The "Forest of Trials" had been a mere warm-up. Now, as the fifty successful candidates stood at the precipice of a jagged mountain pass, the atmosphere changed. The lush greenery was replaced by scorched rock and ancient, towering trees that seemed to bleed dark sap.
"Welcome to the true entrance of the Inner Academy," Elder Su Qian's voice echoed from the sky. Beside him stood the Vice-Principal. "Behind me lies the mountain range you must cross. You have been given a 'Fire Crystal Card' with five days of Fire Energy. Inside that forest, two teams of five Seniors each are waiting to hunt you. If they catch you, they take your energy. If you reach the end with your card intact, you gain the right to enter the Tower."
The students looked at each other, faces pale. They were the "freshmen," but the Seniors were veterans of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
"Chen, what's the plan?" Xiao Yan asked, his hand tightening on the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
Chen looked at the forty-eight other students. They were scattered, terrified, and uncoordinated. With his 8x Soul Perception, he could already feel the "traps" laid out in the forest—ten powerful signatures, all at the 5-Star to 9-Star Dou Shi level.
"We don't run, Yan-er," Chen said, his voice carrying an 8x-multiplied authority that silenced the surrounding crowd. "If we run, they hunt us one by one. If we want to survive the Inner Academy, we need to change the rules. We aren't the prey. They are the delivery service for our first week's tuition."
The Birth of 'Pan Gate'
Chen stepped onto a large boulder, his emerald eyes scanning the crowd. "Listen up! If you want to keep your Fire Energy and your dignity, stop acting like frightened rabbits. Join us. We will form a single unit. My cousin and I will lead the vanguard. Anyone who tries to break our line will have to go through me first."
The students hesitated. Who was this twelve-year-old to lead them? But then they remembered the vines in the selection exam.
"I'm in!" Hu Jia, the Vice-Principal's granddaughter and a talented 2-Star Dou Shi, stepped forward.
"I'll join as well," Wu Hao, a blood-attribute sword specialist, grunted.
Within minutes, the fifty students had formed a tight wedge formation. At the tip of the spear stood Xiao Chen, his expression as calm as a frozen lake.
The First Ambush: The White Team
Two miles into the forest, the air grew cold.
Whoosh!
Five figures in white academy robes dropped from the canopy, landing gracefully in the path of the freshmen. Their leader, a 9-Star Dou Shi named Luo Hou, looked at the group with a smirk.
"Well, well. This year's batch is quite brave," Luo Hou laughed. "A group formation? Do you think numbers can bridge the gap between an Outer and Inner student? Hand over your cards, and we'll let you pass without a beating."
"Senior," Chen stepped forward, his hands behind his back. "I have a better idea. You have five members. We have fifty. But I'm a fair person. I'll fight all five of you alone. If I lose, we all give you our cards. If I win... you give us yours, and you tell us where the 'Black Team' is hiding."
Luo Hou's smile vanished. "You little brat... do you know who we are? We are the White Clay Team! Attack!"
The 8x Physical Domination
The five Seniors lunged. They were coordinated, their Dou Qi attributes—Water, Earth, and Wind—linking together to create a multi-directional assault.
Chen didn't use a weapon. He didn't even use the Green Wood Flame. He wanted to test the 8x Physical Multiplier against Inner Academy elites.
Luo Hou's fist, glowing with the power of an Earth-attribute skill, was aimed at Chen's head.
Clang!
Chen caught the fist with his palm. The sound wasn't of flesh meeting flesh; it was the sound of a hammer hitting a mountain. Luo Hou felt his entire arm go numb, the bones in his hand cracking from the sheer density of Chen's skin.
"Is that the power of a Senior?" Chen asked.
He moved. To the observers, he was a green blur.
Thud. Crack. Bang.
In three seconds, the four other Seniors were sent flying into the trees. They didn't even see the strikes. Chen had used the [Rippling Silk Step] combined with 8x strength to deliver precise taps to their pressure points.
Luo Hou, still gripped by the hand, trembled. "You... you aren't a Dou Shi. You're a monster!"
"I'm just a student who values his time," Chen said. He pulled the Fire Crystal Card from Luo Hou's belt. "The Black Team. Where?"
"They... they are at the 'Valley of the Moon'... waiting for the final ambush," Luo Hou wheezed.
The Momentum of the Newcomers
As they moved through the forest, the freshmen began to realize they weren't just following a leader; they were following a legend. They bypassed traps and ambushed the ambushers. By the time they reached the end of the forest, the fifty freshmen weren't impoverished; they were rich with stolen Fire Energy.
But at the final gate, the Black Team—the elite of the elite—was waiting. Their leader, Sha Tie, was a 1-Star Da Dou Master.
"I heard there was a genius among the newcomers," Sha Tie said, his Gold-attribute Qi making his body look like a statue of brass. "Xiao Chen, I won't underestimate you. I will use 100% of my power from the start."
Chen looked at Sha Tie, then at the distant Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower that was now visible from the ridge. He could feel the Falling Heart Flame pulsing in the earth, sensing his proximity.
"100%?" Chen smiled, his golden-slit pupils glowing. "Senior, I haven't used more than 5% of my power since I entered this forest. Let's see if your gold can survive my fire."
The 8x Qi-Manifestation
Chen didn't hide it anymore. He released the 8x Soul Pressure.
The forest went silent. The birds stopped chirping. Even Sha Tie, a Da Dou Master, felt his legs tremble.
Chen raised his hand, and for the first time in the Academy, he manifested his Qi. The Green Wood Flame didn't just flicker; it formed a giant, five-meter-tall emerald palm in the sky, wreathed in white-hot embers.
"8x... Life-Extinguishing Palm!"
The palm descended. Sha Tie roared, crossing his brass-colored arms in a desperate defense.
BOOM!
The clearing was leveled. When the dust settled, Sha Tie was buried waist-deep in the earth, his Gold-Qi armor shattered, his eyes rolling back in his head.
The freshmen stood in awe. Xiao Yan looked at Chen, a mixture of pride and a growing competitive spirit in his heart.
"Little Yan," Yao Lao whispered. "The gap is widening. But don't worry. The Tower is where you will find your own destiny. But for now... enjoy having a God as a cousin."
Xiao Chen walked toward the gates of the Inner Academy, the emerald fire fading from his hands. He looked at the gathered Elders on the balcony.
"We're here for the Tower," Chen said, his voice echoing through the valley. "I hope you have enough floors to keep me occupied."