"How could you know, how could you possibly know...?"
Mu Yun struggled to his feet, trembling all over. His injuries slightly improved with the circulation of Dou Qi, but the burning pain on his face, the back of his hands, and other areas that had touched the black water was unbearable. While not untreatable, he genuinely wouldn't be able to show his face in public for a while.
"Why would I know? Your Dou Qi would fluctuate at that specific moment, wouldn't it?"
Yan Qingshan stepped in front of Mu Yun and said calmly, "Dou Qi harnesses the power of heaven and earth for one's own use. Various elemental Dou Qi inevitably carry their own characteristics: Fire is fierce and blazing, Thunder is strong and swift, Wind is elusive and unpredictable, Wood is vibrant with life.
As for Water, it has no constant form; it is the ultimate in gentleness, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes urgent, sometimes unhurried, like a great river with turbulent waves, or a boundless ocean with majestic swells.
Ultimately, water-attribute Dou Qi is like a river; it has ebb and flow, constantly fluctuating. I merely seized that low point in your Dou Qi's fluctuation to defeat you in one fell swoop."
"You don't need to tell me that. You know, that's not what I'm asking. Even I didn't discover that low point in the fluctuation. How did you know?"
Mu Yun spoke irritably. Losing this time wasn't the issue; he was set up by his opponent, falling into a trap from the beginning, and was finally defeated because his weakness was exploited. One could say it wasn't a defeat in combat, and it wouldn't create any psychological trauma.
Losing a spot in the top ten of the Strong Ranking Competition this time didn't matter; he had already broken through to Dou King, and the greatest effect of heart-fire tempering was already useless to him.
But what he wanted to know more was how Yan Qingshan knew his weakness. He naturally knew that water-attribute Dou Qi had fluctuating peaks and valleys, and he was trying to master it. But even he, the practitioner, hadn't found it, yet his opponent had.
He absolutely refused to believe that Yan Qingshan discovered this during their recent exchange. That would be too incredible. Moreover, from Yan Qingshan's series of arrangements, it was clear he had known about this weakness of his for a long time. He now just wanted to know who leaked it.
"If I told you I calculated it, would you believe me?"
Yan Qingshan smiled faintly, an inexplicable blue light flashing in his eyes. Countless data streams intertwined to form a translucent image of Mu Yun. All of this guy's data was laid bare before Yan Qingshan, like lines on his palm. After their recent clash, Mu Yun held few secrets from him.
If the two were to clash again, Mu Yun's chances of victory would still be zero, and he would be defeated even more miserably.
"Are you mocking me?!"
Mu Yun clenched his fists, veins bulging. His Dou Qi surged, barely suppressed, ready to strike again. This next move would be a fight to the death. He would absolutely not allow his weakness to be exposed so inexplicably.
"Not at all. In fact, not only you, but even their weaknesses, I know a thing or two about."
Yan Qingshan extended a finger, pointing towards the Dou King students watching from the grandstand. "I came to this Strong Ranking Competition for the top ten, and the biggest obstacle is you guys.
I understand the elders' intentions, wanting to leave opportunities for students who haven't broken through yet. It's indeed not very honorable to snatch spots from them.
But you few who have already broken through and are still occupying spots, don't you think that's a bit much? Snatching from you, no one will find an issue.
So from the beginning, I set my sights on you, not just you and Wang Mang, who had already broken through to Dou King at that time.
Wang Mang's weakness is actually easier to find than yours, because his cultivation technique comes from the inner academy.
Researching the original still yields some results, and I happen to be quite good at this kind of research. Although I don't have metal or water attributes, I'm still capable of finding flaws."
Yan Qingshan paused slightly here, and several Dou Kings in the distance felt a chill, especially Wang Mang, who inexplicably thought of Zi Yan's punch the night before, which directly disrupted his Dou Qi circulation.
"I didn't originally plan to specifically trouble you. Who told you to jump out yesterday? It would have been troublesome to deal with you today, but that beating yesterday wasn't easy to take, was it?"
Yan Qingshan smiled, tilting his head slightly and saying, "You appear calm today, but you've tried to provoke me several times for a quick fight, and your Dou Qi is quite erratic. It seems you didn't rest well last night! Otherwise, with your strength, it wouldn't have been so easy to deal with you."
Mu Yun's face grew uglier. When Yan Qingshan mentioned last night, he looked at Zi Yan, who was eating snacks and watching the show in the crowd, and gritted his teeth, "Brute Force King, you're with this scoundrel!"
"You have an opinion? Can you stop me from making friends?"
Zi Yan bit into a golden pill, glancing at him with disdain. Yan Qingshan's inferred weaknesses were all things she put into practice. Forget one Mu Yun, even if all top ten of the Strong Ranking came at her, she wasn't afraid now.
Wang Mang, standing beside Zi Yan, suddenly spoke, "So, that punch you threw the night before wasn't just random, was it?"
"That's right! Want to try again?"
