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  "You truly are a good cousin."

  Just as Bai Feng finished speaking, a voice suddenly echoed from the edge of the forest.

  All ten members of the Bck White Evil Stopper turheir gazes toward the source of the voice. Shortly after, the branches within the forest began to shake rapidly. Then, one by one, figures swiftly darted out from the dense woods and nded on one knee uhe sunlight. There were many figures—upon careful ting, there were actually no fewer thay people. Even Luo Hou and Bai Feng's expressions ged slightly when they saw such a number.

  "How did they arrive so quickly?"

  "Are those people behind them the senior students who ehe forest to hunt?"

  "And those are freshmen? Why are they together?"

  The ten members of the Bck White Evil Stopper exged puzzled gnces, not uanding what could have caused such a se.

  "Cousin! Save me!!"

  Bai Feng's eyes narrowed as he looked at Bai Shan standing in front of Xiao Yan. A fierce glint fshed in his eyes. "So, you are the 2-star Dou Spirit named Xiao Yan that Bai Shaioned?"

  "I didn't expect you to have gathered all the freshmen together. But even so, today, you have o escape."

  Bai Feng was not surprised that st year's top fifty senior students were defeated by Xiao Yan. After all, those students were ranked he bottom and hadered the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower many times during their year in the Inner Academy, as most of their Fire Energy had been exploited by other senior students.

  Xiao Yan, carrying the Heavy Xuan Ruler that was almost as tall as himself, raised his head slightly. His gaze swept across the field and finally rested oen bck- and white-clothed youths standing oree branches. A hint of greed fshed in his eyes as he smiled, "You seniors must be the Bck White Evil Stopper of this year's Fire Energy Hunting petitiht?"

  "White Demon Group, Captain, Luo Hou." The fair-skinned youth's gaze swept over Xiao Yan, paused for a moment on Xun Er and Hu Jia, then locked tightly onto Xiao Yan in the ter, and spoke slowly.

  In a deep voice, Bai Feng said, "Release my cousin."

  Xiao Yan smiled slightly and, mimig Bai Feng's tone, said in a deep voice, "Of course. Your cousin Bai Shan is truly a good person. He really helped me lure out a big fish like you."

  ?!

  Bai Feng frowightly. He didn't uand what Xiao Ya.

  "Luo Hou, Bai Feng, be careful! This guy is very strong! He pns to rob you of your Fire Energy!" a senior student from the Inner Academy shouted.

  Luo Hou froze instantly. The purpose of the Bck White Evil Stopper was to teach a lesson to the unruly freshmen. They didn't covet the freshmen's Fire Energy because they looked down on those mere three points.

  They had task rewards in the form of Fire Energy, so initially, they woulder the forest to hunt freshmen.

  Over the years, the Bck White Evil Stopper would knock dowop five freshmen who received rewards, beating them until they surrendered and lost their temper. Only then would they clear the path and deliver that cssie: In the Inner Academy, if you're a dragon, you must coil; if you're a tiger, you must crouch.

  Then they would allow them to pass aer the Inner Academy.

  After all, freshmen who obtained rewards from the Book Colle Hall were indeed proance.

  They had even fotten that the Bck White Evil Stopper was also sidered a team hunting for Fire Energy and could be ter-robbed!

  "Hmph, as expected of an unruly freshman. If you think that just because you've cultivated quickly and reached the Dou Spirit realm, you run rampant in the Inner Academy, then yravely mistaken. You should know that geniuses often die young."

  The cold air around Bai Feng's body grew even denser. A powerful aura rose from within him, enveloping the surrounding piles of rocks and trees. Some of the weaker freshmen couldn't help but ge their expressions uhe oppressive force of this aura, which was even strohan iron sand.

  A hint of seriousness appeared on Xiao Yan's face as he felt the cold oppressive aura surrounding him. His eyes narrowed slightly. As expected, this guy was a genuine Dou Spirit, and his cultivation was even a bit higher than his own.

  With this thought, Xiao Yan took a step forward. Immediately, a majestic aura surged out from within his body. The Dou Qi geed by the Fme Mantra not only blocked the cold oppressive aura surrounding him but even pushed it back.

  Luo Hou's expression ged upon seeing this se. He stood beside Bai Feng, and only uheir bined auras could they resist the overwhelming scorg aura emitted by Xiao Yan.

  "S!"

  "It actually takes two Dou Spirit experts joining forces to resist Xiao Yan's aura!"

  The freshmen were all stunned. Everyone was a freshman—why was he so powerful?

  In this initial frontation, Xiao Yan had actually gaihe upper hand over the ttains.

