First Battle at Jia Nan: The Fire Energy Hunt

(1)

Jia Nan Academy's mountain gate resembled a giant beast lying low. Four bold, vigorous characters were carved into the blue-black rock-"Jia Nan Academy." Dou Qi seemed to flow through the strokes, and even from a distance, it gave off an inexplicable pressure. The beast-drawn carriage stopped before the gate, and Elder Su Qian jumped down. Turning to the others, he smiled. "We're here. You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourselves."

Xiao Yan helped Ya Fei down from the carriage. The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt an invisible pressure coming from beyond the gate, more than a tier stronger than the guard captain in Iron Ridge City. Lin Xiuya followed behind, clutching his General Compendium of Alchemy. His eyes were wide as he murmured, "No wonder it's one of the continent's top academies. Its presence alone is frightening enough."

Wang Teng appeared beside them at some point, a false smile on his face. "Brother Xiao Yan, I was in the wrong back in Black Wind Gorge. You're a magnanimous man, so please don't take it to heart." His followers hurriedly chimed in, offering all sorts of rare medicinal herbs in an attempt to curry favor.

Xiao Yan ignored him and walked straight to the registration desk beside the gate. Two senior students in academy uniforms stood there, a man and a woman. The man was tall, with the words "Inner Academy" engraved on the badge on his chest, while the woman wore the Outer Academy's insignia. When Xiao Yan approached, the male senior expressionlessly handed him a spirit-testing stone. "Put your hand on it to test your Dou Qi level."

Xiao Yan did as instructed, placing his hand on the icy stone. It instantly lit up with a dazzling golden light that shot straight to the top. It lingered for a moment at the Initial Dou Ling mark, even showing faint signs of climbing higher.

"Initial Dou Ling?" The female senior's eyes widened in surprise. "There aren't many new students at that level."

The male senior gave Xiao Yan a few extra looks and nodded. "Go over there to collect your uniform and identity badge. Outer Academy, east district, dormitory 302."

Ya Fei and Lin Xiuya had their levels tested as well. Ya Fei was a Peak Da Dou Shi, while Lin Xiuya was a High Level Dou Shi. Both were assigned to dormitory 303, next door to 302. Wang Teng followed close behind and tested as a High Level Da Dou Shi. His face immediately grew smug, and he shot Xiao Yan a provocative glance, as if to say, "You're not that much stronger than me."

Xiao Yan paid him no mind. After collecting his uniform and identity badge, he followed the signs toward the dormitory. Jia Nan Academy was astonishingly large. Students in uniform were everywhere along the way, discussing the Fire Energy Hunting Competition in twos and threes. A few occasionally looked Xiao Yan over with curiosity-after all, Dou Ling-level new students were indeed rare.

"What is the Fire Energy Hunting Competition?" Ya Fei asked, looking at a poster on the notice board. It depicted a group of students chasing one another through a forest, with the words "Victors may qualify to enter the Inner Academy" written beside it.

Lin Xiuya leaned over for a look and explained, "I heard it's the Outer Academy's main event every year. The contestants are divided into two teams, red and blue. The red team holds Fire Energy tokens, and the blue team tries to snatch them. The team with more tokens at the end wins, and the top three can enter the Inner Academy directly and receive a large amount of cultivation resources."

Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, a flicker of interest in his eyes. Only by entering the Inner Academy could he gain access to more resources, especially... news of the Fallen Heart Flame.

(2)

That evening, in dormitory 302, Xiao Yan was adjusting his iron ruler. After all the refinement it had undergone during this time, the Green Lotus Core Flame could now cling steadily to it, and the flames it stirred up when swung were more concentrated than before. Ya Fei and Lin Xiuya sat on the bed opposite him, discussing the rules of tomorrow's Fire Energy Hunting Competition.

"I heard that in last year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition, the red team captain guarded five tokens all by himself and led the red team to a comeback victory." Ya Fei leafed through a rulebook she had borrowed from a senior student. "This year's red team captain is a prominent figure in the Outer Academy, Hu Gan, an Intermediate Dou Ling. I hear his Wind-Splitting Fist is especially formidable."

Lin Xiuya added, "The blue team captain isn't weak either. Her name is Han Yue. She's a woman and an Initial Dou Ling, but her movements are unpredictable, and she excels at sneak attacks. She nearly took first place last year."

Xiao Yan put the iron ruler on the table and suddenly said, "Let's sign up."

