43: Flame Sky

Xiao Weiqing faced Duan Shuyu's attack, erupting his Spiritual Qi with all his might. Flames danced upon his palm like a spirit, within which a golden Fire Owl was contained.

"Boom!"

A pillar of fire shot out, colliding with the Thunderball.

With overwhelming force, Duan Shuyu was sent flying without any resistance. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground, unable to get back up.

"Big brother, come quickly! There are two more here."

"Coming, second brother."

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?"

Xue Cheng was struck with panic but was unable to resist. This big guy's arms were like iron hoops, firmly pinning him down.

Zhang Daniu and Zhang Erniu happily threw Duan Shuyu and Xue Cheng into the Luo River.

Splash!

Splash!

"Big brother, how many have you thrown?"

"I've thrown 67. How about you, second brother?"

"I've only thrown 66. Big brother is indeed amazing."

"Mm, keep it up. Let's see who throws more in the end."

"Look, another one is coming."

"Let's just follow that Xiao Weiqing; he's powerful."

...Bang!

Ke Yingtian was sent flying backward.

"How is this possible, Qin Tian? It's only been a few days, yet your strength has grown to this extent?"

Qin Tian walked toward Ke Yingtian with an expressionless face.

"You know nothing of my Extraordinary Talent."

Thud!

Ke Yingtian was kicked away and fell into the Luo River.

This was the third Level 5 Extraordinary Talent he had personally dealt with.

He turned around.

He saw Xiao Weiqing approaching.

The two of them stood still.

"You are even stronger than I imagined."

"As are you."

Xiao Weiqing's expression turned solemn.

Qin Tian's strength and speed were extraordinary, far exceeding anyone else's at this stage.

"Your ideas are good, and I admire them. With our batch, Luo Jiang Academy is bound to rise."

"Are you praising me or yourself?"

"Both."

"Can I ask a question?"

"What?"

"In my view, many of you are very arrogant, with your noses in the air and even looking down on everyone. But considering you grew up in the Prefecture City and come from noble families, it's understandable. After all, I've seen plenty of bastards with low character."

Qin Tian twitched the corner of his mouth. Since you understand us so well, should I thank you?

"And?"

"Why target the Trainees from other cities so much? I don't believe it's just because of the admission slots."

Qin Tian was surprised. "How old are you? How many people have you seen? How much of human nature do you understand? I've looked into you; you haven't even entered society."

Xiao Weiqing shook his head. "But I know that as one of the Eight Great Academies of Great Xia and the cradle for cultivating the forces that suppress the Yao Beasts of the Luo River, Luo Jiang Academy couldn't possibly assess us this way."

"There was no such thing during the Dragon Fish Platform assessment three years ago. Most of the Trainees from Luo Jiang Academy will become part of the Demon Suppressing Army in the future. They wouldn't cultivate us like this or create group antagonism unless the academy's higher-ups have lost their minds."

Qin Tian's mouth twitched, unsure of how to respond. This matter indeed had nothing to do with the academy. Qin Tian hadn't agreed with it at first either, but being born into a large Family, one has their own helplessness.

"Words are useless. Let's see who's better in combat. If you win, I'll tell you."

Xiao Weiqing: "Fine, it's a deal."

On the bridge.

Xiao Weiqing and Qin Tian stood facing each other.

Completely different from the chaotic brawling scenes around them, there was no one within a fifty-meter radius of the two.

Suddenly.

Qin Tian's figure blurred, crossing the twenty-meter distance in an instant.

Simple and direct, he threw a straight punch.

His fist glowed with Spiritual Qi, vibrating and rubbing against the air to create ripples, aimed straight at Xiao Weiqing's chest.

The moment the opponent moved, Xiao Weiqing's body retreated rapidly.

But Qin Tian followed him like a shadow, his fist still tracking Xiao Weiqing.

Bang!

Xiao Weiqing crossed his arms and blocked it by force, but the powerful strength sent him sliding backward.

Before he could steady himself.

Qin Tian swept out a leg, so fast it left afterimages.

Whoosh!

This time, he sent Xiao Weiqing flying directly.

"Eh? He's actually fine?"

Qin Tian was slightly surprised. He had clearly kicked Xiao Weiqing. It was rare for anyone at this stage to take a hit from him and still look unfazed, and it was even more impossible for a Technique Cultivator.

He saw Xiao Weiqing slowly stand up, Spiritual Qi overflowing from his upper body, shrouded in a thin layer of white mist.

"Is your Extraordinary Talent really Level 3?"

