Notorious

"Have you heard? This year's Fire Energy Hunt Competition produced a formidable figure. He single-handedly defeated a team of Senior Students and even took their Fire Energy instead."

"Hmph! Could he possibly turn the whole Inner Court upside down by himself? Those useless fools must have been incompetent to hype him up as some 'Demon Lord.' Is he even worthy of it?"

"True. Even if he's a genius, once he enters the Inner Court, he'll have to follow its rules. By the way, don't you feel like it's gotten a little cold?"

"No, the temperature around us really is dropping. Stay alert."

"'Demon Lord,' huh? That title is indeed quite nice. I'll take it." At that moment, Liu Xi, radiating an icy aura from head to toe, walked calmly out of the dense forest and spoke with interest.

"From the sound of it, you're that new student from this year who doesn't know his place. You really are arrogant, daring to show yourself before us alone." Seeing Liu Xi emerge by himself, the five-man group, which had initially been somewhat wary, instantly relaxed. A burly young man who appeared to be their leader spoke first.

"What? The new student you saw as prey dared to take the Senior Students' Fire Energy instead, so now you can't stomach it?" Liu Xi said with a raised brow.

"Hahaha, every batch of new students has a few troublemakers who think they can act arrogantly just because they're talented. Today, I'll teach you that there's always someone greater. Remember, the one defeating you is Luo Ke." As soon as Luo Ke finished speaking, he moved to attack, waving off his four companions who were also preparing to make a move before charging forward alone.

"You don't actually need to tell me your name. I won't remember the names of those I defeat anyway," Liu Xi said indifferently. With a flip of his palm, Crimson Flame appeared in his hand, and the chill in the surroundings immediately intensified.

Luo Ke also cultivated Fire Attribute Dou Qi. Blazing energy coiled around his body, and he possessed the cultivation of a six-star Da Dou Shi. Under normal circumstances, he would certainly have been a formidable opponent for Liu Xi.

But now, Liu Xi completely suppressed him. The scorching energy struck Liu Xi, yet before it could harm him, the Azure Halo surrounding Crimson Flame devoured all of its heat.

Their clash lasted only an instant. When the two figures collided, Liu Xi casually stepped forward and caught Luo Ke's flame-wreathed fist in the face of it, while Crimson Flame plundered the heat and strength from his body.

Sensing that something was wrong, Luo Ke broke free from Liu Xi's grasp and staggered back two steps. But Liu Xi caught up in an instant and punched him in the stomach before his disbelieving eyes. Crimson Flame erupted, sending Luo Ke flying. After being caught by his companions, he spat out a mouthful of blood and could no longer rise.

This was, in a way, returning his own methods upon him. The Fire Attribute energy had been plundered by Crimson Flame, greatly increasing its power, and the subsequent eruption of Crimson Flame directly inflicted severe injuries on Luo Ke.

"This kid isn't simple. Attack together." After the young man who had caught Luo Ke laid him on the ground, he rose and glared viciously at Liu Xi as he spoke to his companions.

As the four charged at him together, fierce gusts of wind rushed straight at his face, yet Liu Xi's expression did not change. To the four men's astonishment, Liu Xi seemed to have gone stupid, standing motionless until he was struck head-on and transformed into a streak of light that vanished.

The four froze at once. Meanwhile, Liu Xi silently appeared behind two of them and struck ruthlessly from behind, taking them out directly before vanishing again.

The remaining two young men watched Liu Xi disappear without a trace once more, dread winding around their hearts. They could only stand back-to-back and warily watch their surroundings.

"If you've got the guts, come out! What kind of skill is hiding like this?" one of them shouted.

"When have I ever hidden? Aren't I standing right in front of you?" Liu Xi's cold voice seemed to come from every direction.

Then the man saw Liu Xi suddenly appear before him and slash out a fiery sword aura. With no time to resist, he was struck head-on and severely wounded.