"Huh?" Ya Fei stared at him. "But we've only just enrolled. We don't understand anything..."

"That's exactly why we should give it a try." Xiao Yan looked out the window. Students were still sparring on the distant training grounds, and the light from their clashing Dou Qi stood out sharply against the night. "We have to get the Inner Academy's resources."

Lin Xiuya's eyes lit up. "I agree! Even if we don't make the top three, earning some extra Fire Energy would still be good. I hear you can exchange Fire Energy for pills and cultivation methods."

As they spoke, the dormitory door was kicked open with a bang. Wang Teng barged in with several followers, playing with a sample Fire Energy token in his hand. "Well, well, three new students still studying the rules? Don't bother. On the field tomorrow, all your tokens will be mine."

Xiao Yan raised his eyes, his tone flat. "Get out."

"What did you say?" Wang Teng looked as though he'd heard a joke. "Don't think being an Initial Dou Ling makes you special. Let me tell you, Intermediate Dou Lings are a dime a dozen at Jia Nan Academy. Your little bit of strength isn't enough to impress anyone!"

His followers joined in the jeering. "That's right! Our young master is a High Level Da Dou Shi. Tomorrow, he can crush you to death with one finger!"

Xiao Yan said nothing more. He simply infused a thread of Dou Qi into the iron ruler, and golden-red flames instantly burst across it. The temperature in the room rose sharply. Wang Teng and the others' expressions changed, and they instinctively took a step back.

"If you don't leave now, don't blame me for showing no mercy." Xiao Yan's voice turned cold. Flames danced on the iron ruler, lighting up his eyes.

Wang Teng gritted his teeth and threw out a blustering "See you on the field tomorrow" before slinking away with his followers.

Ya Fei patted her chest. "That man is unbearable!"

"Don't mind him." Xiao Yan put away the iron ruler. "Tomorrow's competition is where we'll deal with him."

(3)

Early the next morning, a dense crowd of students had gathered outside Blackwood Forest, the venue for the Fire Energy Hunting Competition. The red and blue teams wore vests of their respective colors, and their captains, Hu Gan and Han Yue, stood at the front of their teams, receiving instructions from the academy head.

"Remember, stop before anyone gets seriously hurt. No killing blows!" The academy head was a plump old man, but his voice was stern. "The academy made the Fire Energy tokens from a special material. Crushing one releases a signal and counts as an automatic surrender. Now, distribute the tokens!"

Each red team student received a token. Xiao Yan, Ya Fei, and Lin Xiuya were all on the red team. Wang Teng had somehow used his connections to get onto the red team as well, and deliberately stood beside Xiao Yan, his gaze full of provocation.

"Begin!" At the academy head's command, the red team students immediately rushed into Blackwood Forest, with the blue team close behind. A chaotic chase broke out in an instant.

Ancient trees towered into the sky in Blackwood Forest, their vines tangled together, making it an excellent place to hide. Xiao Yan pulled Ya Fei and Lin Xiuya into a hollow tree and said quietly, "We'll split up. Ya Fei, you're good at moving around, so scout for us. Lin Xiuya, use your alchemy to make some knockout drugs and disrupt the blue team. I'll draw their attention."

"No!" Ya Fei objected immediately. "It's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Xiao Yan patted her shoulder and pressed a spare token into her hand. "This is my token. Keep it safe. I'll lure Han Yue and the others away."

With that, he gave the two no chance to object. He circulated his Dou Qi and deliberately made a commotion in the woods, the flames on his iron ruler flickering like a moving lighthouse.

"Red team over here!" Sure enough, several figures in blue soon came after him, led by none other than Han Yue. Wearing a blue vest, she moved with the agility of a cat, two short daggers in her hands as she silently circled behind Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan continued running as though he hadn't noticed. Only when Han Yue's daggers were about to pierce his back did he whirl around and sweep his flaming iron ruler across. "Come at me!"

With a clang, the daggers struck the iron ruler. The impact forced Han Yue back three steps, and she looked at Xiao Yan in surprise. "You lured me here on purpose?"

"What else?" Xiao Yan smiled as the flames suddenly surged. "I hear you're quite a fighter. Want to try my Flame Prison?"

Golden-red flames surged toward her like a tide. Han Yue's pupils narrowed slightly, and she tapped the ground with her toes, weaving through the flames like a ghost. Her daggers darted toward openings in Xiao Yan's defense from time to time, but the iron ruler blocked them all.

