White Robe and Black Robe

At the lush, tree-lined Back Mountain of the Jia Nan Academy, Xun'er, dressed in a light blue robe, and Xiao Yu, in a red suit, leaned against each other, both with expressions of longing on their faces.

"Xun'er, when do you think those two will come to the academy?"

Xiao Yu rested her chin on her hand and said in a slightly resentful voice.

"Xiao Yu, don't worry, I believe Brother Xiao Yan and Brother Xiao Yuan will arrive at the academy soon."

Xun'er already knew some of the information, smiled and comforted her.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu nodded helplessly. She had gotten used to Xun'er's mysterious ability to always obtain information.

Xun'er doesn't say anything, she won't ask any more questions.

Then, she changed the subject and asked slowly, "Has Bai Shan been bothering you again lately? He's such an annoying pest."

Hearing the undisguised disgust in Xiao Yu's voice, Xun'er shook her head helplessly and said, "He is indeed a bit annoying, but he hasn't done anything outrageous. I can't just cripple him because of that, can I?"

"Alas! It's a pity I don't have your talent, otherwise I would definitely help you teach that hypocrite a lesson!"

Xiao Yu retorted angrily upon hearing this, and her fierce expression made Xun'er smile involuntarily.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No, I just think you're really nice, Xiao Yu."

Xun'er said with a light smile.

"Hmph, who are we to each other?" Xiao Yu puffed out her round chest and smiled, then her face hardened again. "Don't worry, I'll go and tell Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan, and have them beat up that Bai Shan guy. If Xiao Yan beats him up, it's your responsibility; if Xiao Yuan beats him up, it's mine!"

Hearing this, Xun'er knew Xiao Yu meant well, but she was still a little amused and exasperated. "Xiao Yu, we're not some kind of bandit gang, is it really necessary to act like this?"

"Hmph, when have you ever seen me reason with someone I hate?"

Xiao Yu said with a hint of pride.

Upon hearing this, Xun'er could only shrug and show a helpless expression.

"You two are here again!"

At that moment, a gentle, soft voice, imbued with a mature charm, rang out.

Upon hearing that gentle voice, the two women, who should have smiled, simultaneously stiffened, turned around awkwardly, and greeted her guiltily, "Mentor Ruo Lin!"

At this moment, Mentor Ruo Lin was wearing a light blue instructor's robe. More than two years had not left any marks on her gentle and beautiful face. On the contrary, with the passage of time, she appeared even more mature and charming than she had been two years ago.

Mentor Ruo Lin approached Xun'er, patted the latter's head helplessly, and said, "In another half month, it will be the academy's Advancement Tournament. You should know that as long as you pass the competition, you will be qualified to enter the Inner Academy for cultivation. There are only fifty places in the academy each year. You could have participated last year, but you gave it up."

"Last year, when Xun'er first arrived, how dare I compete with all the senior students?" Xun'er said playfully.

Xiao Yu, who was standing to the side, wanted to laugh when she heard this, but she held it back.

"And you! Xiao Yu! I have no idea what you're thinking, you little idiot! You had a chance to go directly into the Inner Academy last year, but you insisted on wasting your time here. This year, the overall strength of the students is even stronger than last year, making it even more difficult for you to enter the Inner Academy!"

Seeing Xiao Yu trying to chuckle, Mentor Ruo Lin became even angrier. She reached out and tapped Xiao Yu's smooth forehead, saying angrily.

"You two just wait, just keep wasting your time!" At this point, Mentor Ruo Lin suddenly gritted her teeth, a hint of indignation flashing across her gentle face, and she even swore, a rare occurrence for her. "Those two little bastards, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan, dared to mess with me! I had to work so hard to get them a year's vacation, and now a year has long passed, and those two little bastards still haven't shown up! It's infuriating! If it weren't for you two precious girls constantly pestering me, I would have just crossed their names off the list!"

"Don't worry, Mentor Ruo Lin, Brother Xiao Yan will definitely come this year," Xun'er said hurriedly.

"Yes, Xiao Yuan will definitely arrive in time!" Xiao Yu added.

"Even if they come, what's the use? They've missed two years of academy training. Do you think their training speed outside can be faster than the academy's training methods that have been thoroughly evaluated by our predecessors?" Mentor Ruo Lin rolled her eyes at the two girls, then said helplessly, "To successfully obtain a spot, you need at least the strength of Da Dou Shi. This year's Bai Shan and Hu Jia are no pushovers!"