  "Xun Er, you take Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning to help me hold off those ht people. After I deal with these two, I'll e to assist you," Xiao Yan said softly.

  "Don't worry, Xiao Yan ge-ge." Xun Er smiled gracefully and nodded.

  Although the ht people didn't have Dou Spirit experts, they were all advanced Dou Grandmasters, and their strength was evident.

  As Xiao Yan locked onto Luo Hou and Bai Feng, Xun Er and the others beside him also began rapidly cirg their Dou Qi. Waves of powerful aura tinuously rose, and their energies locked onto the ht people nearby.

  "Hey, Xiao Yan, don't say I owe you a favor. I help you hold off one of them." Hu Jia stepped forward and stood beside Xun Er.

  "I'm repaying your favor." Wu Hao's eyes were cold as he also stepped forward, intending to lend Xiao Yan a hand.

  Xiao Yan nodded a more at ease. Although Xun Er's strength was extraordinary, it was naturally best to avoid usi Teiques if possible.

  "Alright, you each have one of the Fire Energy Cards we seize."

  Naturally, robbery was not allowed in the Inner Academy. Therefore, this Fire Energy Hunting petition was Xiao Yan's only ce to obtain a rge amount of Fire Energy at once.

  When Xiao Yan learned about this Fire Energy Hunting petition, he uood that it aving the way for him to obtain the Falle Fme.

  "Do you think that Bai Feng and Luo Hou defeat that 'Great Demon' Xiao Yan?" On a hillside, Elder Su smiled as he looked down at the two opposing sides below and couldn't help but ask Elder Qing beside him in a low voice.

  "Regardless, they have some ce of winning. As for the rest, I 't say for sure. After all, the Bck White Evil Stopper has both individual strength and overall power. Moreover, with Bai Feng actively joining this year, their overall strength has increased quite a bit."

  "But although that kid Xiao Yan is fighting one against two, and his cultivation is inferior to Bai Feng's, he has cultivated a Di Css Dou Teique. Even though he has already used it once, I believe he at least use it one more time. If the two of them 't withstand Xiao Yan's burst, they might be defeated by him." Elder Qing shook his head; he was also uain about the oute.

  If it were one-ohey believed that Xiao Yan, possessing a Di Css Dou Teique, could defeat Bai Feng. But in a one-against-two situation, it was hard to say.

  Elder Su could only smile helplessly at Elder Qing's ambiguous answer. He turned his gaze back to the rocky forest below, where sharp auras were g.

  Whether they were freshmen or senior students, all eyes were on Xiao Yan.

  The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Everyone's expressions gradually became serious. The Dou Qi glows on their bodies flickered, mirr their uled moods.

  With a 'crack' sound, a gentle breeze blew by. A piece of gravel atop a rocky hill suddenly rolled down, heavily hitting another rod instantly shattering into pieces.

  The sudden crisp sound was like throwing a huge stoo a calm ke. Instantly, huge waves surged as more than a dozen strands of Dou Qi of different colors erupted from the piles of rocks, creating a colorful and brilliant dispy. The wild surge of Dou Qi directly caused the oppressive for the area to increase dramatically. Some tall grasses were bent over by the feed by these Dou Qi.

  "Attack!"

  Amidst the surging momentum, two identical shouts almost simultaneously came from Bai Feng and Luo Hou. As these two voices fell, the temosphere suddenly shattered!

  As figures fshed, low roars filled with fiery battle i echoed endlessly in the forest.

  The moment the shouts fell, Xiao Yan's palm tightened suddenly on the handle of his Heavy Xuan Ruler. His foot stomped heavily on the ground, and Dou Qi energy exploded beh him. The surging energy created a propulsive force that turned him into a bck shadow as he shot straight toward Luo Hou and Bai Feng.

  As soon as he moved, Xun Er and the others behind him simultaneously sprang into a. They charged toward the remaini members of the Bck White Evil Stopper, and prevehem from attag him.

  Golden light radiated from Xun Er's hands. With a wave, she instantly enveloped the three stro oppos withitack range.

  Xun Er po take on three by herself!

  Xiao Yan's eyes were fixed on Luo Hou and Bai Feng. He gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler tightly and sshed down forcefully. Instantly, a scorg gust shot out from the tip of the ruler.

  This time, he didn't io use Soul Skills, Heavenly Fmes, or the Skyfire Three Mysterious ge. He wao test his own Dou Qi cultivation.

  Xiao Yan's cultivation was somewhat unbanced. His Dou Qi level was actually his weakest aspect. His mastery of Dou Teiques and alchemy far surpassed his Dou Qi level.

