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  "See? I told you not to make an enemy of him," whispered Bai Shan, the only member of the White Gang who had not taken the field.

  Although the White Gang had lost and was forced to pensate several hundred days' worth of Fire Energy, Bai Shan still felt a bit pleased. At least it proved that his judgment was correct.

  You lost, didn't you? Doesn't that prove I was right?

  Looking at Bai g and Yao Sheng, who had beeed by the bined efforts of Xiao Yan and Xuhe entire pza fell into an eerie silence. Many people had not yet recovered from their shock.

  The remaining senior students oage had lost their will to fight and raised their hands in surrender.

  Bai g, a 6-star Dou Spirit ranked 30th orong Ranking, and Yao Sheng, ranked even 17th, had actually lost to two freshmen who had ehe Inner Academy less than a month ago!

  Although some had predicted this oute from the beginning of the battle, when it became apparent, they still found it hard to believe.

  "Those freshmen really defeated so many senior students!"

  "Defeated my ass! If it weren't for Xiao Yan using that bizarre sonic Dou Teique to instantly take out a rge number and injure many more, how could those freshmen, who were barely Dou Grandmasters, have defeated senior students five times their number?"

  Everyone fell silent because, no matter how one looked at it, this battle was unwinhe senior students had an overwhelming advantage in terms of cultivation levels and numbers.

  But they had been injured both in body and soul by Xiao Yan's strange sonic Dou Teique, which left those Dou Spirits uo use their Dou Teiques and made it difficult for them to gather their Dou Qi.

  This kind of sonic Dou Teique, capable of directly striking the soul arating defenses, was something no one in the Inner Academy had ever seen before.

  All the senior students uood that Xiao Yan had won this battle single-handedly. He had carried all the freshmen; even after ing a rge amount of Dou Qi, he still withstood the pitack from Yao Sheng and Bai g, waiting until Xun Er finished dealing with the remaining oppos and came to his aid.

  What was even more terrifying was that even though everyone knew Xiao Yan relied on a rge-scale sonic Dou Teique, even if the senior student alliaried again, victory would still be unattainable because there was simply no way to defend against su attack.

  Elder Liu rose from the referee's seat with a smile. His gaze swept across the arena, and after a moment, he slowly announced, "In this fa battle, the winner is the Xiao Hall of Xiao Yan!"

  Appuse instantly resouhroughout the arena as Elder Liu's annou fell. The gazes directed at the bck-robed youth in the field held undisguised awe and reverehe strength Xiao Yan had dispyed had pletely vihem.

  With a 3-star Dou Spirit, boasting a powerful sonic Dou Teique, a flying-type Dou Teique, a Secret Teique that could temporarily boost his strength, and many other trump cards, Xiao Yan's bat power robably already suffit to challehose monsters iop ten of the Strong Ranking. Whether he could win, however, would depend on the circumstances.

  Xiao Yan smiled and turned his gaze to the green-cd young dy beside him. A subtle smile and tenderness shone in Xun Er's beautiful eyes.

  "Was it you who unleashed that dragon roar?"

  A voice came from the entrance of the pza. Although soft, when transmitted with powerful Dou Qi, it was even louder than the appuse in the arena.

  The spectators instinctively stopped appuding and all looked toward the entrance.

  "That's Lin Xiuya, ranked 2nd orong Ranking!!"

  "And there's Liu Qing ranked 3rd, Yan Hao rah, Qin Zhen rah, Qian Mo rah, and Lin Yan rah!"

  "What's going on? Why have so many of the top ten experts orong Ranking, who rarely show themselves, all appeared at once?"

  "ht, the sonic Dou Teique Xiao Yan used earlier probably reached the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower!"

  Liu Qing frowned. He saw his cousin Liu Fei among the crowd and noticed many members of his Splitting Mountain were present as well; however, two were not among the cheering audie were groaning in pain in the arena.

  Only then did he recall that a few days ago his cousin had told him that someone had provoked their Splitting Mountain and that Yao Sheng and Lei Na were preparing to deal with them.

  "So you're Xiao Yan?" Liu Qing said as he slowly walked onto the pza. The tall, well-built man, dressed in pin clothes with a firm, resolute fad thick eyebrows, carried a pitch-bck heavy spear that was nearly as tall as he was on his back.

  From the moment this person appeared, the focus of the arena seemed to shift to him. Such a sharp aura would make no one dare to uimate him anywhere.

  Xiao Yan smiled slightly and replied in a calm, unwavering tone, "And you're Liu Qing?"

  "Cousin Liu Qing." As Liu Qing and Xiao Yan versed, a graceful figure leaped down from a spot iands. Liu Fei called out to Liu Qing in a delighted manner and then obediently stood behind him, though there was a hint of smugness in the gaze she occasionally directed at Xiao Yan.

  She chattered incessantly in Liu Qing's ear, badmouthing Xiao Yan.

  It was as if, as long as Liu Qing resent, she was invincible. In Liu Fei's heart, the dominance Xiao Yan had just shown wasn't even a ten-thousandth of Liu Qing's.

  Liu Qing gnced lightly at Liu Fei, then looked at Xiao Yan and said, "I'm somewhat aware of Liu Fei and the others' personalities, but as the leader of the Splitting Mountain, since you've defeated my faembers, I have no reason not to take a."

  Xiao Yan dusted off his sleeves and said, "I, Xiao Yan, am ready to accept your challenge."

  Sometimes, certain matters were her right n but merely a matter of perspective. Xiao Yan did not bme Liu Qing for standing up for his fa; if he were in Liu Qing's pce, he would do the same.

