With a *whoosh*! As the two fire crystal cards crossed each other, emitting a dazzling light and the number on the pitch-black crystal card surged once more, Xiao Yan gave a faint smile. Now, the fire energy on his crystal card had been stored up to the amount of “seventy-four.” In this case, it seemed that this fire energy was already sufficient for him to train in the so-called “Heavenly Fire Refining Qi Tower” for more than two months. Such a harvest could be considered bountiful.
“Adding this team, there should be five teams that we have taken down so far,” Xuner said, putting away her crystal card and glancing at the five people who were, as usual, tied to a tree trunk after being knocked out by Xiao Yan. With a smile, she added, “Besides the two so-called ‘Black-White Barrier,’ we can still take down three more teams.”
“But the forest is too vast. It would be quite difficult to find those three teams within it. And if our presence becomes known, those teams might converge to encircle us. Although we have improved our teamwork over the past two days, we can only quickly deal with one team. Dealing with two is already our limit, and three would mean certain defeat,” Hu Jia mused.
Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed slightly, and after a moment, he glanced at the five freshmen who were still in a daze in the clearing. His heart suddenly stirred, and he said slowly, “Right now, apart from the Black-White Barrier, there are only three old student teams left that are still eligible to participate in the hunting competition—fifteen people in total. Our freshmen, however, don’t have the restriction that they will lose their qualification if their ‘fire energy’ falls below ‘ten.’ So, I think there should be many freshmen still wandering around in the forest. After all, it’s so vast, and even with route maps, it would be hard for them to leave in such a short time.”
“What do you want to do?” Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, the four of them were stunned. Bai Shan frowned and asked.
“Gather all the freshmen together, then spread the word to attract the remaining three old student teams. We’ll pool all the freshmen’s strength and strike them down at once. What do you think?” Xiao Yan said calmly.
“Draw them in? Those are three old student teams. What if the other freshmen can’t hold them back? Wouldn’t that be like sending lambs to the slaughter?” Hearing Xiao Yan’s bold suggestion, Bai Shan’s expression changed. They had to work perfectly in sync to defeat just one team, and facing three would surely result in their defeat. He didn’t want to give back the ‘fire energy’ they had just captured.
“It’s not necessarily so. If there are enough freshmen, we can definitely gain the upper hand. Don’t underestimate the other freshmen. They were able to enter the top fifty in the selection match, so their strength is no joke. It’s just because of poor teamwork that they get easily crushed by the old student teams,” Xiao Yan shook his head and explained.
“Besides, we can’t keep dragging this on. Finding an opportunity to strike them all at once would save us a lot of trouble. Don’t you all want to go to the Inner Academy sooner and see the so-called ‘Heavenly Fire Refining Qi Tower’?” Xiao Yan shrugged.
“Hmm, we’ve already spent three or four days in the forest. Prolonging this isn’t a solution,” Wu Hao nodded, his voice deep.
“I don’t mind. At worst, we just return the ‘fire energy’ we got from them,” Hu Jia pouted, looking at Xiao Yan. “You’re the captain now. Make the decision. Don’t be so indecisive.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. His act of seeking his teammates’ opinions was interpreted as indecisiveness by her.
“Alright, fine. I’ll listen to you one more time. Hope you don’t mess this up.” Seeing that Wu Hao and Hu Jia had no objections, Bai Shan could only nod. He knew that after these two days, Xiao Yan had gained some authority in the eyes of Wu Hao and Hu Jia, and Xuner always followed his lead. Therefore, Bai Shan’s words were mostly negligible in this team, especially since he was in a position of lesser support.
Seeing that everyone had agreed, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. After a moment of contemplation, he turned and looked at the five freshmen in the clearing, then walked over with a smile. He flipped his palm, and a few bottles of healing medicine appeared, which he then handed over. “Are you all alright?”
“Thank you, Senior Xiao Yan, for your rescue. Otherwise, we would have been beaten up again today,” a youth who seemed to be the leader of the group took the healing medicine excitedly, gratitude filling his face.
“Hehe, we’re all freshmen, so helping each other is natural,” Xiao Yan smiled indifferently, staring at them. “Do you want to fight back against those guys?”
