Chapter 256: The Conference Begins

The Strong List Conference, like the Inner Court Selection Exam in the Outer Court, is the most intense competition within the Inner Court and the highest-level contest at Jia Nan Academy.

Those who stand out in such a grand tournament are almost without exception dragon among men and phoenix among women, possessing truly astonishing talent; every one of the Top Ten in the history of the Strong List Conference has carved out a formidable reputation across the continent, and even the least among them at least achieved the Half-step Dou Wang rank and dominated a region.

As the Strong List Conference drew nearer, the atmosphere within the Inner Court gradually intensified, with every corner buzzing with talk centered on the tournament.

Amid the eager anticipation of countless Inner Court members, the day of the Strong List Conference finally arrived.

A sliver of morning light spilled downward, and a faint, ancient bell tone softly rang from deep within the Inner Court, then spreading throughout the entire compound.

At the very moment the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta chimed nine times, disciples from every corner of the Inner Court—each with different faces but all radiating powerful spiritual pressure—suddenly opened their tightly shut eyes, their gazes flashing with sharp brilliance and blazing battle intention.

Xiao Yan, seated cross-legged on his bed, slowly opened his dark eyes, turned his head slightly, and gazed out the window, sensing the sudden surge of formidable spiritual pressure rising from every part of the Inner Court; a slow smile curled on his lips, and scorching battle intention surged fiercely within his chest.

When Xiao Yan descended the stairs, Xun Er, Xiao Yu, and other members of the Xiao Clan had already been waiting at the door.

"Good morning, Young Clan Leader!"

Xiao Yan smiled slightly and nodded. "Good morning, everyone."

"If you big lecher don't show up soon, the Strong List Conference will already have started." Xiao Yu, as always, wore the Jia Nan Academy uniform, her rounded, plump legs drawing immediate attention.

Hearing Xiao Yu's voice, Xiao Yan turned to look—and as always, his eyes first went to her legs before moving upward. "Hey, hey, I'm the Young Clan Leader, and as a member of the Xiao Clan, you're showing me no respect. Do you think I won't go complain to your father?"

"You dare!" Xiao Yu stamped her foot, teeth clenched, yet helpless.

Xiao Yan shrugged, then turned to the graceful figure beside him; her slender body, wrapped in green robes, formed a perfect curve. She turned her head and smiled sweetly at Xiao Yan. "Brother Xiao Yan, I'm looking forward to your performance today."

Xiao Yan sighed dramatically. "All I ask today is not to draw you as my opponent—if I do, I'll probably be eliminated early."

"How could that be? Brother Xiao Yan is far stronger than me. This year's Strong List champion is unquestionably you." She smiled faintly, her delicate, beautiful face radiating even greater confidence than Xiao Yan himself possessed.

"I can't be sure about first place, but even a lion fights a rabbit with full strength. Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya are no ordinary opponents, let alone that brat Zi Yan." Xiao Yan smiled, then glanced at Xun Er. "But if you were to use all your abilities, I fear even I couldn't match you."

Xun Er smiled, her beautiful eyes blinking—neither affirming nor denying his words, her expression plainly saying: You can't understand a woman's heart.

Arriving at the Duel Plaza, Xiao Yan and the others spotted several familiar faces.

"Hehe, Xiao Yan, I hope we don't meet right at the start of the tournament—that would be awfully awkward." Lin Xiuya, with his aura, was a natural center of attention wherever he went.

Beside Lin Xiuya were the same group from before, especially Han Yue with her silver hair, who drew even more eyes.

"Senior Student Lin is the Strong List's second-ranked, and aside from Zi Yan, few can match you. If we meet right at the start, it'll just be bad luck for me," Xiao Yan said with a light laugh, humbly.

"That's not certain. Your speed makes me uneasy, and you possess a Heavenly Flame. I doubt anyone wants to fight an Alchemist who wields a Heavenly Flame," Lin Xiuya said with a half-smile.

If Lin Xiuya underestimated Xiao Yan because of his own Half-step Dou Wang cultivation realm, he would suffer greatly.

Besides him, another figure, as rigid as a steel spear, also caught Xiao Yan's attention.

Liu Qing and Xiao Yan's gazes met in midair; a year ago, Xiao Yan had defeated the Crack Mountain Gang and its allied factions, seizing ten thousand Fire Energy.

As the leader of the Crack Mountain Gang, Liu Qing naturally sought revenge against Xiao Yan.

A metallic gong rang out. Xiao Yan looked up and saw only a fleeting blur—dozens of aged figures had appeared on the special elevated seats of the Guang Chang without warning.

It was amusing: because of his Spirit Refining, Xiao Yan had come to know every Elder in both the Inner and Outer Courts within just one year.

The dozen or so Elders all cast kind glances toward Xiao Yan.

The chief Elder's voice, laced with Dou Qi, boomed: "The Strong List Conference has begun. Those ranked in the Strong List Top Fifty, step forward!"

Each month, challengers could contest ranked opponents on the Battle Arena to claim their position, and Xiao Yan, as if deliberately, challenged the one exactly at fiftieth place—after that, no one dared challenge the fiftieth-ranked again.

The method for determining opponents was simple: random draw and pairing.

