Who told you the White Slayers Team was here this year? (Seeking collections, seeking free recommendation tickets~)

Deep within the forest, an unprecedented counter-hunt was underway.

Five figures darted swiftly through the trees, toppling one team of older students after another.

The five had barely any coordination to speak of. They relied entirely on overwhelming individual strength, defeating their opponents one-on-one.

"Are these New Students... monsters?!"

An older student whose Flame Energy had been taken lay sprawled on the ground, staring bitterly at the five figures receding into the distance.

Three of his companions lay beside him, all defeated by that same five-person team of New Students in less than half an hour.

They were not the first. Three teams of older students had already been defeated by the New Student squad.

Each team had an average strength of two- to three-star Da Dou Shi, yet they could not last even the time it took to drink a cup of tea against those five New Students.

More frighteningly, as they grew accustomed to battle, the five began to coordinate with one another. Their overall combat strength was still increasing at a visible rate.

At the end of the forest, atop a high slope.

Han Yue held a palm-sized Bronze Ancient Mirror in her hand.

Its surface was as smooth as water, currently reflecting a battle taking place somewhere within the forest.

Xiao Yan wielded the Dark Black Ruler, facing two opponents alone. The ruler shadows shifted unpredictably, and for a time, he fought the two older students to a standstill.

Golden Light flickered between Xiao Xun'er's fingers as dazzling golden palm prints surged toward her opponent like an avalanche.

"Pfft—"

The six-star Da Dou Shi older student failed to dodge in time and was struck by several palms in succession. He finally fell to defeat at Xiao Xun'er's hands.

"Brother Xiao Yan, I'll help you!"

Having dealt with one opponent, Xiao Xun'er did not pause for even a moment. Her Golden Light Dou Qi surged as she shot toward the battle between Xiao Yan and the other two.

With one member of the older student team down, the situation instantly tipped in Xiao Yan's favor.

Before the time it took for an incense stick to burn, golden palm prints and black ruler shadows shot forth at the same time, sending two figures flying away like kites with snapped strings.

The fourth older student team had fallen to Xiao Yan's group.

"Hurry and adjust yourselves. Restore your Dou Qi!"

The instant the battle ended, Xiao Yan flicked several medicinal pills from his fingers, sending them toward Xuner and the others.

He also grabbed a handful of Qi Recovery Pills and swallowed them whole before sitting down cross-legged...

"So strong."

Han Yue sighed softly, a trace of amazement flashing through her eyes. "Especially that young man and woman—their practical combat experience is nothing like what one would expect from the Outer Academy."

"Back then, we weren't nearly this capable."

Qin Han sat beside her, his gaze likewise fixed upon the mirror as he said with a smile, "The top five of our class weren't this united."

"Otherwise, we might not have failed to get past the Black and White Duo."

That had happened three years ago.

Qin Han had only recently transmigrated then and was still becoming familiar with this world, in the early stages of exploring the [Myriad Flames Compendium].

Yet he had already collected two flames. One of them was the sixth-tier Crimson Flame Tiger Beast Flame he obtained from the Scripture Pavilion, and it was a complete Origin Fire Seed.

After the [Myriad Flames Compendium] was activated, its development level immediately reached 100%.

With a sixth-tier flame enhancing him, Qin Han, who was only a six-star Da Dou Shi, was capable of contending with eight- or nine-star Da Dou Shi.

Han Yue, who ranked first in the Outer Academy selection, possessed the strength of a peak Da Dou Shi.

Unfortunately, after their class's top five team entered the forest, two members left the group. The remaining three barely managed to form a team, with Qin Han and Han Yue among them.

The three defeated five older student teams in succession, but unfortunately, they could not get past the Black Fiend Team.

In the final battle, Qin Han and Han Yue each faced two opponents alone. Their remaining teammate could not hold on and could only concede defeat.

"They're moving again."

Han Yue reminded him.

The scene within the Bronze Ancient Mirror shifted, switching to another battlefield.

This time, there were no longer just five New Students in the scene, but nearly twenty.

