Chapter 24: The Black Fiend Team, The White Fiend Team!
"Alright, no more nonsense. Although you've passed the Selection Tournament and earned the right to enter the Inner Academy—this isn't over yet."
The First Elder smiled. With a sweep of his hand, a great handful of pitch-black crystal cards were retrieved by him from his storage ring.
With a casual flick of his hand, the crystal cards turned into streaks of light that shot forth. Then, as if they had eyes of their own, each streak of light ultimately flew before every single person.
Of course, none appeared before Zi Yan!
"Hey! Old Man Su, why don't I have one?"
Having been subjected to 'unfair' treatment one time after another, Zi Yan finally erupted completely. She placed her hands on her hips and glared straight at the First Elder with a face full of righteous 'indignation.'
Everyone present was stunned—especially the old students of the Inner Academy who followed by the First Elder's side. This was the First Elder of the Inner Academy!
Zi Yan actually dared to question him to his face. Were the new students these days really this fierce?
Yet, very quickly, something that made their jaws drop even further happened. The First Elder did not punish Zi Yan. Instead, an expression of helplessness surfaced on his face.
This made the hearts of those few tighten. Could it be that this seemingly harmless little girl had an uncommon background? Or was she actually a junior of the First Elder?
Encountering Zi Yan, Su Qian was truly helpless. Tell him—what had possessed him back then to bring Zi Yan back with him?
Over these past few years, the Outer Academy's medicinal ingredient storehouse had nearly been eaten clean by her. She also periodically went to wreak havoc among the other demonic beasts in the Demonic Beast Forest, turning the place into a complete chaotic mess.
The First Elder had been forced to dispatch extra manpower to monitor the Demonic Beast Forest, terrified that some reckless demonic beast might charge the academy. If any students were injured then, it would be a colossal injustice!
"Here!" Seeing Zi Yan's expression of absolute resolve, Su Qian tossed out another card—this one cyan in color.
Zi Yan immediately beamed and caught it. The card was cool and refreshing to the touch, yet a peculiar warmth seeped out from within. Zi Yan lowered her head and carefully studied the card's transparent surface. Upon this mirrored surface was imprinted a large, crimson number: "Five hundred!"
Zi Yan was somewhat puzzled. This card of hers was clearly different from everyone else's. She reached out and snatched the card in Jiang Yun's hand. It was a black card, with the character "Five" written on it.
"Alright, the matter of the cards can be studied later. Right now, you all need to enter this forest and then successfully reach the Inner Academy at the forest's far end."
Seeing Zi Yan's confusion, Su Qian had no intention of clearing things up for her. Instead, he slowly continued speaking, his hand pointing at a group of young people off to the side. "As you cross this forest, you must be wary of them. According to the Inner Academy's rules, they will attempt to seize your crystal cards. Within this forest, they may strike at will. In other words, they are the final obstacle to your entry into the Inner Academy."
"Do not take this lightly. Once you enter the Inner Academy, you will understand just how important the cards in your hands are! So... at this final checkpoint, display your strength to the fullest!"
Having finished, Su Qian even let his gaze fall upon Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun's eyes flickered. He knew these words were meant specifically for him by Su Qian.
Among this batch of old students, although only two Dou Ling had come, both of them were 5-star Dou Ling—already in the middle phase of the Dou Ling stage. They were powerhouses on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking. Clearly, this had been prepared for him.
However, these few... were still not enough!
"Now, I declare—this year's 'Fire Energy Hunt' officially begins! Students, begin your escape!"
As Su Qian finished explaining the Inner Academy's traditional team-building activity—the Fire Energy Hunt—the competition began.
Hearing the First Elder announce the start of the 'Fire Energy Hunt,' those old students standing behind the elders let out a burst of excited, strange laughter. Quite a few of the more ill-tempered ones even made provocative gestures toward Jiang Yun and the others. Many of the new students shot them furious glares in return.
"We'll be waiting for you in the forest!" At that moment, a voice came from among the old students. The owner of this voice carried considerable authority among the old students. After saying this, he turned and headed into the forest, and the rest of the old students followed close behind, departing in quick succession.
Seeing this, the new students quickly made arrangements with those they knew well and entered the forest in groups of three to five.
"You go with the First Elder and wait for me at the end!" Jiang Yun smiled and released Zi Yan's hand. With a flash of light, the card in his hand was stored away into his storage ring.
"Zi Yan..."
Only after watching Jiang Yun enter the forest did Su Qian address Zi Yan. Pity, Zi Yan completely ignored him. With a cold snort, a pair of purple Dou Qi wings unfurled behind her, and her entire form transformed into a streak of light, shooting straight toward the other end of the forest.
"This... this..."
"First Elder, she... she is... a Dou Wang?!"
The moment Zi Yan materialized her Dou Qi wings, the several elders present were utterly dumbfounded. Their eyes bulged as if they'd seen a ghost, all staring at Zi Yan's departing silhouette. Those fluttering purple wings were simply far too dazzling.