This time, Liu Xi did not vanish again. Instead, he waved his hand and placed a sword formed of flame against the last tall, thin young man's neck. "Well? Admit defeat. Hand over your Fire Crystal Cards."

"I'll give them to you. I'll give them to you." Feeling the chill against his neck, the tall, thin young man finally spoke helplessly.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd done that from the start?" Liu Xi instantly changed expressions and said with a gentle smile.

Taking their light-blue Dou Crystal Cards, Liu Xi transferred the Fire Energy within them one by one into his own black Dou Crystal Card under Luo Ke and the others' pained gazes. In the end, the Fire Energy on Liu Xi's Dou Crystal Card rose to 398.

Liu Xi put away his black Dou Crystal Card with satisfaction, then waved his hand and tossed Luo Ke's group's light-blue Dou Crystal Cards back in front of them.

"Thank you for your Fire Energy. I look forward to seeing you again next time!" Liu Xi said with a bright smile, waving to them before turning and leaving.

"Damn it, who wants to see you again?!" Only after Liu Xi had gone did Luo Ke rise, clutching his stomach as he spoke resentfully. Then, Luo Ke suddenly smiled strangely. "We'll meet again soon."

The only tall, thin young man among them who had not been injured looked at the number 10 remaining on the mirrored surface of his Dou Crystal Card and said with a face full of regret, "I only have ten days of Fire Energy left. Coming to this Fire Energy Hunt Competition was such a huge loss. How did a freak like this emerge among the new students?"

"Luo Ke, what do we do now? Even if we rob more new students, it won't make up for this loss," the tall, thin young man said to Luo Ke.

"What he took, we'll naturally make him spit back out. His methods are indeed strange, but he's only a Da Dou Shi. With the amount of Fire Energy he has now, once we spread the word, plenty of people will target him," Luo Ke said coldly.

After leaving, Liu Xi found a relatively safe place before taking out a pill to restore his Dou Qi and swallowing it, recovering his strength with a faint look of exhaustion. Liu Xi had been able to handle being besieged by several people with ease partly by using Illusion Technique to conceal himself, and partly by relying on Crimson Flame's instantaneous bursts to end battles. All of that was still somewhat taxing for the current Liu Xi. After all, his cultivation was relatively low, and his reserves of Dou Qi were ultimately limited.

Once Liu Xi had recovered enough, he rose again and headed toward the Inner Court.

Suddenly, a sneaky figure appeared not far ahead of Liu Xi. The moment he saw Liu Xi, his expression changed drastically, and he turned to flee.

Liu Xi saw that the man wore a badge embroidered with a tower on his chest. He was a Senior Student. Though Liu Xi was somewhat puzzled as to why a Senior Student would be alone, he had enough confidence not to care about the reason, and he gave chase.

Before long, through Liu Xi's soul perception, he sensed three powerful auras in the direction the Senior Student was fleeing—auras so obvious they could not be concealed even if they tried.

"So he's looking for reinforcements." Liu Xi smiled coolly and continued chasing after him, arriving before the three men.

Liu Xi looked at the three figures sitting cross-legged atop a huge rock. Upon his arrival, they all opened their eyes and looked toward him. The Senior Student who had fled earlier also stopped before the three, panting heavily.

The man on the left among the three looked at Liu Xi and said indifferently, "My name is Zhou Fan. I know quite a few Senior Students in this forest call you the Demon Lord, but I don't think you deserve that title. Still, you're qualified to let me know your name."

The man in the middle continued, "Hand over the Fire Energy you stole, and spare yourself further physical suffering."

The last man said nothing, merely watching Liu Xi with a cold expression.

"So this is a plot aimed at me. As for the Fire Energy, what I took belongs to me. Isn't that the rule of this Fire Energy Hunt Competition?" Liu Xi said calmly after hearing them out.

