"Lord Goku, there's still one more over there," Qing Lin pointed toward the scar-faced man Goku had casually knocked unconscious earlier.
Goku turned to Xiao Mei and said with a faint smile, "That one was your opponent. His Fire Energy is yours to claim."
"Got it." Xiao Mei knew Goku had no interest in Fire Energy himself, so she didn't hesitate. Walking over to the man, she woke him up. The scar-faced youth, his face ashen, reluctantly pulled out his crystal card and handed it over.
This ambush had backfired spectacularly—they hadn't just failed to steal from the newbies, they'd ended up completely humiliated.
"Let's go," Goku said calmly. "From this moment on, we flip the game. In this Fire Energy Hunt, we become the hunters, and the veterans the prey. It's time to break the long-standing rules of Jia Nan Academy."
As they watched the six figures walk off, the scholar and the others exchanged looks. Despite their injuries, there was a glimmer of twisted amusement in their eyes.
"Well, it looks like it's someone else's turn to suffer now," one of them said with a bitter laugh. "If we're going down, at least we're not going down alone."
They knew full well: based on what they had just witnessed, none of the remaining veteran teams could match that group of freakishly strong freshmen. This year, the old hierarchy was about to be shattered.
"Let's just recover from our wounds and wait for the chaos to end," one veteran said, helping another up. The group limped off into the woods, dragging their bruised bodies and shattered pride behind them.
---
High atop a towering tree deep within the forest, two elderly men sat cross-legged. Though the wind rustled the leaves, their robes didn't flutter in the slightest—rigid and motionless as iron.
After a long while, the two men slowly opened their eyes and exchanged glances. Both could see the shock and astonishment mirrored in each other's eyes.
"Hehe… excellent, excellent… These new students are truly full of surprises," the grey-robed elder chuckled. "Just as Old Hu said, this year's freshmen are vicious—and it's all true."
"Indeed," nodded the blue-robed elder, his expression a mix of awe and disbelief.
"Freshmen hunting veterans… The roles have been reversed. Out of ten groups, six veteran teams have already been completely wiped out. This is unheard of."
In their earlier observation, they had witnessed the most bizarre sight in the academy's history: team after team of gorgeous young women decimating entire veteran squads with overwhelming power. Ten freshman teams, ten veteran teams—and in just over an hour, six veteran teams had been utterly defeated. Never before in Jia Nan Academy's history had something so audacious occurred.
---
Within the dense forest, battle cries echoed alongside roaring surges of Dou Qi. The canopy trembled from the violent clashes below. A moment later, a panic-stricken man stumbled out from the underbrush, fear etched into his eyes.
The opponent he thought would be easy prey had revealed monstrous strength, utterly crushing him and his team before they could even react. What terrified him most was how normal these women looked—soft, delicate, beautiful—and yet their power was beyond comprehension.
Suddenly, a slim, feminine figure appeared behind him in mid-air. With a gentle tap of her foot to his back, an overwhelming force erupted.
"AHHH!"
The man screamed as he was blasted into the ground like a meteor, finally crashing into a jagged rock that jutted from the earth. His face twisted in pain as blood trickled from his mouth.
Wracked with agony, the man gritted his teeth. If escape wasn't an option, then he'd fight to the death. He gathered his Dou Qi, trying to form a battle technique…
But before he could even launch it, a blade of Dou Qi sliced through the air, slashing clean across his chest.
Splat!
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was sent flying again, slamming into a tree. His face turned as pale as paper.
"If you don't want more broken bones, hand over your crystal card," Yuriko said calmly, brushing aside her long bangs.
"Why do you even want my card?" he muttered, still trying to play dumb as four stunning women emerged from the forest behind her. His heart sank at the sight.
"Sounds like he wants us to beat it out of him," Saeko said, approaching with slow, measured steps. Her voice was gentle, but the man felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered how earlier in the fight, two of his teammates were crippled by this deceptively soft-looking woman. She was terrifying—her strength crushed opponents of the same level like insects.
Though reluctant, fear overcame pride. With trembling hands, he pulled out a light-blue crystal card from his spatial ring and handed it to Yuriko.
Sliding it against her own, she glanced at the number: 39. A satisfied smile curled on her lips.
"That's the second team we've cleared. I wonder how many are left out there?" she mused.
"Not many, I'd bet," said Shizuka, resting her chin on her finger thoughtfully. "Even if their levels are close to ours, our cultivation methods and techniques are way superior. The others should've taken care of the remaining teams by now."
"We've cleared out two whole groups," said Saya, smiling. "I wonder where that puts us in the overall rankings?"
Just then, they all felt a powerful but subtle signal pulse through their consciousness.
"It's Goku's signal," Saeko said with a faint smile. "Time to regroup. Looks like we've finished clearing the field."
She glanced toward a certain direction in the forest and slowly lifted into the air, soaring away. The other four followed suit, activating the flying Technique Goku had taught them.
Watching the women fly without even needing footing, several injured veterans stared in silent awe.
---
Back atop the tree canopy, the two old men once again opened their eyes and exchanged glances. This time, what they saw in each other's eyes was pure joy and admiration.
"In less than two hours, the ten veteran teams have been completely wiped out," one of them said in disbelief. "These freshmen are something else. This is going to shake up the Inner Academy like never before."
"Let's go," the other said. "This Fire Energy Hunt is over—and the freshmen have won in overwhelming fashion. It's a shocking outcome, something that hasn't happened since the founding of the Academy."
And with those words, the two vanished like ghosts, leaving no trace behind.
---
At the center of the forest, Goku lay on the grass, his head resting on Hayashi's soft, curvy thighs. Above him, multiple sonic booms echoed as the women descended from the sky, one after another, landing lightly beside him.
The once-quiet clearing instantly became lively.
The girls gathered around, laughing, chatting, and comparing their crystal cards to see who had racked up the most Fire Energy. With no real pressure this time, the hunt had been more fun than competition.
Most of the women here were Goku's wives, each of them having undergone his divine body enhancement. In terms of raw power and talent, they were invincible among their peers. Even opponents stronger by several stars were no threat.
This year's hunt flipped tradition on its head.
In all the years of the Inner Academy, there had never been a time when veterans were completely robbed by freshmen. This was a loud and stinging slap to the arrogant seniors—and one they wouldn't forget anytime soon.
Each of them had barely seven days' worth of Fire Energy left in their cards—the required minimum. And the injuries they'd suffered would take days to heal. No one could deny it now: they'd been utterly crushed.
And yet, despite their bruised egos, some of the older students began to fantasize.
'If I could get even one of these goddess-tier women to fall for me, I'd be set for life…'
---
In a wide clearing, both freshmen and veterans had gathered.
Elder Su looked thoughtfully at the many beautiful women surrounding Goku. But when his gaze shifted to Goku himself, a flicker of uncertainty and caution passed through his eyes.
He'd heard things—from Elder Hu, and more importantly, from the vice Dean himself: This man is not to be provoked. Anything he asks for, comply without hesitation.
And the twenty-some heavenly beauties standing around Goku? Each one was a genius on a continental scale. That they all belonged to him was a terrifying fact. Goku's identity… was shrouded in ever-deepening mystery.
"This year's Fire Energy Hunt ends with a clear victory for the freshmen," Elder Su announced, his voice calm yet firm.
Cheers erupted from the freshman group—excluding Goku's women. Though they hadn't personally defeated the veterans, they had held onto their Fire Energy, and being part of the historic freshman victory was still something to be proud of.
The veterans, on the other hand, stood there speechless. They wanted to protest, but not a word came out. They had no argument—they'd been defeated utterly.
"I understand many of you are dissatisfied,"
Elder Su said, "but facts are facts. If you want to redeem yourselves, you may challenge any of the freshmen in one month. If they accept, the Inner Academy's arena is open to you at any time."
A few veterans perked up at that—but their optimism faded fast. These freshmen were already stronger than them before entering the Inner Academy. Once inside, they would grow even faster.
The only hope left… was the top elites of the Inner Academy's Heaven Rankings.
Still, pride lingered among some of the veterans.
'No way I'm letting this go! Just wait—I'll train like hell and get my revenge!'
Elder Su scanned the group, then focused on Saeko's team. "As the victors of this year's hunt, all freshmen will receive 20 days of Fire Energy. Additionally, Saeko Busujima, Yuriko Takagi, Saya Takagi, Shizuka Marikawa, and Yi Xian are awarded blue-fire crystal cards and an extra 30 days of Fire Energy."
"Blue-fire crystal cards?!" The crowd stirred, and the veterans looked on with envy. The five women, however, accepted the rewards with calm indifference. To them, it was trivial.
"What's a blue-fire card?" some new students asked.
Elder Su smiled. "In the Inner Academy, Fire Crystal Cards are ranked from lowest to highest: black, blue, green, red, and purple. You're all holding black cards—good for training on floors 1 and 2 of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. Blue cards grant access to floors 3 and 4, and so on."
"To upgrade your card, you normally need to pay with Fire Energy. Upgrading from black to blue takes 100 days. Blue to green takes 200 days. These five received blue cards as a reward—they just saved 300 days' worth of Fire Energy."
Hearing that, the rest of the freshmen immediately understood why the veterans were so jealous.
When Elder Su finished, five blue crystal cards floated to the girls. "Transfer the Fire Energy from your black cards, then return them to me."
The five women complied, transferring the energy with a touch and returning the now-empty black cards.
Nearby, the three little girls—Alice, Karin, and Haku—watched enviously, their cheeks puffed out in indignation.
"It's all Goku-nii's fault for being lazy!" Alice pouted. "If he'd helped us hunt, we'd be first!"
The five older women chuckled, smiling dotingly. Without hesitation, they handed their blue cards to the little girls.
The trio squealed with glee and snatched the cards. Alice held up two and grinned, "Hehe! I've got two now!"
_____
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