Xiao Se gently rubbed Zhu Zhuqing's head and smiled.
"I know what you're worried about. Don't worry—these guys are all Da Dou Shi. They have Dou Qi armor, and I used beast flame instead of true flame. With the power carefully controlled, they'll only end up looking miserable."
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had truly been afraid someone might die. After all, the one absolute taboo of the Fire Energy Hunting Competition was killing—if a death occurred, Xiao Se would be in serious trouble.
A moment later, the flames gradually died down.
The sight that followed was… unforgettable.
The thirty-plus old students who had once been handsome, well-dressed, and full of confidence now looked like roasted chickens. Their bodies were pitch black from head to toe, clothes burned into rags, not a single intact strand remaining. Their hair curled upward in tight spirals, and at first glance, they looked like primitive cavemen who had just crawled out of a coal pit.
If not for the thick purple smoke acting as a mosaic, they would have been completely exposed.
"Pfft—!"
Xiao Se couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
Zhu Zhuqing and Han Yue, both normally cold and reserved, felt their lips twitch uncontrollably. They hurriedly covered their mouths, forcing themselves not to laugh out loud.
Hearing Xiao Se's laughter, the old students finally reacted.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Clutching their pitiful scraps of cloth over sensitive areas, they fled toward the forest exit while shouting:
"Ah—! I'll be back someday!"
"Zhuqing, Han Yue, let's go," Xiao Se said.
"Next time, don't do something this outrageous," Zhu Zhuqing scolded, reaching over and pinching his waist fiercely.
"Relax," Xiao Se grinned. "After today, I doubt they'll ever dare to surround us again."
With that, the three leapt forward and vanished from the spot, racing toward the forest exit.
Beyond the forest lay a wide open area scattered with chaotic boulders.
The endless woods came to an abrupt stop here.
Two slopes rose from the rocky terrain.
On one side, irregular stone formations were dotted with figures—people sitting or standing atop the rocks. All of them were around twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
On the opposite slope stood a massive stone platform.
Upon it sat two elderly men and a young woman.
They were none other than Elder Su, Elder Qing, and Little Doctor Fairy, who had entered the Inner Academy earlier as an elder.
Nearby sat several middle-aged men with calm auras—clearly stewards whose status ranked just below elders.
"Strange," Elder Su muttered while staring at the forest entrance.
"By now, the old students should have returned. Why hasn't a single one appeared?"
"Maybe they ran into… a big problem," Little Doctor Fairy said softly, a rare gentle smile appearing on her face.
"A big problem?" Elder Su froze, then asked in surprise, "You mean… Xiao Se?"
Little Doctor Fairy nodded.
She knew his strength all too well.
Even without using the Demon Sword or secret techniques, someone below Dou Wang didn't even qualify to stand against him.
Before long, freshmen began returning one after another.
Most of them wore bitter expressions—there was no need to ask why. Their fire energy had been robbed.
Another ten minutes passed.
At last, several old students staggered back as well.
Just like the freshmen earlier, every single one of them had lost their fire energy—without exception.
"Elders, we've confirmed it," one steward reported respectfully.
"A freshman named Xiao Se, leading a three-person team, robbed all the old students of their fire energy."
"Right now, thirty to forty old students have gathered and are surrounding his group."
"Absurd!" Elder Su snapped.
There were only fifty old students in total, yet over thirty had gone to besiege a single freshman team—this was chaos.
As an Inner Academy elder, Elder Su actually enjoyed student conflicts as long as no lives were at risk. Pressure created motivation.
Of course, he didn't dare say that part aloud—Little Doctor Fairy was standing right beside him.
"Old Su," Elder Qing frowned, "should we go take a look? What if something happens?"
"Relax," Little Doctor Fairy replied calmly.
"Xiao Se is extremely strong—even a Dou Wang couldn't do much to him."
"And besides… they seem to be back already."
As her words fell, three familiar figures gradually emerged from the forest.
Xiao Se, Zhu Zhuqing, and Han Yue.
Far behind them followed a strange procession—young men wrapped in grass leaves, blackened from head to toe.
From a distance, they looked exactly like wild men from deep in the mountains.
Seeing Xiao Se's group arrive, Elder Su, Elder Qing, and Little Doctor Fairy spread their Dou Qi wings and flew forward.
"Xiao Se," Elder Su asked urgently, "I heard thirty to forty old students surrounded you. Where are they?"
He feared Xiao Se might have broken the academy's no-killing rule.
At his question, Zhu Zhuqing and Han Yue exchanged glances—and both smiled.
"…What's going on?" Elder Su frowned. "Why are you laughing?"
Xiao Se pointed behind him, struggling to hold back laughter.
"There, Elder Su. The pitch-black guys hiding in the grass piles—that's the old students."
Elder Su looked carefully and finally recognized several familiar faces.
His mouth twitched violently.
Clothes gone.
Hair burned.
Bodies black as charcoal.
This was… way too miserable.
At the same time, the old students waiting nearby rushed over. When they realized those half-naked, blackened figures were their former classmates, laughter erupted instantly.
This year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition old students truly had the worst luck in history.
"Cough."
Elder Su cleared his throat. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke:
"You little brats… this year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition—"
"The freshmen win."
His calm voice echoed across the rocky clearing.
For a brief moment, everything fell silent.
Countless gazes turned toward Xiao Se.
Everyone understood something clearly now.
This year, the Inner Academy had welcomed a monster.
And the days ahead…
would no longer be peaceful.
The end of this Fire Energy Hunting Competition—
was also the beginning of a new era.
(End of Chapter)
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