"Hmph! Do you think you can still escape?" Zhou Fan said coldly. As his words fell, eleven more powerful auras emerged from the surrounding forest, sealing off every possible route Liu Xi might use to escape.

"My name is Liu Xi. And if I want to leave, who can stop me?" Liu Xi said with a light laugh.

"Is that so? Attack."

In an instant, blasts of multicolored energy descended upon Liu Xi's position, but right before everyone's eyes, his body transformed into a streak of light and vanished.

"If you want to ambush me, wait until your next life! I'll be going now." Liu Xi's voice came from afar, fading as it traveled farther and farther away.

"Damn it, he still got away."

Two days later

Liu Xi looked happily at the 538 displayed on his black Dou Crystal Card. However, senior students were no longer so easy to rob. Most of them now moved in groups of at least two teams, making it difficult for him to strike.

But as a result, his reputation among the senior students had become utterly infamous. Since they could not cause trouble for him, many senior students began taking it out on the new students instead, earning him quite a bit of resentment among the new students as well. That was rather awkward.

Liu Xi sighed helplessly. "Forget it. After all, the strong are always lonely!"

When Liu Xi emerged from the forest, he immediately spotted a conspicuous platform. Elder Su and Elder Qing, whom he had seen at the beginning, were sitting atop it, chatting and laughing.

A team stood beneath the platform. Liu Xi walked up to them and said with a smile, "Looks like you're the final checkpoint."

When they saw Liu Xi, a cold-looking young man who appeared to be their leader stepped forward and said icily, "My name is Yang Xiao. A one-star Dou Ling. Defeat me, and you may pass."

Liu Xi frowned after hearing that. This Fire Energy Hunt Competition had not given the new students any chance to pass smoothly at all. This was nothing but a blatant Show of Force!

"Then let's begin," Liu Xi said in a deep voice after taking a breath.

The moment he finished speaking, a fierce gust swept toward him. Yang Xiao had already charged in with his spear, waves of chill radiating from the icy Dou Qi around him. Naturally, Liu Xi would not confront him head-on. The figure he had left behind was already nothing more than an afterimage. The spear pierced through it like a dragon, and it dispersed into a streak of light.

Yang Xiao frowned when he saw Liu Xi's figure vanish into light, then immediately unleashed a wide-range Dou Skill.

"Thousand Miles of Ice!"

Terrifying icy Dou Qi spread outward from Yang Xiao, turning everything around him into a field of ice.

Liu Xi found this move extremely troublesome. He had been hiding near Yang Xiao, and this attack had nearly frozen him solid. Furthermore, the cold dispersed the heat, leaving his Crimson Flame unable to absorb heat to strengthen itself.

I can't keep dragging this out, Liu Xi thought. He immediately revealed himself not far in front of Yang Xiao and said, "Then let's settle this in one move!"

The moment Yang Xiao saw Liu Xi appear, his gaze sharpened. He charged forward with his spear. Just as the two were about to collide, a strange smile appeared at the corner of Liu Xi's lips.

"Pill Fire Technique, Crimson Flame Mad Lion!"

Before Yang Xiao's shocked eyes, Liu Xi's body flickered, then completely transformed into a massive flaming lion roaring toward the heavens!

"Boom!"

The Crimson Flame, which consumed most of Liu Xi's Dou Qi, erupted in full force. The terrifying blast wave swallowed Yang Xiao whole. This was Liu Xi's strongest strike, comparable to an Earth Tier Dou Skill.

When the flames finally dispersed, Yang Xiao's figure reappeared. His clothes were tattered, and his face was covered in bruises. After taking Liu Xi's Crimson Flame Mad Lion head-on, Yang Xiao only shot Liu Xi a vicious glare before rolling his eyes back and collapsing unconscious.

At that moment, Elder Su rushed down from the platform with a grave expression. He first examined Yang Xiao's injuries, and only after confirming that there was no serious problem did he look up at the equally pale Liu Xi. With an odd expression, he said, "You win!"