Early morning, in a quiet valley within the mist-shrouded Magical Beast Forest.
A massive white demonic ape, two to three meters tall, covered in long snow-white fur, with two upward-curving fangs protruding from its ferocious maw and a pair of blood-red eyes radiating savage killing intent, was intently watching the human woman darting and dodging before it.
The woman, while evading the attacks of the Blizzard Demon Ape, occasionally flicked her wrist to release a shimmering, multicolored mist. Her beautiful eyes would occasionally glance at a giant serpent not far away, its pupils coldly fixed on her.
"This bastard, he's absolutely inhuman!" Xiao Yi Xian's ethereal, fairy-like face darkened slightly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she cursed the man who had thrown her into this situation with gritted teeth.
Today, these two magical beasts were practically her nemeses. The Blizzard Demon Ape was huge and had a high resistance to poison, and as an ice attribute beast, the chilling aura surrounding its body significantly hindered her agility.
The other was the Black-Scaled Poisonous Python, a creature inherently filled with potent venom, granting it strong immunity to toxins. Her poisons wouldn't be very effective against it.
Seeing the human woman nimbly dodging its relentless attacks like a fluttering butterfly, the demonic ape grew impatient.
"Roar!"
Feeling its body gradually numbing and slowing from the multicolored mist it had inhaled, it let out a furious roar. White cold air condensed into a spherical shape in its palm before shooting toward Xiao Yi Xian like a projectile.
Despite being momentarily startled, Xiao Yi Xian remained composed. After a month of training, she was no longer the novice who would freeze in fear at the sight of a Rank 2 Magical Beast. With a graceful sidestep, she effortlessly avoided the attack.
Just as she thought it was nothing to worry about, a sharp whistling sound suddenly erupted beside her. Hearing this, her expression changed drastically.
This beast is so cunning, attacking now of all times!" Her mind raced as she caught sight of the approaching black shadow in her peripheral vision. Panic began to set in. The Black-Scaled Poisonous Python not only carried deadly venom but also had scales as tough as armor, impervious to ordinary blades.
Suddenly, her eyes fixed on a dark, burnt mark on the python's lower jaw, the flesh mangled. Her heart tightened, and she immediately made up her mind.
Without hesitation, she drew a long sword from her storage ring. With a flexible twist of her slender waist, she dodged the python's strike, channeled her Dou Qi into the sword, and thrust it fiercely into the wound.
"Hiss!"
The sword pierced clean through the python's barrel-thick body. A shrill, agonized hiss echoed through the valley as the massive serpent thrashed violently.
A tremendous force transmitted through the sword, causing her delicate hands to tremble slightly. Xiao Yi Xian quickly released the hilt to avoid being flung off balance by the python's convulsions. Watching the Black-Scaled Python writhing on the ground, she swiftly retreated.
"That bastard at least has some conscience!" A faint smile flickered in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes as she muttered under her breath, observing the python's weakening movements.
The wound was clearly caused by a lightning-attribute attack, and it had blatantly pointed out the python's weak spot. There was no need to ask—it was undoubtedly the work of that annoying guy.
"Roar!" A beast's roar interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see the demonic ape growing even more frenzied, as if further provoked. Its massive claws pounded heavily against the hard armor on its chest, producing a metallic clanging sound.
"Hehe... next, it's your turn!" Xiao Yi Xian chuckled softly.
Earlier, with the Black-Scaled Poisonous Python lurking nearby, she had to split her attention, making the fight against the demonic ape somewhat constrained. Now, without the python's interference, dealing with this clumsy ape would be a breeze!
With that, she lightly tapped the ground with her toes, her delicate body flitting like a butterfly weaving through flowers as she enveloped the massive ape in waves of multicolored poisonous mist.
Currently, she lacked suitable offensive Dou Techniques. At the Dou Shi realm, ordinary techniques were less effective than her current methods, so she hadn't bothered learning them.
Xiao Bai had told her that the top five in the Inner Academy selection would have a chance to enter the Book Collection Hall of Jia Nan Academy. She would go there and see if she could find suitable Dou Techniques or Cultivation Methods.
