Yan Qin has a petite figure and looks like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. She has fair skin, long black hair like a waterfall, and her hands are clasped in front of her high breasts.

"Lu Chuanpeng has actually mastered the peak Dao technique. With such strength, he can even compete for the top five. Wang Hao, has your cultivation level broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining Realm?"

Wang Hao nodded and casually replied, "Yes, I just broke through a couple of days ago... Ouch, why are you pinching me?"

Yan Qin rolled her eyes at him and said, "Since you broke through your cultivation level, why didn't you tell me the day before yesterday? You made me worry all night."

"What are you worried about?" Wang Hao asked, puzzled.

Yan Qin withdrew her hand, a playful smile appearing on her well-behaved face, and said, "Of course I'm worried that Burning Lamp Academy won't get first place in the Six Academies Competition, otherwise what do you think I'm worried about?"

"With your current strength, you should be able to enter the top ten of the West Campus. Do you want to give it a try?"

Wang Hao mimicked Yan Qin's posture, crossed his arms, and said calmly, "No rush, let's take another look."

Yan Qin smiled and said, "You're probably not very familiar with the top ten experts in the West Courtyard. I can help you analyze them. The top five are Si Jingjun, Qing Ran, myself, You Zhi, and Bi Ruishan. Except for Bi Ruishan, the four of us are all Xuan Ranking cultivators."

“However, Bi Ruishan is not weak either, but he was just unlucky, which is why he was not ranked on the Xuan Ranking. I think your strength is still somewhat lacking compared to those on the Xuan Ranking.”

"Therefore, he can only challenge the five disciples behind him. Lu Chuanpeng is currently ranked tenth. He has already mastered the peak Dao technique, so tenth will definitely not be his final ranking."

Wang Hao nodded and stared at Lu Chuanpeng, saying, "This is not his full strength, because to control both swords, one must reach the intermediate level of 'Sword at Will'."

"But from my observation, he should be close to reaching the advanced level of the Sword at Will. If he is also hiding his strength and speed, then his true strength should be about the same as yours."

"I suspect the reason he's hiding his strength is that he doesn't want to attract too much attention. So, he probably won't continue challenging after entering the top ten, since tenth place is already enough to enter the intermediate ruins."

Yan Qin trusted Wang Hao's judgment completely, so she became wary. Just then, her beautiful eyes lit up, and she smiled and said, "Your girlfriend's best friend has gone to take on the challenge."

Xia Xiaoyi has a very slender figure and a cool expression. Her long legs are particularly eye-catching. As she stepped onto the challenge platform, the surroundings fell silent.

Everyone stared at the beautiful woman in white standing on the stage; she was absolutely stunning, like a fairy from a painting.

News about Xia Xiaoyi has only recently spread. Everyone says she is the personal disciple of the Dean of the Burning Lamp Academy, but she practices martial arts. However, that doesn't matter, because it doesn't matter what a beautiful woman practices, as long as she is beautiful enough.

The disciples from the other East, South, and West courtyards were also discussing it animatedly, expressing their amazement.

"I had only heard that the three beauties of the West Academy were all experts on the Xuan Ranking, and that they were invincible in the West Academy. But today I discovered that a freshman in the West Academy is also so beautiful, no less than the three beauties of the West Academy."

"She's a rising star from the West Courtyard, her strength shouldn't be underestimated. Guess which number she'll challenge?"

"She'll probably challenge the top 100 strongest cultivators. With her strength, she's already capable of defeating cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm."

......

Wang Hao was also curious about who Xia Xiaoyi would challenge. Her strength had always been a mystery, as he had never seen her make a move.

Han Yue was also watching the battle from a short distance away. Although she really wanted to go on stage, she knew that she hadn't cultivated for long enough and wasn't yet ready to compete with her seniors.

"I challenge the ninth-ranked Senior Sister Cheng Xi." Xia Xiaoyi stood tall and proud.

The audience was stunned.

A freshman actually wants to challenge for the top ten?

Wang Hao was also somewhat surprised, but he knew that Xia Xiaoyi was not a rash person. Since she chose to challenge Cheng Xi, she must have a good chance of success.

"You've got guts. Cheng Xi and Ran Jie entered the academy in the same year. If Ran Jie hadn't outshone her back then, Cheng Xi would probably have been the top freshman."

Yan Qin paused for a moment, then said, "I estimate that your girlfriend's best friend will most likely fail, unless she can gain an advantage in speed."

While the two were talking, Xia Xiaoyi and Cheng Xi had already started fighting.

Although Xia Xiaoyi is not yet at the Great Perfection of the Profound Realm, her speed is extremely fast, reaching 89 meters per second.

Although Cheng Xi was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, her maximum speed was only 85 meters per second, much slower than Xia Xiaoyi's. However, the sheer volume of her spiritual power gave her a significant advantage.

The mere shockwave from the spiritual energy punch forced Xia Xiaoyi to retreat continuously, as if she were about to be defeated at any moment.

"You think you can beat me just because you're faster? You underestimate me! I earned my ninth place in the West Campus through sheer hard work and skill," Cheng Xi sneered.

Xia Xiaoyi steadied herself, gently touched her robe with her palm, and thirty-six silver needles appeared in her hand.

She channeled her inner energy into her palms and exhaled from them, causing thirty-six silver needles to float between them.

With a push of his arm, under the influence of his true energy, the thirty-six silver needles transformed into a shimmering silver light and flew towards Cheng Xi.

Cheng Xi's expression hardened, and she gripped the golden hilt of a sword at her waist, drawing out a three-foot-long soft sword shaped like fish scales.

The sword flashed, knocking all the silver needles away.

"Ding ding!"

Xia Xiaoyi unleashed a speed-based martial art, moving with the grace of a gentle breeze, constantly changing direction, and sending out waves of silver needles, transforming them into a rain of needles.

Cheng Xi frowned, wanting to attack Xia Xiaoyi, but was forced back by the needle rain. He could only keep swinging his sword to defend, causing his spiritual energy to be rapidly depleted.

For a moment, a stalemate occurred on the challenge stage.

"Is she... a hedgehog? How come she has so many needles hidden on her body?" Yan Qin looked at Wang Hao and asked with a half-smile.

"How would I know?" Wang Hao said.

"You didn't know?" Yan Qin was very surprised.

Wang Hao gently shook his head and continued to stare at the challenge platform. He had already figured out Xia Xiaoyi's tactics. She knew she was no match for Cheng Xi, so she used silver needles to deplete Cheng Xi's true energy.

If Cheng Xi cannot break Xia Xiaoyi's Silver Needle Rain, then Cheng Xi will definitely lose.

As Wang Hao predicted, a quarter of an hour later, Cheng Xi's true energy was greatly depleted, and she was ambushed from behind by Xia Xiaoyi.

By the time Cheng Xi realized what was happening, Xia Xiaoyi's sword was already at her neck, ending the challenge.

"Such a fast sword speed. No wonder he is someone who has carried out a secret mission. Without hundreds of thousands of practice sessions, it would be impossible to draw a sword so fast."

Yan Qin narrowed her eyes. This seemingly aloof and cold older sister would make rapid progress in strength once she had enough time to cultivate.

Xia Xiaoyi's final sword strike was indeed stunning, practically invisible and intangible. Only those on the Xuan Ranking could discern the trajectory of her sword; all other cultivators failed to see it clearly.