"The Inner Academy is not so easy to enter!"
After landing on the mountain stream, Hu Gan glanced at the confused expressions of some new students, smiled faintly, then turned around and waved his hand. A dazzling streak of energy shot out, and in the middle of the empty air, as if encountering some kind of obstruction, it caused ripples like waves on the surface of water.
Under the gazes of the crowd, the rippling space suddenly started to flow, gradually forming a massive silver-colored gate, about seven or eight meters tall, floating in midair.
"This is a Dou Zun expert's technique, using spatial power to seal off a vast space!" Seeing Xiao Bai's astonished expression, Xun'er's delicate brows twitched slightly. She leaned in and whispered softly into his ear.
Xiao Bai nodded slightly, feeling great admiration for the way Dou Zun experts manipulated space. First, there was the spatial lock, and now there was spatial sealing. From the fluctuations just now, he could tell that the sealed area this time was quite extensive. He couldn't help but yearn for this level of power. And this was only the realm of a Dou Zun—if it were a Dou Sheng, who could create a new space with a mere gesture, what kind of extraordinary power would that be?
Passing through the silver gate, Xiao Bai felt a brief moment of disorientation before his feet landed on solid ground. This surprised him—he hadn't expected this to be a miniature short-distance spatial teleportation passage. The gate had clearly been in midair, yet in the blink of an eye, he was standing on the ground.
"I didn't expect you two to be on duty this year!" Just as he was slightly dazed, Hu Gan's laughter rang out.
Xiao Bai turned his head and saw, not far away, two elderly men standing at the front of a group of about twenty young people. Each of them had a badge with a tower-shaped emblem pinned to their chest.
"No choice, we're born to work hard," one of the elders replied with a helpless shake of his head. Then, he glanced at the new students and asked, "How are this year's freshmen?"
"You five, come over here!" Hu Gan turned and waved at the five students standing at the front. Once they approached, he pointed at the two elders and said with a smile, "This is Elder Su, and this is Elder Han. If you need anything in the Inner Academy, you can look for them. These are the top five of this year's batch. Their strength… should be decent."
The two elders exchanged a glance. They knew Hu Gan, the Vice Dean of the Outer Academy, well—every year, he would lavishly praise the new students he brought in. Yet this time, he was being uncharacteristically humble.
Their eyes swept over the five students and finally settled on Xiao Bai. To their surprise, they could sense energy fluctuations from the other four, but when it came to this white-haired youth, they felt nothing. It was as if something was blocking their perception.
The two elders exchanged another look, noticing the astonishment in each other's eyes. "No wonder Old Hu is being modest this year—it seems like this batch really is a bit unusual!" they thought to themselves.
"Oh! Such beautiful girls! Looks like the Inner Academy's beauty rankings will have two new additions this year!" Just as the two elders were in shock, some of the young people behind them set their eyes on the new students. Their eyes lit up as they whistled and laughed loudly.
"Shut up! If anyone talks nonsense again, I'll deduct five days of tower cultivation time!" Elder Su turned and scolded. Instantly, the rowdy young men fell silent.
He then turned back to the freshmen and said slowly, "You are new here. I hope you adapt quickly—it will benefit you greatly. Look at these guys. When they first arrived, they were at the bottom of the rankings. Yet after just one year, any one of them could rank in the top three among you."
His gaze lingered on Xiao Bai. If not for this unreadable newcomer, he might have said that any of them could take the top spot. Compared to last year, this year's new students didn't seem as strong overall.
"Alright, enough talk. Even though you passed the Outer Academy's selection, entering the Inner Academy is not over yet!"
Elder Su smiled, raised his hand, and a large handful of black crystal tokens appeared in his palm. With a casual flick, the tokens shot out as if they had eyes, hovering in front of each new student.
Xiao Bai grabbed his crystal token, feeling a strange heat spreading from his palm. Examining it closely, he noticed that the transparent token had a smooth, mirror-like surface, on which a large red number "5" was displayed.
The young people behind the two elders stared at the black crystal tokens with fiery gazes, their eyes filled with undisguised desire.
Xiao Bai's eyes swept over them, his gaze deep and piercing. He lingered on a few individuals in particular. If Xiao Yan were here, he would definitely shiver upon seeing that look—it was the same one that had preceded several severe beatings in the past.
"You don't need to worry about what these tokens are just yet," Elder Su said. "Just know one thing—treat them as if they were your life. When you enter the Inner Academy, you will understand. Just look at their eyes, and you'll get the idea!"
As he spoke, Elder Su pointed at the young people behind him.
