Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

Upon hearing this, Wu Hao glanced at Xiao Fan in the stands again, hesitated for a moment, and then walked down.

Chapter 107 Rules of the Third Round

After Wu Hao left, the competition continued as normal.

Xiao Yan, however, became interested in Xiao Fan's refusal of Wu Hao's challenge. "Senior brother, why did you refuse Wu Hao's challenge?"

Xiao Fan rolled his eyes at him, shrugged, and said, "Going up there to fight is exhausting, and there's no benefit in it. Isn't this just making yourself suffer?"

Everyone thought Xiao Fan wasn't fighting Wu Hao to hide his strength for the later competition, but they didn't expect Xiao Fan's reason to be so simple, which left everyone speechless.

In the subsequent match, Xiao Fan and Xiao Xun'er took to the field again. Xiao Xun'er's opponent was a wind-type student who was a seven-star Dou Shi. After enduring more than ten moves from Xun'er, he was defeated by Xiao Xun'er with a single palm strike, without revealing much of his strength.

Xiao Fan's opponent was a five-star Dou Shi, an earth-attribute cultivator who was completely powerless against Xiao Fan. However, Xiao Fan did not go all out from the start. Instead, he fought back and forth with the student, allowing him to demonstrate his strength before finally defeating him. This made the student extremely grateful to him.

Midway through, Xiao Fan witnessed Bai Shan's attack again. With the strength of a five-star Great Dou Master, he was practically cheating in the current competition. No one else had the strength to stop him like Xiao Fan. Seemingly to show off, Bai Shan defeated his opponent with a single blow after coming up, and then stood proudly in place. When he realized that Xiao Xun'er's gaze was not on him, he could only sit back in his seat with an ugly expression.

It must be mentioned that Hu Jia, the one known as the Little Demoness, is someone Xiao Fan only understood the origin of the title after seeing her performance in the competition.

Hu Jia's opponent was a wind-attribute cultivator who was an eight-star Dou Shi. After stepping onto the stage, the opponent had no intention of fighting Hu Jia. Instead, he focused on using his movement techniques to dart around aimlessly. Eventually, Hu Jia cornered him and used the force of her punches to make people's hearts tremble. Hu Jia caught the opponent and gave him a good beating, making him almost cry. Only then did Hu Jia let go of the opponent's collar, clapped her hands, and hopped back to her position.

This made Hu Qian's eyebrows twitch. He had told her so many times to be more ladylike, but she still did what she wanted. He raised his fist and started punching her randomly.

After a full day of competition, by the evening of the second day, the fifty spots for entering the inner courtyard were finally decided. Hu Qian then dismissed the crowd on the stage, awaiting the start of the competition the following day.

After Xiao Fan and his group left, they did not gather again that night. They all cultivated in their respective rooms, except for the three of them. Xiao Fan slept in his own room, while Xiao Yan went to Xiao Xun'er's place as usual. Although the two of them could not do anything out of line, it wasn't like they couldn't do anything at all, right?

The next morning, Xiao Fan and his group arrived at the stands and noticed that the surrounding audience was significantly more enthusiastic than the day before. This was understandable, as all fifty students today had already secured their spots in the inner academy; the competition was fierce, vying for the top five positions in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Xiao Fan had expected that it would be like the original story, with fifty people fighting together. With Xiao Yan and Xun'er on his side, the three of them would be invincible. However, he never expected that the competition method would change this time.

It was still Hu Qian, the vice dean of the outer academy, who stood in the center of the stands and explained the rules of this round of competition to everyone.

"Today is the final round of the Inner Academy selection competition, where the top five will be chosen. The top five will be able to enter the Fighting Skill Pavilion and choose a cultivation technique. Even high-grade Earth-rank fighting techniques are available there. Whether you can choose one depends entirely on your own strength. So, good luck, everyone! Next, I will explain the rules of today's competition."

"For this competition, we have divided the competition venue into five areas." As Hu Qian finished speaking, the venue changed instantly. The original huge martial arts arena was divided into five areas of the same size, with each area about ten meters apart.

“We’ve divided the fifty trainees into five groups. Each group will have only one winner.” As he said this, Xiao Fan wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Hu Qian glanced at where the three of them were, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

Looking at the curious crowd, Hu Qian continued, "Each group has ten students, and the rule among you is that there are no rules!"

