This was an open area covered in scattered rocks, where the forest's sprawl came to a halt upon meeting the rocky terrain. Consequently, the sunlight poured down from the sky without the slightest obstruction, spreading warmth that made one feel relaxed and at ease.
Not far past the rocky area rose a hillside, dotted with irregular boulders. At this moment, figures could be seen sitting or standing upon those rocks. None of them were very old—most appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five.
Although their robes differed, every one of them wore an identical tower-shaped badge on their chest. Clearly, these were all veterans of the Inner Academy.
On a higher part of the hillside stood a platform constructed from massive stones. Two elderly men sat calmly atop it—none other than Elder Su and Elder Qing. Around them were several middle-aged administrators, each exuding a composed and powerful aura.
"Where are your fire crystal cards?"
Below the platform, Xiao Feng stood with his hands behind his back, his calm gaze fixed on the defeated members of the Black Fiend Squad.
Hearing his words, the corners of Elder Su's and Elder Qing's mouths twitched slightly.
"This little fellow… truly terrifying," Elder Su murmured, his eyes locked onto Xiao Feng. "He defeated an entire veteran team by himself. Even though he fought them one by one, it's still enough to show just how strong he is."
Elder Qing nodded slowly, his eyes filled with amazement. "Especially that Dou Technique he used… it could mobilize the energy of heaven and earth. That must be an Earth Rank technique. And yet, he uses it as if it were second nature. Just how exactly does this boy cultivate?"
A pause followed before he added with a faint sigh, "It's just a pity… this competition was meant to teach unity among the newcomers. But this Xiao Feng has completely overturned our plans."
Elder Su chuckled lightly. "It doesn't matter. Not everyone is Xiao Feng. The others have already experienced the pressure from the veterans. The purpose is still achieved."
…
Down below, murmurs spread among the watching veterans.
"This guy… even the Black Fiend Squad lost to him?"
"The captain is at the Dou Ling level, yet he still got crushed… what kind of monster is this kid?"
"And he's so young… ridiculous."
The disbelief slowly turned into caution.
Many silently made a decision—
Never provoke Xiao Feng unless absolutely necessary.
…
Under Xiao Feng's indifferent gaze, the remaining four members of the Black Fiend Squad exchanged bitter looks.
Finally, they sighed.
"We admit defeat…"
One of them took out his fire crystal card with trembling hands. The others followed.
Xiao Feng didn't hesitate.
He flicked his fingers lightly.
Streams of light shot from their cards and flowed into his own.
The number on his fire crystal card jumped—
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Feng's face.
He tossed the nearly emptied cards back to them.
"See? If you had just stepped aside earlier, none of this would've happened."
His tone wasn't mocking—just matter-of-fact.
That made it sting even more.
The Black Fiend Squad could only laugh bitterly.
They really had brought this upon themselves.
…
Just as Xiao Feng was about to leave, he paused.
With a casual flick of his sleeve, several small jade bottles flew out and landed in front of the fallen veterans.
"Healing pills," he said lightly. "You'll need them."
The veterans froze.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
After robbing them clean… he still gave them medicine?
The captain let out a weak laugh. "You're quite… interesting, junior."
Xiao Feng didn't reply. He had already turned away.
…
High above, the elders exchanged looks.
Their eyes burned with undisguised interest.
"Amazing strength… calm mind… and not blinded by victory," one administrator muttered.
Elder Qing narrowed his eyes. "This kind of talent… if nurtured properly, he could become a pillar of the academy."
Elder Su sighed softly.
"Too late."
"Too late?" the others turned.
"He already has a master."
Silence fell instantly.
Regret appeared on more than one face.
They had finally found a true genius—
And he was already taken.
…
At that moment, Elder Su stepped forward on the platform.
His voice echoed across the entire rocky clearing.
"This year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition… the newcomers are victorious."
A brief silence—
Then an uproar.
From the forest, figures began to emerge one after another.
Bruised, exhausted, some even limping.
Among them, Xiao Feng spotted familiar faces.
Jia Yun waved at him with a bright smile. He nodded slightly in return.
Buck… looked miserable.
Two black eyes, messy clothes—clearly beaten badly.
When he saw Xiao Feng, he gave an awkward grin.
Xiao Feng couldn't help but chuckle softly.
…
Elder Su continued,
"As the most outstanding performer of this competition, Xiao Feng shall receive a Green Fire Crystal Card… and fifty days of Fire Energy."
A wave of shock spread instantly.
"And the rest of the newcomers… each will receive three days of Fire Energy."
"Whoa!"
Excited voices erupted everywhere.
Even those who had lost earlier were stunned.
They hadn't expected to gain anything—
Yet here they were, receiving rewards.
Many turned to look at Xiao Feng again.
This time, their gazes carried gratitude.
They all knew—
Without him, the newcomers would have been completely suppressed.
…
Xiao Feng simply stood there quietly, his expression unchanged.
Fame, rewards…
None of it stirred much emotion in him.
Because he knew—
This was only the beginning.
The Inner Academy…
was where the real battles would start.
"A Green fire crystal card?"
Unlike the joy the new students felt over the rewards, the older students on the hillside couldn't help but break into a commotion when they heard the words coming from Elder Su's mouth.
Immediately, streaks of envious gazes swept toward Xiao Feng in the center of the field.
"Green fire crystal card? What is that?"
The reaction of the older students piqued the curiosity of the new students.
"Hehe, in the Inner Academy, fire crystal cards are divided into five colors from lowest to highest: Black, Blue, Green, Red, and Purple. The black crystal cards in your hands are the lowest grade. This type of crystal card only grants the qualification to Cultivate on the first and second floors of the 'Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.' blue crystal cards are for the third and fourth floors, and so on."
