Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

After Jiang Yun left, Elder Liu watched his departing figure, and his expression changed instantly. He clutched his chest with a pained look, teeth chattering as he said, "What a fierce little girl, she sure hits hard!" He then looked at Jiang Yun with eyes full of envy.

The envy was genuine. Only at his age did he realize how enviable it was to have an exceptionally gifted childhood sweetheart entirely devoted to you in your youth. If he had Jiang Yun's opportunities, how would he still be stuck at the Dou Wang level all these years?

Jiang Yun: ? (Devoted to me? Isn't it for Danmaru?)

As he walked back to the dormitory, Jiang Yun frowned. His terrifying soul perception had alerted him to several groups of people following him along the way, some with malicious intent.

It seemed someone could no longer hold back!

After about twenty minutes of rushing, Jiang Yun gradually approached the new students' dormitory area. As he slowly walked into the area, the empty road emanated a chilling 'murderous' aura.

Suddenly, a figure dashed out from within the dormitory area, panting heavily. Upon seeing Jiang Yun, the figure's face was filled with urgency and hurriedly rushed over, warning in a low voice, "Jiang Yun, someone's out to make trouble for you. You should go hide for a bit!"

"What happened?" Jiang Yun was a bit surprised to see the visitor, who was none other than Song Yun, a six-star Dou Shi and former top genius of the outer courtyard, defeated by Jiang Yun in the inner courtyard selection tournament.

Unfortunately, due to encountering Jiang Yun early, he was eliminated and missed the opportunity to enter the library, missing a significant chance.

Jiang Yun didn't expect that instead of harboring resentment, the other party would come to warn him, doing something most people wouldn't.

"An older student heard about your deeds and knows you have a lot of fire energy, so they're here to collect a 'new student tribute.'"

"Ha - not very capable, but they have quite a repertoire. I have plenty of fire energy; let's see if they have what it takes to take it!" Having understood the situation, Jiang Yun was unconcerned and even let out a cold sneer.

"Although it makes no difference, thank you for the warning. I don't like owing people. This is your reward."

Turning to Song Yun, Jiang Yun calmly took out a jade bottle, placed it in Song Yun's hand, and walked toward the dormitory.

"Jiang Yun, this...?" Song Yun reached out to pull Jiang Yun, but the other seemed to sense it, and his figure blurred, disappearing before his eyes. Song Yun looked at the jade bottle in his hand curiously, a faint herbal fragrance emanating from it.

Curious, he opened the jade bottle, and a rich green medicinal fragrance slowly rose, forming a cloud-like mist above his head.

Alarmed, Song Yun quickly closed the bottle and looked around nervously to ensure no one saw that scene before he relaxed.

Opening the bottle again, the rich medicinal fragrance filled the air, speeding up his Dou Qi flow noticeably. At the bottle's bottom lay a dragon-eye-sized green pill.

"What kind of pill is this? It sped up my Dou Qi flow by more than thirty percent. A pill effective for a Dou Shi must be at least a third-tier. Could Jiang Yun be a third-tier alchemist?" Song Yun's voice was filled with disbelief.

"Hiss——"

Song Yun was startled by his own speculation, taking a cold breath, hesitatingly looking at the jade bottle before resolutely running toward Jiang Yun's dormitory.

By this time, Jiang Yun had already reached his dormitory door, only to find a large crowed gathered there. Among them were many familiar faces—this year's new students.

Strangely, in such a noisy environment, where was Zi Yan? Didn't she say she was coming back?

If Zi Yan were there, these people would've been thrown back before they could even approach.

"Boss, Jiang Yun is here!" An eagle-eyed person spotted Jiang Yun approaching and whispered to a burly man resting with closed eyes.

The man opened his eyes and immediately locked onto Jiang Yun's figure, scrutinizing him with interest, seemingly wanting to see what was so special about him.

But seeing Jiang Yun's 'small' build, the man's face turned disdainful and mocked, "So you're Jiang Yun? Doesn't look like much to me."

"I heard you defeated those two wastes, Sun Hai and Wu Qiu. Kid, the inner courtyard isn't child's play. Here, you follow the inner courtyard's rules."

"I won't make it hard for you. Hand over a thousand fire energy as a new student tribute, and from now on, you're part of my Snow Wolf Gang, protected by me, Xue Zhen!"

Upon hearing Xue Zhen's words, his followers echoed their agreement.

"The boss is right. Jiang Yun, it's a blessing that the boss favors you. Hand over the fire energy, and we're one family from now on."

"Exactly, exactly. Not everyone can join Snow Wolf. You're fortunate to be chosen, so thank the boss."

"Brother Xue is a seven-star Dou Ling, ranked in the top twenty-five. To be chosen by him, you're lucky!"

"..."

The various voices of persuasion sounded as if they genuinely were for Jiang Yun's good. But the greed in their eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Finished?" Jiang Yun looked indifferently at this 'farce' and slowly spoke.

"Mm?"

"What do you mean?"

Xue Zhen frowned at Jiang Yun's attitude, surprised, and spoke coldly. A fierce aura radiated from him.

"I mean, leave the fire energy cards and you can scram!" Jiang Yun seemed entirely unconcerned, as if stating an insignificant matter.

"Ha."

"How long has it been since someone dared to provoke me like this? Jiang Yun, I hope your bones are as tough as your mouth later."

Xue Zhen's face darkened, and with a sneer, he stepped forward heavily, a low rumbling sound emanating as blue-purple Dou Qi surged out.

