King Meets King

A night of rest was not long, but with Xiao Yan, the Medicine Pot, helping out, the new students had basically recovered their fighting strength.

With only the final checkpoint ahead, everyone was fired up, vigorous battle intent surging from the depths of their eyes.

At the end of the forest.

The branches in the woods shook rapidly as one new student after another, surrounded by Dou Qi of various colors, flashed out.

"They're here."

Han Yue slowly opened her cool eyes, her lips parting slightly.

Qin Han stroked his chin with interest as he looked toward the end of the Forest Path. A trace of heat appeared in his eyes, and even the Fallen Heart Flame within him faintly showed signs of growing restless.

After gathering together, the new students moved aside to both sides, revealing the area in the middle.

Fine footsteps sounded once more from the narrow exit connected to the Fire Energy Forest. Four figures emerged side by side from the darkness and finally came to a stop before the new students.

The young man at the front wore a black robe, a heavy ruler strapped to his back, his steps steady.

From Xiao Yan and the others' perspective, two figures stood on the high slope ahead.

A man and a woman stood side by side.

The man wore a Silver-Trimmed Blue Robe. His features were handsome and refined, and he looked only a little over twenty, yet the sharp aura emanating from him was far beyond any of the old students they had encountered before.

The woman had Waist-Length Silver Hair. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, and her temperament was cold and detached.

Xiao Yan could not see through either of their cultivation levels at all...

"It's them..."

Behind Xiao Yan, a new student said quietly, "The two people the Black Fiend Team mentioned..."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

The new students silently assumed fighting stances as Dou Qi surged around them.

"Be careful, Brother Xiao Yan..." Just as Xiao Yan was startled by the unfathomable strength of the two, a soft, smooth touch suddenly brushed against his palm.

Xuner's gentle voice reached his ear.

"Hey, you aren't seriously planning to force your way through, are you?"

A teasing voice came from beside them. It was Sha Tie, with many other old students nearby.

After being defeated by Xiao Yan and the others over the past two days, the old students had not left. They simply wanted to see how far these people could go.

"A friendly reminder: even in the Inner Academy, there aren't many people who can beat these two. Are you sure you want to give it a try?"

Sha Tie sat cross-legged atop a pile of rocks, wearing the expression of someone watching a show.

"Hmph! They're only two people. We have more than forty people—over twenty against one. We can wear them down even if it kills us!"

"That's right! With Senior Xiao Yan and the others here, we're definitely getting through this checkpoint!"

"Since the academy sent them to guard this checkpoint, they can't possibly be unbeatable opponents."

Defeating the Black Fiend Team earlier had given the new students ample confidence.

Xiao Yan motioned for everyone to quiet down, but just as he was about to step forward, another voice sounded from behind him.

"Xiao Yan..."

Xiao Yan turned around and saw Wu Hao's bitter, helpless smile.

"Don't tell me you think we can't win either."

Xiao Yan raised a brow.

Wu Hao let out a long sigh and shook his head slightly. "It's not that I think we can't win. It's that we have no chance of winning at all."

As he spoke, Wu Hao glanced at Qin Han in the distance. The two nodded to each other from afar.

One was Wu Tianlang's adopted son, while the other was the chief captain under Wu Tianlang's command. Their relationship was close.

Within the Enforcement Team, Qin Han was practically the idol and goal of the younger generation of team members, including Wu Hao.

Entrusted by Wu Tianlang, Qin Han had often guided Wu Hao in ordinary times. He was half teacher and half older brother to him, and had even taken Wu Hao on several missions.

If anyone present understood Qin Han's strength best, it was undoubtedly Wu Hao.

"I also suggest... giving up..."

Those words came from Hu Jia.

She was not familiar with Qin Han, but half a year ago, she had happened to accompany her grandfather, Hu Gan, on a mission.

Qin Han's Enforcement Team had been among those accompanying them.

During that mission, she had personally witnessed Qin Han fight two opponents alone and defeat two late-stage Dou Ling experts, killing one and severely injuring the other.

The bloody scene and his ruthless methods still filled Hu Jia with lingering fear.

Hearing Wu Hao and Hu Jia admit defeat one after the other, Xiao Yan could not help but frown deeply.

He knew their temperaments well. One was bloodthirsty and battle-hungry, while the other feared neither heaven nor earth. Yet before the final Gatekeepers, both had already developed thoughts of retreat before a fight had even begun.

That could only mean the opponents were terrifyingly strong.

For a moment, Xiao Yan hesitated.

But asking him to surrender with both hands raised before even fighting was clearly impossible.

"Xuner, what do you think..." Just as Xiao Yan was unable to make a decision and was about to seek his girlfriend's opinion, a voice that rang out in his mind caused his pupils to suddenly contract.

The way he looked at Qin Han became even more solemn.

"I'll go have a talk."

Xiao Yan gave them a brief word.

On the high slope, Han Yue softly said to Qin Han, "Hold back a little. Don't really hurt them."

Qin Han nodded, a trace of fiery excitement appearing deep in his eyes.

After saying that, he stepped forward into the air and descended, landing lightly in the middle of the forest path like a feather, directly blocking Xiao Yan's way.

The two stood ten zhang apart.

Their eyes met.

"New student, Xiao Yan."

"Inner Academy Gatekeeper, Qin Han."

Qin Han introduced himself and smiled faintly. "Congratulations on making it this far. But those are the Inner Academy's rules: defeat me before you can enter the Inner Academy."

"Or... you can hand over your Fire Crystal Cards directly. But I don't think you'd be willing to do that."

"You can all come at me together."

He said it casually and calmly, yet his confidence was beyond question.

"I want to know why the Inner Academy sent you to guard the final checkpoint," Xiao Yan said, not answering Qin Han's question directly.

Qin Han knowingly asked, "Me? Why not?"

Xiao Yan pondered briefly. "A Half-Step Dou King Strong Expert who also controls the Fallen Heart Flame—there would be no chance of victory even if we attacked together."

There was no need to ask where Qin Han's information had come from. Old Man must have told him.

Qin Han was not surprised in the slightest, but the surrounding new students and older students all stiffened.

Forget the new students—even most of the older students had no idea when Qin Han had cultivated to the Half-Step Dou King level!

In the Inner Academy students' impressions, Qin Han had merely been a mid-ranked expert on the Strong Ranking, ranked even lower than Han Yue beside him.

Qin Han revealed an amused smile. "Because among this batch of new students, there is also someone who controls Heavenly Flames."

"Besides, your strength is far from as simple as it appears on the surface, isn't it?"

This time, Xiao Yan's pupils shook violently.

He subconsciously asked in his heart, "Teacher, have they discovered you?"

"They shouldn't have. There's no one nearby whose Soul Power is stronger than mine... To be safe, don't contact me for the time being."

"Alright..."

"Hehe, don't underestimate Jia Nan Academy's intelligence network! The Academy has a thorough grasp of every new student's background."

"Although I don't know why you can sometimes unleash Dou Emperor-level combat power, you are definitely enough to attract the Academy's attention. Sending me here is not excessive."

Just as Xiao Yan's heart was trembling, Qin Han lowered his voice and spoke in a tone only the two of them could hear.

Those words not only dispelled Xiao Yan's concerns, but also allowed Qin Han to successfully shift the source of the information onto the Academy.

"So, Xiao Yan, are you interested in exchanging a few moves?"

"To be fair, I have two options for you to choose from."

Qin Han deliberately raised his voice.

After considering it for a moment, Xiao Yan nodded heavily. "I'm all ears!"