Zi Yan gave him a sidelong glance. This former top-ranked expert was now trash in her eyes, someone she could take down with just a few punches.
"Alright! I understand."
Wang Mang shook his head with a bitter smile, his gaze returning to the arena, looking at Yan Qingshan confronting Mu Yun. He seemed to be thinking about how to get his own weaknesses from Yan Qingshan.
"If you give me the information you analyzed about me, I will immediately concede this match, and from now on in the inner academy, I will avoid your Qingshan Faction."
On the arena, Mu Yun didn't directly attack. Instead, he began to negotiate with Yan Qingshan as if doing business, haggling like two merchants.
Yan Qingshan merely replied calmly, "Not enough. Just that holds no benefit for me. You should be clear about your current state. Even if you were to fight me to the death, you wouldn't win."
"You... fine, fine, fine!"
Mu Yun's face grew even darker. He stared at Yan Qingshan, repeating "fine" three times, then said in a muffled voice, "I graduate at the end of this year. After graduation, all my foundations and resources in the inner academy will be handed over to you. That should be enough, right?"
"Senior Mu Yun, why didn't you just say that earlier? We're just making a deal, aren't we?"
Yan Qingshan smiled and tossed a scroll to Mu Yun. Mu Yun unrolled it and, after a quick glance, his expression changed repeatedly. It not only contained detailed information about him but also his usual hobbies, extended to speculations about his personality and cultivation technique.
It detailed not only the weakness of his Dou Qi fluctuation's peaks and valleys but also various insights into his personality and targeted solutions. The content was so detailed that it made his scalp tingle.
Even a rough deduction of his Dou Qi circulation map was included, which was already very close to his own major circulation routes. Such detailed information made him even more wary of Yan Qingshan.
"Junior Yan Qingshan truly came prepared. Mu Yun has fallen this time. From now on, in the inner academy, I, Mu Yun, will avoid your Qingshan Faction."
Mu Yun announced loudly in front of everyone, doing so under the witness of all present. This was equivalent to making a vow. This scene left the inner academy students present feeling surprised and uncertain.
After taking his vow, Mu Yun transformed into wings and swiftly left the central plaza. He had lost this battle disgracefully, and his face, the back of his hands, and other areas were still injured. The right thing to do now was to go back and heal quickly. Anyway, he didn't plan on seeing anyone for a while.
"Ahem... This match, Yan Qingshan wins."
Great Elder Su Qian quickly announced Yan Qingshan's victory in this battle. He truly didn't know how to comment on today's farce.
According to the principle of fairness, Yan Qingshan engaging in such behind-the-scenes manipulation was certainly wrong. Zi Yan disturbing other students these past two days—he had originally thought it was because she hadn't beaten Lin Xiuya, but now, he suspected it was probably someone's instruction.
It was just that these two fellows were too clever, keeping a low profile in the inner academy, with no overt contact. No one would have guessed that they knew each other and had an extremely unusual relationship.
Yan Qingshan's method of collecting opponent's information for targeted victories had flaws. If someone knew about this in advance and was prepared, he might be counter-calculated. But he concealed it very well, and no one discovered this point, so he won.
"Thank you, Great Elder."
Yan Qingshan cupped his fist and bowed to Great Elder Su Qian. The Great Elder's acknowledgment of his victory meant that the manipulation in this battle was tacitly accepted by the higher-ups, and no one would pursue the matter afterward. This was, of course, a good thing for him.
"Ahem, you indeed have many clever tricks, but you still need to focus on improving your own strength. These methods are only useful within the academy..."
Great Elder Su Qian cleared his throat and cautioned Yan Qingshan. He didn't want an excellent student to become overly reliant on such unorthodox methods. Yan Qingshan listened humbly, then bowed again and returned to the Qingshan Faction's viewing area.
"Xiao Shanzi, you really won!"
A small purple figure rushed to him before anyone else. It was none other than Zi Yan, the cute and lively girl. Her arrival, however, made the members of the Qingshan Faction, who were originally preparing to crowd around, feel a bit intimidated.
After the incident with Lin Xiuya, everyone had learned about the formidable reputation of the Inner Academy's Brute Force King. Who would dare to provoke this little ancestor now?
"What are you standing around for? Come and greet Senior Sister Zi Yan."
Yan Qingshan placed a hand on Zi Yan's small head, then introduced this little girl-like senior sister to the members of the Qingshan Faction.
"Greetings, Senior Sister Zi Yan."
Liu Qing and Lin Yan were bolder. They led some of the Qingshan Faction's high-ranking members to greet Zi Yan. Zi Yan responded with a smile, showing none of the ferocity of the legendary Brute Force King, which greatly eased their minds.
Yan Qingshan sat on the grandstand, taking Xiao Xian'er's small hand and saying softly, "Xian'er, Zi Yan will be living with us from now on. Her personality is quite lively, but she's completely hopeless when it comes to daily life. You'll have to take good care of her!"