Xiao Bai could feel that when his soul power enveloped Hu Gan, the latter immediately exhibited a resonance with the surrounding world. However, it was not the kind of profound sensation of merging with heaven and earth. Instead, it was the interaction between the Dou Qi within his body and the external energy of the world. With just a single thought, he could influence the surrounding energy, mobilizing it to counter the intangible power of the soul. This energy was vast and boundless, making the soul power feel repelled in an instant.
This sensation also existed in the two elders, but it was far too weak. They could only influence a small portion of the external energy. Compared to Hu Gan, the difference was like heaven and earth. His soul power easily suppressed theirs without resistance.
"The higher the cultivation, the greater the difference. The range of this ability to influence worldly energy already shows a clear distinction between Dou Wang and Dou Huang. As one advances, the gap only grows larger! The more worldly energy one can mobilize, the stronger the boost to one's own strength!"
"A sphere with a one-meter radius increasing by another meter, and a sphere with a hundred-meter radius increasing by one meter—can the impact on their volume be the same? That kind of growth is exponential!"
"No wonder that after reaching Dou Sheng, the difference between each star is so massive!"
As Xiao Bai pondered, he suddenly recalled the original novel and couldn't help but marvel at how impressive Xiao Yan's Buddha Fury Lotus Flame truly was. With just peak Dou Wang cultivation, he managed to cross such an insurmountable gap and defeat Yun Shan, a Dou Zong!
"Alright, Xiao Bai, let them go quickly!" Elder Su looked at the inner academy senior students, some of whom were on the verge of passing out. He quickly spoke up, interrupting Xiao Bai's thoughts.
Hearing this, Xiao Bai withdrew his soul power. The senior students instantly felt as if they had been granted a new lease on life, gasping for air as their pale faces regained some color.
"Cough! You lost. According to the rules, hand over your Fire Energy to Xiao Bai," Elder Han said with a sigh of relief, clearing his throat.
"Elder, we didn't lose! He must have used some sort of cheating method; otherwise, how could a Dou Ling be this strong?" one of the senior students shouted angrily.
"That's right! We've seen Dou Ling before. None of them are like this!"
"Exactly! A fair fight—if we lost that way, we would accept it. But using external power like this? We refuse to accept it!"
Elder Han swept his gaze over the group of senior students, his expression calm as he asked, "Is this what you all believe?"
"Yes!!"
"Shut up, all of you!" Elder Su's face darkened as he saw their self-righteous expressions. He shouted in anger, "A bunch of disgraceful fools! That was soul power—do you even know what soul power is? You've been too comfortable in the inner academy for too long! If this were truly some external power, then that's still his own ability! Do you think that once you graduate and leave, your opponents will fight you with fairness and justice?"
"Losing is not shameful. Knowing shame and then striving to improve—that's the right way. But being this ignorant? If you go out like this, don't even mention being students of Jia Nan Academy. Jia Nan Academy can't afford such embarrassment!"
Hearing Elder Su's furious rebuke, the group of senior students immediately shut their mouths and hung their heads in dejection.
Xiao Bai shot Tu Shan a glance. The latter instantly understood, grinning mischievously as he stepped forward toward the senior students. "Senior brothers, please cooperate and hand over your Fire Energy cards!"
Tu Shan was inwardly grateful that he had chosen to follow Xiao Bai. Otherwise, how could he be enjoying such a moment now? He had heard about this Fire Energy Hunting Competition before—senior students always robbed the new students. Never before had new students turned the tables and robbed the seniors!
Amidst the reluctant and disheartened gazes of the senior students, Tu Shan handed the Fire Energy cards to Xiao Bai. "Boss, it's all here!"
Xiao Bai took the Fire Energy cards and glanced at Tu Shan in surprise. This guy had even changed how he addressed him—clearly, he knew how to get ahead in life!
After transferring all the Fire Energy from the fifteen cards, the number on Xiao Bai's card skyrocketed!
When Hu Gan and Elders Su and Han saw the number 789, they were stunned. Throughout the history of new students, none had ever accumulated nearly a thousand Fire Energy points before even entering the inner academy!
Why had these senior students fought so hard to participate in the Fire Energy Hunting Competition?
Was it not for Fire Energy itself? Yet, according to the academy's rules, each new student had to retain two points, and a single person could only rob three points at most. Even if all fifty new students were combined, that would only amount to 150 points!
And even then, dozens of people had to fight over it—some might get lucky and take more, while others might leave empty-handed.
But Xiao Bai? He had just started, and he had already gained as much Fire Energy as five entire Hunting Competitions combined!
