Chapter 164: Strong and Still Ambushes—How Is This Fair? No Martial Morals at All!
In the forest, figures flickered between the trees. Just moments later, the dull thud of a body hitting the ground echoed through the woods. A figure was sent flying backward, covered in black frost, his face twisted in pain and teeth chattering from the cold.
A white shadow followed swiftly behind, streaking through the air with a sharp gust of wind.
"Stop!"
The fallen student cried out, hurriedly pulling out a blue Fire Crystal Card and holding it up defensively.
The white shadow halted, reaching out to snatch the card before stopping entirely, revealing a handsome young face.
Xiao Yuan casually retrieved his own black Fire Crystal Card. Holding both the blue and black cards together, he rubbed them heavily. A flash of light followed—his black card's number surged, while the blue one was reduced to a paltry seven points.
"Thanks for the donation, Senior. If you ever run into trouble, come find me. With such a selfless spirit, I'll definitely return the favor."
Xiao Yuan beamed as he returned the now nearly-empty card to the miserable student lying on the ground.
"…Should I be thanking you for that?"
The senior gritted his teeth, glancing at the card's pitiful number and grumbling bitterly.
"Hehe."
Xiao Yuan just shrugged and walked off to regroup with Xiao Yan and the others, who had also finished their battles.
"Snatching them directly really is the most efficient way! That's the fourth team already. With a little more luck, one more team and we'll hit one hundred Fire Energy points. Hehe, excellent!"
Hu Jia grinned with excitement.
Wu Hao looked pleased as well. After some investigation, they confirmed that Fire Energy was everything in the Inner Academy—it was currency for all cultivation resources. The more you had, the better.
Hearing their conversation, the defeated Inner Academy students felt a strange sense of relief.
So they weren't the only ones who had been ambushed!
Wait a second… does this mean these guys were actively hunting old students?
The thought hit them like a boulder. After a year of training, they were still getting outclassed by Outer Academy newcomers. The shame was suffocating.
"Let's go. Time to find our next target."
Xiao Yuan smiled and activated Listening Wind Whisper, scanning the surroundings.
—
Meanwhile, at the top of a towering tree deep in the forest, two elderly men sat cross-legged, unmoving. The breeze rustled their robes, yet their garments remained still, like iron—clearly indicating their powerful strength.
Suddenly, they both opened their eyes and exchanged a glance, amusement gleaming within.
"Heh, good, very good. This batch of freshmen is much more interesting than previous years," said the gray-robed elder with a chuckle.
"The six of them must be the ones Hu Qian mentioned—the top five of the selection tournament. Solid strength and potential. No wonder they're beating Inner Academy veterans," the blue-robed elder agreed.
"The leader, Xiao Yuan, right? Impressive. Strong and bold—I like him."
The gray-robed elder stroked his beard, clearly pleased.
"Hehe, indeed. Unlike previous years, these six are surprisingly united. Usually the top five students are too proud to cooperate and end up getting picked off one by one. But this group? Same clan, two couples, and even a pair of brothers. A lineup like this is rare—maybe they'll give us a few surprises."
The blue-robed elder smiled faintly.
"But it's too early to tell. The Black-White Dual Demons are still out there. They're not just some average Inner Academy team. If Xiao Yuan's group runs into them… who knows how that will end."
"True. Those two have been through countless fights. Their coordination is flawless. That'll be a battle worth watching."
Clearly, these elders were delighted by the rare excitement. The Fire Energy Hunt was usually dull and predictable—finally, something worth observing.
—
Elsewhere in the forest, five Inner Academy students trudged through the undergrowth, their tower-insignia badges marking them as seniors.
"Damn it. Are we cursed or something? We've been out here for ages and still haven't found a single rookie team! At this rate, we won't even make back our entry fee!" one of them cursed.
"Quit whining. There are fifty new students. Just keep looking."
Their leader frowned and scolded him.
"But there are fifty of us too! If someone else gets to them first, our chances just keep shrinking!"
The argument was cut off by a cheerful voice up ahead.
"Looking for us?"
