Chapter 171: Senior Sister Han Yue
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed from within the white mist, rattling the eardrums of everyone nearby. A figure shot out from the haze, feet skidding through the ground and carving out a trench over ten meters long before finally coming to a stop.
"Hehe, good—no wonder you're so arrogant. You do have some skill,"
Fu Ao growled, breathing heavily, as he slammed his trident into the ground for support.
Step. Step. Step.
The sound of white boots stepping across the earth echoed steadily as Xiao Yuan emerged from the mist with spear in hand, his pace calm and unhurried. Though his aura wavered slightly, he was clearly in far better shape than Fu Ao.
Xiao Yuan had gained the upper hand.
After using the Heavenly Flame Triple Mysterious Change, he could suppress Fu Ao in a head-on clash. But… the Yin-Yang Transformation had a time limit. Once its effect wore off, defeating Fu Ao would become much more difficult.
Fu Ao was keenly aware of Xiao Yuan's weakness. With a sinister grin, his trident trembled in his hand as blue Dou Qi flared to its peak. The growing Dou Qi turned Fu Ao's face a strange shade of bluish azure.
Xiao Yuan's expression shifted slightly. He could feel the power building in that trident—this next move was going to be strong.
"Let's end this in one move!"
Fu Ao's trident spun fiercely before pointing straight at Xiao Yuan. With a sneer, he kicked off from the ground and shot forth like a blue streak. As he moved, the blue Dou Qi roiled and took shape—an enormous shark formed from pure energy.
The azure Dou Qi shark opened its jaws wide, gleaming with icy, razor-sharp teeth. A strike from that thing would be fatal.
Manifesting a Dou Qi construct—this was the hallmark of a Dou Ling, just as Dou Shi had Dou Qi veils and Da Dou Shi had Dou Qi armor. It was a powerful signifier of strength. With a Dou Technique layered onto it, the destructive power multiplied exponentially.
The massive shark charged forward. Through the semi-transparent Dou Qi body, Xiao Yuan could see the sharp trident hidden inside the creature's belly.
Even as it rushed toward him, bringing a foul-smelling wind in its wake, Xiao Yuan's eyes remained calm.
He gave a light shake of his arm. Black and white flames surged along his meridians, coating the black Glacial Spear completely. A layer of black flame formed the base, topped by a layer of white. The intense, searing temperature made it difficult to tell whether Xiao Yuan cultivated ice or fire attribute Dou Qi.
"Glacial Dragon Soar!"
With a powerful thrust, his spear shot forward, conjuring a black-and-white flaming ice dragon. It let out a thunderous roar as it charged toward Fu Ao's shark.
Wherever the Glacial Dragon passed, the air distorted, and the heat evaporated all moisture on the ground.
Under the eyes of the watching crowd, the flaming Glacial Dragon clashed head-on with the Dou Qi shark.
BOOM!
The instant they collided, a deep explosion rang out. White mist erupted as steam billowed violently. Shockwaves of black ice crystals, laced with black-and-white fire, spread outward in concentric ripples. Anything in the impact zone was reduced to rubble.
Within the haze, Fu Ao grimaced. His trident, pinned beneath the fiery dragon's claw, sizzled as black-and-white flames continued to burn atop it. The high temperatures had instantly vaporized the Dou Qi shark upon contact. What remained had frozen solid under the Glacial Dragon's breath.
His hands trembled as he clung tightly to the trident, heart pounding at the overwhelming force pressing down on him.
"Break!"
Xiao Yuan's voice rang out. In the next instant, black frost shot along the trident's shaft and climbed up Fu Ao's arms. Before he could react, the Glacial Dragon crashed into him, slamming him backward.
AHHH!
With a miserable scream, Fu Ao was launched through the air, carving a miserable arc before crashing to the ground.
Hiss…
The gathered crowd of older students gasped. To see Fu Ao defeated so cleanly and decisively—it was shocking.
This was a Three-Star Dou Ling! Fu Ao ranked within the top seventy of the Inner Academy, yet here he was, flattened by a freshman who'd only arrived two days ago. The dramatic reversal from smug confidence to battered defeat left many spectators stunned.
"What about the rest of you? Hand over your Fire Crystal Cards willingly, or I'll put you down and take them myself."
Xiao Yuan looked coldly at the remaining Bai Gang members.
"You're going too far! If our leader and the two vice-leaders weren't training at the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, you'd be the one crawling on the ground like a dog!"
A member of the Bai Gang—clearly someone in management—spat angrily, noticing Xiao Yuan's fading aura.
CRACK!
In the blink of an eye, he was frozen into a human ice sculpture. Pain and numbness spread through his body, but he could no longer move.
"Only sixty Fire Energy points? And you wanted to be the hero?"
