Bai Junran was the Young Master of the Bai Family, a famously talented Martial Cultivator. He was a household name in the Wencheng Martial Cultivation Realm and a student in the Ancient Academy’s Super Genius Class.

His power was to be expected, but who was the other young man? Where had he popped up from?

They’d never seen him before.

"He couldn’t be a new student from this year, could he?"

Someone ventured a bold guess.

And why was it a bold guess? Because if he really was a new student, it would be utterly humiliating for everyone else. To be able to stand against Bai Junran meant his potential was simply immense.

If it were true, he would undoubtedly become the Ancient Academy’s strongest new student.

The small plaza was suddenly abuzz with discussion. But even as they talked, everyone retreated in unison, not wanting to get caught in the blast.

Several students had already been sent flying by the force of the shockwave, a clear testament to its destructive power.

"What do you two think you’re doing? Both of you, stop this instant!"

A middle-aged man with an imposing air, who had been standing by the white Crystal Stone, was an instructor. Seeing the chaos, he immediately strode forward, shouting for them to stop.

Bai Junran completely ignored him. His cyan light continued to press down on Tu Xiao’an with the force of a landslide, as if trying to crush him to dust.

Tu Xiao’an remained calm and indifferent, perfectly composed. A deep blue aura emanated from him, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet. The Battle Armor of sculpted ice that formed around him easily blocked his opponent’s power.

"I said stop! Who gave you the right to duel here? Do you both want to be expelled?"

The imposing instructor strode toward them, his expression stern.

BOOM...

Suddenly, the two opposing forces seemed to reach a critical point and erupted like a missile, unleashing a powerful shockwave. Tu Xiao’an and Bai Junran were both knocked back several steps before they managed to steady themselves, their eyes still locked on one another.

But the shockwave was incredibly powerful. The face of the approaching instructor drained of color. He sucked in a sharp breath, thinking, ’This is bad.’

The next moment, the students could only watch, wide-eyed, as the instructor let out a pained cry and was sent flying far into the distance by the blast, disappearing from the plaza entirely.

This...

Shock. Everyone stared in a daze as the instructor vanished like a shooting star. The mere aftershock from a clash between two students had sent an Ancient Academy instructor flying. One could only imagine the power they wielded.

Monsters. Both of them were absolute monsters.

"Hand over the Snake King Stone, and I might spare your life," Bai Junran said after their clash. He radiated an imposing, high-and-mighty aura without a hint of anger.

Hearing this, the corner of Tu Xiao’an’s mouth curled into a taunting smile. He pointed to his left eye and said in a magnetic voice, "This is your Snake King Stone. Come and take it, if you can."

’The Snake King Stone is an eye?’

Bai Junran didn’t know this. He only knew the Snake King Stone was a treasure left behind by a Snake King, and that it contained immense worldly power.

Whoever obtained the Snake King Stone would possess that same power.

Bai Junran’s pupils contracted. He stared at Tu Xiao’an’s left eye and quickly realized it was indeed very different from the right.

The left eye held a powerful aura; an ordinary person would be grievously injured just by looking at it for too long.

"So it’s the Snake King’s Left Eye. Then I’ll just gouge it out and take it for myself!" Bai Junran transformed into a streak of cyan light, rushing toward Tu Xiao’an like a bolt of lightning. His hand formed a claw, aimed straight for Tu Xiao’an’s eye socket.

"Hmph..."

Tu Xiao’an snorted, and his left eye turned blood-red. The light within it seemed to become solid.

ZING...

A beam of red light shot out from Tu Xiao’an’s left eye. Bai Junran was stunned. He hastily threw himself back, dodging in a pathetic scramble.

BOOM!

A few hundred meters behind Bai Junran, a thunderous explosion echoed as a stone sculpture was blown to smithereens.

In an instant, the students watching from afar were left dumbfounded, their faces etched with disbelief.

’How is that possible? He shot Divine Light from his eye?’

’What kind of terrifying Skill is that? And so powerful, too—it pulverized a solid stone sculpture in an instant.’

’An attack like that is monstrously overpowered and impossible to defend against. Only a genius like Bai Junran, with his superhuman reflexes, could have dodged it.’

’If he hadn’t dodged in time, that Divine Light would have pierced right through him.’

Many people broke out in a cold sweat for Bai Junran. That beam of Divine Light was powerful enough to shake the heavens and move the gods.

’They’d never seen a gaze so substantial it could form an attack of Divine Light. It seemed only legendary, Divine-Level figures were capable of such a feat.’

’Is he really a new student this year? I don’t believe it... I don’t believe it... I don’t believe it...’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"The more powerful that eye is, the more I must take it back!"

The immense power dormant within Bai Junran’s body began to stir. A potent aura erupted from him, and he became abnormally ferocious.

’Ever since he was a child, what had he ever wanted that he couldn’t obtain? Besides, this was supposed to be his in the first place.’

’For him, the great Young Master Bai, to have his treasure stolen by someone else was the greatest humiliation of his life.’

Tu Xiao’an was perfectly calm, staring back at him with a cold, faint sense of disdain. ’Does this guy not know his own limits? Does he really think he’s stronger than me?’

’Up to this point, I haven’t even released my own aura. Once I unleash my Snake Race aura, what would this pathetic little pressure of his even amount to?’

"Enough."

Suddenly, an ancient voice boomed from the sky above the plaza like a great bell, "Bai Junran, get back here! This is not the Bai Family’s estate. Do not interfere with the new student registration!"

"That’s the vice principal’s voice."

Many students recognized it.

At the sound of this voice, Bai Junran forcibly suppressed the power that was about to erupt from within him. He lifted his chin slightly, glancing in a certain direction with extreme apprehension.

’Bai Town Snake King, you have come to my Ancient Academy, and this old man can turn a blind eye to your presence. But you must know your place.’

The ancient voice secretly echoed once more in Tu Xiao’an’s mind.

Tu Xiao’an was suddenly and secretly alarmed. ’It looks like my identity as a Snake Spirit was discovered long ago.’

’This Ancient Academy is full of hidden masters; it’s not as simple as I thought. Although I can treat Rank Three Creatures as nothing, that doesn’t mean I can truly do whatever I please here.’

’The fact that the man addressed me as the Bai Town Snake King explained everything. Besides, he was showing me considerable respect.’

’He called me Snake King, not Snake Spirit.’

His trip to the Demon Management Bureau had taught Tu Xiao’an that as long as accomplished Spirit Monsters didn’t cause trouble, they wouldn’t necessarily face the rabid hostility of human Martial Cultivators.

However, Tu Xiao’an was mistaken in this belief. Back at the Demon Management Bureau, Leng Shuang had merely wanted to use him.

The Ancient Academy was an institution dedicated to cultivating a new generation of power for the nation. It generally kept to itself and didn’t go looking for trouble.

But if Tu Xiao’an dared to openly kill someone at the Ancient Academy, no one would be courteous to a Snake Spirit like him.

This was the human world, after all. When it came to matters of life and death, humans made the rules.