The five froze and looked up. A team of six—three men, three women—stood smiling a short distance away.
"Get them!"
The leader's face lit up with glee. He shouted, and the five of them charged forward to encircle the "helpless" new students.
"Wow. Inner Academy seniors are always this reckless, huh?"
Xiao Yuan smiled brightly, glancing back at his team.
"Mm."
The others nodded, and then—boom!
Six terrifying auras erupted simultaneously!
Though Xiao Yu couldn't take on opponents directly, she danced through the battlefield like a ghost, striking when least expected. Combined with the overwhelming force of Xiao Yuan and the others, the battle was practically over before it began.
Bang!
Xiao Yuan's frost-coated palm slammed into the lead student's chest. The fight was over. The senior didn't even realize he'd lost until it was too late.
"Hehe, let's not waste time. Senior, how about you hand over your Fire Crystal Card before my cold gets into your joints?"
Xiao Yuan smiled like a demon as he made his demand.
Shivering and grimacing from the frost Dou Qi invading his body, the student reluctantly handed over his card.
"Much obliged!"
Xiao Yuan happily drained the Fire Energy down to the minimum and handed the card back with a friendly grin.
He thought he'd get rich today… ended up losing everything.
Why didn't anyone warn me this year's rookies were monsters?!
"Well then, have a nice nap, Senior!"
With a snap of his fingers, Xiao Yuan enveloped the man in black frost, plunging his body into a near-hibernation state. The senior passed out instantly.
"Nice."
Xiao Yuan checked his card. Over 100 Fire Energy points now. He turned to his teammates, all smiling just as smugly.
"Let's hide. Another team's coming this way."
Xiao Yuan signaled, then vanished into the forest.
The others followed, scattering and concealing themselves.
—
Six minutes later, five more Inner Academy students arrived.
They stopped, stunned, at the sight of five unconscious seniors on the ground.
"…They got robbed," one of them said, horrified.
"They only have seven days of Fire Energy left! Who did this?!"
"Ask them."
The team leader crouched and used his Dou Qi to dispel the cold from one of the frozen students.
"So cold…"
The chill was so pure and intense, it immediately made him wary.
This kind of frost… could only come from someone as strong as the Black-White Dual Demons.
But then his expression changed.
The frost started to creep into his own body.
Shing!
He pulled back, startled to find his hand freezing over.
"What's wrong?" asked a teammate.
"…Are we sure this wasn't done by Luo Hou's team?"
"That's not possible," another replied. "No internal fighting is allowed during the hunt. The elders would intervene immediately."
Luo Hou was the captain of White Demon, one of the strongest teams in the Inner Academy—and a true Dou Ling. He was considered the final boss of this hunt.
"But this kind of frost… I can't think of anyone else but him."
The leader muttered, trying to neutralize the chill.
"Maybe there's a freshman prodigy?"
"…That's impossible."
Freshman and Dou Ling? That combo didn't exist. It just didn't.
But then, a breeze blew past—and a white figure appeared in front of them like a ghost.
A terrifying aura, part heat, part icy cold, exploded outward.
"…Dou Ling?!"
All five shouted in shock.
The freezing aura struck first, scattering their formation. Then five more shadows emerged, each targeting one opponent.
But this time, things didn't go as planned.
This senior team was far better coordinated than expected. Even though Xiao Yuan had launched a surprise attack and broken their formation, they regrouped fast and resisted Xiao Yan's group's assaults.
Luckily, Xiao Yuan—empowered by his Heavenly Flame Triple Mystic Transformation—moved like lightning. He reached the regrouping point instantly and began spinning.
Dark ice blades formed around him, linking together into a violent vortex.
Frostblade Cyclone!
A completed high-grade Profound-Rank Dou Technique—fueled by Dou Ling-level strength.
The seniors had no time to dodge and had to take it head-on.
Even with all five resisting together, they couldn't withstand the full force. Blood, laced with black frost, spurted from their mouths as they were sent flying.
Xiao Yan's team followed up and finished them off. Then they efficiently stripped them of Fire Energy, knocked them out, and disappeared into the forest.
(END CHAPTER)
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