Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

It is not only a competition among peers of outstanding talent, but also an opportunity to win honor for the academy and for individuals to make a name for themselves and seize opportunities.

Besides the Chang'an Shenwu Academy, the Tian Ce Academy was also a special institution in the Tang Dynasty. It was founded by the military, and its students were all selected from the army, with a strong emphasis on practical combat.

Located in the Northwest, Wanxiang Academy is renowned for its array formations and various alchemy and weapon crafting skills. Although its individual combat strength is slightly weaker, its overall strength should not be underestimated.

Taixu Academy, located in Jiangnan, focuses on Qi cultivation and doesn't place much emphasis on combat skills. However, its students advance in cultivation at a rapid pace, and their strength is not to be underestimated.

"The league is divided into team battles and individual battles. Each college sends five team members. Third-year students are not participating as it is their internship year. Therefore, all participants are first- and second-year students."

Liu Hongyan continued, "This selection is divided into two rounds. In the first round, all first- and second-year students in the college can sign up and compete in a ring to determine the top 32."

"However, the dean has personally reserved a special spot."

"Who is it?"

Yu Ling'er couldn't help but ask curiously.

Liu Hongyan's gaze fell on Li Yuan, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly: "It's Li Yuan. Given his previous performance, he is granted exemption from the test and has directly obtained a spot in the competition, and will be temporarily appointed as the team captain."

Everyone had more or less guessed this outcome. They were completely convinced of Li Yuan's merits and felt that it was only right for him to receive this spot.

"The remaining four spots will be selected through a selection process," Liu Hongyan said. "The selection competition will begin in three days and last for half a month, ultimately forming the representative team of our Shenwu Academy for this year."

"From this day forward, Li Yuan, you will need to undergo my special training to refine your tactics and familiarize yourself with potential opponents."

"The rest of you, focus all your efforts on the selection process, and don't let my Tian Shu class lose face."

"yes!"

The crowd responded in unison, their fighting spirit soaring.

Over the next two days, the atmosphere in the academy was electric, with all the training grounds packed with people. Everyone was giving it their all, and no one wanted to miss this rare opportunity.

Li Yuan then underwent one-on-one special training with Liu Hongyan.

As expected of an elite from the Demon Suppression Division, Liu Hongyan possessed extremely rich practical experience and a keen eye. She tailored several different tactics for Li Yuan, taking into account his concise and ruthless fighting style.

As a captain, personal martial arts skills are certainly important, but on-the-spot judgment, rhythm control, and other abilities are also indispensable.

She analyzed in detail the characteristics of the other three academies, their usual tactics over the years, and even some little-known behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

This suited Li Yuan's taste perfectly, as neither of them were the kind of rigid, rule-abiding people.

On the fourth day, the selection competition began as scheduled.

The entire Tian Shu class signed up, demonstrating remarkable strength. After the first round, more than half of them made it into the top 32.

Yu Ling'er, Chu Yunhe, Shen Lian, You Ying, Wu Yu, Cheng Zhao and ten others have all advanced to the second round.

In the ensuing quarterfinals, Chu Yunhe, with his exquisite swordsmanship, easily advanced through the rounds.

Shen Lian also made it into the top eight with his fierce swordsmanship and ruthless and decisive aura.

Yu Ling'er advanced with her agile, fox-like movements and tricky, hard-to-defend moves, along with Wu Yu and You Ying. In the end, the Tian Shu class occupied five of the top eight spots.

Of the remaining three, two were top-tier students from the second-year class, and the last one, unexpectedly, was Ji Fanghua, a first-year student.

This frail and gloomy girl, who entered school at the time, seemed to have undergone a complete transformation in just over half a year. Although she remained taciturn and aloof, she displayed a decisiveness and ruthlessness on the ring that was completely different from her appearance.

Subsequently, the academy announced that the finals would adopt a free-for-all format that would test individual skill the most.

