Three days later, the Flame Energy Hunt Competition finally came to an end.
When the last few battered yet exhilarated freshman teams clutched their seized Flame Energy Crystal Cards tightly and rushed out from the edge of the forest—
It signified the official conclusion of this cruel and intense initiation ceremony.
The Inner Academy plaza had long since gathered many older students and elders who had come to watch the results.
When they saw the freshmen who had successfully returned—each one wounded and clad in tattered clothes, yet with sharp glints in their eyes forged through blood and fire—many older students nodded to themselves.
This year's freshmen had far more backbone than those of previous years.
Great Elder Su Qian stood atop the platform with several other elders, his gaze sweeping over the assembled freshman teams below.
When his eyes passed over a certain corner and failed to find the black-clothed figure he had expected, a trace of complicated emotion flashed through his eyes.
Gu Long stood slightly behind Su Qian's side, his expression calm, as though everything before him had nothing to do with him.
His gaze lingered briefly on several outstanding teams.
In particular, he gave an extra glance to the team that Hu Jia had rallied again, which had temporarily joined forces with Wu Hao and the others before ultimately claiming first place in Flame Energy.
"Silence!" An elder stepped forward, his booming voice suppressing the clamor in the square.
Everyone's attention focused on the platform.
That elder began announcing the final rankings and Flame Energy rewards for this Flame Energy Hunt Competition.
When he read out the top three teams and announced the amount of Flame Energy they had received, the crowd below immediately gasped, followed by an eruption of envious cries and exclamations.
"How much?!