A New Faction

The leading freshman glared angrily at the senior student before him and said, "We are well aware of the rules regarding freshmen paying tribute, but there is also an unwritten rule in the Inner Academy that freshmen can only pay tribute to a maximum of two factions. If any additional factions want it, they must approach the two factions that have already paid tribute."

"We only received ten Fire Energy as a reward in this Inner Academy Fire Energy Hunt Competition. If we have to pay tribute now, I can only say that we are not being taken advantage of!" the young man said quite firmly.

Upon hearing the young man's words, the senior student opposite him grinned maliciously and said, "Good, very good. As expected of a freshman who managed to snatch a senior student away in this Fire Energy Hunt Competition. Although this is not an arena, the academy doesn't interfere with the students' usual sparring. Looks like you want to suffer some physical pain?"

The group of freshmen around them looked at the senior students with righteous indignation. The anger in their eyes made the dozen or so senior students who were watching the show on the other side frown slightly and also surrounded them. Under the suppression of so many senior students, a trace of panic appeared on the faces of many freshmen. After all, most of them were only at the Peak Dou Master, with the strength of One-Star Great Dou Master.

These senior students are at least Three Star Da Dou Shi, and two of them have extremely powerful auras, estimated to be seven or eight-star Da Dou Shi.

"Hey, haven't you seniors learned your lesson from the Fire Energy Hunt Competition yet?" A cheerful voice came from behind the group of freshmen.

The faces of the older students quickly darkened, their cold gazes sweeping over the group of freshmen as they snarled, "Who's talking there? Get out here!"

"Oh, as expected of the seniors who haven't learned their lesson. It seems you seniors aren't all of one mind. Well, they're too embarrassed to talk about the torment they suffered in the Fire Energy Hunt Competition." A faint laugh rang out again. At this moment, the group of freshmen suddenly parted to make way for Xiao Yu and his group.

The senior student at the head of the group suddenly narrowed his eyes. He must be one of the people watching the show on the hillside. This group consisted of the top five students from the Outer Academy, all of whom were quite strong. He naturally recognized Xiao Yu who was speaking.

"Are you going to stand up for them?" the young man asked, his eyes darkening.

Xiao Yu couldn't help but find it amusing and said, "I came to the Inner Academy from the Outer Academy with them; we're all freshmen. If I don't help them, why should I help you?"

The freshmen next to him looked at Xiao Yu and felt a warm current flow through their hearts. After all, they had all come from the Outer Academy together, and Xiao Yu did not look down on them because of the difference in strength!

The young man then looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Helping us isn't out of the question, as long as the top five in this Inner Academy Selection Tournament agree to join our Green Mountain, the treatment we at Green Mountain will offer you will be excellent!"

These words immediately made the hearts of the surrounding freshmen jump. After all, they were all freshmen and had not joined any gangs. If they joined an old gang, they would definitely be among the bottom and be exploited. Therefore, they all wanted to establish a new gang, preferably formed by the top five in this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament!

But now this gang called Green Mountain is actually inviting Xiao Yu and his group to join. If Xiao Yu and his group agree, then those of them with lower strength will have no choice but to join other gangs!

Xiao Yan stood beside Xiao Yu and said coldly, "That's impossible. We have no intention of joining any gang at the moment. You've already collected the Newcomer Tribute Fee that the senior students wanted, so I hope you won't push your luck!"

Xiao Yu simply stood aside and watched the senior students. His thoughts were basically the same as Xiao Yan's: establishing their own power was the most correct choice in the Inner Academy, provided that Xiao Yu and his group had enough strength!

If these old students from Green Mountain are still stubborn and want to be beaten up, Xiao Yu naturally wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson.

"Fine, you freshmen are impressive, just you wait!" The young man was still afraid of the group of people who had snatched the seniors from the Fire Energy Hunt Competition, so he could only leave with a harsh remark before hurriedly leading his men away.

After seeing the senior students leave, the freshmen around them breathed a slight sigh of relief. The lead freshman bowed to Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan, saying, "Thank you so much for helping us out, seniors!"

Xiao Yu looked at the young man in front of him with interest. He was quite prestigious among the freshmen, and it seemed that this group of freshmen was his doing. So he asked, "What's your name?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's question, the young man scratched his head shyly and said, "Senior Xiao Yu, my A Tai."

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "I remember, he's the team that joined us the day before yesterday."

A Tai chuckled and said, "So Senior Xiao Yan still remembers me!"

Xiao Yu looked at A Tai and said, "We're planning to establish a force within the Inner Academy. Could you help us see if anyone is willing to join us and help us gather them together?"

Xiao Yan, Wu Hao, Hu Jia, and the others looked at Xiao Yu with some surprise, while A Tai said excitedly, "Is Senior Xiao Yu planning to establish his own faction?"

The other freshmen nearby also started discussing it. Xiao Yu nodded slightly and said, "That's right. I see that the forces within the Inner Academy are quite complex. Rather than joining other factions, it would be better for us freshmen to stick together!"

A Tai agreed, saying, "That's right. Within this Inner Academy, large and small factions are intricately intertwined, and the academy doesn't discourage this trend of forming cliques but rather encourages it. So, we freshmen also hope to establish a new faction, but we just haven't found a leader yet. Now that Senior Xiao Yu has brought it up, I think we freshmen will all agree!"

Upon hearing A Tai's words, the other freshmen nodded in agreement, clearly showing their consent to the proposal to establish a new faction.

Xiao Yu nodded and said, "Alright, let's do it tomorrow. Bring the students who are willing to join the new faction to my residence, and we'll discuss the details then."

After A Tai nodded and said yes, he led the other freshmen away from there and returned to his residence.

Hu Jia looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Are you really planning to establish a new force in the Inner Academy?"

Xiao Yu chuckled and said, "What? Even the fearless Hu Jia is scared?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, Hu Jia's expression immediately changed, and she retorted defiantly, "Who, who's afraid? Let's form the group then!"

Xiao Yu shook his head and smiled, "I think it's better for Third Brother to handle the formation of this new force!"

Xiao Yan paused for a moment and said, "Me? You wanted to build a new force yourself, and now you're handing this arduous task over to me?"

Xiao Yu laughed and said, "Third Brother, who's going to claim who? I already learned about it beforehand during the Fire Energy Hunt Competition. The Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower in the Inner Academy is the best way for academy students to improve their strength. However, the tower is divided into three levels of training grounds: high, medium, and low. If you want to train in the high-level training ground, not only do you need to be strong, but you also need a team to help you. Establishing a new force is a must."

"When that time comes, you'll be the head of this new force, and who will dare to disobey?" Xiao Yu said with a faint smile.