Gazing at the senior students who finally dispersed, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief. He turned around and looked at the jubilant new students, unable to help but smile.
“Senior Xiao Yan, you’ve saved us again,” said the young man named Ate, stepping forward with a respectful smile.
“Since we are all new students, it’s natural to support each other. I just didn’t expect that passing the ‘Fire Energy Hunt’ would cause such trouble,” Xiao Yan shook his head, somewhat helplessly.
“Ai, indeed. Such incidents rarely happen, and most seniors went through this when they first entered the Inner Academy. I think that using Senior Xiao Yan’s name to drive these guys away might have just postponed future problems,” Ate sighed.
Xiao Yan frowned slightly, muttering softly, “It seems this isn’t a long-term solution…”
The two were close, and Xiao Yan’s mutter naturally didn’t escape Ate’s ears. His eyes lit up, and after a moment’s hesitation, he carefully chose his words, “Senior Xiao Yan, I wonder if you have any plans to establish a self-protection force in the Inner Academy?”
“Oh?” Xiao Yan’s eyebrows raised slightly as he stared intently at the dark-skinned, yet quite capable-looking youth before him.
“Hehe, Senior Xiao Yan, you should know that in the Inner Academy, various forces, both large and small, are scattered throughout. There are quite a few of them, and the academy does not discourage or even encourages the formation of factions,” Ate mused.
“In the Inner Academy, unless one is extremely powerful, it’s difficult to avoid trouble when alone. For example, entering the ‘Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower’ for cultivation is key for rapid strength enhancement, and everyone values it highly. In the tower, each floor is divided into high, medium, and low-level cultivation zones. Cultivating in the high-level zone undoubtedly provides greater benefits and speed than the lower ones.”
“By convention, whoever is lucky enough to enter the high-level zone first can cultivate there. However, the Inner Academy does not prohibit private duels within the ‘Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.’ Therefore, even if you manage to occupy the high-level zone, if your strength is insufficient, you’ll still be driven out. To get the best cultivation conditions in the ‘Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower,’ you need both strong individual power and a team,” Ate said, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan’s face.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his eyes flickering, deep in thought.
“Senior Xiao Yan, you are indeed very powerful, and with Xun Er, Hu Jia, and the others, you have a strong team. But, there are too few of you. As the saying goes, ‘fists cannot fight four hands.’ If other forces come in groups of ten or twenty, you might find it difficult to cope,” Ate said slowly.
“Do you want me to gather the new students and create a new force?” Xiao Yan gazed at Ate, speaking softly.
“With Senior Xiao Yan’s reputation among the new students, it’s entirely possible to do this!” Ate nodded firmly.
Xiao Yan crossed his fingers, not immediately answering.
“Senior Xiao Yan, if you have such a plan, then you must act quickly. Typically, every time new students enter the Inner Academy, other forces will try to recruit them. This is the peak of your reputation, and if you don’t use this opportunity, it may be too late later. Moreover, for us new students, having our own force would be unquestionably beneficial. So, as long as you lead, I guarantee no one will oppose,” Ate said seriously.
“You seem to know a lot about the Inner Academy?” Xiao Yan nodded slightly, then looked at Ate with some surprise. This guy’s knowledge far exceeded that of an ordinary new student.
“Hehe, I have some friends in the Inner Academy, so I’m quite well-informed,” Ate grinned. “What do you say, Senior Xiao Yan? If you agree, I’ll handle the new students. There won’t be any problems.”
“Just call me Xiao Yan. Do you know how many students are in the Inner Academy?” Xiao Yan smiled, pondering for a moment before asking.
“About a thousand, I think… the exact number hasn’t been counted,” Ate replied after a brief thought.
“Nearly a thousand? That’s a lot. Only fifty new students enter the Inner Academy each year, and students don’t stay here forever, right?” Xiao Yan was surprised.