As the ape continued inhaling the poisonous mist, its once-agile movements grew sluggish. Its originally snow-white, glossy fur dulled, and its roars lost their initial ferocity, becoming hoarse and weak.
Finally, the massive body of the Blizzard Demon Ape collapsed like a crumbling mountain, falling heavily to the ground, barely clinging to life. If not for its immense size and thick hide, the sheer amount of poison it had inhaled would have killed it long ago!
Feeling the exhaustion of her depleted Dou Qi, Xiao Yixian wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out a long sigh of relief. If the demonic ape hadn't fallen when it did, she would have been the one collapsing next.
She hadn't expected the Blizzard Demon Ape to be so resilient—among all the magical beasts she had encountered recently, this one had held out the longest.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
A few figures emerged nearby, one of them applauding with admiration. "Impressive skills, fellow student!"
His gaze lingered on Xiao Yixian, who was drenched in sweat yet still exuded a delicate, pitiable charm. A flash of amazement crossed his eyes, followed by confusion. He had been in the outer academy for three years, yet he had never seen this girl before. With her level of beauty, that shouldn't have been possible!
But if she were a new student, that was even more unlikely—he had just witnessed her strength as a four-star Dou Shi. New students couldn't possibly be that strong. Still, he felt a pang of regret—she was a poison master.
A poison master, no matter how beautiful, was a risky pursuit. Who would dare court her? Sharing a bed with one would be nerve-wracking, let alone the nightmare of a fallout. *"Never marry a poison master"* was a widely accepted rule among most men on the continent—though, of course, there were always exceptions for the fearless.
Xiao Yixian frowned slightly at the sudden appearance of the two men and one woman but remained silent.
"Fellow student, we've been searching for this Blizzard Demon Ape for a long time. Would you be willing to yield it to us? We'd be extremely grateful!" Though the young man's tone was polite, the entitlement in his words was unmistakable.
"Apologies, but I also need this demonic ape. You'll have to look elsewhere," Xiao Yixian replied calmly, her expression indifferent.
"*Hmph.* Look elsewhere? This is the only Blizzard Demon Ape in the outer regions of the Magical Beast Forest. Where else would we find another?" The woman in the fox-fur dress sneered, her eyes flashing with jealousy as she took in Xiao Yixian's ethereal beauty.
Students of the outer academy were required to complete certain missions periodically. The academy regularly issued tasks of varying difficulty, and students would choose according to their strength. Completing them earned contribution points, which could be exchanged for techniques, medicinal herbs, pills, or even personal guidance from powerful mentors.
Those confident in their abilities would follow elite inner disciples on expeditions to the Black-Corner Region, while weaker students would come to the Magical Beast Forest to train and complete missions. The academy didn't just cultivate fragile flowers who couldn't withstand hardship.
She had taken on this mission precisely because she knew a Blizzard Demon Ape was here. She had brought along two male students—who had their own reasons for wanting to please her—to quickly resolve the task and return to the academy.
Some students had to spend weeks in the Magical Beast Forest just to track down their targets. But she, so delicate and refined, had no intention of lingering in this forest any longer than necessary.
"Where you look is none of my concern!" Xiao Yi Xian shot the arrogant woman a cold glance, her tone sharp.
Though she was usually gentle and kind, she wasn't about to extend courtesy to someone so rude. Had they asked nicely, she might have considered yielding, given their shared status as academy students. But expecting her to hand over her hard-earned prize with nothing but a half-hearted "thanks" and a condescending tone? Did they think she had no temper?
The fox-fur-clad woman's face darkened. Since arriving at the academy, no student had ever dared to disregard her like this. Wherever she went in the outer academy, she was treated like a star.
Yet today, for the first time, someone had refused her—and this woman's beauty and grace stirred a faint sense of envy in her, something she rarely experienced.
"Li Bei, Lin San—*be polite*," the woman said softly, her voice laced with venom.
"Lady Xue, that might not be wise. If we act against her and it reaches the academy, we'll have trouble explaining ourselves," Li Bei hesitated.
"Who said anything about acting against her? Just *delay* her," the woman scoffed. "Besides, there's no one around to witness it. She's just a poison master—who would believe her? You know how poison masters are treated in the academy, don't you?"
"Understood." The two men grinned, nodding in realization.