[Ding! While fighting Han Yue (Initial Dou Ling), Flame Prison proficiency has increased to 65%.]

The two traded blows, the light of their clashing Dou Qi bursting through the forest and drawing more blue team students. Xiao Yan fought as he retreated, leading them away from Ya Fei and Lin Xiuya, but he was calculating inwardly-Wang Teng was surely hiding tokens on the sly. He had to find a chance to teach him a lesson.

(4)

Sure enough, Xiao Yan used the aftermath of a clash to retreat deliberately toward Wang Teng's hiding place. Passing through a thicket, he spotted Wang Teng stashing several tokens in a hollow tree, with an unconscious blue team student tied up beside him.

"Young Master Wang certainly seems to have time on his hands." Xiao Yan leaned against a tree, looking at him with the hint of a smile.

Wang Teng jumped in fright. When he saw it was Xiao Yan, his embarrassment turned to anger. "What's it got to do with you? If you've got the guts, stop hiding here making snide remarks and go fight Han Yue!"

"I just came from her." Xiao Yan toyed with his iron ruler, flames dancing at his fingertips. "Tell me, if I shout right now, do you think the blue team will come and pay you a 'visit'?"

Wang Teng's expression changed drastically. Of the tokens he had hidden, two had been snatched from others, while three were his own. If he was caught secretly hoarding them, he would not only be disqualified but punished by the academy.

"What do you want?" Wang Teng gritted his teeth, forced to yield.

"It's simple." Xiao Yan held out his hand. "Hand over the tokens you stole and untie this blue team student, and I'll pretend I didn't see anything."

Wang Teng hesitated. Looking at the flames growing stronger on Xiao Yan's fingertips, he finally took out two tokens reluctantly and untied the blue team student's ropes. When the student woke up, he gave Xiao Yan a grateful look and immediately ran in the direction of the blue team.

"You're ruthless!" Wang Teng threw the tokens to Xiao Yan and turned to leave.

"Wait," Xiao Yan called after him. "You have to leave one of your own tokens too."

"Don't push your luck!"

"Either leave a token or stay here and wait for the blue team." Xiao Yan pressed his iron ruler against Wang Teng's chest, the flames nearly scorching his clothes.

Wang Teng trembled all over with rage. In the end, he pulled a token from inside his robes and threw it on the ground, roaring, "Xiao Yan, just you wait!"

Xiao Yan picked up the token and watched Wang Teng's furious retreat, a cold smile curling his lips. [Ding! Obtained Fire Energy tokens x3. Currently held: 4 (including 1 of your own).]

(5)

Having dealt with Wang Teng, Xiao Yan turned back. He had only taken a few steps when he heard fighting ahead. He crept closer and saw Ya Fei under attack by three blue team students. Although her movements were nimble, she was only a Peak Da Dou Shi, after all. She was gradually struggling to keep up, and even her movements were slowing.

"Ya Fei!" Xiao Yan shouted, charging over with his flaming iron ruler. "Flame Prison: Prairie Blaze!"

Golden-red flames instantly surrounded the three blue team students. They hadn't expected a Dou Ling-level expert to appear out of nowhere and immediately panicked, retreating again and again under pressure from the flames. Ya Fei seized the chance to escape their encirclement and ran to Xiao Yan's side, still shaken. "You're back! Lin Xiuya knocked out two blue team students with knockout drugs over there and got two tokens!"

"Well done." Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, but his gaze fixed on a figure nearby. Han Yue had caught up at some point and was hiding behind a tree, watching him with a complicated look.

"Xiao Yan, right?" Han Yue stepped out, sliding her daggers back into her belt. "You're stronger than I imagined."

"Likewise." Xiao Yan watched her warily. "Still want to fight?"

"No." Han Yue shook her head. "I admit, with an expert like you on the red team, our blue team doesn't have much chance of winning. But," she continued, changing tack, "Captain Hu Gan won't be so easy to deal with. He's in the valley ahead, holding ten tokens. If you can get them from him, the red team is sure to win."

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid I'll actually go?"

"It's simply a matter of what each of us can do." Han Yue smiled, then turned and disappeared into the forest.

Ya Fei looked worried. "Could she be trying to trick us on purpose?"

"Whether she is or not, we have to go to Hu Gan." Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the iron ruler. "We need more tokens."

