289: Ranked first on the list!

The clash of probing attacks and Dou Technique exchanges allowed both men to thoroughly grasp the other's true capabilities.

This was a powerful opponent against whom they had to give their all!

The suppressed battle intent erupted completely, like a volcano!

"Again!"

Qin Xiao roared fiercely, his Thunder Fire dual wings vibrated violently, and he was no longer confined to the small space of the arena, his figure soaring into the sky!

He rapidly formed seals with his hands. The Thunder Fire Dou Qi surrounding him resembled a boiling ocean, and the violent energy condensed into streaks of even purer and more powerful Thunder Fire light arrows, covering Jiang Donghua below like a sudden storm!

"Profound Rank High-Grade Dou Technique: Thousand Splitting Thunder Fire Arrows!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!

The rain of arrows tore through the sky, each one containing terrifying power sufficient to severely injure a low-star Dou Wang!

"As if I'd be afraid of you!"

Jiang Donghua's eyes burst with brilliant light, and he also flapped his wings and flew high. His azure-blue Dou Qi wings shimmered with a mysterious luster under the sunlight.

Facing the overwhelming Thunder Fire arrows, he neither dodged nor retreated. His hands traced profound trajectories in front of him, and an aura as heavy as a mountain and as vast as the sea spread out!

"Fire Controlling Shield!"

Buzz—!

A massive, flame-like energy wall of deep blue appeared out of thin air. Ripples flowed across the wall, containing the power of an endless ocean!

This was precisely the powerful defensive Dou Technique he simulated using Fire Attribute Dou Qi. Although its attribute was slightly countered by Thunder Fire, its magnificent and vast concept forcefully compensated for the elemental gap!

Boom, boom, boom, boom—!

The Thunder Fire arrows violently slammed into the deep blue fire wall, setting off continuous deafening sounds!

The fire wall violently shook, and ripples surged, yet it remained incredibly tough, absorbing and neutralizing the energy of the vast majority of the arrows!

Occasionally, a few particularly sharp and tricky arrows pierced the fire wall, but Jiang Donghua easily detonated them in the air with a punch or a flick of his finger.

The two men—one attacking, one defending—fought from the ground into the air. Their figures rapidly intersected and collided in the sky, and every contact erupted with deafening roars and dazzling light!

The aftermath of the battle spread out like tangible shockwaves, slamming against the energy barrier, causing it to fluctuate even more violently and even develop fine cracks!

The three Elders looked solemn, continuously channeling Dou Qi to reinforce the barrier, while tumultuous waves surged in their hearts!

The Seven-Star Dou Wang Elder maintained the barrier while simultaneously sending a sound transmission of astonishment to the two beside him.

"These two youngsters are truly monsters! With this fighting power, ordinary Two-Star or Three-Star Dou Wangs probably couldn't last ten moves against them!"

"That's right! Qin Xiao's Thunder Fire Dou Qi is overwhelmingly tyrannical; his offensive power is top-tier among those of the same rank!"

"And Jiang Donghua is even more terrifying! The finesse of his Dou Qi usage and the shrewdness of his battle sense are simply unlike a young person! I truly don't know how he cultivated them!"

"Monsters! The Inner Academy has truly produced two incredible monsters this time!"

Meanwhile, the viewing stands had long fallen into absolute silence!

All the Inner Academy Students, whether Dou Lings or Great Dou Masters, stood agape, their eyes staring blankly at the two figures battling like gods and devils in the sky.

Their eyes could barely keep up with the terrifying speed, only seeing the continuous collision and explosion of Thunder Fire and blue light, and sensing the destructive energy that made their souls tremble.

An indescribable complex emotion spread through the hearts of all the students.

It was awe, shock, powerlessness, and a hint of faint bitterness.

Many among them were still struggling bitterly to break through the One-Star realm, and were ecstatic over successfully cultivating a Xuan-rank Combat Skill.

They viewed experts on the strong ranking list as their goal, and the Dou Wang realm as a distant, unattainable dream.

Yet, at this moment, the two combatants in the sky used the most direct and violent method to show them that the realm and power they desperately sought, or even dared not hope for, had long been easily stepped into by their peers and wielded with strength far exceeding their imagination!

Between themselves and true geniuses lay an insurmountable chasm.

"Is this the strength of peak geniuses?"

A student muttered to himself, his voice dry.

"Are we truly living in the same world as them?"

The battle in the sky grew more intense. Qin Xiao, unable to break through Jiang Donghua's defense, had his battle intent burned to the extreme, and the Thunder Fire energy surrounding him began to compress and fuse in an even more dangerous manner!

"Jiang Donghua! Take my final move! Di-rank Dou Technique—Thunder Fire World-Ending Spear!"

A massive energy spear, condensed from lightning and hellfire, slowly took shape in Qin Xiao's hands, carrying a terrifying aura capable of destroying everything!

This strike had already surpassed the scope of the Xuan-rank!

