BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Word Count: 2,175 Words

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"See? I told you not to make an enemy of him," whispered Bai Shan, the only member of the White Gang who had not taken the field.

Although the White Gang had lost and was forced to compensate several hundred days' worth of Fire Energy, Bai Shan still felt a bit pleased. At least it proved that his judgment was correct.

You lost, didn't you? Doesn't that prove I was right?

Looking at Bai Cheng and Yao Sheng, who had been defeated by the combined efforts of Xiao Yan and Xun Er, the entire plaza fell into an eerie silence. Many people had not yet recovered from their shock.

The remaining senior students on the stage had lost their will to fight and raised their hands in surrender.

Bai Cheng, a 6-star Dou Spirit ranked 30th on the Strong Ranking, and Yao Sheng, ranked even 17th, had actually lost to two freshmen who had entered the Inner Academy less than a month ago!

Although some had predicted this outcome from the beginning of the battle, when it became apparent, they still found it hard to believe.

"Those freshmen really defeated so many senior students!"

"Defeated my ass! If it weren't for Xiao Yan using that bizarre sonic Dou Technique to instantly take out a large number and injure many more, how could those freshmen, who were barely Dou Grandmasters, have defeated senior students five times their number?"

Everyone fell silent because, no matter how one looked at it, this battle was unwinnable. The senior students had an overwhelming advantage in terms of cultivation levels and numbers.

But they had been injured both in body and soul by Xiao Yan's strange sonic Dou Technique, which left those Dou Spirits unable to use their Dou Techniques and made it difficult for them to gather their Dou Qi.

This kind of sonic Dou Technique, capable of directly striking the soul and penetrating defenses, was something no one in the Inner Academy had ever seen before.

All the senior students understood that Xiao Yan had won this battle single-handedly. He had carried all the freshmen; even after consuming a large amount of Dou Qi, he still withstood the pincer attack from Yao Sheng and Bai Cheng, waiting until Xun Er finished dealing with the remaining opponents and came to his aid.

What was even more terrifying was that even though everyone knew Xiao Yan relied on a large-scale sonic Dou Technique, even if the senior student alliance tried again, victory would still be unattainable because there was simply no way to defend against such an attack.

Elder Liu rose from the referee's seat with a smile. His gaze swept across the arena, and after a moment, he slowly announced, "In this faction battle, the winner is the Xiao Hall of Xiao Yan!"

Applause instantly resounded throughout the arena as Elder Liu's announcement fell. The gazes directed at the black-robed youth in the field held undisguised awe and reverence. The strength Xiao Yan had displayed had completely convinced them.

With a 3-star Dou Spirit, boasting a powerful sonic Dou Technique, a flying-type Dou Technique, a Secret Technique that could temporarily boost his strength, and many other trump cards, Xiao Yan's combat power was probably already sufficient to challenge those monsters in the top ten of the Strong Ranking. Whether he could win, however, would depend on the circumstances.

Xiao Yan smiled and turned his gaze to the green-clad young lady beside him. A subtle smile and tenderness shone in Xun Er's beautiful eyes.

"Was it you who unleashed that dragon roar?"

A voice came from the entrance of the plaza. Although soft, when transmitted with powerful Dou Qi, it was even louder than the applause in the arena.

The spectators instinctively stopped applauding and all looked toward the entrance.

"That's Lin Xiuya, ranked 2nd on the Strong Ranking!!"

"And there's Liu Qing ranked 3rd, Yan Hao ranked 5th, Qin Zhen ranked 6th, Qian Mo ranked 8th, and Lin Yan ranked 9th!"

"What's going on? Why have so many of the top ten experts on the Strong Ranking, who rarely show themselves, all appeared at once?"

"Oh right, the sonic Dou Technique Xiao Yan used earlier probably reached the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower!"

Liu Qing frowned. He saw his cousin Liu Fei among the crowd and noticed many members of his Splitting Mountain were present as well; however, two were not among the cheering audience but were groaning in pain in the arena.

Only then did he recall that a few days ago his cousin had told him that someone had provoked their Splitting Mountain and that Yao Sheng and Lei Na were preparing to deal with them.

"So you're Xiao Yan?" Liu Qing said as he slowly walked onto the plaza. The tall, well-built man, dressed in plain clothes with a firm, resolute face and thick eyebrows, carried a pitch-black heavy spear that was nearly as tall as he was on his back.

From the moment this person appeared, the focus of the arena seemed to shift to him. Such a sharp aura would make no one dare to underestimate him anywhere.

Xiao Yan smiled slightly and replied in a calm, unwavering tone, "And you're Liu Qing?"

"Cousin Liu Qing." As Liu Qing and Xiao Yan conversed, a graceful figure leaped down from a spot in the stands. Liu Fei called out to Liu Qing in a delighted manner and then obediently stood behind him, though there was a hint of smugness in the gaze she occasionally directed at Xiao Yan.

She chattered incessantly in Liu Qing's ear, badmouthing Xiao Yan.

It was as if, as long as Liu Qing was present, she was invincible. In Liu Fei's heart, the dominance Xiao Yan had just shown wasn't even a ten-thousandth of Liu Qing's.

Liu Qing glanced lightly at Liu Fei, then looked at Xiao Yan and said, "I'm somewhat aware of Liu Fei and the others' personalities, but as the leader of the Splitting Mountain, since you've defeated my faction members, I have no reason not to take action."

Xiao Yan dusted off his sleeves and said, "I, Xiao Yan, am ready to accept your challenge."

Sometimes, certain matters were neither right nor wrong but merely a matter of perspective. Xiao Yan did not blame Liu Qing for standing up for his faction; if he were in Liu Qing's place, he would do the same.