"If you want to upgrade your crystal card, you need to pay 'fire energy' in the Inner Academy to exchange for it. Generally speaking, switching from a black crystal card to a blue crystal card requires paying one hundred days of 'fire energy,' and switching from a blue crystal card to a green crystal card requires two hundred days of 'fire energy'..."
"Now that Xiao Feng has received a 'Green fire crystal card' as a reward, it is equivalent to saving three hundred days of 'fire energy.' This is not a small amount. Most of the Inner Academy older students present are still using blue crystal cards."
Seeing the confusion of the new students and thinking that Xiao Feng might not know the concept of the green crystal card either, Elder Su explained with a smile.
"Three hundred days of 'fire energy'?"
Hearing this number, the new students finally understood why the surrounding gazes were filled with envy.
The older students who participated in the hunting competition had hunted them down relentlessly in the forest just for a few days of fire energy.
And they only had 5 days of fire energy in their hands to begin with; even if the older students defeated them, they would only get 3 days.
Yet those three days of fire energy were enough to make them overjoyed. One could imagine how precious this fire energy was.
A green crystal card worth three hundred fire energy should be considered a very high-quality item.
After figuring this out, the new students also showed looks of envy.
Xiao Feng was not like those new students; he wasn't surprised at all because he had long known the use of the green crystal card.
After Elder Su finished his explanation, his hand flicked, and a green crystal card appeared in his palm. With a flick of his finger, the crystal card shot toward Xiao Feng and finally came to a hovering stop in front of him.
"Your reward is already inside. Transfer the fire energy from your black crystal card over, and then return the black crystal card to me."
Hearing this, Xiao Feng complied efficiently. A moment later, he handed the now-empty black crystal card back to Elder Su.
Taking the black fire crystal card, Elder Su nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"Alright, as for the rewards for the others, find a place to stay first, and I will arrange for someone to deliver them to you later. Now, since you have all passed the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, follow me into the Inner Academy first."
After speaking, he was the first to turn around, heading toward a set of crushed stone steps and walking slowly up the hillside.
"We can finally enter the Inner Academy... It hasn't been easy."
"Let's go, I can't wait to see what the Inner Academy looks like."
Although most of the new students had taken a beating in the forest, their excitement was hard to conceal now that they were about to enter the Inner Academy they had been longing for.
They scrambled to follow behind Elder Su, climbing up the steps.
The crushed stone steps were not very high. In just a minute or two, Xiao Feng and the other new students reached the last step, then with a lift of their bodies, they stood atop the hillside.
As their gazes swept forward, the sight that appeared in their vision caused them to slowly inhale a breath of slightly chilly air.
"Is this the Inner Academy?"
Low murmurs escaped from the mouths of the new students on the hillside.
Behind the hillside was an extremely vast sunken basin. Looking at the shape of this basin, it looked as if a giant meteorite had fallen from the sky and smashed it out.
Inside the basin, towering buildings stood in clusters. Looking down from above, one could see black shadows like fleas constantly flashing and jumping across the buildings.
As their vision spread forward, they discovered that the area of this basin was unusually large. Even when their sight reached the horizon, they could still only see towering buildings and lush greenery.
It was hard to imagine that such a wondrous place was hidden within the endless mountains behind Jia Nan Academy!
"Hehe, little fellows, welcome to the core location of Jia Nan Academy: the Inner Academy!"
Watching the shock on the faces of the new students with a smile, Elder Su clapped his hands and laughed.
"Alright, since the hunting competition is over, all new students follow me back to the Inner Academy. I'll get you settled first, and then you will truly become members of the 'Inner Academy.' Believe me, as long as you can persist here, when you leave, you will feel that everything was worth it for your progress." After waiting a while for the new students to calm their excitement, Elder Su spoke slowly.
All the new students nodded slightly. From those older students, they had already discovered how huge the benefits of practicing in this Inner Academy would be.
"Let's go! Everyone keep up!"
With a wave of his hand, Elder Su's figure turned into a blurred shadow and rushed toward the giant basin.
Behind him, all the new students also immediately moved their bodies, and then like a swarm of locusts, they dove down from the hillside. For a moment, excited howls circled in the sky, lingering for a long time...
Creak.
A wooden door was slowly pushed open, and a ray of sunlight spread through the crack of the door, finally forming a long, thin line of light on the floor.
As the wooden door was fully opened, the light rapidly expanded, and then several figures of varying lengths stretched by the sunlight walked in.
The leading elder's gaze swept across the spacious small pavilion, and he smiled:
"Xiao Feng, this will be the residence for the Six of you from now on."
"Six people living together?"
Hearing this, Jiang Yanshu, who was following behind, couldn't help but be stunned, then said in surprise:
"Elder Su, you wouldn't let Jia Yun and me, two girls, live with these three men, would you? Xiao Feng would be fine, but Buck and the other one..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
"That's right, Elder Su, Xiao Feng is fine, but it's not appropriate for Buck and the other grown man to live with us, is it?" Jia Yun also chimed in.
Clearly, she was also somewhat resistant to this arrangement. This was unavoidable; although they were all prominent figures in Jia Nan Academy, they were not familiar with each other.
During the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, they had also gone their separate ways early on and hadn't established any revolutionary friendship. It was no wonder the girls had objections to suddenly living under the same roof.
"Hehe, this pavilion is so big and there are plenty of rooms, what are you afraid of?"
Elder Su shook his head with an indifferent smile, but although he didn't mind, he still proposed a solution.
"Of course, if you are truly unwilling, you can go out and join a certain faction and live with them. The factions in the Inner Academy all spend fire energy to rent venues. With your reputations as the top five new students this time, it will be very easy to join those factions."