Leaving the street where the pavilion courtyard stood behind, the group quickly entered the new student residential district.
At this hour, the normally lively area was completely empty.
Not a single freshman could be seen.
The reason was obvious.
All of them had gathered at the district's exit.
Without wasting time, Xiao Se tapped the ground lightly with his toes. His figure blurred into a streak of black shadow, accelerating forward. Zhu Zhuqing and Han Yue followed close behind, their movements equally swift.
After several minutes of rapid travel, the three slowed to a halt.
Ahead, the road was completely blocked.
Freshmen filled the street from end to end, shoulder to shoulder. Angry shouts, curses, and heated arguments echoed continuously through the air.
Pushing his gaze past the dense crowd, Xiao Se quickly identified the cause.
At the center of the road stood over a dozen senior students, each wearing the tower-shaped emblem of the Inner Academy on their chests. Behind them, even more older students lingered casually, arms crossed, faces filled with amusement as they enjoyed the spectacle.
Standing opposite them was a familiar figure.
White Cheng.
The same White Cheng who had once challenged Xiao Se during the Inner Academy Selection Tournament.
At this moment, however, he looked far less imposing.
His silver spear was planted into the ground for support. His armor was cracked in several places, and deep bruises colored his arms and face. Blood stained the corner of his lips as he knelt on one knee, panting heavily.
Several freshmen were struggling to hold him upright.
It was obvious—
He had already fought and lost.
"Kid," a burly young man sneered lazily.
He looked around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, his upper body bare beneath an iron chest guard. A massive war hammer rested against his shoulder, its head covered in dense lightning patterns.
"You're not weak. Six-star Da Dou Shi at your age is impressive, even in the Inner Academy."
He smiled slowly.
"But you're still too inexperienced."
"Hand over your fire energy."
White Cheng spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground.
"I'll hand over your mother!"
With help from the freshmen beside him, he forced himself upright.
"We've already paid tribute to two senior factions," he growled. "Don't think we don't know the rules. According to academy regulations, you're only allowed to target the factions that collected our contribution first!"
The burly youth laughed.
"Rules?"
"Those rules only apply when people follow them."
He shrugged casually.
"Unfortunately, your batch of freshmen was far too outstanding."
His eyes narrowed.
"You people stripped every single senior clean during the Fire Energy Hunting Competition. Not one was spared."
"So now," he grinned, "we're a little short on fire energy."
White Cheng's face instantly darkened.
"That was Xiao Se!"
He roared angrily.
"He's the one who robbed all the seniors! If you've got guts, go find him!"
Then his mouth curved into a mocking sneer.
"…Or what? You're scared he'll rob you too?"
The surrounding freshmen gasped.
The burly youth's face stiffened.
His eyes turned icy.
"You've got a sharp tongue."
He tightened his grip on the hammer.
"You're right. We don't want to provoke him."
"But dealing with you?"
His smile grew cruel.
"That's easy."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Inside the Inner Academy, killing is forbidden—but injuries aren't."
"In a sparring match, broken limbs happen all the time."
His gaze dropped to White Cheng's arms and legs.
"I'll shatter all five of them."
"Let's see if you still dare bark afterward."
A heavy pressure rolled outward from his body.
The surrounding freshmen clenched their fists in fury, their eyes nearly burning with rage.
Behind the crowd, Xiao Se listened quietly.
After a moment, he sighed softly.
"Once bullied… now bullying others."
He shook his head faintly.
"The dragon-slaying youth eventually becomes the dragon."
Zhu Zhuqing and Han Yue both fell silent at his words.
Then Xiao Se stepped forward.
"Let's go."
The three of them walked straight through the crowd.
A calm voice rang out.
"Today, no one here is handing over a single unit of fire energy."
The noise froze.
Everyone turned.
Xiao Se emerged from the crowd with Zhu Zhuqing and Han Yue beside him.
"Senior Xiao Se!"
The freshmen erupted instantly.
Their despair transformed into excitement.
Cheers broke out one after another.
During the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, Xiao Se had robbed every senior student clean and defeated more than thirty Da Dou Shi alone.
After a full day of rumors spreading, his name had already become legend among the freshmen.
To them—
He was salvation.
"That's Xiao Se?"
"The one who burned thirty seniors black?"
"The monster freshman?"
The seniors murmured uneasily.
The burly hammer-wielder's pupils shrank.
"So you're Xiao Se."
His voice grew heavy.
"I've heard your name."
Xiao Se folded his arms calmly.
"That's me."
"You really intend to make enemies of the seniors?" the man asked coldly.
Xiao Se shook his head.
"You don't represent the seniors."
"And you're not worthy to."
The man's expression twisted.
"You're arrogant."
A violent surge of Dou Qi exploded from his body.
Boom!
Silver-white lightning burst outward in a circular shockwave. Several freshmen were forced backward, barely keeping their footing.
Only Zhu Zhuqing and Han Yue, standing behind Xiao Se, remained unmoved.
"I am a one-star Dou Ling," the man declared coldly.
"Don't think defeating that group of trash during the competition gives you the right to challenge me."
Xiao Se yawned.
"Enough posturing."
"If you're going to fight, hurry up."
The hammer-wielder's veins bulged.
"You're courting death!"
He leapt skyward.
Lightning crackled violently around his body as he swung the massive hammer overhead. Electric arcs wrapped tightly around the weapon, forming a roaring storm.
"Meteor Thunder Hammer!"
The hammer descended like a falling star.
The sheer pressure bent the air beneath it.
Several seniors watching frowned slightly.
That strike was all-out.
He was clearly enraged.
Xiao Se's eyes narrowed.
"Thunder-attribute Dou Qi… and an Earth-rank high-level technique."
He smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
Raising his right palm, he pushed forward.
Instantly—
Eight enormous green mountain phantoms manifested in the air.
Each one radiated ancient heaviness.
They overlapped.
Layered.
Merged.
"Eightfold Mountain Crash."
Boom!!!
The eight stacked mountain shadows slammed upward.
The hammer shattered backward.
The lightning dispersed instantly.
The burly man's eyes widened in horror.
Before he could even scream, his body was launched backward like a broken kite.
He flew hundreds of meters through the air.
Crash!
His body smashed into a stone building at the edge of the district.
The outer wall collapsed instantly.
Dust exploded skyward.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Everyone stared.
A genuine Dou Ling—
Defeated in a single move.
No struggle.
No resistance.
Just… erased.
Cold air was sucked in everywhere.
"What kind of strength is that…?"
"That technique…"
"Earth-rank… high-level?!"
The seniors' expressions changed completely.
Xiao Se lowered his hand calmly.
"Anyone else?"
No one answered.
Not a single senior dared step forward.
The freshmen erupted into cheers.
White Cheng stared blankly at Xiao Se's back.
For the first time, bitterness faded from his eyes.
In its place—
Was respect.
He finally understood.
This monster…
Had never been someone he could catch up to.
Not now.
Not ever.
And across the Inner Academy, one truth spread rapidly:
A new king had arrived.
And the balance of power—
Had begun to tilt.
(End of Chapter)
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