White Fiend Team!

This was an open expanse strewn with jagged rocks. The forest's spread came to an end when it reached this rocky area.

Not far beyond the rocky terrain stood a raised slope, scattered with irregular boulders.

At that moment, nearly fifty figures sat or stood atop those rocks, chatting among themselves. They looked to be in their twenties. Though their robes varied, each wore the same small tower-shaped badge on their chest.

Clearly, these young people were Inner Academy students who had already been eliminated by Xiao Yun's group.

"Yo, isn't that Brother Wang? You got robbed by those new students too?" On the hillside, gazes were directed toward the dark forest behind them as teasing voices passed back and forth.

"Quit making fun of me. How much better could you be? Other than the White Fiend Team, wasn't everyone here robbed?"

"Hehe, I'm different. I only had twenty days of Fire Energy to begin with, and they only took thirteen days. That's much less than you guys."

"Damn it, you brat..."

"Don't get too smug. Did you hear? Yesterday, Lin Dong from the Black Fiend Team already led his team in to find that kid. Lin Dong is a powerhouse with one foot in the Dou Ling realm. That group of new students' luck ends here."

Amid the hushed whispers, one of the five figures in the rocky field ahead shifted slightly, then slowly opened his eyes and stared coldly at the dark forest before him.

Tap, tap, tap!

Footsteps suddenly sounded from the forest. The chatting crowd instantly fell silent, their gazes converging on the direction of the sound. As the atmosphere grew quieter, the footsteps emerging from the Dark Forest became increasingly heavy. A moment later, five young men dressed in fitted black outfits walked out. The leader was Lin Dong.

"Lin Dong and the others are back. It looks like they dealt with that hateful kid, right? Why didn't that kid come with them?"

Seeing the members of the Black Fiend Team emerge, the people on the hillside quietly breathed a sigh of relief. They continued staring into the Dark Forest, hoping to see Xiao Yun appear.

But they were destined to be disappointed. Lin Dong and the others had nearly reached the foot of the slope, yet the distant Dark Forest remained empty.

Everyone began to realize something was wrong. They stared at the Black Fiend Team in disbelief, a result they considered impossible suddenly surfacing in their minds.

"Even you failed?"

At the edge of the rocky field, the young man who had opened his eyes first swept his gaze over Lin Dong's group. His expression changed slightly as he asked in surprise.

Though his voice was soft, when it reached the people on the hillside, it struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving them all dumbfounded.

Seeing that the young man had noticed, Lin Dong shrugged helplessly. "The top five of this year's class are very strong, especially that kid. His combat experience and methods are far beyond those of ordinary new students..."

Lin Dong's words won the full agreement of those on the hillside. All of them had been robbed by Xiao Yun, so they knew his methods very well.

"Enough. Leave the rest to us. Let me see just how monstrous a new student can be." The young man raised a hand to interrupt Lin Dong. He stood from the rock and spoke coldly.

"Xu Feng, don't underestimate him. That kid really is strong, and his methods are extremely strange. If it were a one-on-one fight, I don't think you could beat him," Lin Dong said earnestly, spreading his hands.

Though Xu Feng was a Dou Ling powerhouse, he had only recently broken through. Moreover, he shared Lin Dong's ice attribute. Lin Dong felt that Xu Feng had little chance against that strange and ferocious Purple Flame.

"Fine. No matter how strong he is, he's only a Da Dou Shi. You've already been eliminated. Go up to the slope behind us and watch carefully as I defeat him." Xu Feng ignored him, his tone cold.

"Fine, then. Good luck."

Though Xu Feng's words irritated him, Lin Dong did not get angry. He merely sneered and led the four members of the Black Fiend Team back to the slope, where they joined the other eliminated senior students to await Xiao Yun's arrival.

Time slowly passed, and the sun overhead continued shifting across the sky. Just as those senior students thought they would not see Xiao Yun's group today, several figures suddenly flashed out from the distant Dark Forest. Accompanied by the whistling of wind, they landed atop the rocks.

The five figures stood in a well-spaced formation on the rocks. Their leader was short, reaching only the others' chests, yet everyone on the hillside stared intently at him, a trace of fear in their eyes.

The newcomers were Xiao Yun and the others. He glanced at the crowd on the hillside before finally fixing his gaze on the five figures seated cross-legged in the rocky field ahead. Walking forward slowly, he cupped his hands and smiled. "You senior brothers must be the final checkpoint of this Fire Energy Hunting Competition—the White Fiend Team?"

"That's right. White Fiend Team, captain Xu Feng!" Xu Feng's gaze swept over the other four before finally stopping on Xiao Yun. In his eyes, Fang Wen and the others posed no threat at all. Only Xiao Yun was difficult for him to read.

"First place in this year's selection competition, Xiao Yun!" Xiao Yun said with a smile, imitating Xu Feng's tone.

Hmph!

Hearing Xiao Yun mimic him, Xu Feng gave a cold snort. A powerful aura rose from within him, carrying threads of icy chill as it enveloped the rocky field.

Feeling the biting cold winding around his body, Xiao Yun's expression grew somewhat grave. The White Fiend Team captain's strength was just as he had guessed—he truly was a Dou Ling powerhouse.

Facing that powerful pressure, Xiao Yun stopped holding back. Purple Crystal Lion Flame appeared over his body, and a surging, scorching aura erupted violently from within him, dispersing the chill surrounding the five of them.

"Since you senior brothers refuse to make way, then let's have a fight!"

The moment those words fell, Fang Wen and the others behind Xiao Yun immediately spread out. The other four members of the White Fiend Team did the same, each seeking out an opponent.

Xu Feng's face turned even colder. He lightly brushed his hand over his Storage Ring, and a silver-white spear appeared in his grasp. After flicking out several spear flourishes, he pointed it at Xiao Yun in the distance. "Make your move. Let me see what you're capable of."

"A Dou Ling powerhouse... this is my first time encountering one. I wonder just how strong you are." Xiao Yun grinned, his snow-white teeth gleaming with a chilling light beneath the sun. Since leaving the Law Enforcement Team, he had never fought anyone with his full strength. Even Lin Dong, at the peak of the Nine-Star Da Dou Shi realm, had failed to force out Xiao Yun's trump cards.

So even Xiao Yun himself did not know just how strong he truly was!