The rules are simple yet brutal: eight people compete on the same stage, with no restrictions on methods. They can attack any opponent, but teaming up against the enemy is strictly prohibited. The four people who remain on the stage at the end are the winners.

Eight figures leaped onto the massive arena in succession, occupying eight different positions, and the air was filled with a chilling atmosphere.

Chu Yunhe, dressed in a moon-white outfit, casually pointed his long sword at the ground, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

Shen Lian stood alone, holding a long sword, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

Yu Ling'er held a short stick, her baby face still beaming with a bright smile, but her big eyes were darting around.

Wu Yu's expression was solemn, his fists clenched, and his body was surrounded by faintly flowing earth-yellow true energy, ready for battle.

The shadowy figure blended into the shadows, appearing and disappearing.

They were once classmates, but now, on the ring, they are formidable opponents who know each other best.

Beside him stood a burly young man, Zhou Rencheng from the Earthly Fiends Class. He held a heavy black iron shield in one hand and a warhammer in the other, exuding a powerful aura.

The other slender boy was Duan Sui, also a member of the Earthly Fiends Clan. He wielded a pair of Water-Splitting Emei Daggers and had a sinister look in his eyes.

The most attention-grabbing dark horse today is Ji Fanghua.

She was dressed in a black dress, her head bowed, standing out starkly from the somber atmosphere around her.

"start!"

As soon as the referee gave the order, the air in the ring instantly ignited.

Duan Sui was the first to move. He swayed and thrust his weapon straight at Wu Yu, who was closest to him, as if he wanted to catch him off guard.

"Well done!"

Wu Yu let out a low roar, neither dodging nor avoiding, his earth-yellow true energy instantly condensed in his fists, and he unleashed a fierce punch that collided with the Emei daggers, producing a dull thud.

Both men took a step back. Duan Sui was more agile. When his attack missed, he immediately changed direction and slid away like a fish, looking for the next opportunity.

Just as Duan Sui made his move, Zhou Rencheng also moved. He locked his target on the seemingly frail Ji Fanghua, protected by a black iron shield, and his warhammer, accompanied by a whistling sound, crushed towards Ji Fanghua.

Clearly, he had decided that this first-year student was an easy target.

However, faced with this powerful blow, Ji Fanghua raised her head, her eyes filled with an almost icy calm.

Just as the warhammer was about to strike, her small figure slid a foot to the left in an extremely eerie manner.

The warhammer slammed heavily into empty air with a deafening roar. Zhou Rencheng's attack missed its mark, and his body momentarily faltered due to the excessive force he had exerted.

In that instant, Ji Fanghua's hands, which had been clasped together, suddenly separated, and a short sword appeared in her right hand without her noticing.

However, she did not directly stab Zhou Rencheng; instead, she lightly slashed the short sword to the side and forward.

laugh--!

With a soft sound, something strange happened. Zhou Rencheng staggered and crashed straight into the short sword. From the audience's perspective, it looked as if he had deliberately gone forward to meet it.

A gasp rippled through the audience; Ji Fanghua was able to predict the opponent's trajectory with such precision.

Zhou Rencheng was terrified. In his haste to return his shield, it was too late. He could only roar and sweep his warhammer to the side in an attempt to force Ji Fanghua back.

However, Ji Fanghua's sword strike was a feint. The tip of her sword slid upwards by an inch, easily avoiding the sweeping warhammer, and at the same time striking Zhou Rencheng's shoulder socket acupoint.

"Well!"

Zhou Rencheng felt a numbness in half of his body, his warhammer almost slipped from his hand, his protective aura was easily broken, and he staggered back several steps, crashing into the light barrier at the edge of the arena before he could barely stand.

However, his right arm was clearly no longer able to be raised, greatly diminishing his fighting ability, and his eyes were filled with horror as he looked at Ji Fanghua.

All of this happened too fast. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Rencheng was severely injured, and the whole audience burst into cheers.