RNP 767. Who isn't young?
767. Who isn't young?
The two whose names were called had clearly been preparing for a long time. As soon as the voice fell, the two figures shot out from the waiting areas on both sides almost simultaneously!
Ding Ji stood tall and straight, dressed in the iconic crimson outfit of Burning Flame Valley. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and his passion for battle seemed to be completely undisguised.
On the other side, Star Calamity appeared much more reserved. His eyes were calm and unwavering; he simply adjusted his breathing and stood firmly in place. Although the two had very different styles, they both exuded a sense of readiness to unleash their power, clearly indicating that neither of them were simple characters.
Mu Qingluan continued, "Ding Ji is the most outstanding non-family disciple of Burning Flame Valley. He has now mastered all three transformations of Heavenly Fire, and with the blessing of the three beast fires, he has strength no weaker than the Dou Zong level."
After speaking, Mu Qingluan glanced at Xiao Yan, who was somewhat amused and exasperated. No wonder she invited him over; it turned out that any of these top eight contestants could be connected to him in some way.
Xiao Yan was an expert in playing with fire. Although Ding Ji's three flames were all beast fire, based on Xiao Yan's Heavenly Realm soul probing, this young man seemed very enthusiastic about pursuing those violent beast fires. The risks of doing so were naturally considerable. While the conflicts between beast fires weren't as terrifying as those between different types of fire, they were definitely not easy to control. Of course, the benefits were also very obvious; the powerful flames brought direct and significant improvements.
"As for the last Star Calamity, he is a disciple of the Starfall Pavilion, which can also be considered a disciple of our Heavenly Phoenix Clan. Senior Brother, as the master of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan and the young master of the Starfall Pavilion, you must cheer him on."
With Mu Qingluan's reminder, Xiao Yan immediately discerned the clues from the two combatants.
Mu Qingluan was absolutely right when she said that Xingzai was a member of the Tianluan Clan, because Xiao Yan was extremely familiar with Xingzai's fighting style. This familiarity came from Mu Wei, the most talented formation master of the Tianluan Clan.
"Is he a disciple of Senior Mu Wei?" Xiao Yan asked.
"It's pointless. Nothing can be hidden from Senior Brother. This Star Calamity is also a newly recruited disciple of the Starfall Pavilion, but he has extremely high talent in the art of formations. Grandpa Wei has already chosen him as his successor again."
Xiao Yan watched the two fiercely battling in the arena. Ding Ji, empowered by the Three Transformations of Heavenly Flame, possessed an extremely powerful burst of energy. However, Xing Zai's fighting style was similar to Mu Wei's—unpretentious yet skillfully executed. But he was anything but careless; small formations rapidly took shape, ultimately defeating Ding Ji and securing the last advancement spot.
Unlike other duels where the loser simply dies, Ding Ji was extremely dissatisfied with Xingzai. The layers upon layers of formations had been hindering his movements since the middle of the fight, preventing him from unleashing his full power. This was an extremely unpleasant duel for him.
Star Calamity seemed to completely ignore his presence, bowing politely before returning to the Tianluan Clan's rest area without looking back.
However, the audience in the stands still gave the Star Calamity extremely high praise. Its all-encompassing fighting style might not seem as exciting, but it has its own merits.
"How was it, Senior Brother?" Mu Qingluan asked with a hint of pride as Xingzai secured the final victory. After all, Xingzai was a disciple of the Starfall Pavilion and a product of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan.
"They are indeed very good. If they had participated in the Four Directions Pavilion Tournament in the past, they would definitely have made it to the end."
These people are indeed promising talents, which is why the three major powers are very willing to facilitate this exchange. The outcome of the competition is secondary; the most important thing is to let them broaden their horizons. After all, staying within their own sphere of influence all the time can easily lead to complacency.
"Senior brother, but your influence is still greater. More than half of them admire you and are trying to catch up with you." There is no doubt about this, after all, it seems that all the top eight contestants can be mentioned in relation to Xiao Yan.
Yao Qingyu asked with some curiosity, "Are there age restrictions for these competitions?"
"Yes, they are thirty years old, but most of these young people are under twenty-five," Mu Qingluan replied.
This is a relatively reasonable age. After all, a young person with exceptional talent can usually grow to the level of Dou Huang or Dou Zong after the age of thirty, and then become a middle-level member of their respective forces. After that, although they are still young, it is not appropriate for them to participate in competitions as a contestant.
"If I remember correctly, Lao Xiao can still participate in this competition. Why doesn't he step in and show these young people something?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan subconsciously remembered that although he was a guest watching the competition on this stage, he was still under thirty years old and could still participate in these competitions.
They all set their own goals on themselves, but little did they know that Xiao Yan himself was still considered a young man.
However, with his current strength as a nine-star Dou Zun, he could hold his own even against a half-saint, so participating in such a competition was rather unfair.
In fact, the people participating in these competitions are already very outstanding. In a region like the Northwest, a Dou Zong is enough to become the top combat force of an empire. If Xiao Yan hadn't met Yao Lao and hadn't obtained the Red Lotus Karmic Flame, and had stayed in the Jia Ma Empire, he probably wouldn't be as good as these people in front of him.
However, Xiao Yan's current strength is also passive; his own experiences have essentially pushed him to his current position. Those he considers his rivals are almost all from families descended from Dou Di, possessing powerful resources and backgrounds that allow them to surpass their peers in strength by a significant margin. He is constantly competing against these people.
Throughout this process, Xiao Yan naturally faced considerable hardship, frequently encountering extremely dangerous life-or-death situations. However, the life he desired forced him to confront all of this!
Xiao Qingqing was in a great mood. After watching the match, she left Xiao Yan's embrace and stubbornly stood on the ground, heading towards her mother.
Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Qingqing, his eyes filled with doting affection. For his daughter's sake, he had to protect this family. If it meant his precious family could live a happy life, why couldn't he?
With this match concluded, the quarterfinals for today have also come to an end.
At this moment, Tang Zhen from Burning Flame Valley, who had been sitting in the guest seats, walked over to Xiao Yan and said, "Young Master Xiao Yan, may I have a word with you in private?"