Chapter 140: The Most Gifted Since the Academy Was Founded
In the early morning, in a quiet valley within the misty Magic Beast Forest, a seemingly thrilling battle unfolded.
A massive Blizzard Demon Ape, two to three meters tall, covered in snow-white fur, with curved fangs protruding from its ferocious mouth and blood-red pupils radiating brutal intent, stared at the human woman weaving through its attacks.
While dodging the Blizzard Demon Ape's assaults, the woman occasionally released colorful mist, her beautiful eyes glancing at a giant python nearby, its cold pupils fixed on her.
"This bastard, he's simply inhuman!" Xiao Yixian's ethereal, fairy-like face darkened, a bead of cold sweat on her forehead. Thinking of the man who put her in this situation, she gnashed her teeth inwardly.
Today's two magic beasts were her nemeses. The Blizzard Demon Ape was massive and highly poison-resistant, its ice attribute aura hindering her movements. The Black-Scaled Poisonous Python, itself highly toxic and immune to poison, rendered her toxins ineffective.
The Demon Ape, frustrated by the woman's agile dodging, grew numb and sluggish from inhaling her colorful mist. It roared sharply, condensing white cold air into a ball that shot from its palm toward Xiao Yixian.
Unfazed, Xiao Yixian sidestepped effortlessly. A month of training had transformed her from the novice who gasped at second-level beasts. Just as she relaxed, a swift sound of air breaking startled her.
"This beast is cunning, attacking now!" Her mind raced as the black shadow neared. The python's armored scales were nearly impervious to blades. Spotting a bloody, scorched wound under its jaw, she acted decisively.
Drawing a long sword from her ring, she twisted her waist into an arc, dodging the snake's head, infused her Dou Qi into the blade, and stabbed the wound fiercely.
"Hiss!"
The sword pierced the python's barrel-thick body, eliciting a shrill hiss that echoed through the valley. The snake thrashed violently. Feeling the force through the sword, Xiao Yixian released the hilt to avoid being knocked over. As the python writhed, she stepped back.
"This bastard still has some conscience!" Glancing at the dying python, Xiao Yixian's eyes twinkled with a smile. The thunder-scorched wound, clearly a vital point, was unmistakably Xiao Bai's doing.
"Roar!" A beastly roar interrupted her. The Demon Ape, now more frenzied, pounded its armored chest, clanging loudly.
"Haha, your turn!" Xiao Yixian smiled. Without the python's threat, the clumsy Demon Ape was manageable. She tapped the ground, her delicate form flitting like a butterfly, spreading waves of colorful poisonous mist that enveloped the beast.
Lacking suitable attack Dou skills at the Dou Shi stage, she found her current methods more effective than standard skills. Xiao Bai had told her the top five in the inner courtyard selection could enter Jia Nan Academy's Sutra Library, where she'd seek fitting skills and techniques.
As the Demon Ape inhaled the mist, its movements slowed, its glossy fur dulled, and its roars grew hoarse. Finally, its massive body collapsed like a falling mountain, dead. Its thick hide had prolonged its resistance, but it couldn't withstand her poison.
Exhausted, Xiao Yixian wiped her forehead, sighing in relief. The Demon Ape's durability was unmatched among recent foes.
"Clap, clap, clap." Several figures appeared nearby. One clapped, sighing, "Impressive skills, classmate!"
He eyed the weary Xiao Yixian with surprise and confusion. A three-year outer courtyard veteran, he'd never seen her. Her beauty should've been notable, and a four-star Dou Shi freshman seemed impossible. Yet, as a poison master, her appeal was limited—most men feared poison masters' deadly nature.
Xiao Yixian frowned at the two men and woman, saying nothing.
"Classmate, we've been tracking this Blizzard Demon Ape. Could you let us have it? We'd be grateful," the young man asked politely, though his words were presumptuous.
"Sorry, I need this Demon Ape. Try elsewhere," Xiao Yixian replied calmly.
