Chapter 28: A Tiny Morning Grump

Looking at Xiao Yan, who had one hand behind his back and curled a finger at him, Luo Bu sneered coldly.

He had been at Jia Nan Academy for years, and he'd seen plenty of troublemaking new students—he himself had once been a so-called genius back home, defiant and unwilling to yield, but his final outcome had been grim.

Crushing the arrogance of new students during enrollment was nearly an unwritten rule at Jia Nan Academy; most new students came from their small hometowns, rarely facing mockery or ridicule, and entered Jia Nan Academy with that overconfident mindset, only to suffer heavy losses amid an endless stream of outstanding peers, eventually causing unnecessary trouble—so it was a very practical and important matter to make new students clearly understand their own rank and grind away that youthful boldness during enrollment.

Luo Bu nodded to Gela beside him; Gela, a One Star Dou Zhe, clenched his fist, a faint aura of Dou Qi covering it, sneering—last year, when Gela first entered Jia Nan Academy, he too had resisted with his talent, but that One Star Dou Zhe Senior Student had landed just one punch, forcing him to humbly go out and bake in the sun for half an hour; having endured that unique humiliation firsthand, every time he saw a new student, Gela felt a thrill of satisfaction at the thought of tearing apart that boldness.

Now Xiao Yan still dared to challenge everyone—he was dreaming.

Xiao Yan shook his head and said, "You all come at once—I haven't even eaten breakfast yet, and I'm already hungry."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Gela's eyelid twitched violently, then fury surged in his heart—how could you still be thinking about breakfast at a time like this?!

"Fine! Very good! I'll let you eat your fill!" Gela lunged forward, his right fist clenched tight, Dou Qi coalescing upon it, then striking with a powerful gust straight at Xiao Yan's head.

He had originally planned to just beat Xiao Yan up, but now he changed his mind—he wanted Xiao Yan carried out on a stretcher, missing this enrollment entirely.

Some other Jia Nan Academy students assisting with enrollment frowned—this one was even using a Dou Technique!

Watching the fist rapidly expanding in his pupils, Xiao Yan sighed inwardly.

Those who ignore Xiao Yan's words suffer the consequences.

Just before the fist struck his body, Xiao Yan extended one index finger and tapped lightly.

"What?!"

No matter how hard Gela pushed, his fist remained utterly motionless—he felt as if he had struck a mountain! This man's cultivation realm was unfathomable!

Xiao Yan yawned and said slowly, "Speed—too slow. Strength—too weak. Dou Technique—half-baked. Are you really a student of Jia Nan Academy?"

Xiao Yan kicked Gela's chin with a simple, casual motion; Gela flew backward like a cut kite.

That slightly mocking tone left everyone around silent; stunned gazes locked onto Gela, unconscious on the ground. It was hard to imagine—a new student had so easily defeated a One Star Dou Zhe!

Luo Bu, who had been smiling moments ago, slowly grew grim as he watched, his eyes hardening with cold fury as he stared fixedly at the smiling boy.

It seemed he had misjudged him—Xiao Yan's cultivation realm was probably no lower than his own!

Xiao Yan was a new student, meaning he must be under twenty!

Such a genius could emerge from such a small city!

Xiao Yan still had one hand behind his back as he looked at Luo Bu, whose face was icy, and said, "Come at me together—if I have to deal with ants using their so-called rules every day after entering the academy, it'll be too annoying."

"You call Luo Bu an ant?! Attack! All of you, attack!!" Luo Bu pulled out a Magic Crystal Spear from his storage ring—weapons forged with Magic Cores amplified Dou Techniques.

"Xiao Yu, quickly call the Mentor! Luo Bu's gone mad—he's even pulling out a Magic Crystal Weapon! Even if your cousin is strong, he can't fight dozens at once!"

Xiao Yu's good friend cried out in panic as she saw the formation—this was no longer a game or prank; one misstep could lead to disaster.

"These ants can't harm Brother Xiao Yan even a little." Xun Er smiled sweetly; for the boy standing in the center, she had more confidence than anyone, more faith in this man than anyone.

Xiao Yan watched the dozen or so men draw weapons and charge at him like wolves and tigers—he decided not to bother anymore and would use a Dou Technique.

Over the past decade, Xiao Yan had learned only two Dou Techniques: one was the Arcane-Rank High-Level Ba Ji Bong, already perfected; the other was the Earth-Rank Low-Level Flame Division Devouring Wave Ruler—he had finally reached minor mastery after years of cultivation, as if heaven had rewarded his perseverance.

Xiao Yan drew his hand into his robe, gripping the edge of the fabric, using his sleeve as a Black Weighted Ruler; his entire Dou Qi surged, then he swung his sleeve forward.

Just a small test.

Flame Division Devouring Wave Ruler!

A terrifying, invisible heat wave surged forward like a tidal wave.

Puff! Luo Bu took the full brunt—a mysterious heavy blow struck his chest, scorching heat flooding his body; his previously icy face turned pale instantly, then his body shot backward violently, spouting a gout of blood.

Boom!! The other henchmen behind him suffered the same fate—in the eyes of onlookers, it looked as if they had faked their own falls to extort compensation; Xiao Yan hadn't even touched them, yet all of them lay writhing on the ground, moaning.

Luo Bu's body slammed into the stone ground, heated to scalding by the sun; after a brief spasm, he stared in utter terror at the boy standing calmly far away, his chest tightening, his vision darkening, and finally collapsing unconscious.

"My goddess!!"

"Am I dreaming?!"

From start to finish, Xiao Yan hadn't moved a single step—it was over in ten seconds!

Complete domination!

"Who… who is this boy?!"

Under the blazing sun, the new students stared dumbfounded at the sea of fallen seniors, their fiery gazes instantly shifting to the boy standing in the shade—even Xiao Yu and the others had never heard of a new student defeating seniors, let alone wiping out a whole group in one blow!

Xiao Yu's friend slowly turned her head toward Xiao Yu—this is your cousin?? He's even younger than you?!

You're kidding me!

Xue Ni stared in shock and asked, "Xiao Yu, be honest—what's your cousin's cultivation realm? He's at least a Dou Shi!"

Xiao Yu could only smile bitterly, remembering that half a year ago at the family coming-of-age ceremony, Xiao Yan was a Six-Star Dou Zhe—but now, she didn't know.

"Xiao Yu, since this is your cousin, and you're not interested, how about introducing him to me?" Xue Ni raised an eyebrow and teased with a smile.

"Get lost—you're dreaming!"

Xiao Yu blushed and shoved her away; suddenly, an unspoken thought murmured in her heart: "I'm not even closely related to him."

Xiao Yan naturally had no idea what Xiao Yu was thinking—he looked at his slightly charred sleeve and nodded in satisfaction: "No wonder it's an Earth-Rank Dou Technique—even without a weapon, a casual swing has this much power."

Flame Division Devouring Wave Ruler hadn't even unleashed half a percent of its power, but Xiao Yan was already very satisfied—if used with the Black Weighted Ruler, its power would surely be terrifying beyond measure.

"Heh, little fellow, your cultivation and talent are impressive—I think I've found a treasure this time." A gentle voice, soft enough to melt Xiao Yan's heart, echoed from inside the Tent.

The Tent slowly opened, revealing a mature woman as gentle as flowing water.

At the sight of the woman, Xiao Yu and the others immediately stopped laughing and bowed respectfully: "Mentor Ruolin."