Passageway, Inner Court
The area around the passageway had cleared out, both freshmen and seniors retreating rapidly as the golden lightning descended, its overwhelming energy and oppressive aura palpable.
The hawk-nosed youth stared at the approaching golden bolt, his heart pounding. An instinctive sense told him this lightning had locked onto him—inescapable, forcing him to brace for impact.
Boom!
The lightning struck with ferocious speed, hitting the thick, yellowish-brown earth-attribute armor in a flash of blinding gold.
The deafening crash made the crowd squint, straining to see through the glare.
The moment the golden lightning touched the armor, ripples spread across its surface.
Crack!
A faint, crisp sound rang out as a fracture appeared on the sturdy earth-attribute armor, fragile as crystal.
The crack triggered a cascade, a chorus of splintering sounds like the armor's lament. Fissures spread like a spiderweb, covering every inch.
"Ah!"
A pained roar echoed as the armor's energy fragments shattered under the lightning's assault.
The onlookers, watching from afar, shivered at the sound.
Pain! Excruciating pain! As if his body were being crushed to dust.
That was the hawk-nosed youth's reality. The golden lightning carried a devastating, annihilating aura, making him feel, for a fleeting moment, that it would reduce his body to ash, scattered by the wind.
Yet the relentless agony coursing through his mind told him he was still alive—though it felt worse than death.
The golden lightning was precisely controlled, leaving the surrounding grass and trees untouched. All its energy seemed to pour solely into the hawk-nosed youth.
As the light faded, the crowd gazed at the charred, motionless figure standing rigid in the center, like a tree stump struck by a storm. They swallowed hard, their breathing cautious.
Is he dead? The thought hung in everyone's minds.
They stood hundreds of meters away, but the tingling pain on their skin testified to the terrifying power of the attack the youth had endured.
___
Two Kilometers from the Freshman Area
Several figures perched on treetops, their gazes fixed on the distant commotion.
"He didn't actually kill him, did he?" Lin Yan muttered, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
"Probably not. In the Inner Court, you can beat someone half to death in a spar, but killing brings trouble from the Enforcement Team. He doesn't seem that reckless," Liu Qing said, shaking his head. His eyes flickered with wariness. "That golden lightning… it's strange. Terrifying."
"Is that the Xiao Bai you've been talking about?" A handsome young man in green robes, usually calm and composed, looked faintly stunned. "No wonder he dominated the Fire Energy Hunt. Without even showing himself, he reduced a four-star Dou Ling to this state. Such methods are unheard of!"
"Exactly. That golden lightning appeared out of nowhere, not like a battle skill but more like the legendary heavenly thunder tribulation!" A dark-faced man spoke gravely. "That strike alone—forget Mao Jin. Even you, Lin Xiu Ya, wouldn't come out unscathed."
"Me? You'd fare no better, Yan Hao!" Lin Xiu Ya rolled his eyes, exasperated.
"Quiet! Look, Mao Jin's moving. He didn't kill him!" Lin Yan waved, cutting off their banter.
Back at the passageway, the charred figure twitched faintly, exhaling a wisp of black smoke. The crowd began to sense the faint life force emanating from him.
Xiao Bai's ethereal, indifferent voice rang out again: "Now, if anyone still wants to collect a tribute fee, speak up."
"These freshmen have barely any Fire Energy. I, on the other hand, have three thousand Fire Energy. Anyone who wants it can face me in the Arena. Beat me, and it's yours."
"But if you lose, you owe me three thousand Fire Energy."
"Any takers?"
The seniors felt an invisible, icy gaze sweep over them. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads as they shook their heads vigorously, like rattled drums.
Three thousand Fire Energy was tempting, but with Mao Jin's charred form before them, who would dare?
Lin Yan and the others felt the same unseen gaze, exchanging puzzled looks. We didn't try to collect any tribute. Why's he looking at us?
"Since no one steps forward, the matter of the freshman tribute fee ends here."
With those words, the strange aura enveloping the area dissipated.
The seniors glanced at each other, wiping sweat from their brows, exhaling in relief as the tension lifted.
Those who'd been in the Fire Energy Hunt muttered inwardly: This demon's getting weirder by the day!
"Yay! Boss Xiao's invincible!" The freshmen snapped out of their daze, cheering and bowing toward Xiao Bai's pavilion. "Thank you, Boss Xiao!"
"No need to thank me," a clear voice replied, no longer cold and distant but warm with human emotion. "The Inner Court thrives on strength. Train hard. I can protect you once, but not forever. Whether you stand tall here depends on you."
The seniors, watching the freshmen, felt a pang of envy. When they'd entered the Inner Court, they'd stumbled through alone, enduring bullying in silence with no one to rely on. This year's freshmen, with Xiao Bai championing and guiding them, were a different story.
"Tch, this Xiao Bai's not just insanely strong—he's got charisma," Lin Xiu Ya said, shaking his head as he watched the freshmen's moved expressions. "If he gave the word now, they'd follow him without hesitation."
"Charisma?" Lin Yan's eyes flickered with a strange look, scoffing. "You wouldn't say that if you'd seen his deranged tactics. The guy's barely human!"
"Haha!" The others, familiar with Xiao Bai's threat to hang Lin Yan on a tree, burst into laughter.
"Laugh at what?!" Lin Yan snapped, flustered. "If I find out who spread that story, I'll chop their head off!"
As they bantered, Tu Shan shot Mu Chuan a quick glance.
Mu Chuan caught the signal, his eyes lighting with anticipation. After choosing his words, he called out, "Boss Xiao, do you have any plans to form a faction in the Inner Court?"