Qin Tian's eyes widened, his words filled with astonishment.

Even a Level 5 'Technique' wouldn't have Spiritual Qi as dense as Xiao Weiqing's; Qin Tian was certain of that.

The Qi Absorption Method that came with his Extraordinary Talent wasn't as powerful as those of Technique Cultivators of the same level, but it was definitely not bad. After all, his belonged to the 'True' grade of Extraordinary Talents.

The density of his Spiritual Qi was already among the best among the geniuses in the Prefecture City, but right now, it was still a bit inferior to Xiao Weiqing's. He couldn't achieve Spiritual Qi coverage over his upper body at all.

Xiao Weiqing remained expressionless. "You'll know once you try."

He slightly raised his hand, and fire suddenly appeared, spraying outward.

"Fire Owl!"

"Come at me!"

Qin Tian shouted, "Earth-Shattering Punch!"

Qin Tian didn't dodge. Standing where he was, he threw a punch into the air.

"Boom!"

A visible ring-like pillar of Spiritual Qi erupted suddenly.

Rumble!

In the air, two streaks of Spiritual Qi—one white and one red—violently collided.

The powerful shockwave sent the surrounding Trainees flying... In the main monitoring room.

A teacher said, "This Xiao Weiqing is quite something. With Spiritual Qi overflowing from his body, he has the prototype of a Spiritual Qi Cloak. I estimate about a third of the Spiritual Qi has been injected into his shenque acupoint."

"He is good. His Spiritual Qi is condensed and doesn't dissipate, and his Divine Soul is also very strong. His Mental Energy is likely Level 10; he broke free from Xue Cheng's mental attack in an instant earlier."

"Jiang Peng, is this Xiao Weiqing really only a Level 3 'Technique'?"

"Principal Ning, it is indeed Level 3, but it's a True Art."

Principal Ning shook his head. "A Level 3 True Art shouldn't be like this either. Being comparable to a Level 5 'Technique' would be the limit. Without a Second Awakening, the gap between a True Art and an ordinary technique shouldn't be this large."

Another teacher said, "This Trainee named Xiao Weiqing is indeed quite strong. Jiang Peng, where did you find him?"

Jiang Peng straightened his back. "Teacher, I found this piece of unpolished jade with a single glance amidst the vast crowd in Linhai County. I even snatched him from the hands of the Azure Dragon Academy people."

"With your eye for talent? I don't believe you for a second."

The academy teacher snorted. He wasn't unaware that Jiang Peng wasn't even there to welcome new students this time; the Trainee in charge of welcoming new students in Anqiu City was Wang Fu.

Jiang Peng shrugged.

"Holy crap, what kind of Innate Skill is this?"

A cry of surprise rang out.

The scene on the monitor changed abruptly, and the teachers all hurried to look.

On the bridge.

After that one strike, the two were evenly matched.

Xiao Weiqing moved. His raised hand lifted slightly higher as Spiritual Qi surged frantically, and 200 strands of Qi Fire swarmed out.

He had no advantage in strength or speed, so he had to end the fight quickly; otherwise, he would be a sitting duck once his Spiritual Qi was exhausted.

Seeing Xiao Weiqing repeating his old trick, Qin Tian said indifferently, "It's useless."

"Is it?"

Hearing Xiao Weiqing's confident voice, Qin Tian suddenly felt something was wrong and instinctively looked up.

But it was too late.

He saw Xiao Weiqing's palm facing him, pressing down slightly.

"Flame Dome!"

Above the bridge, a great sun appeared at some point, distorting the surrounding air.

In an instant.

A fiery red pillar of light shot out from the great sun, instantly shining down and enveloping Qin Tian.

"Hah!"

Light radiated from all around Qin Tian as Spiritual Qi gushed out like spring water, glowing with a faint golden hue.

However, it was in vain.

The powerful impact pinned Qin Tian down firmly, his internal organs rumbling.

Pfft!

Qin Tian spat out a mouthful of blood, which immediately vaporized.

He was pressed against the ground by the powerful impact, looking listless and defeated.

The pillar of fire came quickly and vanished just as fast.

Xiao Weiqing's Spiritual Qi was nearly exhausted, and he slumped to the ground. Meanwhile, Qin Tian looked like a cooked prawn, his whole body emitting smoke.

"Second brother, come quickly! I found a cooked one."

"Brother, you smell so good."

"Hiss, hot... hot... hot..."

Zhang Daniu and Zhang Erniu didn't forget their duties. They took turns handing him off and threw Qin Tian into the Luo River.