Battle Through the Heavens: Oh no, I've become the succubus Xiao Yan!

Half a month after the establishment of Panmen, Xiao Yan's name had already spread throughout the inner courtyard.

Sixteen years old, a second-star Douhuang, a fifth-grade alchemist, possessing the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, the youngest elder of the alchemy department, who sent Bai Cheng flying with a single move, recruited 80% of the new students in three days, and distributed pills to the Panmen sect for free. Any one of these achievements is terrifying enough, and put them together, he's a monster among monsters.

However, Xiao Yan's name was never listed on the Strong List.

The Strong Ranking is a ranking of the inner academy's strength, comprising thirty-three individuals, all of whom are at the Dou Ling level. The top ten are at the peak of the Dou Ling realm. The problem is, there's a vast chasm between Dou Huang and Dou Ling, and Xiao Yan's cultivation has already exceeded the scope of the Strong Ranking. If his name is listed, all the rankings below him have to be moved down. And he has never actively tried to climb the rankings.

"You should go and compete on the leaderboard," Zi Yan said, swinging her legs as she sat on the roof of Panmen. "If you don't, people will just think you're good at alchemy."

"It doesn't matter." Zi Yan was deliberately provoking him to compete on the ranking list. Who would be so stubborn as to think that a Dou Huang is not powerful?

"What's the big deal! If you don't fight, how will anyone be afraid of you?" Zi Yan clenched her fists, her purple eyes sparkling. "How about I fight for you?"

"You're already number one on the leaderboard, what are you still fighting for?"

"I'll help you get first place!"

Xiao Yan looked up at her. Zi Yan was ranked first on the Power Ranking, having overwhelmed everyone with brute force. But Zi Yan never actively participated in the Power Ranking—her name was placed there by Elder Su Qian.

"No rush, let me finish up these next few days."

In reality, Xiao Yan's reason for not rushing to challenge the Strongest Ranking was simple—it was pointless. A Dou Huang fighting a Dou Ling was no different than an adult fighting a child. The people on the Strongest Ranking weren't fools; everyone knew the gap between him and them. By not challenging them, he gave everyone a way out, preventing an awkward situation.

But Zi Yan's words also make sense. If his name isn't listed, some people will always think he's "good at alchemy but not necessarily good at fighting." To put it bluntly, Xiao Yan's hands are itching for a fight.

Three days later, Xiao Yan went to the Strong Ranking Tower.

The Ranking Tower is a special area within the inner courtyard used for challenging rankings, and it's open once a day. Challengers can choose an opponent ranked higher than themselves; a win replaces the opponent's ranking, and a loss means trying again the next day.

Xiao Yan designated the tenth place.

"Xiao Yan challenges the tenth place on the Power Ranking!"

The tenth place was occupied by a young man named Yao Sheng, a mid-stage Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) cultivator who had been on the strong rankings for two years. When the news spread, half of the inner courtyard came to watch the spectacle. But their motivations were subtle—not to see if Yao Sheng could win, but to see if he dared to step up. Everyone knew perfectly well that a Dou Huang (Battle Emperor) versus a Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) cultivator was a foregone conclusion.

Yao Sheng stood on the ring, his face looking rather grim.

After a three-breath silence, he cupped his hands in a gesture of surrender: "I concede."

No nonsense. A mid-stage Dou Ling cultivator facing a second-star Dou Huang is not a question of whether they can win, but rather that they simply cannot.

For the next week, Xiao Yan's visits to the Strong Ranking Tower became routine. From ninth to fourth place, not a single person accepted the challenge. It wasn't that they were cowards, but there was no need. A Dou Ling fighting a Dou Huang was simply suicide; it would only lead to losing face and offer no benefit whatsoever.

The news spread throughout the inner courtyard: Xiao Yan challenged the Strong Ranking, but no one accepted the challenge.

This is even more shocking than an ordinary person winning.

Winning at most proves his strength, but no one daring to challenge him means he's so strong that others don't even dare to try. Those ranked on the strength list are all veteran powerhouses from the inner court, each one proud and arrogant. If even they don't challenge him, how vast must the gap be?

Is this what a Dou Huang powerhouse is like? Terrifying indeed.

Lin Xiuya, ranked second on the leaderboard, has taken the initiative to accept the challenge.

  

Lin Xiuya was a veteran powerhouse in the inner courtyard, a peak Dou Ling cultivator, who had been on the power rankings for three years, never falling out of the top three. Unlike others who chose to avoid the competition, he stepped directly onto the arena.

"Xiao Yan," Lin Xiuya took a deep breath, "I admit defeat."

The entire room fell silent.

Xiao Yan stood by the arena, stunned for a moment.

"Not going to fight?"

"I can't win." Lin Xiuya's voice was calm, without humiliation, only clear-headedness. "You're a Dou Huang, I'm a Dou Ling. The difference is obvious. If I go up there, I'll just get slapped for nothing. The ranking list is for ranking, not for suicide."

Xiao Yan looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

This reaction is actually normal. In the original story, when Xiao Yan was competing on the Strongest Ranking, his opponents were not too far apart in strength, so it was a back-and-forth battle. But he was a Dou Huang, while his opponent was a Dou Ling, a difference of two major realms. No one would be foolish enough to fight a losing battle.

"Then I won't make things difficult for you," Xiao Yan said. "How about this: you make three moves, and I'll stand still. After three moves, I'll make my move once, how about that?"

Lin Xiuya's brow twitched slightly.

