"I don't wish to be your enemy, and you might be overestimating me!" Lu Fan said with a wry smile. "I'm not as formidable as you think."
"I would never misjudge!" Lin Jiutian shook his head. "Your strength is no less than mine. To defeat you, I fear, will not be simple. At least in my view, I am confident of victory in tomorrow's battle with Bai Yetian, but in today's fight against you, I have no certainty whatsoever!"
"You overestimate me!"
Lu Fan shook his head and said, "Besides, I don't wish to fight you!"
"If you do not wish to fight me, then you will likely perish here today!"
Lin Jiutian smiled faintly. "So you should think carefully."
"Are you threatening me?"
Lu Fan narrowed his eyes. "I considered you a friend, yet you seem to regard me as an enemy!"
"In my world, there are no friends or enemies, only challengers!"
Lin Jiutian stated directly, "If you don't make a move today, I will definitely make you understand what a true powerhouse is!"
"So this is your purpose in luring me here?" Nu Fan let out a wry smile and stepped towards the courtyard, unwilling to fight here.
This was because Lu Fan felt it was a pointless endeavor; the West Courtyard assessment was imminent, and he didn't want to waste his energy.
"Hmph!"
Lin Jiutian snorted, formed a claw with one hand, and lunged towards Lu Fan. Lu Fan didn't want to contend with him, and Lin Jiutian wouldn't hesitate, having waited for this opportunity for a long time.
Lu Fan's figure flickered, and he evaded the attack in an instant, frowning. "Why must you do this? I've already said I don't wish to be your enemy!"
"I've also said I want to contend with you!" Lin Jiutian said coldly. "If you refuse, you will leave your life behind!"
"Since that is the case, then pardon me!"
Lu Fan stomped his foot on the ground, and a formidable spiritual power instantly erupted. He was now infinitely close to sainthood, and not just anyone could challenge him. At this moment, Lu Fan's aura was already faintly exuding the might of a saint.
"I was indeed correct in my guess; your strength has already reached the Saint realm!" Lin Jiutian looked at Lu Fan, his eyes filled with a touch of emotion.
"If I had truly reached the Saint realm, I would likely have ended your life with just that one move!" Lu Fan chuckled. "But I am curious; judging by your aura, we seem to be evenly matched. Could it be that you have truly reached sainthood?"
"Whether I am a saint or not, you'll find out if you try!" Lin Jiutian smiled faintly, and a powerful aura surged forth, causing nine dragon-like phantom images to appear within the entire eastern forest, radiating threads of divine radiance.
"Such powerful Saint aura!"
Lu Fan was shocked. "I didn't expect you to have broken through to sainthood!"
"No need for further words. If you wish to leave the back mountain today, you must defeat me!" Lin Jiutian said repeatedly, his gaze sharp.
Lu Fan could feel the aura around Lin Jiutian and dared not be careless. He could tell that Lin Jiutian would show no mercy, and if he made the slightest mistake, he might turn into dust, which was not what Lu Fan wanted to see.
At that very moment, a dragon-like phantom image flashed behind Lu Fan. However, this dragon phantom was extremely massive and condensed by sacred fire, exhibiting an exceptionally strong aura.
Simultaneously, throughout the entire East Courtyard, everyone looked towards the back mountain with disbelief, naturally not expecting such a terrifying fiery aura to emanate from there.
"Saint aura, and two Saint auras at that!"
Their eyes filled with shock as they spoke, and many prepared to head to the back mountain to investigate who was fighting there to cause such a fearsome aura.
At this moment, the elders of the East Courtyard also observed, their brows furrowed. The fiery power in the darkness was extremely potent, even making them feel a sense of apprehension.
"Elder Eighteen, what is happening?"
Elder Thirteen asked, "How is there such an aura in the back mountain of the East Courtyard?"
"That is the power of the Thunderous Blazing Flames. If my guess is correct, it should be that brat!" Elder Eighteen said with a wry smile. "The other aura is also so terrifying; it should be Lin Jiutian. I didn't expect them to clash!"
"Two freshmen?"
Elder Thirteen was inwardly shocked. He had long known that these two freshmen were not ordinary individuals, possessing exceptional talent that even many senior disciples of the West Courtyard might not surpass. However, he hadn't expected them to clash.
The battle between two peerless prodigies in the back mountain of the East Courtyard was a rare sight, even within the East Courtyard, occurring perhaps once a century. Furthermore, the presence of two Saint auras further proved that their strength had reached the Saint level.
Even the elders of Tongtian Academy were barely saints. Now, if they were to face Lu Fan or Lin Jiutian alone, they might not have a guaranteed victory.
Meanwhile, in the East Region, everyone surged towards the back mountain, their hearts filled with excitement. They did not want to miss such a grand occasion.
"Saint aura, have they truly broken through to sainthood!"
Bai Yetian stood at the side, his eyes filled with disbelief. He clearly remembered that he had a battle scheduled with Lin Jiutian for tomorrow, yet Lin Jiutian was fighting Lu Fan tonight. It was evident that to Lin Jiutian, he was insignificant, otherwise why would Lin Jiutian be like this.
Shen Yehong and the others had already arrived behind the mountain. Witnessing Lu Fan facing Lin Jiutian's nine dragon phantoms with a single fire dragon, they were immensely shocked. Shen Yehong could clearly feel that Lu Fan's aura had grown significantly stronger.
"Saint aura!" Liuli exclaimed in astonishment. "I truly didn't expect Lu Fan to possess such strength, but defeating this Lin Jiutian won't be easy!"
"What a pity, truly a pity!"
Shen Yehong said with a wry smile. "At such a young age, possessing Saint strength and with limitless potential for the future, yet I missed my chance. I truly regret it. If only I could have another opportunity!"
"Fate is predestined!" Liuli said with a wry smile. "However, for someone as outstanding as him, it will be difficult for us to keep pace with him in the future. He is gradually approaching sainthood, and once he truly becomes a saint, he will likely leave Tongtian Academy, and we will ultimately be unable to catch up to him."
Shen Yehong stood by, his eyes filled with unwillingness. After all, he highly valued Lu Fan, and had even sworn long ago to make Lu Fan the驸马 (imperial son-in-law) of the Taiyan Dynasty. However, due to his own error, he had let this opportunity slip away.
It might even be that before long, they would no longer have any intersection.