In a room bathed in the glow of many lanterns, a faint scent of gunpowder hung in the air. Scattered about the room were over a dozen men, some standing, some sitting, all with expressions of anger. “Boss, that ‘Rock Door’ truly doesn’t know their place. To dare to beat Fu Ao like this, if we don’t get back at them, how will our ‘White Gang’ stand in the Inner Academy in the future?” A man in the room suddenly slapped the table and shouted angrily. “Yes, Boss, we can’t let Brother Fu Ao take this beating for nothing,” another voice echoed, and the others in the room quickly joined in.
At the head of the room, a man sat leaning against the back of his chair, his hand supporting his chin. His face bore a resemblance to Bai Shan, though he looked more mature and colder. This must be the leader of the ‘White Gang’, Bai Shan’s cousin, the one ranked 34th on the Strong List, Bai Cheng. Bai Cheng paid no attention to the excited crowd in the room. His gaze fell on a figure to his left. The figure’s face was mostly wrapped in bandages, but from the half of the face that was visible, one could recognize it as Fu Ao, who had been knocked out by Xiao Yan’s punch today.
“Fu Ao, how are your injuries?” Seeing Fu Ao’s disheveled appearance, the man frowned and asked. As he spoke, the noise in the room quieted down, and everyone’s gaze fixed on Fu Ao. “I didn’t sustain any major internal injuries, but I’ll need at least four or five days to recover,” came a somewhat altered voice from the mostly-bandaged Fu Ao. “What about Xiao Yan’s strength?” Bai Cheng, slightly nodding, squinted his eyes and asked in a cool, icy tone. “His strength is around the level of a mid to high Doushi, but he seems to have a secret technique to forcibly raise his strength to the level of a Dou Ling. Moreover, the flames he uses are extremely powerful. Even when I used both Dou Skills and Dou Qi condensed objects, his flames completely neutralized my attacks.” Fu Ao’s eyes flashed with unwillingness, and his voice was filled with anger, “I wouldn’t have lost so miserably if that guy hadn’t known sound wave Dou Skills. He took advantage of my momentary distraction and hit me hard, leaving me in this state.”
Bai Cheng nodded slightly and turned his head to the side where Bai Shan, with a cold expression, was seated. Bai Shan, seeing Bai Cheng look at him, nodded and said calmly, “Cousin, the details are about the same as what Brother Fu Ao said. That Xiao Yan does indeed have these abilities. Additionally, he knows an even more powerful Dou Skill—the strange fire lotus that defeated Luo Hou. For some reason, he didn’t use it today.” “I’ve heard of that fire lotus Dou Skill; it’s indeed strong, but it also seems to consume a lot of energy. At Xiao Yan’s level, he might only be able to use it once or twice at full strength.” Bai Cheng nodded and said.
“Boss, I only lost because I underestimated him. If I fight him again, I won’t lose!” Fu Ao said, full of resentment. “Do you want to lose even more face?” Bai Cheng’s face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table, the loud sound silencing everyone. “If you hadn’t made that challenge yesterday, I could have led the ‘White Gang’ to crush the ‘Rock Door’ and force it to disband. But you, an arrogant fool, knew that Xiao Yan had defeated Luo Hou and still made a promise. Now that promise has spread throughout the Inner Academy. To go after the ‘Rock Door’ now would only give people something to talk about. There are many in the Inner Academy waiting to see the ‘White Gang’ make fools of themselves!”
“So what should we do? We can’t just let this slide. Pretending nothing happened isn’t good for our reputation either.” Fu Ao lowered his voice, still feeling bitter. Bai Cheng took a sip of tea, raised his head, and, after a moment of silence, said slowly, “You’ve already made a promise not to bother the ‘Rock Door’ for six months. So, for the time being, ‘White Gang’ members should avoid conflicts with them…”
“Cousin, do you plan to let Xiao Yan and his group have free rein for six months?” Bai Shan, frowning, asked. Bai Cheng, holding his teacup tightly, pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, “Six months is enough time. When the time comes, I will personally challenge the ‘Rock Door’ to a duel.”
“Isn’t that too risky? Who knows what might happen in six months? You can’t treat Xiao Yan like a normal opponent.” Bai Shan said in a low voice.