At this moment, they were all beginning to doubt their very reality. A Dou Wang? A new student?
"Once you get used to her, you won't find it strange anymore!" The First Elder's previously gloomy mood was swept clean away. He spoke with a certain smug satisfaction. Although Zi Yan was rather infuriating at times, she had, after all, been brought back by him. After several years of interacting, they'd long since formed a deep bond. Otherwise, how could Zi Yan dare be so 'willfully spoiled'?
"No wonder the First Elder forbade Zi Yan from participating in the Fire Energy Hunt!" Elder Qing of the Inner Academy remarked with a rueful smile upon hearing this.
"Those little brats of the Inner Academy are in for trouble!" Suddenly, a sly, mischievous grin flickered through the depths of Elder Qing's eyes as he spoke with ill-intentioned glee.
As the voices faded, the figures of the few elders also vanished from the scene. The forest once again returned to a state of utter silence.
"Bang!"
Jiang Yun hacked down with his palm. A white flaming palm imprint materialized, and two figures were sent flying backward.
These two were 7-star Da Dou Shi. Had they faced any other new student team, the outcome would have been entirely different. Pity, they ran into Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun merely exerted himself slightly, and they were utterly defeated.
"Will you hand it over yourselves, or shall I do it myself?" Flames coalesced in Jiang Yun's palm, instantly forming a sword of fire. He pressed it beside the heads of the two men. The white flames on the sword's blade radiated a searing, scorching aura.
Neither of the two doubted that if this sword came down, they would certainly be bedridden for a good ten days to half a month.
"Cough, cough... brother, can you leave us a little?" The two old students stared at Jiang Yun in terror. Trembling, they pulled out a blue fire crystal card, their faces plastered with ingratiating, fawning smiles.
"I'll leave you a five-day safety net."
Jiang Yun swept his gaze over them. After leaving the two old students with a basic five days of Fire Energy, he confiscated all the rest. This single wave netted him a clean profit of fifty-five days of Fire Energy.
He had been heading straight toward the forest's exit the entire way and had already encountered several waves of interceptors. The Fire Energy on his fire crystal card had already exceeded two hundred days—quite the tidy little haul.
Right now here, aside from Zi Yan, he was likely the richest of them all.
"If you two aren't satisfied, feel free to find reinforcements and come again!"
Tossing their fire crystal cards back down, Jiang Yun continued toward the finish line at his unhurried, steady pace. In no time, he disappeared from sight.
"Damn it! Why does this batch of new students have so many ruthless freaks?!"
"Yeah, first there was that little girl who dared to shout at the First Elder to his face, and now this monster. Are new students these days all this strong?"
"Just what level is he at? The two of us were completely helpless in his hands!"
The two old students spoke back and forth, exchanging a glance, on the verge of tears. The strength Jiang Yun had displayed was simply far too terrifying. They suspected that even if someone from the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking came, it would be much the same.
They'd originally thought this year's Fire Energy Hunt would bring a flock of sheep. They never expected a genuine, ferocious tiger to be hiding among them!
"No, we can't be the only ones to suffer this loss." The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. One of the old students said with a somewhat malicious, venomous look.
"You mean..."
"Exactly. We'll go spread the word right now that this kid is holding a massive amount of Fire Energy. If that new student wins, the moment he enters the Inner Academy, he'll be a fat sheep in the eyes of all the factions. Naturally, people will seek trouble with him. And if he loses—all the better. Let him learn that the Inner Academy is no place for him to run rampant."
Having said this, the old student's eyes were brimming with venomous resentment, sending chills down his companion's spine.
"Fine, we'll do it your way." Although he felt that using such a method to target a new student was somewhat underhanded, looking at the glaring 'Five' on his fire energy card, he still gritted his teeth and agreed.
After the two reached an accord, very quickly, the news that Jiang Yun was carrying a massive amount of Fire Energy spread among the old students of the Inner Academy.
"Have you heard? This year's Fire Energy Hunt produced a real fierce character. He single-handedly defeated a whole squad of old students and robbed them of their Fire Energy in turn."
"Hmph— a genius?"
"In the Inner Academy, 'genius' is the most useless title there is. Can he alone overturn the heavens in the Inner Academy? It's definitely those useless good-for-nothings who screwed up and got counter-robbed. Truly an embarrassment to our Inner Academy."
"True. Even if he is a genius, once he enters the Inner Academy, he'll still have to abide by the Inner Academy's rules."
"Let's go. Let's go weigh the worth of this number one genius of the Outer Academy."
Following this, Jiang Yun encountered quite a few old students who had come chasing the news along his path.
Every old student who first laid eyes on Jiang Yun wore expressions of excitement, their gazes burning as they looked at him, as if beholding a plump, fat sheep, ready to pounce like ravenous wolves at any moment.
Pity, the one they ran into was Jiang Yun. Whether 8-star Da Dou Shi or 9-star Da Dou Shi, all were easily dealt with by Jiang Yun.