As soon as Hu Qian finished speaking, Xiao Fan immediately understood what Hu Qian meant. Similarly, Xiao Yan, Bai Shan, Hu Jia, and the others also understood, and their faces instantly turned ugly. After a moment of silence, the crowd in the stands erupted in deafening shouts.

Everyone understood why Bai Shan and the others' expressions suddenly changed drastically. The winner of each group would be selected for the top five spots, which meant that once the competition started, everyone would definitely team up to eliminate the most threatening person first.

Among the fifty people, who were originally the most likely to win the top five?

Bai Shan, Wu Hao, Xiao Xun'er, and Xiao Yaonu—four of them are here. Apart from Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan, among the remaining forty-odd students, only two are Great Dou Masters.

Five spots for eight Grand Battle Masters. In a regular competition, the top five would definitely be decided among these eight, and students with Battle Master strength would have no chance. However, now that it has become a regional competition, as long as these Battle Masters unite to eliminate the Grand Battle Masters in their respective regions, then even students with Battle Master strength will have a chance to enter the Battle Skill Pavilion. After all, after the elimination of the previous two days, the remaining Battle Masters are all relatively strong in the academy.

Therefore, everyone was shocked by the new rules announced by Hu Qian.

"I say, is it really okay for Hu Qian to play like this?" On the stands, Old Man Huo shook his head at the two old men beside him and said, "Once all the Dou Shi unite, then the top five are hard to say."

The old man in the yellow robe smiled faintly and replied, "Who cares? Anyway, he's the vice dean of the outer academy. We can just watch the show, hahaha."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Huo curled his lip. What vice-dean? A bunch of old geezers, just looking for a show. But, this kind of thing seems quite interesting...

"They actually have a competition like this!" On the stands, Xiao Yan smiled helplessly after hearing Hu Qian announce the rules. "In this way, all the students with the strength of a Great Dou Master are put in the open and will definitely be targeted."

Xiao Fan was also surprised by the new rules that Hu Qian had come up with. He didn't expect that the rules would be changed in the final round. However, looking at the platform that Hu Qian had divided into five areas, Xiao Fan felt that it was probably to target the three of them. After all, if it were the original fifty-person free-for-all, the three of them would have been directly pre-selected. So, it was understandable that Hu Qian made such a change.

Okay, next, we will announce the list of ten students for each region. Please go to your respective region according to the names I call out.

"First area, Xiao Fan, Yue Yao,..."

"Second region, Xiao Yan, Baishan..."

"The third area, Xiao Xun'er, Wu Min..."

"Fourth District, Hu Jia, Cheng Yang..."

"Fifth District, Wu Hao, Du Feng..."

Chapter 108 Group Operations

Upon hearing Hu Qian's group assignments, Xiao Fan wore an expression that said, "I knew it."

Apart from them, among the other students, only Wu Min and Cheng Yang were at the Great Dou Master level, while the rest were at the Dou Master level. All the Great Dou Masters were also separated.

The only regions containing two Great Dou Masters are Xiao Yan and Bai Shan in the second region, Xiao Xun'er and Wu Min in the third region, and Hu Jia and Cheng Yang in the fourth region.

Xiao Fan's opponents are all Dou Shi, and so are Wu Hao's. A competition stage with two Great Dou Shi allows them to team up against the other Dou Shi before the actual match, which would alleviate some of their pressure. However, Xiao Fan believes it's impossible for Xiao Yan and Bai Shan to team up.

Xiao Fan and Wu Hao each had to face the siege of nine people on their own.

The Dou Shi of Canaan Academy are far superior to those of the rogue cultivators outside. Whether it is the combination of fighting techniques or the selection of cultivation methods, the resources are abundant. Most of the Dou Shi's combat strength can even be compared with some rogue cultivators' Grand Dou Shi. The only thing they lack is a little experience in life-and-death battles, but they don't need to worry about that at all in such a competition. Therefore, Xiao Fan and Wu Hao are under the greatest pressure.

"Hehe, alright, you all head to your respective stands, and then get ready to begin." As Hu Qian finished speaking, Xiao Fan and his group exchanged glances and then hurried to their respective areas.