“Don’t worry. Six months isn’t much time. Even if they practice in the Heavenly Flame Tower every day, they can only reach the peak of the Great Doushi. It’s not that easy to advance to the Dou Ling stage. And unlike Fu Ao, I won’t make promises lightly. When the time comes, the entire ‘White Gang’ will be mobilized. Let’s see if the ‘Rock Door’ can withstand us.” Bai Cheng waved his hand and said. “But…” Bai Shan still had some reservations. After spending time with Xiao Yan in the forest, he had seen this guy create many astonishing miracles, making him somewhat nervous. “This is just a preliminary plan. We’ll adjust based on the situation. Have someone keep an eye on the ‘Rock Door’s every move…”
Seeing Bai Shan’s still uncertain expression, Bai Cheng helplessly shook his head and said, “It’s getting late. You all should go. Tomorrow, I will enter the Heavenly Flame Tower to practice. It may take five or six days. During this time, you and Fu Ao will take care of the gang’s affairs.”
The next morning, as the sky began to brighten, the lights in the freshmen’s living area shone brightly. Figures darted out from the rooms and lined up neatly in front of the small building where Xiao Yan and his three companions resided. After a while, the door of the small building slowly opened, and Xiao Yan and his three companions walked out, looking at the excited ‘Rock Door’ members. They couldn’t help but smile at each other. Although these members were still weak, they had great potential. Given enough time, Xiao Yan believed they would become true powerhouses. “Let’s go.” Once the members were assembled, Xiao Yan didn’t waste words. With a wave of his hand, he, along with Wu Hao and the others, led the way, followed closely by forty freshmen.
On the road to the Heavenly Flame Tower, the students passing by were stunned to see such a large group of people, and when some keen-eyed ones recognized Xiao Yan and the large Heavy Profound Ruler on his back, exclamations of surprise filled the air. “Hey, isn’t that Xiao Yan?”
“He looks pretty handsome…”
“Those two girls with them are beautiful too. I wonder who will be lucky enough to win their favor…”
“Those people must be the ‘Rock Door,’ the new power that’s been making waves in the Inner Academy. They seem to have quite a presence.”
“I heard that even Fu Ao from the ‘White Gang’ was beaten by Xiao Yan yesterday. These guys must have some real strength.”
Listening to the whispers along the way, Xiao Yan let out a sigh. Now, the ‘Rock Door’ was well-known in the Inner Academy, but their current strength didn’t match their reputation. Shaking his head, he ignored the discussions and urged the group to speed up. The team, raising a cloud of dust, quickly disappeared into the distance.
After nearly an hour of traveling, the top of the Heavenly Flame Tower, which was mostly buried underground, finally came into view. The ‘Rock Door’ members, upon seeing the unique black tower, burst into exclamations of surprise.
“Xiao Yan, is this the Heavenly Flame Tower? It’s really unique, buried deep underground.” Xun Er, looking at the towering tower, smiled charmingly, drawing admiring glances from many men waiting nearby.
“Yes.” Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, leading the group to a spot that wasn’t too close to the front. According to the rules of the Inner Academy, the tower had strict opening and closing times, so they had to wait patiently for the doors to open.
As the waiting continued, the crowd grew, and the noise and the gathering of people surprised the ‘Rock Door’ members. They hadn’t expected the Inner Academy, with its strict entry requirements, to have such a bustling atmosphere. Xiao Yan and his group, naturally, were the center of attention. Over the past few days, the establishment of the ‘Rock Door’ and Xiao Yan’s defeat of Fu Ao had made them the focus of the Inner Academy. Xiao Yan and his group sat cross-legged, ignoring the noisy chatter and various gazes around them. As time passed, after nearly twenty minutes, a group of people emerged from the crowd and slowly approached Xiao Yan and his group. The arrival of this group attracted the attention of the surrounding crowd. When they saw the leader, their gazes shifted to Xiao Yan and his group, their eyes gleaming with excitement. The sudden change in atmosphere made Xiao Yan open his eyes, and he glanced at the approaching group, frowning slightly. “Boss, be careful, that’s Bai Cheng, the leader of the ‘White Gang’!” At Xiao Yan’s side, Tai whispered, his face serious. “Yes.” Xiao Yan nodded slightly and gestured. The ‘Rock Door’ members, who had been sitting, stood up in unison, their eyes fixed on the approaching Bai Cheng and his group. Tension filled the air outside the Heavenly Flame Tower.
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