A strong aura filled the area.

"Thunder Strike!"

Xue Zhen roared, his eyes flashing coldly. A flash of lightning rapidly enlarged in Jiang Yun's eyes as Xue Zhen's figure disappeared in a blink.

It was hard to imagine that such a rugged man was an agile type.

A glint flashed in Jiang Yun's eyes, having locked onto Xue Zhen's figure, his speed unimpressive in Jiang Yun's eyes.

"Boom——"

After the loud bang, a surprised voice sounded. The anticipated scene of Jiang Yun being struck down didn't occur. Instead, Jiang Yun caught Xue Zhen's fist single-handedly.

Jiang Yun's calm demeanor suggested he hadn't exerted much effort.

Xue Zhen felt it more acutely. Being close to Jiang Yun's profound gaze instilled a sense of fear in him, a drop of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Are you kidding me? How could I lose to a mere kid?"

With that thought rising, Xue Zhen roared again, his eyes flashing with lightning. His free right hand burst with violent electricity, materializing a nearly half-a-meter-long blue-purple hammer.

A Dou Shi could shape Dou Qi into threads; a Dou Shi could forge Dou Qi armor; a Dou Ling could materialize Dou Qi objects.

The weapon Xue Zhen now wielded, a blue-purple hammer, was formed from Dou Qi and was fearsomely powerful.

But Jiang Yun's gaze remained unchanged.

"Far too lacking!"

Jiang Yun smirked at the descending hammer, gathering his Dou Qi, and punched out. Instantly, everyone felt the surrounding air heat up, swallowing hard.

Was this a Dou Shi?

"Boom——"

A thick white flame pillar shot toward Xue Zhen, the distorted space showcasing its intense heat.

"Thunder Burst Flash!"

Xue Zhen, alarmed by the giant flame pillar, narrowed his eyes. His Dou Qi surged as he swung his hammer down at Jiang Yun.

In that moment, Xue Zhen, holding his tremendous hammer amidst flashing blue-purple Dou Qi, appeared like a thunder deity, exuding a ferocious aura.

"Rumble——"

In the space, blue-purple lightning and white flames occupied half of the sky each, thin white mist rising at their collision point.

The massive Dou Qi clash caused explosive noises, and the continuous energy waves forced the crowd to step back.

"This Jiang Yun is no simple character!" In a hidden corner nearby, several figures appeared, with a white-clad youth clutching his armrest tightly, feeling pressured by Jiang Yun.

"Indeed some skill, this time Xue Zhen might suffer!" Another voice chimed in, sounding gleeful.

"Hmph—Xue Zhen's mindless brutishness is no concern. Don't forget about that other guy!" A lazy voice warned, full of apprehension when mentioning 'that guy.'

"Feng Wuhen, second on the strong list." The previous speaker stated seriously before cautiously asking the white-clad youth ahead, "Brother Li, what's Feng Wuhen's strength now? Has he crossed that threshold?"

The white-clad youth was Li Lin, the current strong list's number one, at a half-step Dou Wang level.

Those standing with Li Lin weren't ordinary; any inner academy student would be shocked to see them, for they were all in the strong list's top ten, at least at nine-star Dou Ling level, some even at the peak of Dou Ling, close to Dou Wang.

Li Lin pondered briefly and said, "He reached the half-step Dou Wang level last year, and I barely defeated him by a margin. If we fought again, I have no confidence of winning. You know, at our level, anyone could cross that threshold anytime."

"In that case, our little freak Jiang Yun might be in for some trouble!" The gleeful voice remarked, making everyone smile, eager for the spectacle.

The impact boomed, and Xue Zhen staggered, retreating continuously. His figure was in a sorry state, charred all over, hair slightly curled, looking like he had been scorched.

"Heh, good! You do have some skills, no wonder you're so arrogant." Wiping the black soot off his face, Xue Zhen slammed his hammer into the ground with a loud thud, panting heavily while coldly sneering at Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun's face was slightly flushed, his breathing a bit erratic. Despite his superior technique, the sheer difference in Dou Qi showed; his large-scale Dou Qi expenditure left his breath ragged.

"Jiang Yun, I admit your strength, but... the gap in cultivation isn't that easy to bridge. Your Dou Qi must be running low. Watch me finish you in one move!"

Grinning ominously at Jiang Yun, Xue Zhen's hammer vibrated suddenly, then surged with intense blue-purple electricity. His hair stood bizarrely, radiating light.

"Thunder Dragon Nine Strikes!"

Jiang Yun's expression tightened; any skill named after a dragon wasn't ordinary. Unexpectedly, Xue Zhen had such a trump card, but soon he relaxed, seeing...

Dou Qi rapidly gathered around Xue Zhen, forming a massive lightning dragon, its imposing form of at least a meter long, while behind it, Xue Zhen concealed.

Jiang Yun inhaled deeply, summoning fire elements from the surroundings.

"Is this... a ground-level Dou skill?"

This sudden scene left the observers startled; did Jiang Yun actually have a ground-level Dou skill?

"No, it's a ground-level technique!" Only Li Lin watched intently, his voice hoarse with amazement, envying Jiang Yun.

"Ground-level technique—"

The incredulous whisper echoed among the crowd, eyes filled with envy. A ground-level technique was far more precious than a Dou skill, essential even for Dou Zun fighters, indicating its immense value.

Jiang Yun suddenly became the center of admiration, possessing such a rarity caught everyone's attention.