Hao Elder was not surprised that Xiao Yan could not produce anything on the spot. If he could casually pull out another item that would tempt an Inner Academy elder, he would be extraordinary indeed.
If Hao Elder saw Hu Gan again, he would certainly have a good long complaint about how Hu Gan had failed to explain the new student's identity clearly.
After Hao Elder left, Xiao Yan and the three women found rooms and settled in.
Xiao Yan slept soundly. Not long after waking the next morning, he heard a burst of noise.
Xiao Yan stepped out of his room. Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, and Han Yue were also coming out to investigate. The four went downstairs, where more than forty familiar faces had gathered outside the door. They were all new students, and quite a few were bruised and battered.
As soon as the door opened, Lin Xiuyan said gravely, "Xiao Yan, we new students have to stick together."
"What happened?" Xiao Yan asked. Seeing the injuries on Lin Xiuyan's face, he already had a good idea.
Liu Qing's expression darkened. "The older students in the Inner Academy heard we won the Fire-Energy Hunting Competition. Now they're treating us like fat sheep and demanding tribute under every pretext they can find."
Lin Yan had a fiery temper and had taken the worst beating. He was in no condition to speak.
Bai Cheng said, "There are plenty of factions in the Inner Academy. We new students should form one too. That way, we can keep the Fire Energy we won in the competition from being taken and stop the older students from bullying us."
Xiao Yan understood what they were getting at. "After all that, you want me to take the lead in forming a faction."
Everyone