Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Lu Feng, perhaps you're right, but thank you anyway...!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaoxiang's pretty face froze slightly, then she slowly nodded.

Although she knew that the other person's words were meant to comfort her, she had already come this far, and was only one win away from advancing to the second round of the free challenge. Lu Xiaoxiang was also unwilling to give up.

On the other side, in the arena...

With Wang Wu's defeat, Shen Tianzhong, also from the West Campus, successfully advanced to the second round of free challenges.

In addition, Shen Tianzhong was the only newcomer who was taken away by Elder Liu Lanyu of the Scripture Hall as soon as he entered the academy and arranged to cultivate in the West Courtyard. Even Lu Feng, who was once known as the new king of the North Courtyard, did not receive this treatment.

As for the special treatment Liu Lanyu gave to Shen Tianzhong, none of the students from the North Academy, including Lu Feng, had any objections.

Because the other party was once the "Judgment Mad Blade" ranked third on the list of villains. Not only were his hands stained with countless blood, but his Yuan Power cultivation was also far superior to that of Lu Feng and others back then. He was not comparable to ordinary students of the North Academy.

Even Wang Wu, a senior student from the West Campus who has been admitted for seven or eight years, couldn't withstand three moves from Shen Tianzhong in a head-on confrontation!

It is evident that Shen Tianzhong, nominally a student of the West Academy, is actually as strong as most of the experts in the South Academy, or even stronger!

"The winner of the fiftieth round, from the West Campus, is Shen Tianzhong!"

"The competition continues!"

Seeing Wang Wu voluntarily admit defeat and limp off the stage, the middle-aged deacon in charge of the refereeing immediately announced loudly the opponent for the next match.

Not far away, the viewing pavilion

"Tsk, this guy named Shen Tianzhong is pretty impressive..."

Seeing Shen Tianzhong advance to the second round with ease, as if slicing melons and vegetables, Ren Xuanfei's beautiful eyes also flickered with surprise.

After all, so far this year's academy competition has basically been a battle of weaklings between students from the North and West campuses, with very few truly valuable competitions, and Shen Tianzhong in front of us is one of them.

"This person was not only ranked third on the list of villains in the past, but was also on the joint wanted list of the Western Qin State Court and Yunfu Sect. With his strength and methods, dealing with a few naive young students now will be a piece of cake."

Beside her, Zhang Miaoling slowly stepped forward, then crossed her arms and spoke in a calm tone, clearly very familiar with Shen Tianzhong's past and background.

"Third on the list of villains?"

Ren Xuanfei raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"Princess, have you heard of the massacre of the Shen family in the Western Qin Kingdom twenty years ago? This person was the last surviving member of the Shen family, and..."

After glancing at Ren Xuanfei again, Zhang Miaoling changed the subject, her tone turning somber, "The mastermind behind the massacre of the Shen family was none other than this Shen Tianzhong!"

"this...!"

"This man actually slaughtered his entire family?! He's truly a wicked madman!"

Upon hearing this, not only was Ren Xuanfei stunned, but Zhan Feiyu from the Divine Arrest Bureau was also dumbfounded. He seemed not to have expected Shen Tianzhong to be so ruthless, not only killing his own people but also leaving no survivors!

"Heh, finally a few experts have emerged. Looks like the upcoming matches won't be so boring..."

Compared to the shocked Ren Xuanfei and Zhan Feiyu, Jin Tai, the heir of the Jin family, appeared very calm, and a fighting spirit flashed in his eyes. He seemed not to be afraid of Shen Tianzhong's strength at all, but rather seemed eager to try.

"Round 62 of the Academy Grand Competition, Number 8, West Campus, Nangong Yan!"

"Round 62 of the Academy Competition, Number 8, North Campus, Lu Xiaoxiang!"

On the stage, another loud announcement rang out, causing Lu Xiaoxiang, who was in the crowd below, to tense up and her face to become solemn.

"My final opponent is actually Senior Sister Nangong...!"

Lu Xiaoxiang looked serious, her pretty face tense.

Although Nangong Yan's strength is not as good as Wang Wu and Wu Lin, she is still a proper student of the West Academy and ranks tenth in the West Academy, which is incomparable to Yun Haoxuan, Wu Yunran and other new students of the North Academy.

In other words, it will be extremely difficult for Lu Xiaoxiang to win this final match!

"No! If I back down now, wouldn't that be proving that man's fallacy right? Without the Lu family's protection, no matter how hard I try, I'll achieve nothing...?"

Seemingly recalling a past event, Lu Xiaoxiang lightly bit her lip, then leaped up and landed steadily on the arena.

"Why does this girl seem like a completely different person?"

Seeing Lu Xiaoxiang leap onto the stage, her entire being radiating an aura of overwhelming power and fierce fighting spirit, Lu Feng, standing in the crowd below, also cast a glance at her, a hint of surprise appearing on his face.

Although he and Lu Xiaoxiang had a close relationship, this was the first time he had seen her with such a determined look in her eyes, as if she were a heroine who wanted to prove that she was no less than anyone else.

"So it's Junior Sister Lu. It's quite a coincidence that we met in the final match."

Across the arena, a graceful figure stood holding a sword. Her beautiful eyes were calm as they fell on Lu Xiaoxiang, who was not far away, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

"Senior Sister Nangong, please enlighten me!"

Lu Xiaoxiang glanced at Nangong Yan, who was poised to attack on the other side of the ring, took a deep breath, and habitually bowed.

Although she had cultivated for nearly a year and her Yuan Power cultivation had improved considerably, reaching the sixth level of the Meridian Opening Realm, she was still somewhat outmatched by Nangong Yan in front of her.

Because the other party was not only ranked tenth in the West Academy, but also had reached the eighth level of the Opening Meridian Realm, which was almost two whole minor realms higher than Lu Xiaoxiang, so the difference was huge!

Given Lu Xiaoxiang's cultivation level, unless she has some trump card or life-saving trump card, it would be difficult for her to defeat Nangong Yan, who is at a higher level. Her chances of winning are less than 30%!

"Junior Sister Lu, I won't hold back, watch out!"

In response to Lu Xiaoxiang's bow, Nangong Yan nodded slightly, but her face remained solemn, clearly not underestimating her just because she came from the North Academy.

After all, both of them had won two consecutive matches, and winning this last match would allow them to advance to the second round.

According to the basic rules of the academy competition, in addition to the contribution points reward for winning five consecutive games, anyone who can advance to the second round can receive a generous reward from Liu Lanyu and others, and can also strive for a higher ranking.

Therefore, even when facing Lu Xiaoxiang, who was slightly weaker than herself, Nangong Yan did not slack off in the slightest, lest she be caught off guard and miss out on the reward and opportunity.

"It's finally starting!"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry up and place your bets! The odds are absolutely fair, place your bets now!"

"I'm betting 500 contribution points!"

"Only bet that little? You're too poor, kid. I'm going all in with 3,000 contribution points. Senior Sister Nangong is definitely going to win this battle!"

Just as Lu Xiaoxiang and Nangong Yan were about to start fighting, the crowd around them was also very excited. A commotion arose as everyone held the Cangmang Token and formed a circle around each other, looking excited and seemingly impatient.

"Uh, what's going on now?"

Seeing this, Lu Feng couldn't help but feel curious and immediately leaped over to get closer.