Xiao Yan stood at the very front of the crowd. Behind him were Xuner, Hu Jia, Wu Hao, Bai Shan, and more than a dozen New Students who should have been fighting separately throughout the forest.

All of them bore injuries to varying degrees, and their breaths were somewhat disordered, but at this moment, they had clearly been united as one.

Facing them was an older student team of roughly the same size.

"Who would have thought that the Flame Energy Hunting Competition could one day turn into a group battle?"

Han Yue smiled, but her expression soon changed slightly.

"No, there are more people behind them. Those are... members of the Black Fiend Team?"

From the Bronze Ancient Mirror's perspective, five older students dressed in black robes were quietly observing everything from the edge of the battlefield.

"Like a mantis stalking a cicada..."

Han Yue said in a low voice, "The New Students are in trouble..."

Qin Han merely smiled. "Not necessarily..."

Han Yue had thought Qin Han was only joking, but the battle that followed made her look at him differently once again.

The New Students' group consecutively defeated three teams of older students, and despite their severe exhaustion, they managed to take down the Black Fiend Team.

Forest battlefield.

Xiao Yan put away his heavy ruler, and the green flames withdrew into his body.

He walked up to Sha Tie and held out his hand. "Fire energy."

Sha Tie's face was full of pain, but he still tossed over his Fire Crystal Card. His mouth twitched. "Damn it, we took a huge loss this time!"

After deducting ninety percent of the fire energy on it, Xiao Yan did not return the card to Sha Tie. Instead, he asked with a smile, "Hehe, Senior Sha Tie, could you tell me something about the final team?"

Sha Tie rolled his eyes wildly. He was already in a foul mood and had no interest in responding to Xiao Yan. Just as he was about to refuse, the other party held up a number that was hard for him to turn down.

"Paid information. Twenty days of fire energy."

Sha Tie gritted his teeth, his eyelids twitching furiously. Though his expression was vicious, his tone softened. "Deal!"

Only after receiving twenty days of fire energy did Sha Tie's twitching expression ease slightly.

He sat up straight, and his very first words made Xiao Yan frown.

"Who told you there's a White Slayers Team this year?"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. "Hasn't the final gatekeeping team in previous years always been the Black and White Duo?"

Sha Tie chuckled. "You said it yourself—that was in previous years. This year is different. There are only two people at the final checkpoint."

"However, either one of them is stronger than the entire White Slayers Team combined!"

Sha Tie's answer made Xiao Yan's expression turn completely grave.

"Could you tell me more specifically about those two?"

Sha Tie curled his lip. "They're both experts of the Inner Academy. Even if I told you, you wouldn't know them."

"To be honest, I don't understand why the Inner Academy sent those two out either. But let me advise you: if those two have no intention of going easy on you, surrendering is the only way you'll walk out of this forest."

Xiao Yan handed the Fire Crystal Card back to Sha Tie and left with a heavy heart.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the forest.

"The New Students... really won?"

When she heard Sha Tie say, "We surrender," Han Yue's beautiful eyes widened. Her slender fingers covered her red lips, her face full of disbelief.

"See? I told you."

Qin Han gave her a smug smile.

"Judging by this group of New Students' overall strength, if they can gather all their forces and face the White Slayers Team... they might really be able to clear the trial."

Han Yue's willow brows furrowed slightly as she pondered seriously.

Qin Han neither agreed nor disagreed.

No one understood this group of New Students' strength better than he did. Setting the others aside, if Xiao Yan directly threw out a Green-White Fire Lotus, then forget Luo Hou and those other small fry—even Qin Han might not be able to retreat unscathed.

That was the power of fusing two Heavenly Flames. Qin Han's cultivation was far above Xiao Yan's, but he was at a disadvantage because he had mastered only one Heavenly Flame.

But that would completely change tomorrow.

After their bloody battle with the Black Fiend Team, the New Students' group entered a period of rest and recovery.

Until the next day, when the first ray of sunlight fell upon the Fire Energy Forest, fifty... no, to be precise, forty-nine New Students simultaneously headed toward the edge of the forest.