"Next, you need to pass through this forest and reach the Inner Academy at its end. During this process, you must be particularly careful of them. According to the Inner Academy's rules, they are allowed to attack you freely here. In other words, they can attack you, and you can fight back!"
"Aside from killing, they will try everything possible to snatch the Fire Energy from you!"
"As long as you can evade them, defeat them, or avoid being captured and successfully reach the Inner Academy, there will be a final reward waiting for you. Remember, this reward is ranked—the sooner you arrive, the greater the reward!"
After finishing his explanation, Elder Su suddenly pointed toward the vast expanse of green behind him and said, "This challenge is known within the Inner Academy as the 'Fire Energy Hunting Competition'!"
"Now, I officially announce the start of this year's 'Fire Energy Hunting Competition'! Students, run for your lives! Good luck!"
After Elder Su's announcement, he watched the backs of the inexperienced freshmen and shook his head slightly. He could only hope that this batch wouldn't suffer too badly.
"Brother Xiao Bai, shall we go too?" Xun Er stood beside him, her beautiful eyes shimmering as she looked at him and spoke softly.
"Go? No rush." Xiao Bai shook his head and looked toward Elder Su, who was sweeping his gaze over the five of them in confusion. He then spoke in a clear voice, "Elder Su, just to confirm, from this moment on, as long as we are within this forest space, we are allowed to fight as long as we don't kill, correct?"
"That's right!"
Before Elder Su had even finished speaking, everyone present suddenly heard a deep thunderous sound. Then, a black shadow streaked forward, trailing a long crimson lightning arc as it seemingly tore through space and vanished from sight.
"Boom!"
A dull thud echoed across the area. Whether it was Vice Dean Hu Gan, the two elders, or the new and old students who had yet to leave, everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
There, several Inner Academy students were sprawled on the ground in miserable states. Each of them had a massive black lump on their heads, their hair standing on end as if it had exploded. Their pale faces and the blood trickling from the corners of their mouths revealed their distress. Their eyes were filled with shock and fear as they looked at the black-robed, white-haired figure.
"Didn't you like whistling? Go on, whistle for me again," Xiao Bai said in a soft voice, standing before one of the students who had been whistling the loudest earlier.
"Dou Ling!!" Elder Su, who had just sensed Xiao Bai's strength, was left completely dumbfounded.
"He is indeed a Dou Ling, and not an ordinary one at that!" Elder Han, standing beside him, was equally astonished as he nodded in agreement.
Both elders then swiftly turned to look at Vice Dean Hu Gan. Just moments ago, they had thought this year's freshmen were weak. Yet, unexpectedly, a monster had been hiding among them.
Hu Gan quickly wiped the look of surprise off his face, stroking his beard as he glanced at the two elders. The Inner Academy students always acted high and mighty, looking down on the Outer Academy students. Well, it seemed they had kicked an iron plate this time!
At first, Xun Er and Xiao Yi Xian had been confused by Xiao Bai's actions. But after hearing his words, they immediately understood. A trace of amusement flickered in their gazes.
"He really does have a strong sense of security," Xu Su murmured to herself as she looked at the black-robed figure, a spark of admiration flashing in her eyes.
"Tu Shan!"
A soft call jolted Tu Shan out of his daze. He quickly responded, "Here!"
"Take their Fire Energy Cards!"
"Yes!"
Tu Shan immediately ran over and stripped the Inner Academy students clean, then returned with five light-blue Fire Energy Cards and handed them to Xiao Bai.
"Five people, and they don't even have a total of two hundred Fire Energy points?" Xiao Bai scanned the cards and frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.
The five people lying on the ground instantly coughed up another mouthful of blood. This devil robbed them and then had the nerve to complain about them being poor? If they were rich, why would they even bother robbing freshmen for a few measly Fire Energy points?
After transferring the Fire Energy from the blue cards, Xiao Bai flicked his fingers, and several streaks of light shot through the air. The now-empty Fire Energy Cards landed on the immobilized students.
Then, his gaze shifted toward the remaining fifteen Inner Academy students.
"W-What do you want? We didn't whistle just now!" One of the students, a rather frail-looking youth standing closest to Xiao Bai, swallowed nervously. He hadn't expected such a terrifying monster to appear in this year's Hunting Competition. If he had known, he wouldn't have come!
Hearing this, a playful expression crossed Xiao Bai's face. He looked at the young man with a faint smile and said, "Did you forget? This is the Fire Energy Hunting Competition. Since it's a hunt… there must be both hunters and prey!"
"Now, I declare—you are all my prey. Hand over your Fire Energy!"