Afterward, these old students all stared at the black cards left in their hands, bearing a mere 'five' days of Fire Energy, their faces utterly despairing. They wept 'touched' tears.
"I've already collected six hundred and seventy-one days of Fire Energy. It's time to go see that final Black Fiend and White Fiend Team."
Jiang Yun glanced at the number on the black card in his palm and calmly headed toward his final destination.
"Zhao Ji and the others lost too. Defeated by that number one genius of the Outer Academy, Jiang Yun, in less than three moves."
In another corner of the forest, ten people sat gathered in a circle, discussing Jiang Yun's battle record. The two at the lead possessed exceptionally powerful auras, clearly standing out from the rest.
"What—"
"Three moves? Zhao Ji is already halfway into Dou Ling! Even he was defeated so easily? Could it be that this kid is already even stronger than Brother Sun?"
One of them exclaimed in horror. Having spoken, he couldn't help but glance at the man seated off in the distance.
That man had a handsome, refined appearance and was dressed in white robes. A smiling, gentle expression was always on his face, making him extremely likable. He seemed utterly unflustered and serene, with an aura that inspired trust in others.
"Hmph— hearsay is unreliable. I refuse to believe a new student could reach this level."
At that moment, another spoke with extreme impatience. This one was built exceptionally broad and stout, wielding a massive black greatsword. His thick, coarse brows arched like swords, and a sharp, domineering aura radiated from his resolute, dignified face, imposing without anger.
"Indeed. I recall back then, we simply defeated a few squads and then quickly left, hiding from the Black Fiend and White Fiend teams to pass the checkpoint. Judging by that kid's intentions, he's coming straight for us. He truly doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth."
Another cold laugh came from the crowd. These words stirred faint displeasure among the group. Anyone treated like a soft persimmon would feel aggrieved, let alone these Inner Academy old students who considered themselves a cut above the Outer Academy.
"I truly do not know how high the heavens are or how thick the earth is. How about Senior enlightens me?"
A calm, flat voice drifted over, making everyone present inwardly alert. Some even broke out in a cold sweat. Just moments ago, not a single one of them had detected anyone approaching.
By now, the caution in everyone's hearts had already soared to the absolute extreme. Those who had earlier proclaimed they didn't care now dared not show the slightest negligence. This move alone was enough to prove that the newcomer was far from simple.
Under the watchful eyes of the group, a somewhat slender figure slowly emerged from the dense forest.
Seeing Jiang Yun—even though they had already heard news of him—laying their own eyes on Jiang Yun, the group still sharply inhaled a breath of cold air. Shock was utterly irrepressible in their hearts.
He was simply too young. At his age, they had still been muddling around the Dou Zhi Qi and Dou Zhe stages! And this one was already capable of making them muster their full concentration and vigilance.
This boy was terrifying beyond belief!
"Truly never imagined—this batch would produce someone like you!"
The expressions of the Black Fiend and White Fiend Team members all soured somewhat. No one wanted to offend a genius of such limitless potential. Who knew what kind of temperament the other had? With his level of talent, once he entered the Inner Academy, it wouldn't be long before all of them were left far behind in his wake. When that time came, their days would be anything but pleasant.
"The good show is finally about to begin!" At the distant forest exit, the several old men's faces were all alight with rapt excitement as they discussed. The truth was, all of Jiang Yun's earlier attacks had been so overwhelmingly one-sided that Su Qian had even begun to suspect match-fixing.
Now, they should finally be able to see Jiang Yun's true depth!
"You all are the final obstacle, correct?" Jiang Yun swept a calm, indifferent gaze across the group. That soul-piercing stare made the old students feel an immense pressure.
"White Fiend Team Captain, Sun Hai!"
"Black Fiend Team Captain, Wu Qiu!"
The captains of the Black Fiend and White Fiend Teams each declared their names. Their gazes had not left Jiang Yun from the moment he appeared. Jiang Yun's aura was faint and barely perceptible, like a bottomless abyss—unfathomably deep—causing them to feel a thread of pressure.
"Jiang Yun!" Jiang Yun declared his own name. In the next instant, a long howl rang out. "Let's begin!"
"Fire Cloud Hand!" Jiang Yun strode forward. His formidable, powerful aura was gradually released in its entirety. The fire-attribute energy in the air suddenly rioted, condensing into a single giant flaming hand that swept down toward the Black Fiend and White Fiend Teams.
At this very moment, his true strength was displayed before everyone's eyes for the very first time.
"This is... 8-star Da Dou Shi?!"
"Earth Class Dou Technique?!"
Someone cried out in alarm, thick with utter disbelief. Jiang Yun's strength had completely exceeded the expectations of the group. They had considered the possibility that Jiang Yun might be a Dou Ling. They never imagined he was merely an 8-star Da Dou Shi.
And... was this an Earth Class Dou Technique?!
(End of Chapter)