"No, no, no! We'll pay!"
The remaining older students reacted instantly. As if afraid they would be beaten again even a second later, they hurriedly pulled out their light‑blue crystal cards, terror written all over their faces.
"I like sensible people the most."
Xiao Jietian calmly took the crystal cards from them and checked the values. The five cards together contained a total of eighty‑two units of Fire Energy.
He then took out his own crystal card and swiped it across each of theirs. The number on his card rose steadily, finally stopping at fifty‑two.
One by one, he tossed the cards back.
When the five men looked down and saw the lonely number seven on their cards, their faces instantly turned ashen, as though they had just lost their fathers.
"Hm?" Xiao Jietian raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly. "Are you unhappy?"
"No, no!"
The five hurriedly shook their heads, forcing smiles while enduring both physical pain and heartache. Unfortunately, the smiles they produced looked more pitiful than crying.
"That's good." Xiao Jietian nodded in satisfaction. "This way, no one can accuse me of bullying people. I'm such a kind person—how could I possibly do that?"
"Alright. You can scram now."
At his words, the five older students looked as though they had been granted a pardon. They scrambled to their feet, completely ignoring their injuries, fleeing as fast as their legs could carry them—almost spinning like fire wheels.
"Tian Ge, you're really too mischievous," Xun'er laughed softly, covering her mouth as she watched them flee. "You've almost scared them half to death. From now on, they'll probably run the moment they see you in the Inner Academy."
"Haha." Xiao Jietian smiled and gently ruffled her hair. "Take out your crystal card."
Xun'er did not hesitate and immediately complied. She knew exactly what he intended, and refusing would only be pointless.
Xiao Jietian transferred half of the Fire Energy to her card before turning towards the nearby new students.
"You lot—come over here."
"Senior Xiao Jietian, do you have any instructions?" one of the sharper new students asked cautiously.
"Take out your crystal cards."
At those words, the five new students' expressions turned extremely ugly. After exchanging uneasy glances, they reluctantly pulled out their cards—each displaying only the number two.
Without saying anything further, Xiao Jietian swiped his card across theirs.
In an instant, the numbers on their cards jumped from two to five.
"You need to be careful from now on," Xiao Jietian said calmly. "Not every time will someone come along to save you."
With that, he turned and left with Xun'er.
"Senior Xiao Jietian… this… this isn't right…"
The five new students stared at their crystal cards in disbelief. They had been certain he was about to rob them, yet instead he had given them Fire Energy.
Thinking back on their earlier suspicions, they wished they could slap themselves several times.
Their own narrow‑mindedness had caused them to misunderstand him.
As they watched Xiao Jietian's retreating figure, regret filled their eyes.
"Tian Ge, it seems you already have a plan," Xun'er said softly as they walked side by side, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
Xiao Jietian paused slightly. "Oh? Why do you say that?"
"Because with Tian Ge's personality," Xun'er replied with a gentle smile, "if you didn't have another motive, you wouldn't give benefits to complete strangers."
As his childhood sweetheart, she understood him better than anyone. Xiao Jietian was generous to those he cared about—but the new students earlier were complete strangers.
"It seems Xun'er really does understand me best," Xiao Jietian said, smiling. "I gave them Fire Energy to win people's hearts—for when I establish a faction later."
Those few units of Fire Energy had originally come from the older students anyway. Spending a small amount to earn goodwill and loyalty was a very worthwhile trade.
If one wanted to live comfortably in the Inner Academy, influence was essential. The simplest method was to gather Fire Energy—difficult at the beginning, but once established, it would become a continuous supply.
Xiao Jietian briefly explained Inner Academy factions to Xun'er as they walked.
"It's good that Tian Ge has a plan," Xun'er said warmly. "Xun'er will always support you. If you need help, you must tell me."
She stepped in front of him slightly, leaning forward with a bright smile, her eyes curved beautifully.
Xiao Jietian reached out and touched her face lightly. "Alright. When I need help, I'll definitely come to you, Lady Palace Master."
Xun'er smiled even more brightly and skipped ahead happily.
Seeing her joy, Xiao Jietian couldn't help but feel his own mood lifted.
"Both of you, this is a competition—not a place for flirting."
A faint laugh sounded from behind them.
Xiao Jietian and Xun'er turned to see five figures standing atop a massive tree, each radiating a fierce aura.
In truth, Xiao Jietian had noticed them long before they revealed themselves. He had simply waited for them to step into his trap.
"Sha Tie of the Black Fiends Team?" Xiao Jietian asked calmly, his gaze resting on the rugged, powerfully built man at the front.
"I didn't expect you to know us," Sha Tie said with a beast‑like grin. "It seems you know quite a lot."
"Since you know who we are, you should obediently hand over your Fire Energy. Otherwise, with your thin arms and legs—"
Before Sha Tie could finish, a violent aura suddenly erupted behind his neck.
His teammates' expressions changed as though they had seen a ghost. The next instant, their bodies stiffened before collapsing to the ground, twitching faintly.
Sha Tie turned his head slowly.
What he saw was a face as refined as that of an exiled immortal, wearing a gentle smile.
Yet to him, that smile looked exactly like a devil's grin.
"What's wrong with me?" Xiao Jietian asked softly.
From a distance, the two appeared to be chatting casually like old friends. In reality, Sha Tie's back was drenched in cold sweat.
He could clearly feel that with even the slightest movement of Xiao Jietian's hand, he would be beaten until completely incapacitated.
"I was saying," Xiao Jietian continued pleasantly, "that you're quite handsome—and that it's dangerous to wander around the forest. Would you like us to escort you?"
"I think you understand what to do now… don't you?"
Sha Tie froze, then saw Xiao Jietian rub his thumb and forefinger together.
"I understand. I understand!" he replied hastily.
"Good." Xiao Jietian withdrew his hand. "Then go. Don't even think about running."
With a flash, he returned to Xun'er's side.
Seeing that ghost‑like movement technique, Sha Tie completely abandoned the thought that had just crossed his mind.
He walked over, woke his teammates, spoke to them briefly, then collected their crystal cards.
Under the pained gazes of his teammates, Sha Tie handed all five cards to Xiao Jietian.
As expected of one of the two strongest teams—together, the cards contained three hundred units of Fire Energy.
Xiao Jietian swiped his card across theirs several times. The numbers on the five light‑blue cards dropped rapidly.
After returning the cards, he left with a faint smile.
Sha Tie stared at his retreating figure and asked hoarsely, "Who exactly are you?"
"Xiao Jietian."
"Xiao Jietian… the number one new student?"
Sha Tie looked down at the crystal cards in his hand, his face turning livid. Four cards displayed a glaring seven, while one showed twenty.
The card with twenty was his—Xiao Jietian had still shown him a bit of mercy.
"Captain…" one of the Black Fiends members called softly.
They all knew they had suffered a complete defeat.
None of them had expected a new student to be this terrifying—several of them had been taken down without even seeing how he moved.
It was absurd. Completely absurd.
"Damn it…" Sha Tie sighed deeply. "We've really lost everything this time."
After returning, he would have no choice but to work hard in the Arena again.
"Captain, we can rob other new students," one teammate said through gritted teeth. "There can't possibly be another monster like him."
"For now, that's all we can do," Sha Tie replied grimly. "Just avoid him. He's the top new student—others won't be nearly as terrifying."
He looked deeper into the forest, his eyes burning.
He had heard earlier that another team of new students was resisting the older students—and that two older teams had already been robbed in return.
"Let them keep fighting," Sha Tie said coldly. "Once they've gathered enough Fire Energy… that's when we make our move."
"We'll recover everything in one go."