"I don't want to be your enemy, and you might be overestimating me!" Lu Fan said with a wry smile, "I'm not as powerful as you think."
"I would never misjudge!" Lin Jiutian shook his head, "Your strength is no less than mine. It won't be easy for me to defeat you. At least in my eyes, I am confident of winning tomorrow's battle against Bai Yetian, but today, fighting you, I have no certainty at all!"
"You think too highly of me!"
Lu Fan shook his head and said, "And I don't want to fight you!"
"If you don't want to fight me, you can only die here today!"
Lin Jiutian said with a faint smile, "So you should think carefully."
"Are you threatening me?"
Lu Fan narrowed his eyes, "I consider you a friend, but you seem to consider me an enemy!"
"In my world, there are no friends or enemies, only challengers!"
Lin Jiutian stated directly, "If you don't make a move today, I will definitely let you know what a true powerhouse is!"
"So this is your purpose in luring me here?" Nu Fan let out a wry smile and stepped towards the courtyard, unwilling to fight here.
Because Lu Fan felt it was all nonsense. The West Courtyard assessment was imminent, and he didn't want to waste his energy on this.
"Hmph!"
Lin Jiutian snorted, formed a claw with one hand, and lunged at Lu Fan. Lu Fan didn't want to contend with him, but Lin Jiutian wouldn't hesitate, as he had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
Lu Fan's figure flickered, and he dodged the attack in an instant, frowning, "Why do you have to do this? I've already said I don't want to be your enemy!"
"I also said I want to compete with you!" Lin Jiutian said coldly, "If you refuse, you will leave your life behind!"
"Since that's the case, then I'll have to offend you!"
Lu Fan stomped his foot on the ground, and a powerful spiritual energy instantly erupted. He was now infinitely close to becoming a Saint, and not just anyone could challenge him. At this moment, Lu Fan's aura was already faintly exuding the might of a Saint.
"I was right, your strength has reached the Saint realm!" Lin Jiutian looked at Lu Fan, his eyes filled with emotion.
"If I had truly reached the Saint realm, I would likely have ended your life with just that one move!" Lu Fan chuckled, "But I'm curious, judging by your aura, we seem to be evenly matched. Could it be that you have truly reached the Saint realm?"
"Whether I am a Saint or not, you'll find out if you try!" Lin Jiutian smiled faintly, and a powerful aura surged out. Instantly, nine dragon-like phantoms appeared within the entire eastern forest, emitting wisps of divine radiance.
"Such powerful Saintly energy!"
Lu Fan was shocked, "I didn't expect you to have broken through to the Saint realm!"
"No need to say more. If you want to leave the back mountain today, you must defeat me!" Lin Jiutian said repeatedly, his expression sharp.
Lu Fan could feel the aura around Lin Jiutian and dared not be careless. He could tell that Lin Jiutian would not hold back, and if he made even a slight mistake, he might turn into dust. This was not what Lu Fan wanted to see.
At that very moment, a dragon-like phantom flashed behind Lu Fan. However, this phantom was extremely massive and condensed by Saint Fire, exuding an exceptionally strong aura.
Simultaneously, throughout the entire East Courtyard, everyone looked towards the back mountain with disbelief in their eyes. They naturally did not expect such a terrifying flame aura to exist in the back mountain of the East Courtyard.
"Saintly aura, and two Saintly auras!"
Their eyes were filled with shock, and everyone spoke out, preparing to go to the back mountain to see. They wondered who was fighting in the back mountain to produce such a terrifying aura.
At this very moment, the elders of the East Courtyard also looked on, their brows furrowed. In the darkness of the night, the fiery power was extremely potent, making even them feel a sense of apprehension.
"Old Eighteen, what's going on?"
The Thirteenth Elder asked, "Why is there such an aura in the back mountain of the East Courtyard!"
"This is the power of the Thunderous Flame's fire. If I'm not mistaken, it should be that kid!" The Eighteenth Elder said with a wry smile, "The other one also has such a terrifying aura, it should be Lin Jiutian. I didn't expect them to clash!"
"Two new disciples?"
The Thirteenth Elder was inwardly shocked. He had long known that these two new disciples were not ordinary people, and their talent was so exceptional that even many senior disciples of the West Courtyard might not be able to defeat them. However, he had not expected them to clash.
Two peerless prodigies fighting in the back mountain of the East Courtyard was a sight rarely seen in the East Courtyard, even once in a century. Moreover, the presence of two Saintly auras further proved that their strength had reached the Saint level.
Even the elders of Tongtian Academy were barely Saints. Now, if they faced Lu Fan and the other alone, they might not have the confidence to win.
At the same time, in the East Domain, everyone surged towards the back mountain, their hearts filled with excitement. They did not want to miss such a grand occasion.
"Saintly aura, have they truly broken through to the Saint realm!"
Bai Yetian stood by, his eyes filled with disbelief. He clearly remembered that he had a battle with Lin Jiutian tomorrow, but Lin Jiutian was fighting Lu Fan tonight. It was conceivable that he was insignificant in front of Lin Jiutian, otherwise, why would Lin Jiutian be like this.
Shen Yehong and the others had already arrived behind the mountain. Seeing Lu Fan confronting Lin Jiutian's nine phantom dragons with a single fire dragon, they were all immensely shocked. They could clearly feel that Lu Fan's aura had become much stronger than before.
"Saintly aura!" Liuli exclaimed in shock, "I really didn't expect Lu Fan to have such strength, but it won't be easy to defeat this Lin Jiutian!"
"It's truly too regrettable!"
Shen Yehong said with a wry smile, "To have Saintly strength at such a young age, and with boundless future prospects, I missed out. I truly regret it. If only I could have another chance!"
"Destiny determines relationships!" Liuli said with a wry smile, "But for someone as outstanding as him, it will be difficult for us to catch up to his pace in the future. He is gradually reaching the Saint realm. Once he truly becomes a Saint, he will likely leave Tongtian Academy, and we will ultimately not be able to keep pace with him!"
Shen Yehong stood there, his eyes filled with unwillingness. After all, he had highly valued Lu Fan and had even sworn early on to make Lu Fan the驸马 of the Taiyan Dynasty. However, due to his own momentary mistake, he had let this opportunity slip away.
Perhaps soon, they would no longer have any intersection.