Seeing Bai Cheng like this, he was probably trying to give him a warning shot right here.
The moment Xiao Tian's hand met Bai Cheng's, he felt Bai Cheng subtly exerting force, even infusing it with Dou Qi. There was disdain in his eyes, as if he could already see Xiao Tian unable to break free from the pain. A smile crept to the corner of Bai Cheng's mouth.
Xiao Tian, however, had anticipated this. He glanced at him disdainfully, and Dou Qi slowly gathered in his hand. Bai Cheng's expression immediately changed — from initial smugness to surprise. He felt an extremely violent power in Xiao Tian's hand, and his own Dou Qi was no match for it. It was as if his hand had been clamped by iron tongs, and a constant wave of pain surged through him. He tried to mobilize Dou Qi to launch a sneak attack, but it was dispersed by Xiao Tian before it could even fully gather. Finally, Xiao Tian sent an internal force, directly striking his hand. A sharp pain immediately shot through him, making his arm tremble.
Bai Cheng endured the pain, still appearing calm as he looked at Xiao Tian, though a hint of gloom remained in his eyes. Xiao Tian remained as placid as water throughout, looking straight at Bai Cheng as if to say, "Bai Cheng, you're nothing special."
Feeling Xiao Tian's strength and the rapidly increasing pain in his palm, Bai Cheng forcefully yanked his hand back and hid it in his sleeve, where it trembled slightly. A red mark had already formed, from which a piercing pain continuously radiated. He frowned slightly and thought, "This Xiao Tian is a bit strange. How does he seem even stronger than me?" Bai Cheng suddenly felt that his actions today were akin to lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
"It seems Junior Brother's strength is quite impressive. No wonder he dares to act so boldly. However, the Inner Academy has its rules. I suggest, Junior Brother, that if you don't have truly powerful strength, it's better to keep your head down. Otherwise, you'll only bring humiliation upon yourself," Bai Cheng said with a cold smile.
"The rules are set for ordinary people. In this Inner Academy where strength is respected, I am the one who makes the rules. If you disagree, we can have a match." Xiao Tian stood with his arms crossed, looking at the gloomy-faced Bai Cheng in front of him.
"Xiao Tian, don't think that just because you have a little strength, you can act arrogant in the Inner Academy. If you're smart, disband your Boundless Gate and kowtow to Fu Ao in apology. Otherwise, you won't have an easy time." One of the three-star Dou Ling behind Bai Cheng directly spoke to Xiao Tian and the Boundless Gate members.
"Nonsense! Even if your Bai Gang disbands, our Boundless Gate might not!" Upon hearing the other party's words, the Boundless Gate members' expressions instantly turned extremely ugly. Hu Jia stepped forward to rebuke him.
Xiao Tian raised his hand and gently patted Hu Jia's shoulder. "There will definitely be a force disbanding, but it won't be us. It'll be your Bai Gang."
Bai Cheng's expression also grew somewhat unpleasant. He hadn't fully probed Xiao Tian's background yet, but he roughly understood that Xiao Tian's strength might not be inferior to his own. Originally, he had planned to carefully strategize how to annex Boundless Gate later. However, this person's single sentence had directly put him on the spot. Now, it seemed he could no longer retreat.
"Xiao Tian, what do you mean?" Bai Cheng said in a deep voice, his eyes coldly fixed on Xiao Tian.
"Just what the words mean. Didn't you come here today to make us disband? So, isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to tell you to disband?" Xiao Tian's expression was calm, even carrying a faint smile, and he spoke with a serious and powerful voice.
Upon hearing those words, the Bai Gang members' faces suddenly darkened, their eyes filled with anger as they gnashed their teeth, glaring at Xiao Tian.
"Kid, you're too arrogant!" the Bai Gang members shouted angrily.
"Very good. Among all the new students who have come to the Inner Academy, you are the only one in all these years to be so arrogant." Bai Cheng's expression also darkened, growing even gloomier as he let out a cold laugh. "Tomorrow, a battle in the Arena. Whoever loses will disband their faction."
Xiao Tian ignored the Bai Gang members who looked ready to devour him and stared intently at Bai Cheng. He intended to use this battle to establish his reputation; otherwise, flies would come buzzing every day.
