Shangguan Jianyi left in disarray. He was a Saint King, and a Saint King among the younger generation. To be defeated so utterly left him unwilling.
Alas, before Lu Fan, he was ultimately insignificant. Though he was unwilling in his heart, he could only accept reality.
Seeing Shangguan Jianyi and the others leave, Lu Fan couldn't be bothered. In Zhongzhou Academy, this was how it was to fight for resources. One had to possess sufficient strength to awe the crowd, otherwise, they would only be bullied.
Lu Fan was quite clear about this, otherwise, he wouldn't have been so fierce, even disregarding everything.
Meanwhile, Hu Xian'er also sighed, "It's all thanks to you. Otherwise, we would have been in danger!"
"Before, in the ancient battlefield, helping you enter Zhongzhou Academy doesn't seem to have been the best choice!"
Lu Fan shrugged, "If one's strength doesn't keep up, they will only be bullied. In the future battles on the Emperor's Road, there will likely be great peril!"
"Don't worry, we'll naturally drag you down then!" Hu Xian'er rolled her eyes. "Moreover, after this incident, we will definitely train diligently. We will definitely catch up to you!"
Lu Fan gave a wry smile but said nothing more. This was how it was in Zhongzhou Academy. Without powerful strength, even resources would be snatched away, and one might even lose their life. This was the most brutal reality.
One might think that upon entering the academy, they would receive the academy's nurturing, but reality was not like that. Without strength, one would only be slaughtered. This was the most terrifying thing.
Having stayed in Zhongzhou Academy for an unknown number of years, Lu Fan had been cultivating in the cultivation tower. Although the cultivation speed within the cultivation tower was extremely fast, reaching a very high realm was still quite difficult. After all, they had already reached the Saint realm, and breaking through their strength was extremely difficult.
However, in these past few years, Lu Fan had finally reached the peak of the Saint realm, just one step away from becoming a Saint King. Now, Lu Fan had a feeling that as long as he wished, there wouldn't be many people in the world who were his match.
Although he didn't know if this feeling was a misconception, Lu Fan could clearly feel that his strength had improved, and this was by no means accidental.
As the years passed, Ouyang Qingqing and the others' strength had also improved slightly, but they had also stagnated, hovering around the Saint King realm. Only the Young Master of the Tao family remained unfathomable to him, as if his cultivation had been suppressed all these years. His aura had not grown, but Lu Fan was certain that even if he personally made a move, he might not be able to defeat the Young Master of the Tao family. This was the truly terrifying part.
A few months later, Lu Fan and the others left the cultivation grounds and arrived at a blessed land. Within the blessed land, Hu Xian'er also touched the bottleneck of the Saint King realm, half a step into the Saint King realm, but had not truly reached it, which she regretted.
"You're finally back. So many years have passed, and you've been cultivating in the cultivation tower. Your cultivation must have improved considerably!" Hu Yu said. "It's a pity we can only be in this blessed land, but this is enough."
"Indeed, my cultivation has improved considerably!"
Lu Fan chuckled, "I have reached the peak of the Saint realm, and I am only one step away from becoming a Saint King!"
Hu Xian'er showed a wry smile. She had already been a Saint King a few years ago, but she was still no match for Lu Fan back then. Now, she was probably even less so.
"I heard that the peak duel is about to be held. I'm very much looking forward to it!"
Ouyang Qingqing smiled, "I wonder how many prodigies exist in Zhongzhou Academy. It's a great honor to be able to compete with them!"
"Peak duel?"
Xu Kuo gave a wry smile, "We don't even have the qualifications to participate. Those who can participate in the peak duel need to exchange blows with an elder for over a hundred moves. With my strength, I'm afraid an elder could knock me unconscious with a single move!"
"Exchange blows with an elder for over a hundred moves?"
Lu Fan narrowed his eyes, "I heard that the elders of Zhongzhou Academy are all Great Saint level existences, and there are only a few elders in Zhongzhou Academy. Which elder will be conducting the test?"
"Who else could it be, naturally Elder Wuming!"
Ouyang Qingqing rolled her eyes, "Haven't you noticed? Since entering Zhongzhou Academy, we've only seen Elder Wuming. As for other elders, we've never met them!"
Everyone also reacted. What they said was indeed true. Apart from Elder Wuming, they had not met any of the management of Zhongzhou Academy. Could it be that the entire Zhongzhou Academy only had Elder Wuming? This seemed difficult to justify.
"Three days later, at Wuyun Peak, those who wish to participate in the peak duel should come and challenge me!"
A hoarse voice echoed through Zhongzhou Academy, seemingly stirring up great waves. Lu Fan was quite familiar with this voice; it was naturally Elder Wuming's. He hadn't expected the peak duel to come so quickly.
"The test will be held at Wuyun Peak!" Ouyang Qingqing narrowed her eyes, "It seems there will be good entertainment then! We can't miss it!"
"Naturally!" Hu Xian'er nodded, "We will definitely cheer for you then. You must enter the finals. This way, you can also bring us some honor! After all, we've been cultivating in the Yellow Grade Blessed Land, and we've been looked down upon!"
Facing these words, Ouyang Qingqing nodded slightly, "Don't worry. As long as we are here, we will definitely not disappoint you. Moreover, we have a trump card!"
At this point, Ouyang Qingqing glanced meaningfully at Lu Fan, her gaze becoming more serious.
Lu Fan froze on the spot and couldn't help but show a wry smile. He naturally knew that Ouyang Qingqing was referring to him. However, he also knew very well that it wouldn't be easy to exchange blows with Elder Wuming for over a hundred moves.
At this very moment, quite a few people were already looking towards Wuyun Peak. Although it was three days away, they were quite excited. After all, they were about to witness a peak battle. This was a grand event that Zhongzhou Academy held only once every few years. At that time, geniuses would emerge, and it was even possible that true supreme powerhouses would appear, looking down upon the entire academy.
Three days later, above Wuyun Peak, a group of people stood amidst dense dark clouds. These were all disciples of Zhongzhou Academy, each exuding powerful auras. Any one of them could become a top powerhouse if they went out.
Today was the day to challenge the elders, so everyone arrived early and observed. Elder Wuming was a Great Saint, this was beyond doubt, so no one wanted to be the first to act, nor would they rashly make a move. They just wanted to see if Elder Wuming would show mercy.