X-Dragon Era

Looking at the colorful array of students ahead, Xin Yun knew that with the start of the challenge, those with just a modicum of talent were bound to be eliminated; the student composition of each grade level was going to shift dramatically.

According to the academy's customs, first year students were not allowed to challenge, a rule known as the "prohibition of dueling," but once a year passed and the ban was lifted, the first thing to be undertaken was the ranking competition!

The so-called ranking competition was something that every class must undergo, pitting students against each other in combat. After a series of battles, the class champion, runner-up, bottom-ranked, and all other rankings were determined, and those who ranked in the last ten would be demoted to the lower class.

If one were in the extracurricular eleventh class, they would be transferred to the first branch, just like Ming Xuan, losing the qualification to study at the main campus.

While eliminating the ten, each class also had ten spots for advancement, with students in the top ten able to move up to the next class. It's worth noting that the class champion, the runner-up, and the third-place students did not count toward these ten spots.

In any class, the champion held a very prestigious status. Across the entire first-year section of the academy, there were twelve champions in total, and they received different treatment from ordinary students. To move up a class, one must challenge the champion of the class above.

If victorious, one could directly become the champion of that higher class, while the defeated champion would exchange their status with the challenger.

Looking at Instructor Mei Wu on the stage and then glancing at Yi Luo Xiang and Yan Qingying sitting in front of the podium, Xin Yun gave a wry smile. He had the ability to challenge and defeat these two girls, but he really didn't want to do so.

After all, neither Yi Luo Xiang's Blink nor Yan Qingying's Phantom could deceive Xin Yun's Thunderbolt. No matter how much they dodged or hid, the Thunderbolt would always pierce through all disguises and strike true. Faced with such a technique, the two girls had yet to find a way to counter.

Now, Xin Yun had already reached the strength of Bronze Eight Star. With the increase in strength, the power of his Thunderbolt also gradually increased. Although Yi Luo Xiang and Yan Qingying also continued to progress, the Thunderbolt's ability to ignore energy defenses made things increasingly awkward for the two girls.

Generally speaking, when a dragon's strength increases, it signifies an enhancement of energy. As strength increases, a dragon's energy grows more powerful, and so does its defense—typically, this refers to energy-based defense. But against a Thunderbolt that ignores such defenses, discomfort is an understatement.

But is Thunderbolt really invincible? This is not the case. Although Xin Yun's Thunderbolt's attack range has grown larger with his enhanced strength, it still has a distance limitation.

Moreover, the energy of Thunderbolt can't be accumulated indefinitely in the air; if it does not hit a target, the electricity will continue to dissipate, disappearing completely after three seconds—making it incapable of releasing any more strikes even if an enemy appears. Discover stories at empire

The power of Thunderbolt is unquestionable, but it is constrained by time and space. This is the flaw of Thunderbolt. Although it may be mitigated with the improvement of Xin Yun's strength, it will never completely disappear.

Beyond the twin drawbacks of time and space is the third fault: energy consumption. With his current Bronze Eight Star strength, Xin Yun could only release eight Thunderbolts in succession. After that, his energy would be drained, leaving him unable to fight any longer. Therefore... powerful as Thunderbolt may be, it should not be wasted indiscriminately.

As for the fourth disadvantage, it's the issue of attack range. Thunderbolt is a single-target attack; even if there are others within ten meters of the intended target, they will not be affected. Hence... in one-on-one combat, Thunderbolt may indeed be devastatingly powerful, but it is much less effective in group battles.

Taking a deep breath, Xin Yun knew that in the coming three months, besides continuing to practice Thunderbolt and refine his energy, what's most important was that he must develop Yinglong's own attack techniques; otherwise, it would be quite difficult to achieve a good position in the upcoming ranking competition...

Time passed swiftly. In the last three months of the first year, all students took their training seriously, practicing diligently, while the routines of Xin Yun and his two companions remained unchanged. They neither increased their efforts due to the end of the prohibition period nor slacked off in the least; they continued as they always had.

In the underground river with its incredibly dense Water Series energy and the support of the Energy Gathering Array, Xin Yun's strength improvement could almost be described as miraculous. After three months, he broke through the eight-star barrier along with Yi Luo Xiang, successfully reaching the power level of Bronze Nine Star!

It's worth mentioning that Yi Luo Xiang's talent and ingenuity far exceeded Xin Yun's, and she only used Ninth Grade Dragon Creation Stones which made cultivation easier. Yet even with such advantages, they were offset by Xin Yun's advantage in mental methods and training environment.

Having successfully reached Nine Star, Xin Yun was already on the threshold of the silver rank, and most importantly, starting from Nine Star, both Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang began to comprehend the dragon powers of the silver rank!

For an average person, at a minimum, it would not be possible to grasp the battle techniques of the silver rank until reaching Ten Stars and to achieve a preliminary mastery. But neither Xin Yun nor Yi Luo Xiang were ordinary.

With her unmatched intelligence, Yi Luo Xiang had early on gained a preliminary understanding of the silver rank's Soul Impact at the Nine Star stage. Up to this point, Yi Luo's Butterfly had two major techniques: Soul Chain and Soul Impact!

The functions of Soul Chain need no further elaboration. First, it connects; second, it controls through Soul Enslavement. As for Soul Impact, it involves utilizing Soul Force to strike at an enemy's soul, placing them in a state of pause, with its effectiveness depending on Yi Luo Xiang's soul strength and the adversary's will. If the opponent's will is strong, the effect is significantly reduced.

As for Xin Yun, although not as clever as Yi Luo Xiang, he had experiences from a previous life to draw upon. Thus, it didn't take him long to figure out Yinglong's silver rank battle technique—Soaring Clouds and Mist!

The so-called Soaring Clouds and Mist does not refer to flying, for dragons can fly without relying on clouds and mist or even wings. Here, Soaring Clouds and Mist refers to a method of manipulating Water Series energy. (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)