"Bai Cheng, do you dare accept? If not, then take your people and get out. Don't make fools of yourselves here any longer."
"Xiao Tian, as a new student, don't be so arrogant. Our gang leader's strength is not something you can challenge. He can deal with you easily."
"Exactly! Our gang leader is ranked thirty-fourth on the strong ranking — a being that new students like you can only look up to."
"Boss, show him your power! The Inner Academy is not a place where greenhorns like you can act tough!"
Before Bai Cheng could speak, the Bai Gang members behind him erupted like ignited gunpowder barrels, cursing loudly.
Although this situation didn't align with his personality, and for some reason, he constantly felt it was slipping out of his control and had a bad premonition, Bai Cheng could only bite the bullet.
"I accept. I'll be waiting for you in the Arena tomorrow."
After Bai Cheng finished speaking, he left with the Bai Gang members. As he departed, he gave Xiao Tian a solemn look. Xiao Tian gave him a strong sense of danger. He had originally planned to go back and strategize carefully, but now that things had turned out this way, he had no choice but to follow through.
"I hope it's just my illusion. A newcomer, even if he started cultivating from the womb, wouldn't be this fast."
...
The news of the most talked-about newcomer — Boundless Gate's Xiao Tian — challenging Bai Gang's Bai Cheng, spread by the observing senior students, immediately caused a massive uproar. It even alarmed many elders. A newcomer who had only been in the Inner Academy for a few days challenging an expert on the strong ranking — this was something that had never happened in the academy's long history. Of course, upon hearing this news, many senior students scoffed at Xiao Tian's overestimation of his own abilities, and some even declared that Bai Cheng should teach Xiao Tian and the other newcomers a good lesson.
In a serene pavilion within the Inner Academy, a dozen or so women stood in the hall. Under their gaze, a silver-haired woman in a silver dress descended from above and took a seat at the head of the table. This person was Han Yue, whom Xiao Tian had encountered earlier in the Heavenly Flame Training Pagoda.
"Is there any news from the Inner Academy recently?" Han Yue asked coolly.
"Big Sister, this morning, the Bai Gang, led by Bai Cheng, went to Boundless Gate's stronghold to demand their disbandment. In the end, Boundless Gate's Xiao Tian directly challenged Bai Cheng to a battle, scheduled for tomorrow morning in the Arena," a woman in a yellow dress stepped forward and said in a clear voice.
Han Yue's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Is this true?"
"It should be true. The Inner Academy is already in an uproar, and the Bai Gang has also confirmed it."
Han Yue sighed. "According to what you've said and the information gathered earlier, it's likely that the Bai Gang has been making things difficult for Boundless Gate, so now they're planning to turn the tables. I've had contact with Xiao Tian before. He's a very proud person. I warned him beforehand, but I didn't expect them to clash so soon."
A woman in a pink dress came to Han Yue's side. "Big Sister, why are you so concerned about this Xiao Tian? Are you interested in him? You've been arranging to keep an eye on him ever since you came back that day. I've never seen you pay so much attention to a man."
The others chimed in as well.
"I heard that Big Sister even said she would make an exception to recruit Xiao Tian into our Moon Spirit — an exception!"
"Big Sister, I secretly saw Xiao Tian. His looks are undeniably handsome, unmatched in the entire academy, and his talent is also very good. I heard he's only eighteen and already a Dou Ling! But I also heard he and Xiao Xun'er are a couple. Big Sister, do you want to compete for him? If not, joining them could also work."
"Eighteen, handsome, and talented! Big Sister, I really suggest you consider it. It's rare to see you put aside your aversion to physical contact and shake hands with a man."
Han Yue looked at her good sisters, who were constantly teasing her, and glared at them. "What, are you all too idle now? Do you want me to arrange some special care tasks for you?"
"Big Sister, my clothes ran away on their own — I'm going to look for them."
"My weapon is on its period."
Hearing Han Yue's words, the others instantly vanished. Her special care tasks involved digging for specific herbs in a dirty, foul-smelling place, where even after several baths, the stench wouldn't dissipate.
Han Yue watched everyone disperse, shook her head, stood up, and walked out the door.