Chapter 163: Senior, Give Me a Hand, Won't You?
Within the dense forest, specks of sunlight filtered through the leafy canopy above, casting scattered light onto the leaf-strewn ground below. The scene was like something out of a dream.
The tranquil atmosphere was suddenly broken by footsteps. The sound grew closer, until five figures emerged, appearing to be a team. However, their constant bickering and sharp arguments echoed across the woods, clearly disrupting any sense of peace.
"Oh? How relaxed you lot must be—to still have the mood to argue at a time like this."
A teasing voice came from above. The five bickering newcomers froze and looked up, startled, only to see five young men standing on the tree branches overhead, each wearing a badge with a tower-like insignia pinned to their chests. They looked down with amused expressions.
Soon, the two groups clashed.
Not far from the clearing—just a few dozen meters away—five figures crouched silently in the underbrush, observing.
The fight didn't last long.
It quickly became a one-sided beatdown.
Watching the departing backs of the Inner Academy students, Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
While the five attackers did display some teamwork and strength, they posed no real threat to him. He could handle them alone, though for most other newcomers, they would be overwhelming.
"Looks like Third Brother was right—the 'Fire Energy' in these crystal cards is definitely crucial in the Inner Academy. Otherwise, they wouldn't be scrambling for it like that."
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes in thought.
Everyone nodded. The attackers had made their objective clear—they wanted the Fire Energy stored in the cards.
"You all saw how they fought. So, what do you think? Confident you can take them?"
Xiao Yuan asked with a lazy smile.
"Shouldn't be a problem," Xiao Yan said casually.
Xun'er nodded as well.
Xiao Yu hesitated. As someone only at the peak of the Dou Shi level, facing Da Dou Shi-level opponents would be tough.
Luckily, Xiao Yuan had brought along Hu Jia and Wu Hao precisely to address that gap. He didn't plan on counting Xiao Yu as a core combatant during the Fire Energy Hunt. Though she had obtained an Earth-Rank technique, she hadn't had time to retrain with it, so her battle strength hadn't risen significantly yet.
But once she entered the Inner Academy and trained properly, Xiao Yuan believed she would surpass these people in no time.
For now, though, he needed more Fire Energy for future cultivation.
He watched as several other new students, with gloomy expressions, parted ways. He had no intention of dragging them along. If not for Xiao Yu, he wouldn't have bothered recruiting Hu Jia and Wu Hao either. He was confident enough to go one-against-five if needed.
That said, if he planned to establish a power base in the Inner Academy, it would be better to have Hu Jia and Wu Hao on board. Delegating responsibilities would be important.
"Let's go. Stick close to that upperclassman's team. It's time to ask a few questions—and take what's ours."
As the team of seniors moved and began slipping out of sensory range, Xiao Yuan signaled, then vanished into the forest like a silent wind.
The rest followed, keeping pace. Everyone except Xiao Yu was stronger than the group of seniors they had observed. After confirming that there were no other teams nearby, they decided to strike.
In the forest clearing, the five Inner Academy students dropped from the trees and stretched.
"Looks like no one's around. Let's rest a bit."
Their leader smiled.
"Pretty lucky today—we ran into two rookie teams!"
"Six days' worth of Fire Energy. Not bad!"
"The new students are strong this year. Even peak Dou Shi-level kids can stand up to Da Dou Shi."
"Maybe we've just been unlucky enough to run into the top-ranked newbies."
"Heard there are six in the top five this year! We better be careful if we see them!"
"Hah, that's different. We've trained in the Inner Academy. What do those new brats know? Even if they're high-level, they don't have our experience."
Just as the leader sneered—
"You sure about that?"
A voice rang out, followed by a breeze. Xiao Yuan stepped from the shadows, appearing fifty meters ahead.
The five Inner Academy students turned pale at once, especially when they saw six people—including a Four-Star Da Dou Shi—emerging from the woods.
Just great. Of all the teams… it had to be this one.
The six had surrounded them. The students' arrogance faded quickly.
"These guys aren't just strong—they're cocky, too!" they thought, panicking.
Just the Four-Star Da Dou Shi alone would be hard to handle, and now there were five more?
New students were supposed to be rats, scurrying and hiding. Why were these ones so bold?
"They're around Two-Star Da Dou Shi strength. One each. Make it fast—no one escapes."
Xiao Yuan smiled calmly as he addressed Xiao Yan, Xun'er, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao.
"Got it."
The four exchanged looks, then unleashed their Dou Qi and shot forward like lightning.
The overwhelming force from Xiao Yan's group froze the seniors in place.
These new students were all stronger than them?! The Four-Star Da Dou Shi was actually the weakest?!
What kind of monsters were these?
The leader tried to call for retreat, but before the words left his lips, a white blur appeared in front of him.
His eyes widened as he punched instinctively—but Xiao Yuan's rotating strike shattered the air with a booming crack, his palm snapping forward faster and stronger.
"We're screwed," thought the leader.
Their fists clashed, and a wave of power exploded from the point of contact. Dead leaves flew into the air like a whirlwind.
Pfft!
Blood burst from the leader's mouth as his entire arm went numb. The force of the strike sent shockwaves into his body, and he staggered back.
Desperate, he summoned a blue Dou Qi armor—but just as it formed, Xiao Yuan was on him again.
His palm, wrapped in black mist, slammed into the man's chest.
CRACK!
The Dou Qi armor froze over and shattered like glass. The leader crashed into a tree, spitting blood again.
Curled up in pain, he looked up just in time to see his teammates also get knocked around, landing beside him with bloodied faces.
Then came the white blur again.
"Best surrender. Next time, it won't be just your armor that freezes—it'll be your Dou Qi and your meridians."
Xiao Yuan's calm voice drifted down.
The leader shuddered and looked up with fear. Six people stared down at him, led by the handsome, smiling young man in white.
"W-what do you want?" he asked.
"Nothing much. We're new here and just want a little help from our seniors," Xiao Yuan said pleasantly.
The leader didn't buy it for a second.
Who asks for help by beating people half to death first?!
"What do you want help with?" he asked cautiously. Rules forbade killing, so he wasn't too afraid—just worried about more bruises.
"Got a map of the forest?" Xiao Yuan asked coolly.
The leader hesitated—but before he could answer, a freezing hand clamped onto his shoulder.
"I'd think twice before lying. You might lose your ring. Think carefully: is the ring more important, or your pride?"
Shuddering from the cold, the leader sighed.
"Let's question them separately," Xiao Yuan added. "Wouldn't want them coordinating answers."
The leader was suddenly yanked and dropped tens of meters away.
Seriously? A Four-Star Da Dou Shi did that? He's as strong as a Dou Ling!
Knowing resistance was pointless, the leader gave up.
"There's a rough map, but it's not detailed. We bought it for one day's worth of Fire Energy before the hunt started."
He handed over a crude paper sketch.
"This is it?" Xiao Yuan blinked at the map—basically just a few black Xs.
Then he confirmed the overall number of participants and their levels.
Same as expected—ten teams, fifty people in total. Most were like this one. Only two—Black Gate and White Gate—stood out as threats.
Still, Xiao Yuan wasn't worried. They might be comparable on paper, but he doubted they had Five-Star Dou Ling strength.
His Four-Star power was already more than enough.
"Oh, and one last thing, Senior…"
Xiao Yuan pulled out his Fire Crystal Card, cold air swirling around him as he smiled.
"This card only has five units of Fire Energy. As a new student, I was hoping you could… sponsor a little more. What do you think?"
(END CHAPTER)
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