A clear voice echoed in everyone's ears. The Inner Academy students looked at each other in disbelief, as if questioning whether they had come to the wrong place. Was this still the usual Hunting Competition where senior students earned Fire Energy? It felt like they had gotten the wrong script!
"You are indeed strong, but we are not made of clay either. There are fifteen of us here, and the weakest among us is a Four-Star Da Dou Shi. If we all attack together, even if you are a Dou Ling expert, you won't come out unscathed. You will have to pay a price," a burly young man suddenly spoke. He looked at Xiao Bai with a hint of apprehension but remained composed, his face showing a confident smile. He then changed his tone and continued,
"Besides, we are not the only ones in this forest. There are others, and even more powerful groups ahead, such as the Black-White Fiend Team. They have Dou Ling experts leading them. So, I doubt you want to engage in an all-out fight with us here. Why don't we take a step back and mind our own business? How about that?"
"You're quite clever—first pointing out your advantage, then bringing up an external threat. If this were an inexperienced freshman, they might actually fall for your trick," Xiao Bai glanced at the young man, then at the others slowly gathering around him. A strange smile crept onto his face, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "But you're just using petty tricks, trying to use me as a stepping stone to gain favor with others. An all-out fight… Do you even deserve it? So what if there are others in this forest? So what if the Black-White Fiend Team is here? To me, they are all just prey!"
"And yet, you dare use my prey to threaten me?"
The burly young man's confident smile slowly faded, his expression darkening.
"What arrogance! You actually dare to call us prey? Don't think that just because you're a Dou Ling, you can act so arrogantly in the Inner Academy. Let me tell you, there are many Dou Ling experts here who can't even make it onto the Strongest Ranking!" The burly young man sneered. "You are full of yourself, but the students of the Inner Academy are not weaklings either!"
Xiao Bai was momentarily stunned by the young man's words before bursting into laughter. He clapped his hands and said, "Good, good! I've really learned something new today. Every word you say drags the entire Inner Academy into it. Are you the dean? Or can you really represent the entire Inner Academy? The fact that the academy nurtures people like you… They must be training all-round talents!"
A few suppressed chuckles sounded around them.
"You… You…" The burly young man's face turned red with anger. He clenched his fists and glared at Xiao Bai but couldn't come up with a retort.
"Attack!" he finally roared and prepared to charge forward. However, he quickly realized that no one behind him was moving. When he turned around, he saw the other senior students avoiding his gaze. His heart burned with frustration, and he shouted, "Are you really willing to let him take all your Fire Energy without a fight?"
"Sigh… Let's fight," a white-robed young man finally said with a shake of his head. "We came here to rob Fire Energy, not to be robbed. If we let a freshman take our Fire Energy without resisting, we won't be able to show our faces in the Inner Academy again."
"How interesting…" Xiao Bai smirked at the almost tragic scene before him. He clicked his tongue in amusement—these were the same people who bullied freshmen, yet now they looked as if they were the victims and he was the villain!
As the Inner Academy seniors charged forward, Xiao Bai raised a finger to his forehead. A vast surge of soul power erupted from him.
In an instant, the students' expressions changed dramatically, their pupils constricting in shock. They felt an unimaginable pressure bearing down on them, making it impossible to move. It was as if an invisible hand had wrapped around their throats—breathing became difficult, let alone speaking.
"Ahem… Xiao Bai, you wouldn't be planning to rob the two of us as well, would you?" The two elders who had been spectating exchanged glances, their expressions both stunned and helpless. They could feel the immense pressure pressing down on them, and despite their strength, even speaking was a struggle.
They were Dou Wang experts! Since when were freshmen this monstrous?
Hu Gan, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. However, if one looked closely, a vein was twitching on his forehead. He was both shocked and silently cursing in his mind, This brat… His soul power is actually this strong? No wonder he's so adept at alchemy—he might even be better than that old man Huo!
Not to mention, this pressure… He, a Dou Huang, was feeling it too?!
"How could I? It was just a mistake—an accident. You two elders are magnanimous. I'm sure you wouldn't mind, right?" Xiao Bai quickly retracted his soul power from Hu Gan and the two elders, flashing them a sincere smile of apology.
"Who would believe that?!" The three of them rolled their eyes in unison.
Soul power was all about precise control. With a soul as powerful as Xiao Bai's, how could he possibly accidentally apply pressure to them?
By now, they understood—this kid was strong, yes, but he was also a bit of a troublemaker.
Xiao Bai simply chuckled, unfazed. The opportunity had been too good to pass up—he couldn't resist testing the waters. As Yao Lao had said, he had observed every detail of Hu Gan's reactions just now.
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