"Xun'er, be careful." Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Xun'er and said slowly. Xiao Xun'er smiled and waved gently at Xiao Yan. "Brother Xiao Yan, you too, be careful."

Xiao Fan rolled his eyes as he listened, then said to the two, "What about me? Didn't you tell me to be careful?" Xiao Yan punched Xiao Fan on the shoulder, smiled, and said nothing. Xiao Xun'er smiled at Xiao Fan and said mysteriously, "Brother Xiao Fan, you can go a little easier on him." Before Xiao Fan could understand what she meant, she had already left.

On their way to their respective areas, Xiao Fan noticed that the students with the strength of a Dou Shi had gathered together. He knew without a doubt that they were planning to unite and eliminate the students with the strength of a Da Dou Shi first.

When Xiao Fan arrived at his platform, he found Yue Yao standing not far from him.

Seeing Xiao Fan come up, Yue Yao walked over to him with her hands behind her back and said with a light smile, "So, are you ready to fight nine people at once?"

Xiao Fan had a good impression of this quiet and easygoing girl. He smiled at her and waved. "What can you do if you're not ready? You still have to go on stage."

The girl smiled sweetly and said to Xiao Fan, "Tsk tsk, I think you'll definitely be fine. Of course, if you really can't beat me, I can help you." Yueyao whispered the last part to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan looked at her curiously, assuming it was a joke, and casually agreed with a smile. "Okay!"

When Xiao Yan and Bai Shan met in the second area, they disliked each other and each occupied one side of the stone platform, showing no signs of joining forces.

In addition, Xiao Xun'er and Wu Min from the third region, and Hu Jia and Cheng Yang from the fourth region, also joined forces to confront the team composed of Dou Shi (Battle Masters) on the other side.

As for the stands where Wu Hao was, no one approached him; they were all whispering among themselves.

"Alright, now that you've all arrived at your respective positions, the competition shall begin!" Hu Qian announced loudly, seeing that everyone had reached their designated areas.

As the competition began, the five zones instantly erupted with colorful battle aura, and the audience on the stands shouted excitedly.

As soon as Hu Qian finished speaking, several Grand Battle Masters joined forces to attack the other side. After all, they knew they couldn't let these Battle Masters continue to devise tactics, since there were quite a few among them who understood formations. If the fight dragged on, even they would find it troublesome.

As Hu Qian finished speaking, in the first area, the Thousand Flame Spear instantly appeared in Xiao Fan's hand. The azure flames covered Xiao Fan's body, like a layer of azure flame armor, tightly wrapping around him and exuding a violent aura.

From the crowd opposite, Yueyao said softly, "Everyone, my fighting technique can slightly slow him down. I'll assist you." Immediately, a faint stream of water spread from Yueyao's feet again, covering the stands. Although Xiao Fan was covered by the strange fire, his speed was still slightly reduced.

With a slight frown, Xiao Fan knew from their last encounter that Yue Yao's fighting techniques had limited effect on him, so why was she still expending her fighting spirit to cover him this time? Before he could think about it, Xiao Fan had already approached his first enemy, an earth-attribute cultivator. He circulated his fighting spirit, forming a faint yellow shield around his body. With his feet firmly planted on the ground, he could vaguely feel the connection between himself and the ground.

"Earth's energy?"

Xiao Fan frowned slightly. Some advanced earth-attribute techniques can reach the ground and absorb the earth's energy for their own use. These earth-attribute cultivators all possess extremely abnormal defenses.

"good eyesight!"

The boy opposite him realized that Xiao Fan had seen through his secrets at a glance, and couldn't help but say, "But even if you've figured it out, there's still nothing you can do."

"That's not necessarily true." Xiao Fan smiled slightly, controlling his strange fire to burrow underground. Soon the boy noticed the strangeness beneath his feet, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly jumped back.

After all, his shield looked solid, but in reality, his weakness was right underneath. Only by cultivating to a higher level could he shift that weakness. But usually, he stood on the ground, so his weakness was protected. Even if ordinary attacks hit him, they would not cause any harm. But Xiao Fan's strange fire was different. Once attacked by the strange fire, it would definitely break through his shield in an instant.

