While battling Long Baqi, Xiang Shaoyun chanted the ancient mantra inwardly again and again, trying to sense the profundity of the power of gold. However, he kept getting the sensation that he was a little bit short of gaining comprehension, stuck at the final crucial step. Meanwhile, the longer Long Baqi fought, the more ferocious he became. He forced Xiang Shaoyun to retreat repeatedly, and he could almost see the light of victory.

"Xiang Shaoyun, you're really nothing special at all. Get ready for your defeat," said Long Baqi, who had decided to end the fight with one final hit. He erupted with all his strength, sending a dragon flying out of his axe.

Divine Hanging Dragon!

With a wave of the axe, the golden dragon shot forth like a bolt of lightning. Midair, it turned over and hung upside down as its tail grew large. The massive tail then slammed down at Xiang Shaoyun. All seven of Long Baqi's stars powered the attack, and his dragon-shaped battle aura, which was exclusive to the Long Clan, further enhanced his attack and pushed its prowess to the level of a fourth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.

Such a display of strength caused the crowd to gasp in alarm. They had not expected Long Baqi to be so powerful. That was not the kind of strength someone with his ranking should have. With the strength he had shown, he could easily enter the top 500 of the Serpent Fowl List.

Evidently, Long Baqi had been hiding his strength all this while. It was no wonder that he had been acting conceitedly. It was merely a facade to trick everyone. Xiang Shaoyun could feel the threat of the incoming attack and gave up facing Long Baqi head on.

He activated his gift of instincts and immediately spotted a weak point. He fully erupted with the power of his gold star, drawing out a large amount of vicious gold energy as he barely dodged the attack using his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps. After avoiding the attack, he quickly counter-attacked.

"Roar!"

Gathering his power into his throat, Xiang Shaoyun used the Tiger's Roar. The sound wave rumbled as it assaulted Long Baqi's ears, and Xiang Shaoyun used the White Tiger Manifestation.

He was pushing his gold star to its limit, attacking with his battle techniques that had been simplified after learning from the gravekeeper elder. The simplification allowed the speed and might of his attacks to increase.

His arm, which had transformed into a tiger's paw, slammed into the axe, almost sending it flying from Long Baqi's hand. The impact caused Long Baqi to lose his balance, and Xiang Shaoyun immediately attacked with his other hand.

Vicious Prison Finger!

The two were currently within melee range, and with the speed of the beam attack, it instantly struck Long Baqi's arm, creating a bloody hole. The golden axe finally flew out of Long Baqi's hand.

Xiang Shaoyun used the White Tiger Manifestation once again and bombarded Long Baqi with a series of rapid attacks, attacking like a tiger hunting its prey. The series of attacks left Long Baqi at a loss for what to do.

Even more hateful was the fact that Xiang Shaoyun aimed each of his attacks at his opponent's face, badly bruising Long Baqi's face. By the time he crashed onto the edge of the ring, he was bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He looked incredibly sorry, but in truth, he wasn't fatally wounded. At most, he was slightly lightheaded from the impacts against his brain.

Xiang Shaoyun lifted Long Baqi by the neck and said, "You lost."

He then tossed Long Baqi to the side. Looking at Long Baqi, who had been defeated just like that, the crowd was perplexed. In their eyes, Long Baqi possessed a terrifying combat prowess, one that was enough to fully suppress Xiang Shaoyun. Although Xiang Shaoyun had also displayed a rather impressive strength, he still seemed slightly inferior to Long Baqi.

But during the final moments, Xiang Shaoyun's attacks had suddenly turned incisive and accurate as he struck Long Baqi's weak point before pressing on with his newly gained advantage to obtain a clean victory in one go.

Was it due to Xiang Shaoyun's combat instincts? Naturally, they could only attribute the win to Xiang Shaoyun's rich combat experience. That was why he had been able to discover Long Baqi's weak point and obtain victory through a fluke. In truth, he was inferior in strength. Regardless of what they thought, it was undeniable that Xiang Shaoyun had obtained his second victory.

Di Shang was also present among the crowd. As he looked at Xiang Shaoyun, who was victorious once again, a gloomy look appeared in his eyes. He muttered, "I'll let you stay cocky for a few more days. When the time comes, you will die on this ring."

He then turned and left. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he got off the ring after receiving 20,000 contribution points from Long Baqi. At this time, someone approached him. It was an excessively beautiful woman.

She had an oval face, and her hair was tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon that looked crude yet elegant. An enchanting smile hung on her face, while her pair of crescent eyes exuded craftiness. As she took nimble steps, her hair bounced about, making her look full of youthful energy.

She was Li Li, occupying 88th place on the Jiao Luan List. She looked to be in her early twenties, yet she was already a peak second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. She had an impressive eight-star physique, and even Long Baqi, who had the same cultivation level, wasn't her match.

She stood before Xiang Shaoyun, smiled, and said, "Xiang Shaoyun, I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. Finally, I get to meet you today. Hearing of someone's reputation truly can't compare to meeting one in person."

She spoke politely with a bright smile on her face, giving off an incredibly pleasant impression. Anyone seeing a polite beauty like this would be completely bewitched.

However, Xiang Shaoyun was not any other person. With a faint smile on his face, he replied, "Pretty girl, here to challenge me? Be sure to come early tomorrow. The quota of the day is full."

The fact that he did not know who Li Li was caused the crowd around them to look at him with disdain. Although Li Li wasn't on the Dragon Phoenix List, she was definitely capable of entering the list within two years. In terms of beauty, she was among the top in the academy. Her fame had long spread far and wide, and she possessed a large number of adorers. Then again, when they recalled that Xiang Shaoyun had only recently returned, they found it understandable why he didn't know Li Li.

"Hehe, yes, I am indeed interested in fighting you. However, I am not qualified for that yet," Li Li said. "I am here to invite you into the Flaming Sun. Are you interested in joining?"

"Flaming Sun?" Xiang Shaoyun was slightly taken aback.

He had heard of the numerous factions in the academy from Tang Longfei, and the Flaming Sun was one of the top three factions, a faction filled with geniuses. Its members could do almost anything they wanted in the academy. Surprisingly, they were there for him.