"Hehe, elsewhere? This is the only Blizzard Demon Ape in the outer forest!" The woman in the fox fur skirt sneered, jealousy flashing at Xiao Yixian's ethereal charm.
Jia Nan Academy's outer courtyard students must complete annual tasks for contribution points, redeemable for techniques, materials, or guidance. Confident students train in the Black Horn Region, while weaker ones hunt in the Magic Beast Forest. The woman, knowing of the Demon Ape, enlisted two favor-seeking students to quickly complete her task, avoiding a prolonged forest stay.
"Where you look isn't my concern," Xiao Yixian retorted, annoyed by the woman's arrogance. Though gentle, she wasn't a pushover. A polite request might've swayed her, but their entitled tone sparked her defiance.
The woman's face darkened. No student at Jia Nan Academy had ever dismissed her, a star of the outer courtyard. Xiao Yixian's beauty and defiance stoked her envy.
"Li Bei, Lin San, be polite!" she said grimly.
"Snow Fairy, attacking her could cause trouble with the academy," Li Bei hesitated.
"Who said attack? Just block her," she scoffed. "No one's here. She's a poison girl—who'd believe her? You know poison masters' status in the academy."
"Got it!" The men grinned, nodding.
Though Jia Nan Academy was inclusive, students weren't. Poison masters, especially women, were shunned—men feared them, women dreaded their toxins.
The men stepped between Xiao Yixian and the Demon Ape, smiling, "Sorry, we're taking this."
With her Dou Qi depleted, they weren't worried she'd resist. Xiao Yixian watched calmly as the woman finished off the Demon Ape, a sarcastic smirk on her lips.
A clear voice rang from above the valley: "Is this Jia Nan Academy's style? Quite an education today!"
"Who?" The trio flinched. They'd acted boldly, thinking no one was around. Academy repercussions loomed if exposed.
A figure gracefully descended from a valley-edge tree, landing beside Xiao Yixian. Ignoring the trio, he smiled at her, "Feeling wronged?"
Xiao Yixian's eyes softened. "With you here, how could I be? If you weren't… well, maybe a bit," she admitted, imagining losing the Demon Ape.
"Boy, mind your own business!" Li Bei shouted, frowning at the white-haired youth.
Seeing Xiao Bai's academy uniform and lack of energy fluctuations, the trio relaxed, assuming he was no threat.
Xiao Bai ignored them, looking elsewhere and saying lightly, "Elder, you've watched long enough. Care to judge?"
The trio froze, scanning nervously. An elder? At Jia Nan Academy, elders were at least Dou Wang strongmen, hidden in the shadows. They were doomed!
"Haha, good boy! So your 'academy style' jab was aimed at me!" An old man's laughter echoed from the valley entrance.
A fiery red flash revealed a tall, white-haired elder with a ruddy face. "Elder Huo!" someone gasped. The trio's legs weakened, despair in their eyes.
Elder Huo glanced coldly at Li Bei and the others, then turned to Xiao Bai with a warm smile. "You're Xiao Bai!"
He scrutinized him oddly, shaking his head regretfully. "Tsk tsk, what a pity!"
Xiao Bai frowned, puzzled.
"Your perception of my presence shows strong soul talent," Elder Huo explained. "Your file says thunder attribute—such a pity for an alchemist seedling!"
".!" Xiao Bai was speechless, then realized this must be Old Man Huo, head of the outer courtyard's alchemy department.
"Xiao Bai greets Elder Huo!" He bowed respectfully, mindful of academy etiquette.
"No need for formalities, kid! You're the highest-cultivated freshman since Jia Nan Academy's founding!" Elder Huo said, visibly moved.
The trio gaped at Xiao Bai, stunned. The highest cultivation at enrollment? The most gifted ever? They'd only tried to snag a second-level beast—how had they crossed such a prodigy? No wonder Elder Huo, known for his fiery temper, was so cordial!
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(End of this chapter)