Xiao Yuan shook his head in disappointment, absorbing the points into his own card.
"You bastard!"
The rest of Bai Gang, furious, launched an attack. Their goal: outlast Xiao Yuan's temporary power boost. Once that wore off, a mere Five-Star Da Dou Shi would be easy prey.
"Fiery Blaze!"
Xiao Yuan's eyes narrowed. He quickly formed a seal, and black-and-white flames exploded from his body, sweeping over the incoming Bai Gang members.
In moments, they were all thrown to the ground, heavily injured.
Only then did Xiao Yuan's aura begin to recede back to Da Dou Shi level, and he coughed several times.
Two uses of Heavenly Flame Triple Mysterious Change in a row—his body was reaching its limit. A third would definitely cause internal injuries.
He needed more control over the Heavenly Flame. He needed greater strength.
If he could reach Dou Wang, the side effects of the first transformation would be negligible.
"Atai, strip full Fire Energy from anyone who hit you guys. Halve the energy of anyone who helped collect tribute."
Xiao Yuan walked over to Fu Ao and cleaned out his card as well.
"All done, President!" Atai and the others reported excitedly.
This had to be the most satisfying day of their lives—turning the tables on the very people who had bullied them.
"Next: the Medicine Gang."
Xiao Yuan waved and turned.
Atai hesitated before leaning closer.
"President, maybe we should take a softer approach with the Medicine Gang? Qingshan was no big deal, but Bai Gang is strong. Now that we've offended them, adding the Medicine Gang might make things too difficult for Lionheart Society."
"Oh? Strong? How strong?" Xiao Yuan asked lightly.
"Bai Gang's leader is Bai Cheng, cousin to Bai Shan. He's around Six-Star Dou Ling and ranked thirty-fourth on the Strong Ranking. He's got quite the reputation."
"Thirty-fourth at just Six-Star Dou Ling? That's not impressive," Xiao Yuan said, unimpressed.
Atai opened his mouth to reply but stopped.
He couldn't understand how a mere Five-Star Da Dou Shi could sound so confident against a Six-Star Dou Ling.
"What about the rest of Bai Gang?"
"They have four Dou Ling, including Fu Ao. The other two are also around Three-Star Dou Ling. Plus thirteen Da Dou Shi, and over thirty more members, most of whom are peak Dou Shi on the verge of a breakthrough."
Atai glanced at the defeated Bai Gang members lying on the ground. "But… most of them are already down thanks to you."
"Four Dou Ling. Thirteen Da Dou Shi. Dozens of elites…" Xiao Yuan muttered. "Not weak. Which is why we need more Fire Energy to help our own people train."
"Atai. Lead the way—to the Medicine Gang."
This time, Atai didn't protest. He hesitated for a moment, then walked ahead.
"Heh. No need to worry so much," Xiao Yuan smiled. "They came at us first. We're just hitting back. Even if it's harsh, the Academy won't punish us. And we haven't provoked the other factions. Unless they want to get stomped too?"
Atai couldn't help but ask, "President, aren't you worried about provoking Bai Cheng?"
"Why should I be? If it weren't for the Inner Academy's rules, a Six-Star Dou Ling like him wouldn't be hard to kill."
With his current skills, Xiao Yuan could take him down if necessary.
"At first, I thought you were unbeatable among Dou Shi. Then you beat Luo Hou and matched a Dou Ling. But now… I can't even begin to understand your strength."
Atai was in awe.
"Stop flattering me," Xiao Yuan laughed, but his Dou Qi was already circulating.
He had sensed a powerful aura approaching—uncertain whether it was hostile or just passing through.
Soon, a silver-robed woman led a group of elegant young ladies toward them. Tall and statuesque, she had a refined face, snow-pale skin, and silver waist-length hair that matched her robes. Her icy temperament made her seem untouchable, like a snow lotus on a distant peak.
They stopped in front of Xiao Yuan's group.
"You must be Xiao Yuan. I suggest you don't go to the Medicine Gang."
Her cool voice floated over. Then she offered her name.
"I'm Han Yue. I've been in the Inner Academy for three years. I suppose that makes me your senior."
"Ah, so it's Senior Han Yue! I'm Xiao Yuan. It's a pleasure."
He nodded politely and extended a hand.
The girls behind her looked on in surprise. Everyone knew of Han Yue's extreme cleanliness obsession. She wouldn't even let people touch her during battle, always wrapping herself in Dou Qi like a second skin.
But to their shock, Han Yue hesitated only briefly before letting her jade-like hand emerge from her sleeve and lightly grasp Xiao Yuan's.
"Hello, Junior Xiao Yuan," she said, her voice like the first melt of snow in a frozen spring.
(END CHAPTER)
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