At the thought of those senior students still wandering around the forest, perhaps excited over gaining just a few points of Fire Energy, Hu Gan, Elder Su and Elder Han couldn't help but feel a little pity for them. No matter how much they looted, once they encountered this kid, they might end up losing everything with interest!
"Xiao Bai, you… you're not going to rob us, are you?" A petite and delicate female freshman looked at Xiao Bai, who had just arrived before them, and asked hesitantly, her voice trembling slightly.
The freshmen who had yet to run away were instantly dumbfounded. Just moments ago, they had been thinking that their "Demon King" from the Outer Academy was truly incredible and were even proud of it.
But they hadn't expected that a demon king was, after all, a demon king! He wouldn't even spare his fellow freshmen who had entered the academy alongside him!?
"Boss! Can you not rob Tong Yu?" Tu Shan quickly stepped forward, cautiously glancing at Xiao Bai while pointing at the petite female freshman, speaking nervously.
Xiao Bai looked at Tu Shan's burly, bear-like frame and then at the petite girl who appeared even smaller in contrast. His expression turned rather strange.
"Do you all want to keep the Fire Energy on your cards?" Xiao Bai ignored Tu Shan and instead addressed the remaining twenty-something freshmen.
"Yes!" After a brief hesitation, a scattered chorus of replies sounded.
"Good. Then help me do something," Xiao Bai said with a smile, nodding approvingly.
"Xiao… No, Boss! Just tell us what to do! We'll follow your lead!" A quick-witted freshman immediately changed how he addressed him.
Hearing this, some other freshmen's eyes lit up. Following Xiao Bai? That was a golden opportunity! As for him being a so-called demon king? What demon king? That was their boss now!
"Yeah! Boss, just say the word, and we'll do it!"
"Heh…" Xiao Bai glanced at the remaining freshmen, not bothering to correct how they addressed him. Smiling, he said, "Good. The twenty-two of you will stick together and head straight for the final exit. Don't worry about anything else, understood?"
"Tu Shan, Xu Su, you two will lead the group!"
"Boss, what's your plan?" Tu Shan asked, puzzled.
"Fishing," Xiao Bai said meaningfully, gazing toward the distant forest.
Tu Shan immediately understood—Xiao Bai couldn't be bothered to go into the forest and hunt down people one by one. Instead, he was using them as bait to lure in the senior students roaming the forest.
"Don't worry, Boss! Leave it to us!" Tu Shan and Xu Su knew this was a test for them, so they swiftly led the group of freshmen forward without hesitation.
Once all the freshmen had disappeared into the forest, Xiao Bai turned to face the defeated senior students.
"Y-you… what do you want? We don't have any Fire Energy left!" The group of senior students, eyes filled with reverence for this monster, swallowed nervously as they spoke.
"How many of you came in total?" Xiao Bai glanced at the one who spoke and asked calmly.
"There were fifty of us like this, plus five from the Black and White Fiend Teams on each side, making a total of sixty," a senior quickly replied, relieved that Xiao Bai didn't seem to be looking for trouble.
"Sixty, huh…" Xiao Bai muttered, then said, "I have a task for you. Pair up and head into the forest. When you meet any senior students, tell them you found a group of over twenty freshmen traveling together. Say you're worried that a small team won't be able to handle them alone and suggest they come along to help. Lead them to a key location that they have to pass through. Understood?"
The senior students immediately realized what he was planning. Inwardly, they cursed—damn it, this guy was planning to catch everyone from the Inner Academy in one sweep! Was he not afraid of overstuffing himself!?
"You must be thinking, 'Why should we help you?'" Xiao Bai looked at their expressions and said with a smirk. "Well… I imagine you wouldn't want me causing trouble for you every day once I enter the Inner Academy, would you?"
The senior students shivered at the thought of being targeted by this guy every day in the Inner Academy. They quickly nodded and said, "Xiao Bai, no need to be so polite! Helping fellow students is only natural—it's our duty!"
"Exactly! Those guys will definitely mock us if they hear about today's events. If Xiao Bai treats everyone equally, that'd be ideal!"
"That's right! Xiao Bai, don't worry! We'll get the job done perfectly!"
Xiao Bai watched as the previously reluctant senior students suddenly became eager volunteers. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he nodded and said, "Very good. Seeing how enthusiastic you all are, I feel gratified. Jia Nan Academy truly deserves its reputation—just look at you seniors: warm-hearted, caring toward your juniors, and upholding an excellent academic culture!"
Hu Gan, Elder Su and Elder Han nearly rolled their eyes so hard they couldn't flip them back.
Although this kid was praising Jia Nan Academy, why did they feel no joy at all? Instead, they felt an overwhelming sense of shame!