The freshmen held their breath, eager for the response. If Xiao Bai intended to build a faction, they'd join without hesitation.
When no answer came, Mu Chuan pressed on undeterred. "I know with your strength, Boss Xiao, you don't need a faction to dominate the Inner Court. But even the strongest need others to handle smaller tasks. If you're willing, just say the word, and every freshman here will follow you loyally!"
"We'll follow you to the end!" Over forty freshmen, stirred by Mu Chuan's words, flushed with excitement, their unified shout ringing out.
Youth burned with passion. If Xiao Bai gave the nod, they'd follow, tired of swallowing the seniors' disdain.
"Xiao Bai-gege, if you want to start a faction, now's the perfect time," Xun'er said softly from a distance, knowing he could hear. "Once this momentum fades, it'll be harder to rally them later. Just give the word, and I'll handle everything. You can focus on refining pills."
"Very well," a voice suddenly answered from the air, thrilling the freshmen.
Mu Chuan, relieved, grinned as a thought struck him. "Boss, if we're forming a faction, we'll need a name to announce ourselves. What should it be?"
After a brief silence, two words echoed in their ears: "Purple Sky."
"Purple Sky," Xun'er murmured, her lips curving. She recalled a story Xiao Bai once told her, mentioning the Purple Sky Divine Thunder. Back then, she hadn't thought much of it, but now it seemed this name wasn't chosen lightly—it was tied to Xiao Bai-gege's heritage.
Mu Chuan turned to the freshmen, his voice ringing with pride. "From today, we are the 'Purple Sky' faction, and Xiao Bai is our boss. We follow his orders alone. Any who defy him will be scorned!"
"Any who defy him will be scorned!" the freshmen roared in unison.
"Tu Shan, Mu Chuan!"
"Here!"
"Work with Xun'er to handle the details. She's in charge—follow her lead without question."
"Yes!" They bowed, accepting the order.
"Lin Yan! Time to get to work, or you'll be hanging from a tree!" Xiao Bai's voice called out, drawing the attention of those on the treetops.
Liu Qing, Lin Xiu Ya, and the others glanced at Lin Yan with playful smirks.
"Damn it! He's not trying to drag me into this Purple Sky thing, is he?" Lin Yan groaned. A free spirit who'd avoided factions to stay unbound, he hadn't expected this.
___
Pavilion, Third Floor
Xiao Bai withdrew his extended soul force, his focus returning to the cauldron. His face was pale, a fleeting glint of exhaustion in his eyes.
A pair of small hands gently pressed against his head, massaging with care.
"Xiao Bai, am I useless?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, her voice tinged with dejection as she kneaded. "Xun'er can help you manage a faction, but I can't do anything."
"You're helping me right now, aren't you?" Xiao Bai said lightly, monitoring the sixth-tier magic core's refinement in the cauldron.
"That's not what I mean!" Xiao Yi Xian pouted, dissatisfied with his casual response. "Tell me something I can do, or I'll feel so worthless!"
"No rush. Your time will come," Xiao Bai said, chuckling to reassure her.
"Really? What can I do?" Her eyes brightened, her mood lifting. She'd racked her brain and come up empty, so hearing there was a role for her was a relief.
"Have a baby," Xiao Bai teased with a grin. "That's something you can definitely help with!"
"Pfft! Pervert!" Xiao Yi Xian's hands pressed harder, her cheeks flaming as she glared at his head, spitting playfully.
"Haha, stop, stop! I'm refining here!" Xiao Bai laughed, pleading as he felt the increased pressure.
"Hmph, that's what you get for talking nonsense!" Xiao Yi Xian huffed, her touch softening.
At that moment, Xiao Bai sensed the magic core in the cauldron had fully reduced to a pile of azure powder. He exhaled in relief.
The sixth-tier magic core's resistance to the flames was dozens of times stronger than the other ingredients. Its dense water-attribute energy, clashing with his fire, had nearly broken free of the cauldron. Fortunately, he'd been prepared, avoiding any mishap.
With the core's toughest refinement phase complete, he'd been able to intervene outside. Had it been a critical moment, he couldn't have spared the focus to aid the freshmen.
Now, with all ingredients refined, the next step was fusion—the most crucial part of pill-making. A single misstep could ruin the painstakingly extracted essences in an instant.
Xiao Bai's expression grew serious, the earlier levity gone.
Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian stepped aside quietly, careful not to disturb him.
Ingredients flew into the cauldron, the flames within fluctuating in intensity. Fusion required precise flame control to harmonize the ingredients' properties.
Xiao Bai's powerful soul force tracked every change, adjusting meticulously.
Over time, a pill embryo—red with flecks of blue light—began to form in the cauldron.
The moment it took shape, Xiao Yi Xian sensed a peculiar ripple in the surrounding natural energy, like a boulder dropped into a still lake, sending waves crashing.
Xiao Bai ignored the external fluctuations, his focus locked on the embryo's transformations. This was the critical juncture—any error would render all prior efforts futile.
As time passed, the irregular red-blue embryo grew smoother, more spherical. Its red glow was translucent, the blue specks twinkling like stars in a night sky, radiating a dazzling brilliance.
Just as the glow reached a blinding peak, Xiao Yi Xian gasped. Energy ripples, almost tangible, surged from the cauldron, spreading in all directions, relentless and awe-inspiring.
"Xian'er, get out! Go downstairs and tell everyone to leave the pavilion—far as they can!" Xiao Bai hadn't anticipated the sixth-grade pill's energy would be so immense. He needed to monitor the pill's changes and couldn't divert attention to protect Xiao Yi Xian, so he urged her to flee.
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