  A fierce wind carrying densed Dou Qi flew toward the two of them. Solidified Dou Qi—this was the hallmark attack method of a Dou Spirit, essentially a cultivator's le attack.

  A Dou Grandmaster could transform Dou Qi into armor, while a Dou Spirit could dense Dou Qi into tangible forms. This was why, when people saw Xiao Yan densing real fmes, they thought he was a Dou Spirit.

  The powerful Dou Qi gust was formidable. A ray of energy sliced through the air, bringing with it an oppressive force as it violently bsted toward Luo Hou and Bai Feng.

  Luo Hou's palm trembled slightly, and a cold iron staff nearly three meters long, seemingly fed entirely from ice, materialized. Gripping the staff tightly with both hands, he thrust the tip forward in a violent stab.

  With a resounding boom, Luo Hou's staff collided with the energy beam unleashed by Xiao Yan's Heavy Xuan Ruler. The terrifying force tinuously pushed Luo Hou backward.

  "Ah!" Luo Hou let out a loud shout, swinging his staff repeatedly and thrusting several times. Each strike solidly smashed into Xiao Yan's energy beam. After several repetitions, the beam was forcibly dispersed by him. Such strength was truly astonishing. The Dou Spirits of the Inner Academy were indeed inparable to those weak and frail Dou Spirits outside.

  Whoosh!

  Bai Feng seemed to transform into a gust of wind. To Xiao Yan's surprise, Bai Feng was actually fighting bare-handed; he was a cultivator who excelled in speed and close bat.

  Wind-attribute Dou Qi rapidly densed with a twist of his elbow. He then smashed down fiercely toward Xiao Yan. The force tai the tip of his elbow tore through the air as an invisible energy bst surged forward.

  'Oe Bst—Elbow Strike!' Xiao Yan shouted in his heart. His body spun, and his elbow met Bai Feng's in a fierce csh!

  Boom!

  The eightfold hidden force erupted. Bai Feng's eyes narrowed; exeg an agility-type Dou Teique, his body rapidly retreated. Although the impact from the hidden force sent him flying back dozens of meters, he skillfully dissipated most of it.

  Xiao Yan sighed inwardly, 'Ah, as expected, Xuan Css Dou Teiques beuch less effective after reag the Dou Spirit realm.'

  There was a time when cultivating the Oe Bst to perfe had power parable to ary-level Di Css Dou Teique. The eightfold hidden force could directly defeat oppos.

  But now, a mere intermediate-star Dou Spirit could rely on agility teiques to dissolve most of its power.

  Generally speaking, Dou Spirits and Dou Kings used Xuan Css Dou Teiques, while Dou Emperors and Dou Aors peted using Di Css Dou Teiques. If a Dou Spirit possessed a Di Css Dou Teique, they would naturally be much strohan their peers, and vice versa.

  However, the Oe Bst was someecial. Its power was reted to one's physical strength. Without activating the Ten Thousa Fme, Xiao Yan's physical strength only reached the peak of a Rank 3 magical beast, which was inferior to his Dou Qi level.

  In other words, his Dou Qi cultivation had already far surpassed his physical strength.

  'Looks like I o find some heavenly treasures to further enhance my physical strength. Even with the enha of the Ten Thousa Fme, it only reaches the strength of a Rank 4 magical beast. Fag some powerful experts, my physical body might bee a burden.'

  As Xiao Yan pondered, he tio engage in bat with Bai Feng and Luo Hou.

  He wasn't in a hurry to defeat them but was using this opportunity to assess his own strength.

  He khat in the Inner Academy, there was a so-called 'Strong Ranking' of the top ten experts. Even the weakest, raenth, had the cultivation of a peak Dou Spirit.

  Since he had ehe Inner Academy, Xiao Yan po properly temper his Dou Qi cultivation, aiming to raise it to match his Spiritual Strength.

  "This guy is indeed very strong. Bai Feng is someone qualified to rank withiop hundred of the Strong Ranking." Some senior students couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Only after witnessing Xiao Yan in a did they realize that this 2-star Dou Spirit wasn't someone who had rushed his cultivation.

  He was genuinely strong.

  "Whirling Cold Spinning Staff!"

  As Luo Hou's shout fell, the mist-like cold air swirling around the cold iron staff surged upward. The iron staff spun in a profound arc, sending a crest-shaped bst of cold energy flying toward Xiao Yan.

  "Wind Bde Cross Ssh!"

  From front and back, Bai Feng csped his hands together, and a -cale appeared in his palms. In the air, he sshed out a cross-shaped attack toward Xiao Yan.