"Mentor Ruo Lin, back then Xiao Yuan was already a Dou Shi) in strength," Xiao Yu said with a smile, her eyebrows curving slightly.

Although she hadn't finished speaking, it still made Mentor Ruo Lin blush slightly.

Just thinking about the feeling of Xiao Yuan's icy hands against her back sent a chill down her spine.

I really don't know how that kid cultivated. His combat power is so terrifying. If he can really arrive in time, he might actually be able to compete for the top spot in the Advancement Tournament!

"Fine, I can't stand you two anymore. This is the second time already. If they don't come again, I'll just apply for their expulsion. I'm so angry I'm getting wrinkles!"

Looking at her two precious students, Mentor Ruo Lin couldn't refuse their request. She shook her head helplessly and said wearily.

"Then thank you, Mentor Ruo Lin!" Upon hearing this Xun'er and Xiao Yu immediately grabbed one of Mentor Ruo Lin's arms each, giggling and acting coquettishly.

On the other side, after a period of high-speed running, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan, one in white and one in black, finally saw a small black dot appear in their field of vision. As they got closer, the black dot gradually expanded, and scattered white tents appeared in their field of vision. It turned out to be a small tribe.

The two slowed their movements, exchanged a glance, nodded to each other, and then lightly touched the ground with their toes, dashing towards the small tribe like lightning.

After running for nearly two or three minutes, the tribe finally came into full view of the two men, so they gradually slowed down and slowly walked towards the tribe's gate.

As Xiao Yan slowly approached the tribe's gate, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly took a step back. A long arrow suddenly pierced through the air at incredible speed, clearly indicating that the attacker had no intention of holding back! Xiao Yuan, standing to the side, reacted even faster. Black ice mist surged in his hand as he grabbed the arrow, then spun around and hurled it with tremendous force, like throwing a shot put!

With a sharp, rapid whooshing sound, the arrow shot back, twice as fast as it had been when it came! The next moment, the sound of an arrowhead piercing flesh rang out, followed by a scream that echoed through the sky.

"If you want to die, just say so. Don't hide your intentions in your actions!"

Xiao Yuan's voice rang out coldly.

"Where did this greenhorn come from? He doesn't even know the custom of offering roadside food a hundred meters away before entering the tribe?"

Upon hearing this, a figure leaped onto the fence. Hearing Xiao Yuan's words, he was first taken aback, then seemed to understand something. He raised an eyebrow, but a strange look flashed quickly in his eyes.

Xiao Yan frowned. A road offering?

But the Third Brother next to him once again demonstrated to Xiao Yan what it means to integrate into the environment at lightning speed.

"If your road offerings are arrows like these, then you might as well wash your necks and wait to die."

Xiao Yuan's words completely baffled Xiao Yan and the people on the opposite fence.

After a moment, the two realized that Xiao Yuan meant the other party had to give him a travel permit.

"He really is a hothead."

The man on the fence revealed a mocking smile upon hearing this, and was about to make a sarcastic remark when he noticed that the two figures, one black and one white, a hundred meters away had now been reduced to a single black shadow.

Where is that clueless young man in white?

A sense of dread rose within him, followed by a chill running down his spine.

However, before he could react, the chill seeped from his back to his chest.

At the same time, he finally caught a glimpse of a white figure appearing behind him out of the corner of his eye; a large hood concealed his face.

Immediately afterwards, his strength dissipated rapidly like a deflated balloon, and the black Ice Cone on his chest sent a chilling sensation throughout his body.

How is that possible?

After muttering an incredulous thought to himself, everything went black before his eyes, and he completely lost consciousness.

"What the hell? I was told to hand over the road access fee, and now I have to come and get it myself?"

Xiao Yuan cursed and pulled the Storage Ring off his finger, then ransacked the place.

The three people holding blades beside them also stared in horror at the white-clad figure in front of them, their hands still trembling as they gripped their knives.

"Are the three of you in cahoots with him, or with him? Will you hand over the confession yourselves, or do I have to ask you for it personally?"

Xiao Yuan pointed to the unlucky guy on the ground who had been pierced to the bone by his casual Ice Cone, and the unlucky guy in the distance who had been pinned to a wooden stake by his arrow, and said in a flat voice without a trace of warmth.