The five freshmen were startled by his words. Of course, they knew that the ‘guys’ Xiao Yan referred to were the old students participating in the hunting competition. After a brief hesitation, they gritted their teeth and nodded. Over the past two days, they had suffered a lot from those guys but, due to the gap in strength, they could only seethe in silence.
“Since that’s the case, I’d like to ask for your help…” Xiao Yan said with a smile.
“Senior Xiao Yan saved us once. Whatever you need, just say it,” one of the youths hurriedly patted his chest and agreed without hesitation. The other companions also nodded enthusiastically.
Seeing their readiness, Xiao Yan was surprised. He didn’t realize the deep impression his actions of counter-hunting the old students had left on this year’s freshmen. Most of them regarded Xiao Yan as an idol, not just for his strength and courage, but for standing up to those who bullied them!
“Hehe, thank you… I’d like to ask you to spread out and look for other freshmen in the forest. Tell them that if they want to make up for their lost ‘fire energy’ and trust me, Xiao Yan, they can gather here. I will lead them in a fierce battle against those arrogant old students!” Xiao Yan bowed to the five and said softly, “I wonder if you can agree to this?”
“Yes! We are in contact with some freshmen. Many of them are hiding out of fear of being caught by the old students,” the five freshmen said, their faces flushed with excitement. After so many days of oppression, they finally had a chance to fight back. How could they not be excited?
“Hmm, please hurry. Also, if you encounter an old student team alone, you can give them your ‘fire energy’ first. I, Xiao Yan, will compensate for the ‘fire energy’ you lose later,” Xiao Yan sighed in relief and reminded the five.
The five freshmen nodded and then bowed to Xiao Yan. “Senior Xiao Yan, we will bring the other freshmen here. With your leadership, we will dare to start a counterattack against those jerks!”
With that, the five dispersed and, under Xiao Yan’s gaze, dashed into the dense forest, vanishing among the swaying leaves.
“Hehe, it’s settled. Now, let’s wait for the gathering of our freshmen. Once we have everyone, the great counterattack will begin!” Xiao Yan stood up and turned to Xuner and the others with a smile.
Perhaps because of the hope of resisting the old students, the five freshmen worked so efficiently that Xiao Yan was surprised. Within a morning, groups of freshmen began to cautiously appear around the open space. When they saw Xiao Yan and the others meditating in the woods, they believed it completely. Then, the quiet forest began to stir, and figures, disheveled and weary, entered the clearing. When their eyes fell on the five old students tied to the tree trunks, the anger that had been building up for two or three days finally found some release.
These freshmen, gathered from all directions, were very mindful not to disturb the five meditating. They formed a circle around Xiao Yan and the others.
As time passed, more and more freshmen emerged from the dense forest. Their gazes naturally converged on the black-robed youth in the center of the clearing, their eyes filled with a fervent admiration.
At a certain moment, Xiao Yan, who had his eyes closed, slowly opened them. Seeing the neatly seated and determined freshmen around him, a pleased smile appeared on his face. This number did not disappoint him.
“Fellow freshmen, do you want to return the resentment you’ve endured over the past two days to those self-righteous old students?” Xiao Yan took a deep breath, and his voice suddenly echoed in the forest.
“Yes!” A chorus of low, angry voices made the leaves in the forest tremble.
Seeing the suppressed rage and resentment on the faces of the freshmen, Xiao Yan nodded. This was the fury he needed, forged from their collective anger!
Suddenly, a rustling in the branches, and two or three figures darted out, drawing the attention of dozens of eyes in the clearing.
“Senior Xiao Yan, as you instructed, we exposed our location to the other three old student teams. They are on their way here now!” one of the newcomers reported.
“Good.” Clapping his hands, Xiao Yan stood up, his gaze sweeping over the freshmen, who, though battered, were filled with fiery resolve. “Fellow freshmen, conceal yourselves. Today, we will deliver a heavy blow to those arrogant old students!”
As Xiao Yan’s words faded, the nearly forty freshmen swiftly disappeared into the dense trees, leaving the once crowded clearing empty again.
“Everyone, get ready. We need to strike them all at once!” Xiao Yan smiled at Xuner and the others.
“Alright!” From the top of a giant tree in the dense forest, two old men, sitting cross-legged, opened their eyes and exchanged glances. A low, chuckling laughter echoed through the air.
“Hehe, this is going to be lively!”
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