This condition essentially gave him a way out—not surrender, but a friendly exchange. He would make three moves, Xiao Yan would receive three moves, and then Xiao Yan would retaliate with one move. It was dignified and not shameful.

"it is good."

Lin Xiuya drew his sword. The blade gleamed with a pale blue light, emanating wind-attribute battle qi.

He held nothing back. He unleashed the full power of the Gale Sword Technique, the sword light tracing dozens of arcs, each wrapped in a sharp wind blade. The air was sliced ​​apart with a piercing whistling sound, leaving fine cracks on the arena floor. These three moves, executed simultaneously, were his strongest sword technique—Azure Whirlwind Strike.

Xiao Yan stood still, without moving.

The wind blade reached within three inches of him, and azure flames ignited on his body. The intense heat of the wind and the strange fire instantly evaporated, and most of the sword energy dissipated before it even touched his body.

The three moves were over.

Xiao Yan raised his right hand, his palm wrapped in a ball of cyan flame, and gently pushed the railing beside him.

The flames flew past and slammed into the stone railing. A three-foot-wide hole was burned through the railing, its edges still sizzling, and gravel dripping down.

He didn't hit Lin Xiuya.

Lin Xiuya stared at the charred hole, his fingers tightening slightly around the sword hilt. If that palm had struck his chest, his battle aura shield wouldn't have lasted even half a breath.

"I lost," Lin Xiuya sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Yan, "Thank you for holding back."

Xiao Yan nodded. "Your sword is quite good. The wind attribute combined with your swordsmanship makes it both offensive and defensive. Against a different opponent, it would be enough to wear down many people."

Lin Xiuya gave a wry smile, turned around and walked off the stage.

The next day, Liu Qing, who ranked third on the leaderboard, took the initiative to approach Panmen.

"Xiao Yan," Liu Qing stood at the entrance of the Pan Gate, the Mountain-Splitting Spear resting diagonally on his shoulder, "I won't give up my ranking on the Strongest List. If you want it, come and take it on the arena."

Xiao Yan looked at him.

"Are you sure? You can't beat me, even if you're a Dou Ling."

"I know I can't win," Liu Qing said, "but I climbed to third place on the rankings step by step. If you want it, come and take it. Don't make me retreat without a fight."

Xiao Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded. He hadn't expected Liu Qing to be so stubborn.

"it is good."

That afternoon, at Qiangbang Tower.

The entire inner courtyard had come. Not to see who would win, but to see how many moves Liu Qing could withstand. Everyone knew the outcome, but Liu Qing's attitude gave this sparring a different meaning—it wasn't about strength, but about upholding dignity.

Liu Qing stood on the arena, his fighting spirit blazing.

"Xiao Yan, I won't admit defeat. You've shown me the gap in skill, and I accept that. But you have to let me make a move."

"Can."

Liu Qing made his move.

Battle aura exploded on the arena. His speed was so fast that he was just a blur. The Mountain-Splitting Spear, wrapped in fierce and unparalleled battle aura, stabbed towards Xiao Yan. Each spear thrust carried a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, and each strike was all-out effort—followed closely by the Great Coffin-Splitting Claw, five streams of qi tearing the ground like sharp claws.

Xiao Yan didn't move.

The battle qi struck him, crackling and popping, but the protective battle qi of the Fire God Body blocked all the damage. The fierce spear force, encountering the high temperature of the strange fire, was directly reduced by more than half, not even stirring the hem of his clothes.

After three moves, Xiao Yan made his move.

One punch.

A cyan flame, accompanied by the force of a punch, slammed into Liu Qing's battle aura shield. The shield shattered, and Liu Qing was blasted away, crashing into the railing at the edge of the arena and creating a dent.

Gravel flew everywhere.

Liu Qing climbed out of the rubble, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Xiao Yan, his eyes showing no resentment, but rather a sense of relief.

"The gap is too big," he stood up, dusted himself off, "Battle Emperor and Battle Spirit are not even on the same level."

He smiled, stepped forward, and extended his hand.

"We'll spar again when our cultivation levels catch up."

Xiao Yan grasped his hand. "Okay."

Xiao Yan is ranked number one on the Power Ranking.

You're saying Zi Yan is number one? She conceded defeat right offstage. She doesn't care about that, and Xiao Yan gave her a lot of pills, so she decided not to argue with Xiao Yan about taking her number one spot.

In the end, no one disputed that Xiao Yan had taken first place. Everyone knew that this newcomer was on a completely different level from them, and moreover, he was both a newcomer and an elder. Everyone could only marvel at how extraordinary the true geniuses of the Dou Qi Continent were.

When the news reached Panmen, Little Fairy Doctor was in the backyard organizing herbs. Her silver hair fell over her shoulders, and her fingers moved among the medicine boxes, neatly categorizing the different kinds of herbs. A new student from Panmen came running to deliver the news, panting heavily.

After listening, Little Fairy Doctor nodded, her fingers continuing to put herbs into the medicine box.

When Qinglin rushed in from outside, she almost knocked over the flowerpots by the door. Her bright green snake eyes sparkled, and her whole face was glowing.

"Brother Xiao Yan won! Number one on the Power Ranking!"

Little Fairy Doctor raised her head, glanced at her, and smiled slightly, but said nothing.

Han Xue was reading in Yue Ling's courtyard when she heard the news. Her hand paused for a moment, her turning of the page faltering, before she continued turning the page as if nothing had happened.

"I don't care about him at all," she muttered under her breath. But this Xiao Yan is really strong, and kind of handsome too.

At the other end of the courtyard, Han Yue didn't speak, but just smiled.