Elder Su’s somewhat aged voice slowly echoed, causing all the battles to cease at this moment. On the hillside, those senior students of the Inner Academy slightly opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but in the end, they could not utter a word.
“Oh!” After a brief silence outside the forest, those new students, unable to contain their joy, burst into cheers. This nearly five or six days of arduous struggle had finally paid off. How could they not be elated?
Hearing the cheering that erupted behind them, Xiao Yan’s pale face also showed a faint smile. He held his chest and coughed lightly, then turned to look at Xun’er and the other two, who were also beaming with joy, and said, “It seems that what we have gained doesn’t need to be handed over anymore.”
“Brother Xiao Yan, are you alright?” Seeing Xiao Yan’s complexion, Xun’er quickly stepped forward, supporting him with a worried expression.
“Nothing, just a bit drained,” Xiao Yan waved his hand, smiling. The power of the Lotus of Fury might be considerable, but its consumption of soul energy and fighting spirit was too great. With Xiao Yan’s current strength, he could only unleash it once in full condition. If he were to forcefully use it a second time, he would likely fall unconscious from exhaustion.
“I didn’t expect you to be so capable. No wonder Xun’er can’t stop thinking about you. It’s truly a pity…” Haojia slapped Xiao Yan on the shoulder casually. Fighting side by side is always the best way to build a relationship. After these few days of interacting, her grudge against Xiao Yan for his excessive force during the selection contest had completely dissipated. In her heart, she truly admired Xiao Yan’s various displays over the past few days.
“Xun’er has a good eye, but… I will work hard to catch up with you,” Wu Hao raised his head, giving Xiao Yan a somewhat stiff smile. Clearly, for a person like him, who was reserved and obsessed with cultivation, he rarely smiled at others.
Xiao Yan smiled and said lightly, “Don’t give me all the credit. I know my limits. Without your assistance, no matter how strong I am, I wouldn’t have made it here. A lone hero won’t get far in this place.”
Haojia and Wu Hao nodded silently. Humble despite his achievements, this young man seemed to have none of the arrogance or conceit typical of youth. This truly made them feel a sense of admiration.
“Elder Su, we haven’t lost yet!” Just as Xiao Yan and the others were speaking, a voice filled with unwillingness suddenly rang out. Everyone’s gaze swept across, and it turned out to be Luo Hou, who was sitting on the ground. His face was flushed with anger, clearly struggling to accept his defeat at the hands of a Da Dou Shi.
“That’s right, we haven’t lost. We can still fight!” Hearing their captain speak, the four members of the White Demon Team echoed in unison. Based on the previous battle, if given enough time, the new students would almost certainly lose. Therefore, they naturally did not want to accept failure as the final outcome.
“Shut up, all of you!” Elder Su’s face darkened, and he coldly shouted.
Seeing Elder Su’s anger, everyone wisely closed their mouths, not daring to speak, including Luo Hou.
“If I hadn’t intervened, would you still be standing here alive?” Elder Su turned to Luo Hou, whose face was full of reluctance, and said sternly.
Luo Hou’s face paled, and he gritted his teeth. After a while, he wilted. He knew that if Elder Su had not intervened, there would be no Luo Hou in the Inner Academy.
“Defeat is defeat. What excuse are you looking for?” Elder Su snorted coldly, then looked around and said, “I have already said that this ‘Fire Energy Hunt’ has ended. If you still disagree, you can challenge the new students after they have been in the Inner Academy for a month. If they agree, the Inner Academy arena will be open. But now, shut up.”
“Hmph.” Glancing at Luo Hou behind him, Elder Su turned his gaze back to Xiao Yan and the others. His expression softened, and he said, “As the winners of this ‘Fire Energy Hunt,’ the new students present can each receive twenty days of ‘Fire Energy.’ Xiao Yan, Xun’er, Haojia, and Wu Hao will receive an additional reward of ‘Blue Fire Crystal Cards’ and thirty more days of ‘Fire Energy.'”
“Blue Fire Crystal Cards?” Hearing Elder Su’s words, the hillside became a bit noisy. Envious gazes swept toward Xiao Yan and the other three in the field.
“Blue Fire Crystal Cards? What are those?” Xiao Yan and the others were a bit puzzled by the so-called Blue Fire Crystal Cards, glancing at each other with confusion.