Xun'er had the urge to cover her face. Was her brother Xiao Bai holding a grudge against Jia Nan Academy or something?
"Hehe…" Xiao Yi Xian chuckled softly, covering her mouth as she watched everyone's expressions after hearing Xiao Bai's words.
"Alright, Xiao Bai, whatever you're planning, hurry up and get moving! As long as you break through the Black and White Twin Teams and reach the exit first, besides the standard rewards, there's also an extra reward!" Elder Su, fearing he might hear something else shocking that his heart couldn't take, quickly waved his hand, urging him to leave.
"That reward is as good as mine, Elder, you better get ready," Xiao Bai said with a smile, watching the group of old students gradually disappear into the distance.
-----
In the forest.
A few old students who had been robbed of their Fire Energy gathered together.
"Are we really going to do as that demon said and lure others into giving him their Fire Energy?"
"Hell no! If we actually do that, how are we supposed to show our faces in the Inner Academy later?!"
"But if we don't, and he doesn't get anything, what if he comes after us for revenge?"
"You idiot! Just say we searched the forest but couldn't find anyone. Problem solved!"
"Hey? Morton, why are you guys gathered here instead of looking for new students?" A voice suddenly sounded, startling the group. But when they saw it was someone familiar and not that demon, they sighed in relief.
"Oh, it's Luo Men." Morton, looking at the big fat zero on his Fire Energy card, clenched his teeth and sneered. "Looking for new students? Ha! I'm doing everything I can just to avoid them!"
"Why's that?" Luo Men asked in confusion. "We all paid a price to participate in the Hunting Competition. If we don't get at least six points of Fire Energy, we'll have wasted our effort!"
"Don't even ask! This year's freshmen have a total monster among them. He's at the Dou Ling level, and his soul power is insanely strong—even the Elders can't handle it. By the way, do you even know what soul power is?" Morton asked.
"Soul power? That mysterious, intangible thing? Someone can actually use it?" Luo Men was visibly shocked.
Seeing that his friend was clueless, Morton immediately felt a sense of superiority. He eagerly recounted everything that had happened, causing Luo Men and his group to exclaim in disbelief.
"So you're telling me… Not only do you guys have nothing to show for your efforts, but you even lost all your Fire Energy? And he rejected you because it wasn't enough?" Luo Men gasped.
"No shit! That's why we call him a demon! He beat us up, robbed us, and still had the nerve to complain that we're poor!" Morten snapped. "You guys better be careful! This space is going to close eventually, and you don't want to be stuck here. You'd better head for the exit now—if that demon gets there first and blocks the way, you'll lose everything!"
"Thanks for the warning! We're leaving right now!" Luo Men quickly stood up, leading his four equally shaken companions away.
"Take the less-traveled paths and spread the word! Tell the others not to walk into his trap!" Morton suddenly shouted after them.
"Got it!" Their voices echoed back as they disappeared into the distance.
---------
Elsewhere.
Xiao Bai, accompanied by Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian, trailed far behind the group of new students.
"Xiao Bai, aren't you afraid that those old students will warn the others and ruin your plan?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, watching him stroll along casually.
"What's there to be afraid of? Even if they find out, so what? They only have two choices: hide in the forest, which they can't do forever since they have to leave eventually, or run straight for the exit. And looking at my brother Xiao Bai's confidence, I bet he already accounted for this, right?" Xun'er smiled playfully, holding onto Xiao Bai's arm.
"Exactly. Those guys can talk big all they want, but I never expected them to actually bring people to me. My only goal in sending them out was to spread fear—fear will drive everyone in the forest toward the final exit!" Xiao Bai smirked, gently tapping Xun'er's delicate nose before taking Xiao Yi Xian's soft hand in his.
Xiao Yi Xian's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Xiao Bai, her voice gentle. "Xiao Bai, you're really smart."
"Hehe… So are you, Xian'er. You just don't like scheming, that's all." Xiao Bai chuckled, giving her hand a squeeze. He still remembered how this girl had schemed against Shopkeeper Yao back then!
"Brother Xiao Bai, it looks like your fish aren't biting," Xun'er remarked as she looked around. They had been walking for a while but hadn't seen anyone fall for the bait.
"No worries. This was just a casual move—if it works, great; if not, it doesn't matter. If the fish won't bite… then I'll just cast a net!" Xiao Bai grinned. After all, the trap was already set. No fish in this forest were getting away!
-----------------------
If you like this Fanfiction and want to support me, visit my Patreon to read 50 ahead chapters.
p@treon.com/AllenTL
(Replace @ with a)
------------------------