The two students behind him exchanged a glance when they saw that Xiao Fan had broken through the shield in front of him so quickly, and then they rushed towards Xiao Fan.

Flanking Xiao Fan from the left and right, Xiao Fan slightly shifted his body to dodge the longsword thrust by the student on the left. Xiao Fan then swung his spear at the lower body of the student on the right. Seeing the student reflexively dodge, Xiao Fan's lips curled into a slight smile. He then launched a counterattack at the student on the left, who was caught off guard and forced back by Xiao Fan's attack. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiao Fan then swept his spear across the waist of the student on the right.

Everything happened in an instant. The two students were easily defeated by Xiao Fan, making everyone even more wary of his strength. Yue Yao, who had been observing Xiao Fan, was also surprised for a moment. No one noticed that the water ripples where the two students had been standing had quietly vanished just as they were about to freeze. Only Xiao Fan seemed to have noticed something, and he secretly glanced at the water ripples on the ground.

Just as the Grand Masters from all regions joined forces to fight against the other Grand Master trainees, the only unexpected event occurred in the Second Region.

Chapter 109 Backstab

In the third region, Xiao Xun'er and Wu Min joined forces, sharing a significant portion of the pressure and easily handling the eight opposing Dou Shi. In the fourth region, Hu Jia and Cheng Yang, despite Hu Jia's nickname "Little Demoness," were no fools and knew that teaming up was the best approach. Together with Cheng Yang, they attacked the opposing Dou Shi. Although Wu Hao also lacked companions, his reputation as the Blood Asura was formidable, causing other Dou Shi to hesitate and fight him without daring to unleash their full power, hindering their potential.

In the second area, after the competition started, Xiao Yan and Bai Shan not only did not join forces against each other, but Bai Shan even made a promise to the surrounding Dou Shi and took the lead in attacking Xiao Yan on the other side of the stone platform.

"Foolish!" Bai Shan's actions were naturally noticed by many people, and the Battle Masters of the Second Region were happy to see the two powerful figures exhaust their strength first, secretly harboring a desire to watch the show.

Xiao Yan on the other side also seemed surprised that Bai Shan would make such a choice.

"I didn't expect you to choose this method." Looking at Bai Shan rushing towards him, Xiao Yan smiled helplessly, raised the Xuan Heavy Ruler in his hand, and went to meet him.

Bai Shan looked at Xiao Yan and sneered, "Only the strong are worthy of having Xun'er. As for you, you are not worthy!"

Hearing Bai Shan's words, Xiao Yan remained silent. He didn't want to fight Bai Shan first because he didn't want others to benefit from the fight. It wasn't that Xiao Yan was afraid of Bai Shan; since Bai Shan wanted to fight him first, Xiao Yan naturally had no objection.

Bai Shan's spear crackled with a faint white lightning as he lashed out at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan raised his right hand, which was gripping the Xuan Heavy Ruler, and used it to block in front of him, hiding behind the massive Xuan Heavy Ruler. Bai Shan's spear struck the Xuan Heavy Ruler hard, but left no mark.

"Is that all?" Xiao Yan said disdainfully. Without picking up the Xuan Heavy Ruler, he flashed out from behind it, breaking free from its restraints. Xiao Yan's speed increased once again, and pale blue flames appeared on his body. He then slammed his right elbow towards Bai Shan.

"Baji collapse!"

Bai Shan had no choice but to hold his spear horizontally in front of his chest to defend against Xiao Yan's attack.

boom!

The elbow struck Bai Shan's gun, and the force sent Bai Shan staggering back a step.

"Is that all?" As if to be sarcastic, Bai Shan said the same thing as Xiao Yan just now. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Bai Shan's expression changed. Several muffled groans came from his body, and his face turned pale in an instant.

Stepping back to the Xuan Heavy Ruler, Xiao Yan casually rested his right hand on it and said with a faint smile, "Yes! That's all there is to it."

Bai Shan's face was gloomy, and his eyes were filled with coldness as he looked at Xiao Yan. He never expected that he would be made a fool of like a clown by Xiao Yan. He had been careless and had not noticed the hidden force in Xiao Yan's attack, and had suffered a great loss. Now he had no face to mock Xiao Yan again.