Han Yue moved closer to Xiao Yao, visibly anxious. Xiao Yao could even feel the faint chill radiating from her.
"Junior Xiao Yao, are you all right?"
Xiao Yao shook his head slightly, indicating that he was fine.
The veteran named Leng Shuang had indeed been ruthless and vicious to launch that sudden sneak attack.
But she, too, had the Ice Attribute, which was utterly suppressed by Xiao Yao's Yang Attribute.
By the time that palm strike, infused with Dou Qi, landed on Xiao Yao's chest, its power had already been greatly reduced. With Xiao Yao's powerful physique, even taking the blow head-on would not have caused any serious problems.
Besides, Xiao Yao also had the ability Bathe in Yang and Heal Wounds. Such a minor injury could heal in the space of a breath.
But Han Yue did not know that. All she knew was that Xiao Yao had used his own body to take that ruthless, vicious blow head-on to save her.
She was both touched and worried.
The other new students were all delighted to see Xiao Yao.
The rumors about Xiao Yao over the past few days had simply been too astonishing.
He had turned the hunt around on the veteran teams single-handedly, even managing to defeat three of them.
Only when they began following Xiao Yao's example and hunting veteran teams themselves did they learn how difficult it was.
This crushing defeat only highlighted how powerful Xiao Yao was.
Now, seeing Xiao Yao descend like a heavenly warrior and rescue Senior Han Yue from the despicable veterans, they looked at him with even greater admiration.
Xiao Yao glanced at the new students present and was somewhat surprised. There were far more than the intelligence had indicated; nearly every new student was here.
It seemed something else had happened afterward that he did not know about.
As for the two veteran teams, they were also very formidable. Although they were stronger overall, the new students had greater numbers.
Even under those circumstances, they had still been able to pin the new students down and beat them soundly. Their strength was plain to see.
With Xiao Yao present, the new students had now begun loudly condemning the veterans for the sneak attack.
The other veterans were deeply wary of Xiao Yao's arrival, especially since he had injured one of them the moment he appeared.
They were so wary that they did not even help Leng Shuang up from the ground.
Of course, they had also disapproved of Leng Shuang's sneak attack.
After all, the new students had already admitted defeat and handed over their Fire Crystal Cards. Attacking them under those circumstances was hard to justify, and even went against the academy's rules.
Thus, the veterans had little to say in response to the new students' accusations.
After all, it was indeed a member of their team who was in the wrong, though Xiao Yao's presence was certainly a factor as well.
A person's name was like a tree's shadow.
For Xiao Yao to have made such a great name for himself, his strength had to be extraordinary.
And now, Xiao Yao was clearly on the new students' side. If the veterans argued back now and ended up admitting defeat later, they were unlikely to get off lightly.
Xiao Yao looked at the veteran teams, who stood ready for battle, and said coldly, "Does attacking a student again after they've admitted defeat comply with the academy's rules?"
The man who appeared to be the captain spoke in a grave voice.
"It does not comply with the academy's rules. Afterward, I'll have Leng Shuang offer this junior an apology."
"Good. I'll remember that. But her offering an apology is one thing; whether Senior Han Yue is willing to accept it is another."
The man nodded. "Of course. No one has ever said that because one party apologizes, the other must accept."
"In that case, we'll set this matter aside for now. It's time to get back to the Fire Energy Hunting Competition."
With a turn of his wrist, Xiao Yao took out his fiery red spear and pointed its tip straight at them.
"Come on!"
Han Yue, who stood nearby, opened her mouth, wanting to urge Xiao Yao to hold back for the moment. After all, he had only just been ambushed.
But seeing how determined Xiao Yao was, Han Yue closed her mouth and said nothing more, unwilling to dampen his fighting spirit.
Han Yue had no objection to how Xiao Yao had handled the attack on her, and had even taken it for granted that he would deal with it on her behalf.
Of course, Han Yue had her own pride.
She had taken note of this sneak attack. Had Leng Shuang not simply spent some more time cultivating in the Inner Academy?
Once she, too, had cultivated in the Inner Academy for a while, she would settle this score herself!
Seeing that Xiao Yao kept the two matters separate and handled them clearly, the veteran captain breathed a sigh of relief.
"There are a lot of wounded here, so it's hard to fight freely. Shall we go somewhere else?"
Hearing his suggestion, Xiao Yao glanced at the new students behind him and nodded.
Xiao Yao suddenly shot toward a spot not far away, and the other veterans hurried after him.
One veteran who was close to Leng Shuang ultimately could not bear to leave her there. They stepped forward, helped her up, and took her along.
If they really left Leng Shuang here, the furious new students would probably gang up on her.
Seeing Xiao Yao and the veterans leave, the new students hesitated and turned to Han Yue, their mainstay.
Han Yue hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
"The injured should stay here and rest. A few of you who are still in good shape should stay and guard them. The rest, come with me and have a look."
Meanwhile, Xiao Yao had only just stopped when the other veterans caught up, Dou Qi surging around them.
Although they had just come through a massive melee, Xiao Yao was still on his own, so they did not think it was unfair to their side.
If anything, with Xiao Yao alone, it was unfair to him.
Xiao Yao's spear glowed a brilliant gold as violent energy surged into it. With Sweeping a Thousand Armies, he tore out a massive spear light that swept across the space before him.
Faced with that terrifying strike, all the veterans unleashed their strongest Dou Techniques.
The Dou Techniques collided with the spear light, erupting in terrifying waves of energy as explosions rang out one after another.
Xiao Yao suddenly charged forward, breaking through the turbulent energy. He brought his spear down and drove a veteran onto one knee.
Immediately afterward, Xiao Yao lashed out with a kick, sending the veteran flying dozens of meters away.
The combination of Dou Qi and his powerful physique sent Xiao Yao's combat strength soaring.
Even though these two teams were somewhat stronger than the veterans he had faced before, they still could not withstand him.
Before long, the veteran captain raised both hands. Looking at the spear tip halted before his throat, he admitted defeat with a wry smile.
Xiao Yao withdrew his spear and said calmly, "Hand over your Fire Crystal Cards."
Han Yue and her group had been delayed for a while, having stopped to organize the new students.
When they arrived, they happened to see Xiao Yao halt his spear in front of the veteran captain's throat. They all stared blankly.
They had expected Xiao Yao to win, but they had not expected him to crush the two veteran teams so completely.
Xiao Yao collected the Fire Energy with practiced ease. When he saw the final amount on his Fire Crystal Card, he was somewhat surprised and turned to Han Yue and her group.
"Has your Fire Energy already been taken?"
Han Yue nodded, a little embarrassed.
"Hmm..." Xiao Yao pondered for a moment, then tossed his Fire Crystal Card to Han Yue.
"How many new students took part in the melee this time? Give them enough Fire Energy to bring them back up to five days."
Han Yue held Xiao Yao's Fire Crystal Card and stared blankly at the amount of Fire Energy on it.
The other new students who had come with Han Yue brightened and began thanking Xiao Yao.
Han Yue was still somewhat hesitant.
Xiao Yao waved a hand and said, "It's fine. We're all new students, so we should help each other out. Besides, I'm not losing out. There's still all that Fire Energy from the other veterans."
Hearing Xiao Yao's words, the veterans behind him shook their heads with wry smiles. So this was beating the veterans and sharing the Fire Energy.