"Factions? There are actually things like that in the Inner Academy? And you don't prohibit them?"
Jia Yun furrowed her brows slightly and asked with confusion.
"Hehe, why should we prohibit them? This kind of competitive environment is precisely what our Inner Academy needs. If you don't want to be bullied, then the only way is to strive hard to improve your own strength. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss."
"The strong are respected; that is always the main theme of this world. We do not want the Inner Academy to become a carefree ivory tower, because such an environment cannot produce true powerhouses," Elder Su said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng nodded. Hmm, it aligns well with Jia Nan Academy's consistent approach of letting students experience the harsh realities of society.
He felt this approach wasn't bad at all. After all, the Fighting Qi Continent was unlike modern society; this world embodied the phrase 'survival of the fittest' to the extreme.
It's not a rare occurrence to be walking peacefully down the road one day and suddenly get captured and made into a slave.
Students educated with gentle methods would not be able to adapt to such a world.
Therefore, for the students' own good, it is quite necessary for Jia Nan Academy to let them experience a little bit of society's cruelty in advance.
No wonder Jia Nan Academy could become famous across the continent; their teaching philosophy is truly advanced.
"Let me remind you, from now on, you are members of the Inner Academy and need to adapt to this situation where senior students have divided into factions and territories. In this Inner Academy, unless your strength is extremely formidable, it's not easy to get by relying solely on yourself."
"The reason we had you live together is actually to encourage you to form a team. During the Hunting Competition, you probably understood how much combat power a team can generate, right?"
Hearing these words, Xiao Feng turned his gaze towards Elder Su.
"Ahem, I meant the four of them."
Feeling that Xiao Feng didn't seem to need to form a team—he was precisely the kind of powerful individual he had mentioned—Elder Su coughed and explained.
Not taking Elder Su's somewhat flattering words to heart, Xiao Feng simply smiled calmly and said:
"Elder Su, I actually think what you said about a team's combat power being strong makes a lot of sense. After all, if those seniors weren't in teams, it would have taken even less effort for me to defeat them."
These words sounded a bit like showing off, but Xiao Feng truly thought so.
Of course, the premise was that the team had to be very united; otherwise, it could have a negative effect.
Han Yue, Lin Xiuya, Bai Cheng, and Jia Yun all looked at Xiao Feng speechlessly but didn't say anything.
Because, similarly separated, Xiao Feng was able to defeat all the seniors by himself, while they had a rather miserable time, being chased all over the place. The gap was huge.
Hearing this, Elder Su said with a gratified expression, "It's good that you understand, Xiao Feng. Starting today, I hope the five of you will be a team that faces all difficulties together, never abandoning each other."
"If you can achieve this, then life in this Inner Academy will be much easier. No matter what, the strength of one person cannot compare to that of a team, right?"
"This..."
Bai Cheng and Lin Xiuya exchanged hesitant glances, while Han Yue and Jia Yun also remained silent, but none of them voiced opposition.
A cohesive team wasn't something that could be built just by saying so. To claim they would form an unbreakable team without having faced difficulties together felt somewhat artificial.
These people were all prominent figures and naturally didn't want to make promises they might not be able to keep.
"Sigh, forget it. After all, all choices are in your own hands. Just don't regret it later."
Their reaction made Elder Su sigh; he didn't press the matter.
"Alright, it's getting late. You should tidy up the house yourselves and rest for the night. Starting tomorrow, you can freely look around the Inner Academy. I believe this place won't disappoint you."
"Aren't there any Cultivation courses?" Jia Yun asked hurriedly.
"The Inner Academy doesn't need things like that. As long as you have enough 'fire energy,' you can enter the 'Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.' Cultivating there is more effective than any course. Oh, right, I almost forgot. The academy organizes a collective entry into the 'Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower' for students once a week. If you want to call that a course, then I suppose it counts..."
"Also, there are places like the 'Dou Technique Hall' and the 'Cultivation Technique Pavilion' in the Inner Academy. If you want to obtain Cultivation Techniques or Dou Techniques, you can go there to look. Of course, this is also under the premise that you have enough 'fire energy' to exchange. Compared to the Outer Academy, the Inner Academy is actually more free."
"If you feel your 'fire energy' is insufficient and your hands are itching, you can go to the arena to earn 'fire energy.' Of course, the premise is that you must have sufficient strength; otherwise, you might lose everything."
Xiao Feng and the others nodded slightly, indicating they understood.
"If there are no more questions, you should rest. If anything comes up, you can come find me."
Waving his hand at Xiao Feng and the others, Elder Su turned and walked towards the door, eventually disappearing from their sight.
Watching Elder Su leave, Xiao Feng clapped his hands and smiled at Han Yue, Lin Xiuya, Bai Cheng, and Jia Yun,
"Let's tidy up the rooms. Even if any of you want to leave this pavilion later, I imagine it won't be that quick. Familiarizing yourselves with the Inner Academy will take some time. During this period, I hope we can all get along well and not cause any unpleasant incidents."
"Mm."
Han Yue and the others nodded, then dispersed to find their own rooms.
...
Early morning, the sun was bright.
