The Strength of Tongtian Dai

Hu Gan's meaning was clear enough. Elder Su could not say much more, so he led his people back, clearing a large space for Xiao Li and the senior students to battle.

In the clearing, Xiao Li stood opposite forty senior students. Behind him, Lin Xiuya felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead; at least half of these forty people were Great Dou Masters.

Should I step in to help?

Lin Xiuya gritted his teeth, his heart in turmoil. Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder. Startled, Lin Xiuya turned to see Liu Qing and finally let out a breath of relief.

"Lin Xiuya, don't you see it yet? If Xiao Li falls, we'll be the next ones hunted down by these people."

Lin Xiuya's heart stirred. "You mean..."

Liu Qing nodded. "Rather than being hunted later, we might as well join forces with Xiao Li now and wipe out a batch of them first."

Lin Xiuya nodded and looked toward Yan Hao, Han Yue, and the others in their group. Their class was overall far superior to the previous one; if they all struck together, they could at least relieve a quarter of the pressure on Xiao Li.

Seeing everyone nod in succession, Lin Xiuya followed suit. No one who could enter the Inner Academy was a fool, let alone a coward; naturally, they could read the situation.

"Xiao Li, do you need our help?" Lin Xiuya shouted toward the black-robed figure in front.

Xiao Li paused, turning his head in surprise to see the group of freshmen looking at him with firm expressions. He felt a headache coming on. If you guys do this, it'll be hard for me to collect protection fees from you later.

"Many thanks, but no need. I am enough on my own." Xiao Li waved his hand.

In the group, Liu Qing frowned. "More arrogant than me. I really don't know what he's thinking."

Lin Xiuya sighed. "You bird-brain, if he has this kind of strength, how could he be a fool?"

Liu Qing blinked. "That seems right. Wait, who are you calling a bird-brain!"

Lin Xiuya curled his lip, too lazy to argue with this muscle-bound man. He shifted his gaze back to Xiao Li, murmuring to himself, "Xiao Li, just what is your true strength, that you dare to face these forty people alone?"

It was no exaggeration to say that these forty people were stronger than all fifty freshmen of their year combined, including over a dozen Great Dou Masters.

Watching the senior students opposite him, Xiao Li twirled his Thunder Scale Spear, creating a blood-red flash.

"Come!"

No sooner had the words left Xiao Li's lips than the senior students, who had long since lost their patience, swarmed forward.

"Kid, you should be grateful that the rules are what keep you alive!"

Xiao Li sneered. "Mere Dou Masters, daring to spout such nonsense!"

Blood-red lightning erupted from his body, the overwhelming aura of blood-lust causing everyone below the rank of Great Dou Master to struggle for breath.

High above, Hu Gan's Dou Qi wings faltered slightly. "This kid, such a strong aura of blood-lust. He couldn't have killed tens of thousands in just one year, could he? How is that possible? What did Elder Qian and Elder Bai take him to do?"

It wasn't just Hu Gan; everyone present looked on in shock. This aura was so dense it was nearly tangible—just how many people had Xiao Li killed?

Xiao Li moved, leaving a lingering cloud of blood-lust in his wake. The blood-red lightning coating his body looked like tentacles reaching out to devour their prey, a terrifying sight to behold.

With a single strike, the three leading attackers were heavily wounded and forced out of the match. Their chests were torn open by the Thunder Scale Spear, and the lingering blood-lust prevented their wounds from healing.

The moment Xiao Li struck, Hu Gan immediately sensed the truth behind his aura. "A three-star Dou Ling!"

Elder Su and the others exchanged glances, their shock impossible to hide. "No wonder the Great Elder called him a true dragon in the shallows; such talent is truly terrifying."

Elder Li, standing to the side, revealed a hint of worry. "Xiao Li's talent is indeed excellent, but to improve so much in a year, and with such a thick aura of blood-lust... could he have... practiced some evil art?"

Hu Gan shook his head decisively. "Impossible. Although he carries a heavy aura of blood-lust, it is upright and majestic. Not only does it lack any sinister taint, but it actually carries a sense of punishing evil."

Most importantly, Hu Gan knew who had taken Xiao Li out for training. If those two were involved, and Xiao Li had still been corrupted by evil, then it wouldn't be a problem they could solve anyway.

On the clearing, seeing that everyone was stunned by his strength, Xiao Li took the initiative. Blood-red afterimages appeared in succession. The explosive power and speed of the lightning made Xiao Li's movement, both long-distance and short-range, several times faster than his peers.

That was to say nothing of these senior students, who were at most mid-stage Great Dou Masters.

After eliminating several more, an attack finally landed on Xiao Li. The attacker's face lit up, confident in his own strength as a Great Dou Master.

The black robe tore, revealing Xiao Li's toned muscles. The senior students present froze, their faces turning to despair.

An attack from a Great Dou Master hadn't even left a mark on Xiao Li.

The Mystic Thunder Body was an incredibly formidable physique even at the Dou Ling level. If all the senior students present had combined their efforts, they might have been able to inflict some minor injuries, but unfortunately, coordinating forty people to strike at once required more than just a little teamwork—and these temporarily assembled seniors lacked that.

The fact that they couldn't break his defense was the greatest source of Xiao Li's arrogance.

"Mystic Thunder Shock Flash!"

A blood-red thunder dragon surged to life. The swimming fish on the Thunder Scale Spear shifted from blue to blood-red, its horns and features no longer resembling a fish, but rather a flood dragon coiling around the shaft.

The thunder dragon raged, stirring the winds and throwing a dozen people out of the arena. Xiao Li showed no mercy, his body glowing with a faint mysterious light that rendered all attacks useless.

Looking at the remaining dozen or so trembling students, the blood-red lightning on Xiao Li's body gradually subsided.

"Everyone, hand over your Fire Crystal Cards, or don't blame me for being heartless."

His cold words extinguished the last shred of hope in the seniors' hearts. They had assumed this freshman wouldn't understand the function of the Fire Crystal Cards, but they hadn't expected him to master the rules so quickly.

Heartbroken, they handed over their cards. This trip had truly been a case of losing the bait and the fish.

Xiao Li ruthlessly drained all the Fire Energy from their cards, leaving only the base 7 points, which were marked in a grayish-white color.

The Fire Crystal Card in Xiao Li's hand instantly surged from 5 points to 683.

Pocketing the card, Xiao Li turned to the dozen or so seniors who were still capable of moving. "As far as I know, there is a Black and White Twin Fiends Team in every year. Where are those two teams?"

The senior students looked at each other, appearing quite astonished.

"Xiao Li, we admit you're strong, but both the Black and White Duo have Dou Ling level powerhouses. If you go, you're just throwing away the Fire Energy you just got for nothing," a senior student snorted.

Xiao Li's eyes narrowed, radiating a dangerous glint. "I am asking you again: where are they?"

The senior student was stunned. After exchanging glances, he said coldly, "The Black Fiend Team is in the forest, and the White Fiend Team is guarding the finish line of the Hunting Competition."

Xiao Li nodded and headed straight toward the forest. Lin Xiuya and the others hesitated for a moment before choosing to follow behind him.

Hu Gan chuckled. Interesting. Still as sharp-edged as ever. Yet, even he could not deny that with sufficient strength, this was the fastest and most effective method.

In the Inner Academy, only those who were this decisive and ruthless could truly stand their ground.