Though the academy prided itself on inclusivity, disregarding background and societal prejudices when admitting students, that didn't mean the students themselves shared those ideals.
Where there were people, there were politics. Poison masters were notoriously friendless in the academy—especially female ones. Most men were wary, and the delicate young women harbored a natural fear of poison.
The two men stepped between the Blizzard Demon Ape and Xiao Yixian, smirking as they spoke: "Sorry, fellow student, but this Blizzard Demon Ape is ours now!"
The woman was clearly drained of Dou Qi, so they weren't worried about her resisting.
Xiao Yixian watched calmly, her delicate face expressionless, making no move to stop the woman from finishing off the weakened demonic ape. A faint, mocking smile played on her lips.
Just as the two men sneered at her and the fox-fur-clad woman approached the demonic ape, a clear, resonant voice rang out from above the valley.
"So this is the conduct of the Jia Nan Academy? Quite an eye-opener today!"
"Who's there?!" The three of them stiffened in shock. They had only dared to act this way because they were certain no one else was around. But now, someone had witnessed their actions—if this got back to the academy, they'd be in deep trouble.
A figure leaped gracefully from a large tree at the edge of the valley, landing lightly beside Xiao Yixian. Ignoring the three interlopers, he gazed at her with an amused glint in his eyes. "Feeling wronged?"
Xiao Yixian shot him a soft, chiding look and replied quietly, "With you here, why would I feel wronged? But if you weren't... *hmph*... then yes, I would be."
If Xiao Bai hadn't been present, she would've had no choice but to watch them take the Blizzard Demon Ape. The thought of that *was* frustrating.
"Kid, I don't care what your relationship with her is, but you'd better stay out of this!" Li Bei scowled at the white-haired youth who had suddenly appeared.
Seeing that Xiao Bai also wore the Jia Nan Academy uniform—and sensing no energy fluctuations from him—the three relaxed slightly.
But Xiao Bai ignored them completely. Instead, he turned his gaze toward a particular direction and spoke coolly, "Elder, you've been watching long enough. Care to step in and mediate?"
The three froze in horror, their eyes darting around in panic. *An Elder?!* In Jia Nan Academy, whether from the inner or outer sect, any Elder was at least a Dou Wang-level powerhouse!
*Damn it!* They thought they were alone, but people had been hiding in the shadows all along! This was a disaster!
"Hahaha! Sharp kid! So when you mentioned the academy's conduct earlier, you were calling me out, eh?"
Just as the trio began to doubt, a hearty, aged laugh echoed from the valley entrance.
A fiery red streak flashed, and a tall, white-haired elder with a ruddy complexion appeared before them.
"Elder Huo?!" someone gasped. The three felt their legs weaken, despair creeping into their eyes. *We're done for!*
Elder Huo first cast a cold glance at Li Bei and his companions before shifting his attention to Xiao Bai. His expression transformed into a jovial smile as he approached. "You must be Xiao Bai!"
He studied Xiao Bai with an odd look, then suddenly shook his head, sighing regretfully. "Tsk tsk... What a shame!"
Xiao Bai frowned slightly. *What's this old man going on about?*
Noticing his confusion, Elder Huo explained, "If you could sense my presence, that means your soul talent is extraordinary—your perception is incredibly sharp. I've seen your records. They say you're lightning-attribute, which is a pity. You'd have made an excellent Alchemist!"
"..." Xiao Bai was speechless. Then, realization dawned—this old man was likely the head of the outer academy's alchemy department, Elder Huo!
"Xiao Bai greets Elder Huo." He clasped his hands in a respectful salute. Since he was wearing the academy's uniform, basic courtesy was necessary.
"Hahaha! No need for formalities, kid. You might just be the strongest student to ever enroll in Jia Nan Academy since its founding!" Elder Huo sighed, looking at the white-haired youth with admiration.
The three eavesdroppers gaped at Xiao Bai in disbelief. *Did they just hear that right?* The strongest upon enrollment in the academy's history?
Didn't that also mean he was the most talented student ever?
*Damn it!* All they did was try to steal a Rank 2 magical beast—how did they end up crossing paths with someone like this?! No wonder even the notoriously hot-tempered Elder Huo was speaking to him so kindly!
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