Xiao Feng practiced a set of fist techniques in the pavilion hall to loosen up his muscles and bones, then saw Han Yue, Lin Xiuya, Bai Cheng, and Jia Yun coming down from upstairs.
"Xiao Feng, you're really diligent. After the consecutive battles of the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, I thought you'd take a good rest yesterday. I didn't expect you to get up so early."
Seeing it was Xiao Feng in the pavilion hall, Jia Yun's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile.
"Just a habit."
Stopping his movements, Xiao Feng walked over and sat down on a wooden chair, casually picking up a cup of tea that had been brewed earlier and taking a sip.
"This tea is rich upon entry without being turbid, its stimulating effect is strong and lasting, with a pleasant aftertaste. Most importantly, the speed of Qi circulation has increased by a few notches. It's truly a good thing," Xiao Feng thought to himself as he drank the tea.
"Xiao Feng, do you have any plans for today? Do you want to join any faction?" Jia Yun sat down on the chair next to Xiao Feng, interrupting his thoughts.
"Plans? Probably just wandering around the Inner Academy. As for joining a faction, I'm in no hurry. I'd like to see first what that Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower looks like."
Xiao Feng actually had no intention of joining any faction at all. Joining a faction would inevitably subject him to various rules and restrictions.
He had never liked such things.
As for creating his own faction, that seemed like a hassle.
Xiao Feng also felt he wasn't cut out for that sort of thing.
So, he planned to cultivate alone…
But this time, he was no longer alone—
Han Yue, Lin Xiuya, Bai Cheng, and Jia Yun would walk this path with him.
As they walked along the stone path that wound deeper into the Inner Academy, the morning light filtering through the trees, Xiao Feng suddenly slowed his steps.
The others instinctively followed.
"We won't be joining any faction."
Lin Xiuya frowned slightly.
"Then what are we going to do?"
Xiao Feng turned, a faint confident smile on his face.
"We'll create our own."
The words hit them like a shockwave.
"Our own faction?" Bai Cheng repeated.
Jia Yun blinked in surprise.
"Do you even know how hard that is?"
Han Yue remained calm, but her eyes were fixed on Xiao Feng.
"I do," he said lightly.
"And I also know… we won't struggle."
He paused for a second—
"I'm a 5th-grade alchemist."
Silence.
Lin Xiuya's eyes widened.
"…You're joking, right?"
Bai Cheng shook his head slowly.
"No… he's not. That explains those pills…"
Han Yue's voice dropped slightly.
"The highest in the academy is around that level… and you're saying we have one in our own team?"
Jia Yun stared at him.
"Then… we don't need to chase resources…"
Xiao Feng added calmly:
"And I'm also a formation master."
This time—
No one spoke for a moment.
Lin Xiuya let out a breath.
"This is insane…"
Bai Cheng laughed softly.
"With this… people will come to us themselves."
Xiao Feng nodded.
"That's exactly the plan."
Not long after, they sat together and began forming their faction structure.
"Five core members," Xiao Feng said.
"No one enters directly beyond that."
"Recruit slowly," Han Yue added.
"Only those with talent and discipline," Lin Xiuya said.
Jia Yun smiled.
"And loyalty."
Bai Cheng cracked his knuckles.
"We'll grow fast."
Plans formed quickly—
Structure, contribution system, growth path, and influence strategy.
Everything was falling into place.
After some time, Xiao Feng suddenly took out a jade bottle.
Without saying anything, he tossed it toward them.
Lin Xiuya caught it.
"…What is this?"
"Distribute it," Xiao Feng said calmly.
They opened it—
Inside were carefully stored medicinal pills.
Xiao Feng explained:
"Lin Xiuya. Bai Cheng."
He looked at them.
"You both are already at peak Dou Grand Master."
Each of them received one pill.
"This pill… will allow you to break through to Dou Spirit successfully."
Their expressions instantly froze.
"…Guaranteed breakthrough?" Bai Cheng whispered.
Lin Xiuya clenched the bottle tightly.
"With this… we can step into Dou Spirit immediately…"
Then Xiao Feng turned to the girls.
"Han Yue. Jia Yun."
He handed two pills each.
"You're not at peak yet."
"Han Yue—8-star."
"Jia Yun—7-star."
They both nodded subconsciously.
"The first pill is the Three Lines Green Spirit Pill."
"It will raise your strength by two stars."
Jia Yun's eyes widened.
"Two stars… instantly?"
Han Yue took a slow breath.
"Then I'll reach peak…"
Xiao Feng nodded.
"And the second pill—"
"—is the breakthrough pill."
"For when you reach peak."
Silence.
Heavy… stunned silence.
Lin Xiuya looked at Xiao Feng with a complicated expression.
"You planned all this… already?"
Bai Cheng laughed in disbelief.
"This is not a faction anymore… this is a shortcut to the top."
Han Yue held the pills tightly, her voice firm:
"With this… we can surpass most factions before they even react."
Jia Yun smiled brightly, excitement clear in her eyes.
"This is going to shake the Inner Academy…"
Xiao Feng looked ahead, calm as ever.
"No."
A slight smile appeared.
"We're going to rule it."