“Haha, in the Inner Academy, Fire Crystal Cards are divided into five colors: black, blue, green, red, and purple, from lowest to highest. The black crystal cards in your hands are the lowest-level cards, which only qualify you to train on the first and second floors of the ‘Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.’ Blue crystal cards are for the third and fourth floors, and so on.”
“To upgrade a crystal card, you need to pay ‘Fire Energy’ in the Inner Academy. Generally, to upgrade from a black crystal card to a blue one, you need to pay one hundred days of ‘Fire Energy,’ and to upgrade from blue to green, you need two hundred days. Now that you have received the ‘Green Fire Crystal Card’ reward, it is equivalent to saving three hundred days of ‘Fire Energy,’ which is no small amount. Among the seniors here, except for Luo Hou, who upgraded his blue crystal card to a green one a week ago, most are still using blue crystal cards.”
Seeing the confusion on Xiao Yan and the others, Elder Su explained with a smile.
“Three hundred days of ‘Fire Energy’?” Hearing this number, Xiao Yan and the others finally understood why the surrounding gazes were filled with envy. They had robbed the seniors clean in the forest, and with this reward, each of their crystal cards had just barely surpassed a hundred. This also showed that obtaining ‘Fire Energy’ in the Inner Academy was not easy.
After explaining, Elder Su waved his hand, and four green crystal cards appeared in his hand. He flicked them, and they shot toward Xiao Yan and the others, finally hovering in front of them.
“The rewards are inside. Transfer the ‘Fire Energy’ from your black crystal cards to the green ones, and then return the black crystal cards to me.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others hurriedly complied. After a while, they handed the now-empty black crystal cards back to Elder Su.
Taking the black crystal cards, Elder Su nodded slightly and said with a smile, “Alright, since you’ve all passed the ‘Fire Energy Hunt,’ follow me into the Inner Academy.”
With that, he turned and led the way up a broken stone staircase on the hillside.
“Finally, we can enter the Inner Academy… It wasn’t easy,” Xiao Yan sighed, gazing at Elder Su’s back.
To enter the Inner Academy, they had spent a lot of effort. First, the selection contest, then the ‘Fire Energy Hunt.’ The Inner Academy… was indeed not as easy to enter as they had imagined.
“Let’s go,” Xiao Yan called to Xun’er and the others, leading the way up the stairs under the watchful eyes of everyone on the hillside.
The broken stone staircase was not very high, and within a couple of minutes, Xiao Yan and the others reached the top. Then, they climbed up and stood on the hilltop, looking ahead. The sight before them made them slowly inhale a cool breath of air.
“Is this the Inner Academy?” The new students on the hilltop murmured in low voices.
Behind the hill was a vast, sunken basin. The shape of the basin was like a giant meteorite had fallen from the sky, smashing out a massive crater. Inside the basin, towering buildings stood, and from a high vantage point, one could see countless tiny, flea-like figures darting and leaping among the buildings. Looking further ahead, the area of the basin was surprisingly large, and even at the edge of their vision, they could only see towering buildings and lush greenery.
It was unimaginable that such a wondrous place could be hidden behind the endless mountains of the Gana Academy!
“Haha, welcome, little ones, to the heart of the Gana Academy: the Inner Academy!” Elder Su smiled, looking at the awestruck expressions on the faces of the new students, and clapped his hands.
“There are so many strong people here,” Wu Hao’s face showed a hint of enthusiasm as he muttered.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled helplessly. This guy truly lived up to being a battle fanatic…
Raising his gaze, Xiao Yan slowly scanned the vast basin. After a while, he took a deep breath and whispered to himself, “The Fallen Heart Flame… is it really here? I hope it doesn’t disappoint me.”
“Alright, since the hunt is over, all the new students follow me back to the Inner Academy. Once you’re settled, you’ll truly become a part of the ‘Inner Academy.’ Believe me, as long as you can endure here, when you leave, you’ll find that everything was worth it,” Elder Su said, his gaze resting on Xiao Yan and the others.
All the new students nodded slightly. From the seniors, they could already see the immense benefits of training in the Inner Academy!
“Let’s go! Follow me!” With a wave of his hand, Elder Su turned into a blurry shadow and dashed towards the vast basin. Behind him, all the new students immediately followed, charging down the hillside like a swarm of locusts. In an instant, excited roars filled the air, lingering for a long time.
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