"Xiao Yan is under my protection! Who dares to touch him?"

That childish voice was crisp and pleasant. Yet, under this voice, even the domineering Liu Qing's expression couldn't help but change. Following the voice, they saw Zi Yan, standing with her hands on her hips and her little head held high, a fierce look on her face.

Although she appeared harmless, the faint hint of ferocity in her eyes made anyone who met her gaze break out in a cold sweat.

"Hehe, so it's Senior Sister Zi Yan." Liu Qing forced a smile and cupped his hands as he continued, "I just wanted to spar with Junior Brother; I meant nothing else."

At the entrance, Lin Xiuya and the others also shrank their necks. They had all challenged Zi Yan before, but the result was being beaten miserably without any ability to fight back.

Lin Xiuya walked over with a laugh and said, "Senior Sister Zi Yan, you've misunderstood. With Junior Brother Xiao Yan's strength, he'll definitely reach the top ten in this year's Strong Ranking Grand Competition. When the time comes, he might meet Brother Liu Qing, and then they can have a proper battle. I think that's what Brother Liu Qing means."

Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing had been opponents in the previous Grand Competition; ultimately, Liu Qing lost by a narrow margin and placed third. Their relationship was one of both rivalry and friendship.

Liu Qing nodded in confirmation.

Stepping to Xiao Yan's side, Zi Yan pouted at him and said, "Tell me if anyone bullies you, and I'll get back at them for you."

As she spoke, she swept her dark, lively eyes around; anyone who met her gaze felt a tingle in their scalp and quickly shook their head.

"You little girl think I need your protection for such a small matter? I can handle it myself."

Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head under everyone's gaze. Although he knew that Zi Yan was an extremely powerful magical beast and ranked first on the Strong Ranking, her little-girl appearance prevented him from using her name to boast. Moreover, the so-called bullying had not reached that point; if anything, it appeared that he had been the one bullying others.

Liu Qing coughed dryly. Since Zi Yan had intervened, he naturally could not say anything more in terms of warnings.

Xiao Yan said, "Let's put this matter to rest here. When the Strong Ranking Grand Competition comes, I, Xiao Yan, want to see how strong the top ten from the previous competition are."

His eyes swept over the people present. Without a doubt, these were currently the strongest students in the Inner Academy.

Liu Qing had only taken a few steps with Liu Fei when Xiao Yan suddenly thought of something as he watched their backs. He turned and said to Xiao Mei behind him, "Xiao Mei."

Xiao Mei was startled. She swayed over gracefully and sweetly asked, "What is it, Cousin Xiao Yan?"

"You saw Liu Fei, right? Relying on a powerful cousin and a bit of beauty to look down on everyone, sooner or later she's bound to cause trouble," Xiao Yan said very seriously.

His words made Liu Fei, who had only taken a couple of steps, freeze and look at him in astonishment. What does this have to do with me??

Xiao Mei was also bewildered. I don't even know her!

"Don't learn from her, understand? Even if we become strong, we must not bully the weak. Otherwise, if we offend someone we shouldn't, it'll be troublesome," Xiao Yan said in a completely earnest manner, using Liu Fei as a negative example in his lecture.

Just imagine, if one day Xiao Mei or the younger members of the clan were bullied, wouldn't we have to stand up for them just as Liu Qing did?

"The same goes for all members of the Xiao Hall. Even if we become stronger, we must not bully the weak. We should love peace and develop together, ensuring that the Xiao Hall doesn't change its nature, color, or essence. Understood?"

"Understood!" all the members of the Xiao Hall shouted in unison.

Liu Fei heard these words and angrily retorted, "You're using me as a negative example! Who do you think you are? Just because you defeated Yao Sheng, you think you can compare to my cousin Liu Qing?"

Xiao Mei appeared to be lost in thought as she listened to Liu Fei repeat 'cousin' over and over.

…

After Xiao Yan led the freshmen to defeat the senior student alliance, all voices questioning the Xiao Hall fell silent. Especially after Xiao Yan obtained ten thousand days' worth of Fire Energy from the bet, all the Inner Academy students realized one thing: with such resources, the Xiao Hall would one day stand alongside Wolf Teeth, Splitting Mountain, and Medicine Gang.

As for Xiao Yan's name, it resounded throughout the Inner Academy. There was no one who did not know of him.

However, Xiao Yan did not hog the ten thousand days' worth of Fire Energy for himself. He distributed one hundred days' worth of Fire Energy to each of the forty new students who had participated in the battle. Hu Jia, Wu Hao, Xiao Mei, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Ning each received four hundred days, totaling six thousand days' worth of Fire Energy.

Of the remaining four thousand days' worth of Fire Energy, two thousand were kept for the development of the Xiao Hall, while Xiao Yan and Xun Er, who had contributed the most, each received one thousand.

Even though Xiao Yan now had an additional thousand days' worth of Fire Energy, consumption increased the deeper one went into the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

Xiao Yan inquired with Zi Yan and learned that on the seventh floor, her exclusive No. 1 Cultivation Room, assigned to the first-ranked student on the Strong Ranking, actually required thirty days' worth of Fire Energy per day!

Even though the academy provided free Fire Energy to the top ten on the Strong Ranking each month, with Zi Yan receiving three hundred days' worth per month, it still was not enough to support her cultivation in the No. 1 room every day.

…

Time passed quickly. Two months had gone by since the faction battle.

Boom!

Xiao Yan was punched out of the sky by Zi Yan and crashed to the ground, creating a large pit.

"Holy shit, that physical strength of yours is too much. I can't beat it, I can't beat it," Xiao Yan lay in the pit with his hands raised in surrender.