  "Xiao Yan is under my prote! Who dares to touch him?"

  That childish voice was crisp and pleasant. Yet, uhis voice, even the domineering Liu Qing's expression couldn't help but ge. Following the voice, they saw Zi Yan, standing with her hands on her hips and her little head held high, a fierce look on her face.

  Although she appeared harmless, the faint hint of ferocity in her eyes made anyone who met her gaze break out in a cold sweat.

  "Hehe, so it's Senior Sister Zi Yan." Liu Qing forced a smile and cupped his hands as he tinued, "I just wao spar with Junior Brother; I meant nothing else."

  At the entrance, Lin Xiuya and the others also shrank their necks. They had all challenged Zi Yan before, but the result was beien miserably without any ability to fight back.

  Lin Xiuya walked over with a ugh and said, "Senior Sister Zi Yan, you've misuood. With Junior Brother Xiao Yan's strength, he'll definitely reach the top ten in this year's Strong Ranking Grand petition. Wheime es, he might meet Brother Liu Qing, and then they have a proper battle. I think that's what Brother Liu Qing means."

  Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing had been oppos in the previous Grand petition; ultimately, Liu Qing lost by a narrow margin and pced third. Their retionship was one of both rivalry and friendship.

  Liu Qing nodded in firmation.

  Stepping to Xiao Yan's side, Zi Yan pouted at him and said, "Tell me if anyone bullies you, and I'll get back at them for you."

  As she spoke, she swept her dark, lively eyes around; anyone who met her gaze felt a tingle in their scalp and quickly shook their head.

  "You little girl think I need your prote for such a small matter? I ha myself."

  Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head under everyone's gaze. Although he khat Zi Yan was aremely powerful magical beast and ranked first orong Ranking, her little-girl appearance prevented him from using her o boast. Moreover, the so-called bullying had not reached that point; if anything, it appeared that he had been the one bullying others.

  Liu Qing coughed dryly. Since Zi Yan had intervened, he naturally could not say anything more in terms of warnings.

  Xiao Yan said, "Let's put this matter to rest here. Wherong Ranking Grand petition es, I, Xiao Yan, want to see how strong the top ten from the previous petition are."

  His eyes swept over the people present. Without a doubt, these were currently the stro students in the Inner Academy.

  Liu Qing had only taken a few steps with Liu Fei when Xiao Yan suddenly thought of something as he watched their backs. He turned and said to Xiao Mei behind him, "Xiao Mei."

  Xiao Mei was startled. She swayed racefully and sweetly asked, "What is it, Cousin Xiao Yan?"

  "You saw Liu Fei, right? Relying on a powerful cousin and a bit of beauty to look down on everyone, sooner or ter she's bound to cause trouble," Xiao Yan said very seriously.

  His words made Liu Fei, who had only taken a couple of steps, freeze and look at him in astonishment. What does this have to do with me??

  Xiao Mei was also bewildered. I don't even know her!

  "Don't learn from her, uand? Even if we bee strong, we must not bully the weak. Otherwise, if we offend someone we shouldn't, it'll be troublesome," Xiao Yan said in a pletely ear manner, using Liu Fei as a ive example in his lecture.

  Just imagine, if one day Xiao Mei or the younger members of the were bullied, wouldn't we have to stand up for them just as Liu Qing did?

  "The same goes for all members of the Xiao Hall. Even if we bee stronger, we must not bully the weak. We should love pead develop together, ensuring that the Xiao Hall doesn't ge its nature, color, or essence. Uood?"

  "Uood!" all the members of the Xiao Hall shouted in unison.

  Liu Fei heard these words and angrily retorted, "You're using me as a ive example! Who do you think you are? Just because you defeated Yao Sheng, you think you pare to my cousin Liu Qing?"

  Xiao Mei appeared to be lost in thought as she listeo Liu Fei repeat 'cousin' over and over.

  …

  After Xiao Yahe freshmen to defeat the senior student alliance, all voices questioning the Xiao Hall fell silent. Especially after Xiao Yan obtaien thousand days' worth of Fire Energy from the bet, all the Inner Academy students realized ohing: with such resources, the Xiao Hall would one day stand alongside Wolf Teeth, Splitting Mountain, and Medie Gang.

  As for Xiao Yan's resouhroughout the Inner Academy. There was no one who did not know of him.

  However, Xiao Yan did not hog the ten thousand days' worth of Fire Energy for himself. He distributed one hundred days' worth of Fire Energy to each of the forty udents who had participated itle. Hu Jia, Wu Hao, Xiao Mei, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Ning each received four hundred days, totaling six thousand days' worth of Fire Energy.

  Of the remaining four thousand days' worth of Fire Energy, two thousand were kept for the development of the Xiao Hall, while Xiao Yan and Xun Er, who had tributed the most, each received ohousand.

  Even though Xiao Yan now had an additional thousand days' worth of Fire Energy, ption increased the deeper o into the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

  Xiao Yan inquired with Zi Yan and learhat on the seventh floor, her exclusive No. 1 Cultivation Room, assigo the first-raudent orong Ranking, actually required thirty days' worth of Fire Energy per day!

  Even though the academy provided free Fire Energy to the top ten orong Ranking each month, with Zi Yan receiving three hundred days' worth per month, it still was not enough to support her cultivation in the No. 1 room every day.

  …

  Time passed quickly. Two months had gone by sihe fa battle.

  Boom!

  Xiao Yan unched out of the sky by Zi Yan and crashed to the ground, creating a rge pit.

  "Holy shit, that physical strength of yours is too much. I 't beat it, I 't beat it," Xiao Yan y i with his hands raised in surrender.