  Xiao Yan immediately erupted with blood energy, activating the Mad Lion t, f a blood-red protective yer around his body.

  Boom!

  The two Dou Teiques struck his protective yer simultaneously.

  'Sigh, although the Fme Mantra has reached the Di Css, and the quality of my Dou Qi has improved signifitly, those monsters on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking were probably all among the top five back then. They likely also have some Di Css Dou Teiques or Qi Methods.'

  As long as one could get into the top five, they could try their lu the Book Colle Hall. It wasn't hard to deduce that those who could ehe top ten of the Strong Ranking would likely possess Di Css Qi Methods.

  If that were the case, then fighting those peak Dou Spirits with Di Css Qi Methods would be much more difficult than fag a Dou King like Elder Qing.

  It seems that running rampant in the Inner Academy wouldn't be easy.

  The foundation of this Jia Nan Academy was not weak.

  'Fet it, this out. I'll use the Heavenly Fme,' Xiao Yan thought to himself after testing and uanding his own strength.

  Relying solely on Dou Qi without using the power of the Heavenly Fme, he couldn't easily defeat the two Dou Spirits. Moreover, he felt he couldn't always depend on his Spiritual Strength. If he were to csh with people from the Hun the future, how could his soul cultivation possibly be strohan theirs?

  'During my time at Jia Nan Academy, I must quickly improve my Dou Qi cultivation; otherwise, it'll be troublesome if I enter people from the Dou God s in the tral Pins.'

  'Let's end this.'

  Ten Thousa Fme—Beast Transformation!!

  Xiao Yan shouted in his heart.

  A roar erupted from his throat. Transformed like a magical beast, he unleashed terrifying physical strength and turned into a red blur charging toward Bai Feng.

  Elder Su frowned deeply, his eyes unblinking as he stared at the beast-transformed Xiao Yan. "How did he turn into a form resembling a magical beast?"

  "I don't know, but this might be his hidden strength. I heard from Hu Gan that he possesses a kind of Heavenly Fme," Elder Qing replied.

  "He's truly a fortunate fellow. Just watch; after today, the power dynami the Inner Academy might undergo some ges," Elder Su said softly, without any ge in his gaze.

  The result was no surprise. Using the Ten Thousa Fme to enhance his body, Xiao Yan's physical strength reached the terrifying level of a Rank 4 magical beast.

  Boom! With a siomp, Xiao Ya Bai Feng crashing into the ground, announg the end of this Fire Energy Hunting petition.

  At this moment, two green-colored Fire Crystal Cards had appeared in his hands. Each card had over three hundred Fire Energy points!

  "Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of Dou Spirits. You guys are indeed wealthy." Xiao Yan didn't hold back. Sihey participated in this Fire Energy Hunting petition, he didn't care which team they were from; he would rob them all!

  In the Inner Academy, only with Fire Energy could one have everything.

  "You eight, what's it going to be? Will you obediently hand over your Fire Crystal Cards, or do you want to end up like these two, beaten up by me before I take them myself?" Xiao Yan said with a grin.

  Moments ter, looking at nearly three thousand Fire Energy points on his card, even Xiao Yan couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

  When he learned how precious this Fire Energy was, he knew he absolutely couldn't miss any ce to obtain it.

  "You little brat, you've even robbed the Bck White Evil Stopper. If word of this spreads in the Inner Academy, you might provoke public e and face a boycott," Elder Su and Elder Qing flew over from afar.

  "Esteemed Elders, this student has just ehe Inner Academy and is penniless. Moreover, this Fire Energy Hunting petition is hosted by the academy. I'm merely following the rules," Xiao Yan spread his hands ily. Asking him to return the Fire Energy was absolutely impossible!

  "Very well, this is something you've earned with your strength. As the victors of this year's Fire Energy Hunting petition, all the freshme each receive twenty days' worth of Fire Energy. As for you, Xiao Yan, Xun Er, Xiao Yu, Xiao Ning, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao—you six performed outstandingly and will be rewarded with green Fire Crystal Cards and an additional thirty days of Fire Energy."

  "Green Fire Crystal Card?"

  "Hehe, in the Inner Academy, Fire Crystal Cards are ranked from lowest to highest in five colors: bck, blue, green, red, and purple. The bck Fire Crystal Cards in your hands are the lowest grade. This kind of Fire Crystal Card only grants qualification to cultivate on the first and sed floors of the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower. Blue Fire Crystal Cards correspond to the third and fourth floors, and so on. The lower the floor, the greater the bes."