recall Lin Yun’s performance in the original story was pathetic—he had great strength but deliberately held back against Murong Qingcheng and lost. Embarrassing!】

【Pang Bo: A toad trying to eat swan meat! This guy’s a clown. Xiao Yan, teach him a lesson—shatter his daydreams!】

【Han Li: Actually, Xiao Yan, go easy on him—don’t scare the others too much!】

【Xiao Yan: Enough talk—it’s finally my turn to show off. Watch closely!】

“Lin Yun, I’m glad to face you!”

Xiao Yan smiled: “In all my previous fights, I held back. Your strength far exceeds theirs—I won’t worry about killing you with an overzealous strike!”

Kill Lin Yun with an overzealous strike?

The crowd, hearing this, froze in surprise.

Even Lin Yun, facing Xiao Yan, blinked—then erupted in fury.

“Xiao Yan, you’re too arrogant!”

Lin Yun roared: “You’re just a lucky fool who scraped through wins by chance—I don’t even consider you an opponent! You think you can kill me with a strong strike? Now I’ll show you my true power!”

As he spoke, a flash of brilliance shot from Lin Yun’s eyes—carrying the meaning of a meteor falling from heaven—as it slammed violently toward Xiao Yan.

Simultaneously, Lin Yun roared, and in his hand appeared a black iron spear wreathed in dark red flames, which he thrust straight at Xiao Yan.

“Heavenly Fire Four Spears!”

With the first spear, the dark red flames spiraled wildly, transforming into fiery spirals that shot toward Xiao Yan—their heat even ignited the fire elemental qi in the air!

Seeing this terrifying attack, Xiao Yan blinked slightly.

“You dare play with fire before me? Extinguish!”

Xiao Yan’s mind flickered, and faint flames glowed in his eyes.

With a soft *pop*, the terrifying fiery spirals vanished instantly.

At that moment, Lin Yun’s next three spears struck—each more violent, faster than the last; even without flame, each carried the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

“Now this is interesting! Flame-Stacking Wave Ruler!”

In Xiao Yan’s hand, a black iron ruler appeared—he activated a Earth-grade combat technique he had learned from his master, Yao Chen.

Although his strength was suppressed to the peak of the Embracing Unity realm, this Earth-grade combat technique, when unleashed, still carried overwhelming power, instantly dissolving Lin Yun’s Heaven Fire Four Spears and continuing its momentum to sweep toward his opponent.

The spectators outside, witnessing Xiao Yan’s terrifying attack, were stunned, then exchanged bewildered glances.

“Heaven’s Fall Strike!”

On the other side, Lin Yun, seeing his attack instantly shattered by Xiao Yan, was startled—but immediately unleashed another of his ultimate techniques.

He drew a deep breath, channeling all his true qi into the iron spear in his hand, merging himself with the weapon, then surged forward toward Xiao Yan with an unstoppable, forward-thrusting aura.

Under this technique, the younger generation near the combat platform felt the influence of its spiritual realm; the weaker ones even felt massive meteorites descending from the sky toward them.

“Lin Yun’s finally using his ultimate technique!”

“That Qian Yun was defeated by this very move!”

“I wonder if Xiao Yan can block this!”

The onlookers outside were now all electrified.

Among Embracing Unity cultivators, few dared claim they could withstand Lin Yun’s ultimate technique.

But at that moment, Xiao Yan merely swept his black iron ruler slightly—and shattered Lin Yun’s mighty strike.

Then…

“Eight Extremes Collapse!”

Xiao Yan’s figure flickered, instantly colliding with Lin Yun and sending him flying dozens of meters away.

Puff!

As Lin Yun recoiled at high speed, he spat a mouthful of blood; his entire spiritual realm was utterly shattered.

“What?”

“Lin Yun is falling behind? How is that possible?”

“How strong is this Xiao Yan really?”

The onlookers outside were instantly dumbfounded.

They hadn’t expected Lin Yun to still be defeated after unleashing his ultimate technique.

But just as everyone assumed Lin Yun would soon fall to Xiao Yan…

“Xiao Yan, I never imagined your strength would be this great—even surpassing the Top Ten Seed Candidates!”

Lin Yun stabilized his stance, lightly waved his right hand, and gathered the sprayed blood into a single mass: “Blood Flame Break!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than the blood in his hand transformed into a blood-red spearhead, shooting straight toward Xiao Yan.

Shhh!

The blood-red spearhead moved with blinding speed, appearing before Xiao Yan in an instant, then exploding into a vast sea of blood-colored flames that instantly engulfed him.

Seeing his ultimate technique swallow Xiao Yan, Lin Yun finally smiled: “Actually, this technique was meant for Sikong Sheng. To be defeated by it is your honor!”

But at that moment, another voice emerged from within the blood flames.

“Lin Yun, I already warned you—not to play with fire before me!”

Within the blood flames, Xiao Yan simply extended one hand—and the surrounding blood flames instantly surged toward it, reforming into a single ball of blood-colored fire.

“This flame is somewhat interesting.”

Xiao Yan sensed the power within the flame, then looked at Lin Yun: “Since you think you can defeat me, try this next technique!”

Xiao Yan’s mind shifted, and a wisp of blue flame appeared in his hand—the Blue Lotus Heart Fire, before its fusion with the Falling Heart Flame.

Slowly, the blue flame and the blood flame rose, merging together before Xiao Yan to form a strange lotus, interwoven with blue and crimson hues.

“Go! Buddha’s Wrath Lotus!”

Xiao Yan flicked his wrist, and the strange lotus shot toward Lin Yun with explosive force.

(End of Chapter)