Everyone had not expected that in the end, it was Xu Nian who won.
Defeating Dugu Jingcheng, he became the top of the Azure Dragon List, the dark horse among the students of this term.
"I lost!" Dugu Jingcheng lay on the ground, looking up at the sky with a sigh.
"In truth, I lost. Had it not been for the advantage of my weapon, your sword could not withstand the impact of that force and shattered; the loser of this battle would likely have been me," Xu Nian shook his head and said.
Dugu Jingcheng smiled wryly, struggling to stand up and facing Xu Nian, he earnestly said, "The quality of a sword is certainly important, but for a Sword Cultivator, if the sword in hand breaks, it means defeat. Therefore, in this duel, I don't feel wronged by my loss."
Xu Nian was stunned for a moment, he hadn't expected Dugu Jingcheng to say such a thing.
A broken sword signified a loss.
No wonder Dugu Jingcheng attained such great achievements in swordsmanship; just this reverence for the sword alone explained that he was a true Sword Cultivator.
Xu Nian's look toward Dugu Jingcheng also filled with respect; having such a person as a peer in life was indeed a great fortune.
"I'm leaving. Keep up the good work. In the Academy competition twenty days later, I hope to have another battle with you. You better be careful then," Dugu Jingcheng waved his hand, and after finishing speaking, he directly crushed his Golden Crow Token and teleported out.
Xu Nian saw this and revealed a bitter smile on his face.
Being chased by such a person wasn't an easy matter.
But if he truly faced up against Dugu Jingcheng again in twenty days, he was not at all afraid, and deep down, he actually somewhat looked forward to it.
After Dugu Jingcheng left, Chen Xifeng and the others also came over.
One by one, their gazes toward Xu Nian turned peculiar, as if they were looking at a completely different person.
"You don't have to look at me like that. I only had some luck and had some opportunities that slightly boosted my Cultivation," Xu Nian said with a smile as he explained.
But his words drew eye rolls from the other four.
If such a speed of Cultivation was only slightly fast, then what did one call the speed of others' Cultivation?
The pace of a turtle?
Xu Nian scratched his head awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Chen Xifeng, however, smiled and patted Xu Nian on the shoulder, saying, "Since you defeated Dugu Jingcheng, the Golden Crow Fruit is yours. Soon the fruit will mature, and I will help fend off some Exotic Beasts to earn some points in the process."
Xu Nian nodded and gratefully looked at Chen Xifeng.
At this moment, both his Spiritual Energy and Gang Qi were greatly depleted. If Chen Xifeng had really intended to attack him, he would have been truly helpless.
As Xu Nian and Chen Xifeng were talking, a strong fluctuation suddenly erupted from the Golden Crow Tree on the edge of the cliff, and a fruit the size of a lychee suddenly grew, bursting with the radiance of flames.
At the same time, it emitted a strange fragrance, drifting to the distance.
Following the spread of this fragrance, terrifying roars came from all around, followed by the sound of thundering hooves, as every Exotic Beast in the vicinity surged towards them.
"Quick, the Golden Crow Fruit has ripened, go and pluck it," Chen Xifeng urged hastily, and then a long sword appeared in his hand as he charged towards the incoming tide of Exotic Beasts.
Yuu Fei and the others also followed closely, attacking the herd of Exotic Beasts.
Chen Xifeng was also a Wind Attribute Sword Cultivator, and his sword was exceptionally fast. Soon, three Star Realm Exotic Beasts fell under his sword.
Xu Nian saw this and did not hesitate, darting straight towards the Golden Crow Tree.
He knew that with so many Exotic Beasts, Chen Xifeng and the others would not be able to hold out for long. Only by taking the Golden Crow Fruit as quickly as possible could he resolve this crisis.
But, when Xu Nian came within three meters of the Golden Crow Tree, he felt an intense heat assaulting his face, a heat that was scarcely weaker than the fireballs of the Fire Wolf Mutant Beast.
Xu Nian gritted his teeth and persevered, mobilizing the little Spiritual Energy he had left to cover his body, fending off the terrifying Red Flame.
Despite this, Xu Nian still felt the pain of his skin being scorched.
Xu Nian bore the pain and moved step by step toward the Golden Crow Fruit.
"Hurry up! We can't hold them off much longer." Yuu Fei saw Xu Nian moving slowly and couldn't help but yell; he was already being besieged by three One-star Silver Moon Realm beasts, locked in a desperate stalemate.
Chen Xifeng was fighting two Two-star Exotic Beasts of the Silver Moon Realm with all his might.
Meanwhile, Han Xin and Yun Lan were already struggling to hold on.
At the critical moment of the crisis, they crushed the Golden Crow Token and exited the Jade Cave Heaven.
As soon as Han Xin and Yun Lan left the Jade Cave Heaven, those Star Realm creatures could no longer block them and began rushing towards the Golden Crow Tree.
But before they could get close to Xu Nian, they were burnt to death by the terrifying heat.
Seeing this, Xu Nian immediately shouted at Chen Xifeng and Yuu Fei, "Senior Brother Chen, Brother Yuu, don't worry about me; these beasts dare not come over. You guys get out first!"
After hearing Xu Nian's words, Chen Xifeng and Yuu Fei exchanged a glance, then both crushed the Golden Crow Token and exited the Jade Cave Heaven.
From the recent battle, Chen Xifeng had already surpassed Lin Han in points, ranking second, so there was no more reason for him to stay.
Currently, Dugu Jingcheng ranked first, Chen Xifeng second, and although Lin Han was third, they knew that Xu Nian would eventually push him down, which was why Chen Xifeng was determined to surpass Lin Han in points.
With Chen Xifeng and Yuu Fei gone, those Exotic Beasts faced no more obstacles and rushed towards the Golden Crow Tree.
All those Star Realm Exotic Beasts were burned to death by the terrifying Red Flame, and although the Silver Moon Level beasts were not burned to death, they too were frightened and dared not come any closer.
They each crouched around the perimeter of the Golden Crow Tree, seemingly waiting for an opportunity.
Xu Nian thus ignored these Exotic Beasts and focused on approaching the Golden Crow Fruit.
At this moment, the Golden Crow Fruit was like a Little Sun, radiating dazzling light and incredibly intense heat.
Especially as Xu Nian approached the Golden Crow Fruit, he could clearly feel his skin beginning to disintegrate, and the last shred of his clothes turned to ashes in an instant.
"Wow!" The audience outside let out an exclamation, internally sighing at the sight of such a magnificent dragon.
At this moment, Xu Nian was figuratively covered in black lines, thinking that despite all his calculations, he still couldn't escape such a fate.
However, at this moment, Xu Nian couldn't care less about that, because he felt dizzy and his body was on the verge of giving out.
"Boy, don't pluck it with your hands; if you do, its effects will be halved. Eat it directly with a bite!" Just then, the voice of Emperor Yetian suddenly rang out.
"What?" Xu Nian almost thought he had heard wrong.
Did Emperor Ye Tian actually want him to eat it right now?
Wouldn't eating the Little Golden Crow Fruit directly burn through his mouth?
But Xu Nian knew that Emperor Ye Tian wouldn't harm him, and after hesitating for a moment, he still took a bite!