“Hehe, the Inner Academy has a five-year system. After five years, students go their separate ways. Of course, if you have exceptional talent, you can apply for an additional two years. Those who stay are all top-tier experts, ranked high on the ‘Strong List.’ Although fifty new students enter the Inner Academy each year, this is not the entire population. Sometimes, if an elder encounters a talented disciple, they can become Inner Academy students after passing strict evaluations. Additionally, there are special departments like the Alchemy Department and the Law Enforcement Team, who can also enter the Inner Academy through different channels. Over the years, the accumulation of students reaching nearly a thousand is not impossible,” Ate explained, smacking his lips.
“Oh…” Xiao Yan nodded slightly, rubbing his hands together. “That means our forty-odd new students aren’t a significant group.”
“At the beginning, how could it be? Those old factions took a long time to grow, didn’t they?” Ate shrugged. “Take those guys from earlier; they belong to Green Mountain. Their faction is middle-ranked in the Inner Academy, with about twenty members. But their overall strength far exceeds ours. If we fought, even with all of us, the outcome would be uncertain.”
“But if we unite, forces like Green Mountain wouldn’t dare to be too overbearing. After all, fighting us wouldn’t be easy for them either,” Xiao Yan pursed his lips, finding it hard to decide. He was used to being independent, and managing a group, even a small one, seemed troublesome. But if they didn’t unite, as Ate said, the four of them would face considerable difficulties in the Inner Academy. No matter what, more people meant more strength.
“Brother Xiao Yan, Ate makes a good point. If we don’t make a decision now, the new students will soon be taken by those old factions. And by then, it will be much harder to get another chance,” Xun Er said softly, stepping closer to Xiao Yan.
“If Brother Xiao Yan is worried about the trouble, I and Sister Hu Jia can manage. We’re quite good at this,” Xun Er added, smiling behind her hand, seemingly understanding Xiao Yan’s dilemma.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan let out a wry smile.
“Senior Xiao Yan, if you have the courage to lead, all the new students will follow you! We don’t like those seniors anyway. If we had a choice, who would want to endure their arrogance?” Suddenly, a clear voice rang out, followed by a chorus of agreement. Xiao Yan looked up, surprised to see the new students gathered around, their faces full of anticipation, waiting for his decision.
Tightly clasping his hands, under the weight of their expectant gazes, Xiao Yan took a deep breath. He waved his hand and gritted his teeth, “Alright! Since everyone trusts me, I will lead you to establish a foothold in the Inner Academy, for myself and for all of you. Otherwise, this place, teeming with hidden talents, will be hard to navigate!”
The new students, filled with hope, cheered excitedly upon hearing Xiao Yan’s words. Having a group always provided a sense of security. Xun Er and the others, seeing Xiao Yan finally agree, exchanged glances and quietly sighed in relief.
“Since that’s settled, Leader, we should give our new force a name, right? How can we claim it otherwise?” Ate, relieved, smiled at Xiao Yan, smoothly switching to calling him ‘Leader.’
“A name… since our goal is to establish ourselves in the Inner Academy, let’s call it ‘Firmstone Sect.’ May our new force be as solid as firmstone amidst the many strong factions,” Xiao Yan, not particularly skilled at naming, thought for a moment before suggesting.
“Firmstone Sect… that works. A name is just a label,” Ate agreed, turning to the new students and declaring, “Everyone, from today, our new force will be called Firmstone Sect! Senior Xiao Yan is our leader! Follow his orders! Any violation will be met with contempt!”
“Good! Firmstone Sect!”
“Any violation will be met with contempt!”
Hearing the name, the new students’ faces flushed with excitement, and they roared their approval, their youthful energy palpable.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Xiao Yan felt a strange surge of emotion. From today, he would lead Firmstone Sect to establish and root itself in the Inner Academy, amidst the many strong figures!
“Heh, alright. Let me, Xiao Yan, see what makes the Inner Academy so special!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage