Battle Through the Heavens: Purple Heaven Thunder Emperor

Chapter 161 Golden Dragon Robbery

Lin Yan took the letter with a puzzled look, wondering what this guy was up to.

However, after glancing at the contents, his eyes widened, his face grew increasingly dark, and his hand holding the letter trembled uncontrollably.

Everyone looked at Lin Yan's expression and stood on tiptoe to gaze at the letter in his hand, very curious about what was written on it that could make the notoriously carefree Lin Yan in the inner courtyard have such an expression.

"I'd rather die than sign such a thing!" A grief-stricken roar echoed throughout the valley, causing those who heard it to grieve and weep: "You heartless monster, this is a contract of servitude!"

"Hehe. You won't sign? If you don't sign, I'll hang you from a tree!" Xiao Bai looked at him dangerously and smiled sinisterly, "Don't worry! Even if you're hung from a tree, I'll still pay you for your work, to pay off your debt!"

"Are you even human? Two points of fire energy a day? Eight hundred points! How long am I supposed to keep working like this?" Lin Yan roared angrily, his eyes wide with rage and his breath coming in ragged gasps.

The people around, who were initially curious and wanted to come closer, changed their expressions drastically upon hearing this and quickly took a few steps back, fearing that Xiao Bai would also hand them one—that would be too terrifying!

"You don't have to hang up, do you? Didn't I give you two options? See how well I've treated you?" Xiao Bai stroked his chin, his expression mocking, and sneered inwardly. How dare they play him? Well, he'll play them slowly!

Lin Yan gritted his teeth inwardly, feeling an urge to die together with him!

The note did indeed offer two other options: either pay back the 800 points in one lump sum, or do something for him.

Eight hundred points, even if you kill him, you can't come up with that amount. But working for him would have been acceptable, but seeing the words "one point of fire energy per day" on it, I felt a surge of hatred. I might as well hang it on a tree!

"Looks like you've chosen to become famous! That way you can earn more!" Xiao Bai nodded thoughtfully, stood up, stretched, and chuckled knowingly.

"Wait!" Lin Yan panicked when he saw that the man seemed about to leave. Judging from his expression, he wasn't joking. The thought of being hung up sent chills down his spine. He scribbled a few lines on the slip of paper and hurriedly said, "I choose three!"

"Sigh, forget it! Now that I think about it, a little bit a day is really too harsh!" Xiao Bai shook his head. Just when Lin Yan thought he had a change of heart, he uttered another sentence that left Lin Yan speechless.

"Let's just hang it on the tree!"

"Let's duel, you demon!" Lin Yan grabbed the axe beside him, ready to fight him to the death.

"Haha." Under Lin Yan's resentful gaze, Xiao Bai put away the signed contract and laughed, "Get ready to work and pay off your debts! Worker!"

Lin Yan rolled his eyes. If he could beat this guy, he would definitely kill him!

Above the valley.

"This..." Elders Su and Han looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Having presided over so many Fire Energy Hunting Competitions, this year was the most bizarre. Not only were the senior students robbed, but those who didn't have enough fire energy were even forced to sign IOUs. What kind of operation was this?

"Old Su, Liu Qing and Lin Yan, you invited them, didn't you?" Elder Han seemed to remember something and looked at Elder Su with a puzzled expression.

"Uh..." Elder Su's eyes darted around. How could he have imagined that something like this would happen? If that kid Lin Yan comes to him for reimbursement later, well, eight hundred points, plus Liu Qing's, that's a thousand six hundred points. That's a bit painful for him! He couldn't help but look at the Grand Elder in front of him.

"!" As a Dou Zong, how could Su Qian not be aware of what was happening behind him? He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about it! Eight hundred points of fire energy is a lot, but Lin Yan has already gotten a great deal by getting close to a fifth-grade alchemist!"

"A fifth-grade alchemist? Xiao Bai?" Elders Su and Han looked at the black-clad figure below in disbelief, their expressions full of astonishment. This guy was actually an alchemist, and a fifth-grade one at that.

You should know that a fifth-grade alchemist can already be a guest of honor for a Dou Wang or even some Dou Huang. This guy is only eighteen years old, right?

"No wonder his soul power is so strong!" Elder Su murmured.

"Yes! Who would have thought this little guy is so monstrous! No wonder Old Man Hu didn't praise him as usual before; there was absolutely no need for that!" Elder Han said, his lips twitching.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes flickering. Eight hundred points of fire energy didn't seem like much!

However, as an elder, shouldn't you be a little more reserved?

On the other side, not far from the forest exit.

"We're almost at the exit!"

The group of people were overjoyed when they saw the faintly visible exit ahead, and they rushed towards it.

Upon reaching the exit, looking at the whirlpool-like passage, a group of people collapsed to the ground, wiping the sweat from their brows and letting out a sigh of relief.

"I'm never participating in this fire-based hunting competition again! It's too damn scary!"

"Yeah! I was hoping to impress the freshmen and maybe even gain some fire energy, but who knew I'd run into such a devil? What a damn bad luck!"

"Let's go outside first. If that devil comes, our escape will have been for nothing!"

"Don't panic, stay calm! We're already at the entrance! What are we afraid of? That demon can't possibly come out of the passage!"

Just as everyone was talking at once, a mocking voice came from the passageway.

"Hehe. My lord can't come out through the passage, but this dragon can!"

"Who?"

The senior student, who had been slumped on the ground, suddenly jumped up and looked warily toward the passageway.

A flash of golden light appeared in the passage, and to the astonishment of the group, a legendary creature, its claws clasped, floated lifelike before their eyes.

"Longlong."

"It really is a dragon!"

"!"

After a moment of shock, someone was the first to react, whispering, "Wait...did you hear what it said just now? My Lord?"

"It has an owner? Whose?"

"We seemed to be discussing..."

"The Demon Lord Xiao Bai!!!" Everyone exclaimed in unison, incredulous.

"You got it right!" The little golden dragon stretched out its tiny claws, flicked its tail, and grinned fiercely, its mouth stretching to its ears. "By order of my master, we're robbing you! Hand over all the fire energy to me!"

A group of senior students looked at the small golden dragon, which was only about a foot long, and felt a little like they were in a dream. What did they do to deserve being robbed by a legendary dragon?

"Hurry up. My patience is running out!" The little golden dragon looked at the group of people staring blankly, pouted, and waved its claws, saying, "Line up and hand over your fire energy cards one by one! Don't try anything funny, or else..."

As he spoke, a flash of golden lightning appeared on his body.

"Bang!"

The crowd stared at the shattered boulder not far away, their eyes twitching. If that boulder had struck them, they would surely be dead.

Some people who were initially eager to try their luck with the little golden dragon, which was only about a foot long, immediately gave up their ideas, realizing they couldn't afford to mess with it!

When Xiao Bai led a group of people to the entrance of the passage, they saw a small golden dragon idly picking at a pile of crystal cards on a boulder, while a group of senior students stood obediently in a line below the boulder, motionless.

Upon seeing Xiao Bai, the little golden dragon appeared before him in a flash, offering him the Fire Energy Card as if presenting a treasure.

Xiao Bai took it and glanced at it. The total was about the same as the previous half of the senior students, a little over 700 points, averaging about 20 or 30 points per person.

After swiping through all the fire energy cards, he looked at the numbers on them and nodded in satisfaction.

3125!

"This is...this is?" Lin Yan finally came to his senses, rushed to Xiao Bai's side, and stammered as he looked at the little golden dragon.

"What? Haven't you ever seen a dragon as handsome as me?" The little golden dragon glanced at him sideways and said arrogantly.

"It...it can talk?"

As soon as Lin Yan finished speaking, he noticed that Xiao Bai and the little golden dragon were looking at him like he was an idiot. Even with his thick skin, he blushed slightly and coughed lightly, "Ahem, just asking, just asking!"

The group of people behind them also stared at the dragon-shaped creature in astonishment, feeling as if the legend had come to life and that they were seeing a dragon described in books for the first time!

Liu Qing stepped forward, his expression slightly grave, and said seriously, "Although it might seem a bit presumptuous of us to be speaking so intimately, I still want to remind you: before you've developed sufficient strength, don't reveal it to the outside world, or you'll be in great danger!"

"Thank you for reminding me, but it's alright!" Xiao Bai smiled slightly and waved his hand.

The matter of the little golden dragon cannot be kept secret. It is not an inanimate object; it has intelligence. Besides, Xiao Bai does not want to restrict it. As for anyone who wants to take advantage of it, they would have to have the strength to do so!

You must know that if the little golden dragon goes too far away from him, it will attract something. That thing, not only in the Northwest Continent, but also in the Central Plains, apart from the eight ancient clans, few people can withstand it.

If we disregard the life or death of the little golden dragon, theoretically this is already a powerful trump card. If you don't like someone, just throw the little golden dragon at them; it's practically a super weapon!

Of the few forces openly present in Zhongzhou, only the Pill Tower and the Soul Palace have the resources to avoid being completely wiped out. As for the others, anyone who touches them will die!

"It's good that you've made your decision. This matter is settled, so I'll head back now!" Seeing that he didn't care, Liu Qing didn't say anything more.

Just then, an old figure appeared before everyone.

"The Fire Energy Hunting Competition has come to an end!"

Elder Su's aged voice resounded in everyone's ears, and for a moment, both new and old students breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Due to some unforeseen circumstances in this year's Fire Energy Competition, after discussion between Elder Han and me, all participating freshmen will receive ten Fire Energy points, while the group led by Xiao Bai will receive twenty Fire Energy points! Tu Shan and Xu Su will receive thirty Fire Energy points, and Xiao Xun'er and Little Fairy Doctor, who are the first three to reach the exit, will receive an additional 'Azure Fire Crystal Card' plus thirty days' worth of Fire Energy!"

"As for Xiao Bai, his performance was outstanding, so he is hereby awarded a Crimson Fire Crystal Card and one hundred days' worth of fire energy!"

Upon hearing Elder Su's words, a murmur arose from all around, and envious glances swept towards the figure in the arena.

Many senior students cursed inwardly, thinking, "This guy is rolling in money now, and the academy is still giving him such a big reward. It's outrageous!"

Crimson Flame Card! That's the highest level that Canaan Academy students can get. The purple card above it is exclusive to elders. Many people spend five years in the inner academy and don't even get to touch a Crimson Flame Card before graduation!

Seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of many new students, Elder Su explained:

"In the inner courtyard, Fire Crystal Cards are divided into five colors: black, blue, cyan, red, and purple. Black cards are the lowest level and can only be used for cultivation on the first and second floors of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. Blue cards are used on the third and fourth floors, and so on!"

"To upgrade a Fire Crystal Card, you can only exchange it for Fire Energy. It takes 100 days of Fire Energy to upgrade from a Black Card to a Blue Card, 200 days to upgrade from a Blue Card to a Cyan Card, and so on, doubling the cost for each subsequent upgrade!"

After explaining, Elder Su flicked his hand, and three crystal cards appeared in his hand, one red and two blue. With a flick of his finger, the crystal cards floated in front of the three people.

"The reward is inside. Transfer the fire energy from your black cards into it, then give me the Black Crystal Card!"

Xiao Bai and the other two nodded and did as instructed, returning the empty black crystal card.

"Alright!" Elder Su put away the Fire Crystal Card, ignoring the resentful gaze that had been fixed on him, and said with a smile, "Now that you have passed the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, please follow me into the inner courtyard!"

After crossing the exit, Xiao Bai and the others appeared on a hillside.

"Is this the inner courtyard?" The freshmen murmured, somewhat lost in thought, as they looked at the scene below.

Below was a huge sunken basin, as if it had been smashed into the ground by a giant meteorite falling from the sky.

Towering buildings stand among them, and from above, dark shadows flit between them like fleas. Looking into the distance, the land remains lush and green, with no end in sight.

It's hard to imagine that such a wondrous place is hidden in the endless mountains behind the outer courtyard.

"Little ones, welcome to the core of Canaan Academy, the Inner Court!" Elder Su looked at the shocked new students with a satisfied smile on his face. Although he saw them every year, he never got tired of it.

"Is there anything I need here?" Xiao Bai looked at the inner courtyard with anticipation in his eyes. His purpose in coming to Canaan Academy was threefold: first, because of Mang Qianchi; second, because of Zi Yan; and third, because of the Heavenly Fire Venerable from the underground.

He could confirm Zi Yan and Tian Huo, but he wasn't so sure whether Mang Qianchi had a place to cultivate here!

Xiao Bai didn't care about the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower and the Fallen Heart Flame that others valued most, as those things probably wouldn't be of much help to him.

You should know that he already has four lightning seeds in his body, and he is constantly refining his battle qi.

He robbed the fire energy because it was an easy thing to do. Even if he didn't rob the senior students, they would come to him anyway. Besides, building up a force requires start-up capital. Otherwise, he could have just taken Xun'er and Xian'er straight to the exit. Why make things so complicated?

"Brother Xiao Bai, let's go!" Xun'er tugged at his hand and said with a charming smile.

"Alright!" Xiao Bai looked around and saw that there were only the three of them left. He then led the two women and caught up with the excited, howling group ahead of them, which was like a swarm of locusts passing by.

"By the way, Brother Xiao Bai, what kind of contract did you make Lin Yan sign? Did you want to recruit him to your side?" Xun'er asked curiously.

"Hmm! That guy hasn't joined any faction, and his strength is pretty good in this inner courtyard. Although he's a bit lazy, his character and reputation are still pretty good!" Xiao Bai nodded. In the original story, this guy was a daring and valiant person, loyal and righteous. Otherwise, he wouldn't bother with him, let alone have any contract. Did he really think that just anyone could sign his contract?

(End of this chapter)