Facing this terrifying strike, which was sufficient to threaten a Dou Huang, Jiang Donghua's eyes were extremely solemn, but instead of retreating, he laughed heartily toward the sky.

"Excellent! Let me show you the move I recently comprehended!"

Qin Xiao poured all his strength into the attack; his face appeared somewhat pale due to the excessive exertion, but the frantic battle intent in his eyes burned to the peak!

The Thunder Fire World-Ending Spear, condensed from the purest Thunder Fire Dou Qi, hovered before him. Thunder dragons roared and fire phoenixes shrieked on the spear body, and the destructive energy fluctuations violently warped the surrounding space!

Di-rank Dou Technique!

This had already exceeded the scope that an average Dou Wang could perfectly control. Forcing its use with his One-Star Dou Wang strength undoubtedly placed a huge burden on him, but this also meant its power had reached an astonishing level!

"Jiang Donghua! Let's see how you block this time!"

Qin Xiao roared hoarsely, suddenly pushing his hands forward!

"Thunder Fire World-Ending Spear! Go!"

Whoosh—!

The Thunder Fire spear transformed into a red-and-silver streak of light that tore through the heavens and earth. Light itself was swallowed wherever it passed, and it shot toward Jiang Donghua with a terrifying, world-ending aura!

Its speed and power were so immense that all the students below felt a suffocating sensation, as if Death itself had arrived!

"Not good!"

The faces of the three Elders on the high platform changed drastically!

The power of this single strike was already enough to threaten them, who were middle-to-high-rank Dou Wangs!

If they allowed it to explode in the arena, the consequences would be unimaginable!

"Quick! Use all your strength to reinforce the barrier!"

The Seven-Star Dou Wang Elder roared, and the three of them dared not hold back the slightest reserve. Their vast Dou Qi poured into the energy barrier, causing the originally precarious barrier to shine brightly and increase its thickness several times over!

However, facing this strike that was enough to make any Dou Wang's expression change, Jiang Donghua's eyes in mid-air remained calm, and the corner of his mouth even curved into a barely noticeable arc.

"A Di-rank Dou Technique, impressive indeed. Unfortunately, the speed seems to be lacking a bit."

Just as the Spear of Destruction was about to hit him, Jiang Donghua's figure moved!

No, that wasn't a simple movement!

It was a flicker that surpassed the limits of visual capture!

His body transformed into a genuine, living bolt of Lightning Light, leaving a faint afterimage where he stood, while his true form, with a bizarre speed akin to spatial traversal, narrowly brushed past the terrifying Thunder Fire World-Ending Spear in the nick of time!

The entire process was so fast that even thought couldn't keep up!

They only heard his faint, low shout, which clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Lightning Flash Shadow Step—middle-rank earth tier Dou Technique."

The instant the voice fell, his true body had appeared dozens of meters away in the air behind and to the side of Qin Xiao, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his robes fluttering, looking as if he had never moved.

Meanwhile, the Thunder Fire World-Ending Spear, which contained all of Qin Xiao's power and hope, struck fiercely into the arena floor behind the spot where Jiang Donghua had originally been, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

Bang!

A deafening crash, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, suddenly exploded!

Even the energy barrier, which the three Elders had reinforced with all their might, emitted a sound of overburdened shattering at this moment, its surface covered in spiderweb-like cracks!

A terrifying shockwave, mixed with Thunder Fire energy, slammed violently against the inner wall of the barrier like a tsunami!

In the center of the arena, smoke and dust shot skyward, and shattered rocks scattered like torrential rain!

When the dust slightly dispersed, everyone gasped sharply, their scalps tingling!

They saw that in the center of the arena, which was constructed of special materials capable of withstanding Dou Wang battles, a massive, bottomless crater, over ten zhang in diameter, had appeared!

The edges of the crater were melted rock and flashing lightning arcs, looking as if it had been struck by a meteor from beyond the heavens!

The power of a single strike was terrifying to this extent!

The three Elders were panting heavily, their faces pale. To block the residual energy of that explosion just now, they had almost expended more than half of their Dou Qi!

They were filled with lingering fear; without that barrier, the students below the stage would likely have suffered heavy casualties!

In the sky, Qin Xiao, having forcibly used the Di-rank Dou Technique, was nearly exhausted of Dou Qi, his face deathly pale, his body swaying precariously.

He turned his head with difficulty, looking at Jiang Donghua nearby, whose aura was stable and who looked as if he had only done a trivial thing. Qin Xiao's eyes were filled with disbelief, frustration, and a hint of confusion.

His strongest trump card, a Di-rank Dou Technique, had actually been dodged just like that?

Jiang Donghua slowly flew closer, looked at the disheartened Qin Xiao, and spoke calmly.

"You lost."

There was no sarcasm, no smugness, just the statement of a fact.

Qin Xiao opened his mouth, and finally, all his pride and unwillingness transformed into a long sigh, and he nodded bitterly.

"I lost."

The entire venue was dead silent.

Everyone was still immersed in the world-destroying strike and Jiang Donghua's divine movement technique, unable to recover their senses.