"My lord, we were blind! Could you please leave some for us?"

Without hesitation, the three knelt down on the spot and said in a trembling voice.

"His posture was sloppy at the front and obsequious at the back; it's laughable to think about."

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan smiled coldly, then snapped his fingers, and black ice mist surged out, freezing him into an ice sculpture.

"Brother, this..."

Xiao Yan looked at the three ice sculptures in front of him with some hesitation, but still didn't say anything.

"These three idiots wanted to ambush me while I was collecting road information. Heh heh, with their pathetic skills and acting, they think they can fool me?"

Xiao Yuan gave Xiao Yan a special explanation, and casually gestured for Xiao Yan to look at the three people's hands holding the swords. Even in the frozen state, it was very obvious that the three people's palms and arms showed signs of exertion. If Xiao Yuan had let his guard down just now, he would have suffered some losses.

"Smack!"

The next moment, Xiao Yuan shattered the ice sculpture, and with a wave of his hand, three Storage Ring, enveloped in soul power, flew over and landed in his hand.

After looting the place, Xiao Yuan threw the Storage Ring on the ground in great disappointment and said disdainfully, "The combined wealth of the three of you isn't even enough to buy a single grade-four Medicinal Herbs. And you still dare to come out and rob people?"

"After all, they are just a few Dou Shi, so it's normal."

Xiao Yan shrugged and said casually.

"Forget it, let's go buy a map and get some supplies."

Xiao Yuan waved his hand listlessly, and then led Xiao Yan into the main road of the tribe.

On both sides of the road were tents, and outside the tents were all sorts of stalls displaying strange and unusual items. On the street, there were also many people carrying weapons wandering around, and some people hurriedly looked away from the two of them, obviously afraid that Xiao Yuan would cause them trouble.

Only after the two figures slowly disappeared around the street corner did the crowd resume its lively activity. They glanced at the body that had collapsed by the gate with smiles, showing no pity, but merely clicking their tongues in admiration:

"Hey, this young man in white is really ruthless. He's decisive and doesn't hesitate at all when he kills people. Those unlucky guys were blind to have run into a local from the Black-Corner Region."

Meanwhile, the brothers Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan, after searching along these not-too-long streets, were disappointed to find that this small tribe had no maps to sell. "Speechless. I think they don't lack maps, but rather don't want to give them out. Should we just grab someone and torture them?"

Under Xiao Yuan's influence, Xiao Yan had clearly also gotten into character, and now he said with a fierce expression.

Just as Xiao Yuan was about to answer, a slightly overweight figure suddenly appeared in front of them, with a big smile on his face.

"You two gentlemen are buying maps, aren't you? I saw you asking around the whole way here," the fat man said with a smile before Xiao Yuan could deliver a fatal blow.

"You have it?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan glanced at the unfamiliar fat man and asked.

"I am a merchant traveling across the Black-Region Great Plains, so naturally I must carry the most detailed maps," the fat man said with a smile.

"Price?" Xiao Yuan asked succinctly, his voice indifferent.

"Hehe, to tell you the truth, even if you have a map, it will be difficult to find the correct destination on the Black-Region Great Plains. This is because Black Storm that blot out the sky appear on the plains from time to time. At such times, the map will be useless. Only those with experience can successfully get out of the Black Storm. However, I see that you two are unfamiliar faces, so you must be newcomers and do not have this kind of experience, right?"

The fat man shook his head and smiled, "I won't beat around the Black-Region Great Plains and enter the inner Black-Corner Region, you can travel with me. However, as payment for leading you out of the plains, you will need to lend a hand if my caravan encounters any trouble. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned slightly and cautiously asked in his mind, "Teacher, is it really as he said?"

After receiving Yao Lao's affirmative answer, Xiao Yan nodded to Xiao Yuan.

"Hehe, you have a good eye. But I'm sure you can tell that although we're new here, we're not exactly benevolent people. If you're lying, we can't say anything, but you definitely won't make it out of the Black-Region Great Plains."

Xiao Yuan's voice was calm, but it sent a chill down the fat man's spine. He couldn't help but shiver and quickly said respectfully, "Of course, my name is Do Ma. May I ask how you two are addressed?"

"White clothes".

"Black robe."