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Lin Ge could feel his own physical condition; he hadn't suffered much injury, just a slight dizziness in his head.
His face hurt a little.
He lost just like that?
He turned his head to look at his four companions and found that two of them were already lying on the ground like him, though their injuries seemed more severe.
The other two hadn't fallen and were holding up their hands in surrender.
To avoid a beating, after the three in their team were quickly dealt with, they gave up resisting.
Xiao Yan grabbed Lin Ge's collar, pulled him up from the ground, and revealed two rows of white teeth: "I told you, seeing as you gave us so much information, I wouldn't go easy... I'd only hit your face!
"But there are still some things I don't quite understand, and I'd like to ask you, Senior... I hope you won't disappoint me."
Lin Ge's dizziness gradually subsided, and his mind became clearer.
The clearer his mind became, the more bitter and helpless he felt... Damn it, are this year's new students all monsters? First the 'Witch,' then Zhou Mingrui, and now 'Young Master Xiao Yan'... The Inner Courtyard is getting harder and harder to navigate!
"Ask away," Lin Ge, being a smart man, clearly understood the current situation.
"How many seniors are participating in the fire energy hunt competition?"
"Forty... all operating in five-person teams... all searching for you in the forest. But it's said there's also a very strong team waiting for you at the finish line... This is a tradition from previous years.
"In the past, there have been instances where new student teams defeated seniors and passed through, but without exception, they all lost to the final team.
"We speculate this should be intentionally arranged by the Academy Elders... They are aware of the new students' level and also want to use the seniors to temper the students who have just entered the Inner Courtyard, to prevent them from becoming arrogant."
Lin Ge had no intention of keeping secrets for the other teams; in fact, he was even happy to see it happen... Everyone getting humbled and taught a lesson by the new students is better than his own team losing face, right?
Xiao Yan recalled the senior who made him stand in the sun during his entrance exam two years ago and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
This was indeed Jia Nan Academy's consistent style.
Since it was impossible to keep a low profile because of Xiao Meng, then he might as well go all out and break the rules, defeating those seniors whom even the Elders believed were certain to win!
Xiao Yan planned to first clear out the remaining seven senior teams hunting new students in the forest, and then go see the so-called 'gatekeeper team.'
It took them most of the day to finally find all of them and defeat them one by one.
From high above, Elder Su Qian, overseeing everything, watched the progress in the forest with a smile on his face.
"Not bad..."
To receive such praise from him was quite rare.
If it were according to Su Qian's previous standards, the current Xiao Yan would already be exceptionally rare, ranking among the top students in Jia Nan Academy over the past century, but Xiao Meng and Zhou Mingrui's prior brilliance had raised his expectations.
It made him suddenly have the illusion that only geniuses like them deserved the title of "genius."
Xiao Yan led his three teammates slowly out of the forest and arrived at an open space. Behind them followed a group of new students.
Some were rescued by them while searching for senior teams, while others heard of their intentions and came to watch the excitement.
Among the crowd, Baishan looked at Xiao Yan, who was surrounded like the moon by stars, with cold eyes, his jealousy and resentment almost impossible to conceal.
He had also encountered a senior team in the forest and was chased very miserably. In the end, he had to reveal the name of his cousin in the Inner Courtyard, Bai Cheng of the Bai Gang, to be let off.
Xiao Yan inadvertently glanced at him, and Baishan immediately lowered his head, afraid that the other party would trouble him and persecute him.
The former scoffed, shaking his head with a hint of disdain.
"Brother Xiao Yan, what's wrong?" Xun Er asked.
"Nothing, just a clown."
"Beyond this flat ground is the Inner Courtyard. Where is that so-called 'gatekeeper team'?" Wu Hao looked around with anticipation.
Continuously defeating eight senior teams had made his confidence unprecedentedly strong, and he was eager to meet the higher-level figures among the Inner Courtyard seniors.
The air in front suddenly rippled, a shadow emerged, then quickly dissolved, revealing two figures, one male and one female.
The woman had a beautiful face, long black hair flowing naturally, neat bangs across her forehead, and black eyes so deep they evoked the cosmos, with faint starlight seemingly swirling within them.
Her rosy lips parted slightly, revealing a captivating smile, and a soft, enchanting, melodious voice came from those lips:
"Young Master Xiao Yan, we meet again at last."
Her deep eyes became like a still pool, rippling slightly.
Looking at this familiar yet strange face, Xiao Yan instinctively felt something was off; the Xiao Meng in his memory didn't seem like this...
But when his eyes met hers, that hint of distance and strangeness quickly faded, and the "Xiao Meng" from his impression gradually overlapped with the "Xiao Meng" before him.
Past memories seemed to come alive, transforming into a series of vivid scenes that flashed rapidly through his mind.
"Xiao Meng..." As he spoke these two words, Xiao Yan felt as if something had broken, as if something was lost, leaving his heart empty.
This empty feeling was then filled with a surge of fervent and intense longing, emotions so suppressed they were almost uncontrollable.
Just like when he first arrived at the Academy and saw Xun Er after a long separation.
Just as Xiao Yan was about to impulsively go and embrace her, Xun Er coughed twice, reminding him that now was not the time.
Xiao Yan then regained his composure, awkwardly scratched his head, and asked:
"Xiao Meng, do you know where the final 'gatekeeper team' is? After defeating them, I'll enter the Inner Courtyard."
Xiao Meng looked at him with a smile, and softly said: "Hehe, Young Master Xiao Yan still doesn't understand?"
"Uh... it wouldn't be the two of you, would it?"
Except for Xiao Yan, who was still immersed in the joy of reuniting with an old acquaintance, the other new students were all on high alert...
Looking at that beautiful face, which seemed slightly different from the past, they recalled the shame and fear of being knocked down by her alone.
"No way? The final hurdle is her?" Hu Jia's mouth twitched, and she subtly took half a step back.
Wu Hao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, calmed the turbulent emotions in his heart, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with killing intent: "No matter what, we've come this far, no matter how strong the enemy, we have to try!"
"If we lose, none of you will escape! If you don't want to hand over your fire energy, then join us and fight her!" Hu Jia shouted to the new students behind them.
After they took the fire energy from the seniors, they returned the fire energy to the new students who had been robbed earlier, so this final hurdle was the final hurdle for all new students!
"Hu Jia is right, let's fight her!" Among the new students, Lu Mu, who had considerable alchemy talent, said in a deep voice.
More and more people shouted "Let's fight her!" and for a moment, everyone united.
Listening to the clamoring slogans around him, Xiao Yan belatedly noticed the unusual situation around him. Looking at his classmates, some with fear on their faces, others showing a hint of tragic resolve, several question marks appeared on his forehead.
"Is Xiao Meng... that terrifying?"
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