(6)

Mist filled the valley. Xiao Yan and Ya Fei walked in cautiously, but they had only just reached the entrance when a furious shout rang out: "Who dares trespass on my turf?"

Hu Gan leaped out from behind a boulder. He was powerfully built, with fists larger than clay pots, and the red team vest on his body bulged with Dou Qi. He was clearly much stronger than Han Yue. When he saw Xiao Yan, he paused. "You're that new student Xiao Yan? An Initial Dou Ling?"

"Yes." Xiao Yan nodded. "I've come to borrow a few tokens."

"Arrogant!" Hu Gan burst out laughing and slammed his fist into the ground, instantly splitting the hard rock. "No one in the Outer Academy has ever dared speak to me like that!"

His figure blurred as he charged at Xiao Yan with a rushing sound, pale cyan Dou Qi coiling around his fist. It was his specialty, the Wind-Splitting Fist.

Xiao Yan didn't dare be careless. Flames surged on his iron ruler as he met the attack. "Then let me show you what I can do!"

Clang! Fist and ruler collided. Xiao Yan felt a tremendous force strike him, numbing his arm and driving him back three steps. Hu Gan was also burned by the flames and grimaced in pain, white smoke rising from his fist.

"Interesting!" Hu Gan shook out his fist, his gaze turning serious. "Again!"

His fists came crashing down like a violent storm, every punch carrying a piercing whistle as it tore through the air. Xiao Yan pushed the Wind Spirit Shadow-Splitting Step to its limit, weaving among the fist shadows. The flames on his iron ruler constantly scorched Hu Gan's fists, forcing him to endure their searing heat with every punch.

[Ding! While fighting Hu Gan (Intermediate Dou Ling), Flame Prison proficiency has increased to 70%!]

After more than a hundred exchanges of fierce fighting, both were somewhat out of breath. Hu Gan's fists had been burned black, while Xiao Yan had been struck several times by the wind from his punches, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Stop!" Hu Gan suddenly retreated and waved his hand. "No more, no more. Those flames of yours are too strange. If we keep fighting, my hands will be ruined."

Xiao Yan also put away his iron ruler and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Then the tokens..."

"Take them, take them." Hu Gan impatiently pulled five tokens from inside his robes and tossed them over. "The red team's sure to take first this year anyway. With a new student like you around, the Outer Academy's skies are about to change."

Xiao Yan caught the tokens, a little surprised that he had agreed so readily. Hu Gan patted him on the shoulder. "I admire that drive of yours. You're a lot better than certain people who only know how to play petty tricks." He cast a pointed glance outside the valley, clearly referring to Wang Teng.

[Ding! Obtained Fire Energy tokens x5. Currently held: 9.]

(7)

When the bell rang to signal the end of the competition, Xiao Yan, Ya Fei, and Lin Xiuya regrouped and counted their tokens. Xiao Yan had nine, Ya Fei had three, and Lin Xiuya had two, for a total of fourteen, far more than the other students.

As the academy head announced the results in the square, Wang Teng stood in the crowd, his face ashen. He had originally hidden five tokens, but Xiao Yan had taken one, and Han Yue had ambushed him and stolen two more. In the end, he had submitted only two and hadn't even made the top twenty.

"Red team, Xiao Yan, fourteen tokens! First place!" the academy head announced loudly, handing Xiao Yan a golden Inner Academy pass. "Congratulations, you are advancing directly to the Inner Academy!"

Ya Fei and Lin Xiuya also placed well. Although they didn't make it into the Inner Academy, they received a large Fire Energy reward, which could be exchanged for plenty of cultivation resources.

Standing on the awards platform, Xiao Yan looked at the densely packed students below and suddenly felt that Jia Nan Academy might truly bring him one step closer to the Fallen Heart Flame.

[Ding! Completed side quest "Fire Energy Hunting Competition." Awarded 20,000 points. Unlocked Profound Tier High Grade Dou Technique: Heaven-Burning Hand!]

[Main quest "The Road to Jia Nan Academy" progress: 100%. Reward: "Inner Academy admission qualification." New main quest unlocked: "Traces of the Fallen Heart Flame."]

The fading light of the setting sun fell upon the spires of Jia Nan Academy, bathing everything in warm gold. Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the Inner Academy pass, the flame at his fingertip dancing gently, as though answering some distant call. He knew the true challenge had only just begun to unfold.