Interestingly, Xiao Yan's first opponent was his old nemesis, Bai Cheng, leader of the White Gang.

Half a year ago, Bai Cheng was Star Six Dou Ling, just like Han Yue; now, so much time had passed, yet Bai Cheng showed no progress—he was still Star Six Dou Ling.

The outcome was no surprise: Xiao Yan unleashed a single punch of Eight Extremes Crash. Bai Cheng raised his spear to block, but it was useless—he was blasted off the Arena Stage in an instant.

Perhaps an old saying proved true: enemies meet on narrow paths. His second opponent, in the round of twenty-five to thirteen, was Yao Sheng of the Crack Mountain Gang.

Though Yao Sheng was slightly stronger than Bai Cheng, before Xiao Yan—who surpassed him in cultivation realm, cultivation method, physical body, and Soul Force—he was merely toyed with; finally, Xiao Yan kicked him squarely on the buttocks and sent the unfortunate man flying off the stage.

With Xiao Yan's current Star Eight Dou Ling cultivation realm, no one outside the Strong List Top Three had the qualifications to make him serious—not even enough to warm him up.

"Ugh, sitting here makes my butt ache," Xiao Yan stood up and stretched. This tournament was unbearable—ten seconds on the stage, ten hours of sitting off it.

Xun Er covered her mouth and laughed. "That's because Brother Xiao Yan is too strong—everyone else wins after long, grueling battles."

Wu Hao, Hu Jia, and Xiao Ning had all qualified for the tournament, but their strength hovered around the fiftieth rank—they were eliminated in the first round.

Now, only Xiao Yan and Xun Er remained among the competitors.

Xiao Yan studied the beautiful girl beside him intently, his gaze carrying a hint of possessiveness.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you—you're looking at me like that… I'm embarrassed," Xun Er blushed furiously; who ever stared like this?

Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, eyes half-lidded. "I'm curious just how strong your true strength really is."

Xun Er's current cultivation realm was Star Six Dou Ling; Xiao Yan remembered clearly that her strength had always lagged behind his by one or two stars—even when the Xiao Clan used the Testing Stele to measure their power as children, her rank was always one or two stars lower than his.

Like a student deliberately holding back his score, she always fell just one or two points short—never more.

When he was Star Three Dou Zhe, she was Star Two Dou Zhe; now, even after he pushed himself to the limit, gained Earth Heart Tempering Milk and Elixirs, he still hadn't widened the gap.

Xiao Yan even suspected that when they robbed the Tian She Mansion back then, Xun Er hadn't even shown her true strength.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xun Er gazed at this curious boy before her, then slowly smiled—a flawless, elegant beauty that filled the onlookers with awe, leaving them breathless.

"You want to see, Brother Xiao Yan?" Xun Er stood gracefully, her black hair loosely tied with a pale purple ribbon; now, the gentle smile on her face slowly transformed into a dignified pride!

This aura of arrogance and confidence made Xiao Yan momentarily stunned.

"Though I truly wish to see your true strength, I'll have to wait a little longer," Xiao Yan slowly rose from his chair.

The instant Xiao Yan stood, the chief Elder Su Qian's voice rang out: "Next match: Liu Qing versus Xiao Yan!"

The entire arena fell silent, then spectators exchanged glances—they never expected these two favorites to meet in the third round!

"Wait a minute—there are still over ten people left in the third round. If either Xiao Yan or Liu Qing loses, won't they be eliminated and miss the Top Ten?"

"No, no—the loser of the third round enters the Failure Group; the top three of the Failure Group become the Strong List Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth."

Upon hearing the chief Elder's draw result, Liu Qing moved first—he slowly rose, then, under the adoring gaze of Liu Fei, strode toward the edge of the elevated platform and leapt onto the Arena Stage.

His eyes locked onto Xiao Yan's position, the battle intention in his gaze palpable even to the audience.

"Hey, Xiao Yan, how about we swap? I'll go beat Liu Qing so badly he can't compete—you'll automatically advance to the top ten." Zi Yan swung her Purple Braid and waved her tiny fist at Xiao Yan, grinning.

Looking at this adorable little girl, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with Battle Intention as he smiled, showing all eight teeth: "You're underestimating me. My goal this Strong List Conference is first place."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Zi Yan's eyes glowed with a flash of Purple Light as she smiled sweetly: "Then you'll have to beat me."

"Of course. Don't expect me to hold back."

Zi Yan lifted her tiny fist and said: "Even if it's you, I'll still knock you flat on the ground."

"Oh oh, I'm really looking forward to it." Xiao Yan smiled and slowly walked toward the Arena Stage on the Guang Chang.

As Xiao Yan had said, his target wasn't Liu Qing—it was Zi Yan, the strongest on the Strong List! Since he'd come to the Strong List Conference, his goal was naturally to become number one!

"Brother Xiao Yan, go for it," came Xun Er's soft voice from behind.

Liu Qing had also heard Xiao Yan's words. He narrowed his eyes and said: "Confidence is good, but you'll lose to me."

Xiao Yan twisted his neck and said: "Hope this is a good warm-up. The earlier matches ended too fast—I've been waiting so long my body's gone cold."

(End of Chapter)