Golra chuckled darkly at the steadily approaching Xiao Yan. He had seen his share of such persistent new students, and most of them ended up with less-than-stellar fates. It was almost a customary practice at the Canaan College—during admissions, to temper the new students' initial enthusiasm and sharpness. After all, those who made it through the selection process generally possessed strong talent. Back in their own smaller communities, these students were typically well-cared-for, accustomed to praise and rarely subjected to criticism or mockery. When entering a college where excellence was constantly on display, such students often found themselves at odds with others, frequently engaging in heated disputes that led to unnecessary complications. Thus, it was a practical and essential matter to clearly establish each student's standing during recruitment and gradually smooth out their youthful impulsiveness. As for this unwritten tradition, even some of the college's instructors had not expressed any opposition, and so it had continued, year after year. The fist tightened slightly, a faint aura of combat energy flowing over it. Gola smiled darkly. When he first joined the Gan Nan Academy, he too had relied on his talent to resist the established order. But back then, a senior student rated at two-star combat strength had only needed a single punch to make him retreat and bask in the sunlight for half an hour—something that had left a lasting, humiliating mark. Ever since, every time he saw a new student, Gola felt a compelling urge to tear through that fresh, sharp determination. Standing beside Xiao Yu, Xue Ni recalled Xiao Yu's earlier assessment of Xiao Yan. She blinked her bright eyes, curiously gazing at the young man who had maintained a calm, serene smile throughout. She wondered if, as Xiao Yu had described, Xiao Yan truly possessed that extraordinary talent—so formidable that it could rival even a certain female immortal. She gently pressed her rosy lips together, crossed her hands over her chest, and the fullness of her ample breasts created a deep indentation. A spark of anticipation flickered in her gaze. The delicate blush on her cheeks had not yet fully faded, making her appearance especially alluring. Xiao Yu lazily stretched her arms, her chest, though not particularly imposing, now rising with a proud contour. With a graceful hand, she brushed back a strand of her dark hair, her eyes lingering on the young man's back as she murmured casually, "Who knows—maybe it's not him who's suffering at all." "Glancing at the two students about to begin their match inside the tent, the twenty-some freshmen under the blazing sun outside also turned their curious eyes toward them. Though they had resisted at first, unwilling to spend their time in the sun, all their protests had been effortlessly suppressed by their senior classmates, who were clearly more capable. Now, seeing someone else eager to challenge these seniors' authority, they welcomed the opportunity with a sense of satisfaction, eager to watch as others stumbled. 'Are you ready, youngster?'戈剌 beamed with genuine delight at being the center of attention, his fine eyes scanning over Xiao Yan with a warm smile. 'Let's begin,' Xiao Yan simply raised his chin, his calm tone leaving the crowd momentarily stunned. 'Huh, quite a composed attitude for a newcomer,'戈剌 found this demeanor somewhat surprising, and a surge of irritation welled up within him—was this, then, a form of slighting his own status?" Exhaling gently, Xiao Yan was too lazy to speak any further, his gaze lazily fixed on the other person's face, which bore a hint of irritation. "Well done!" The calm demeanor clearly wounded Gola's sense of self-respect. With a cold laugh, he leaned forward sharply, clenched his right fist, and gathered powerful qi within it, then drove a forceful blow straight toward Xiao Yan's head. The spectators, witnessing Gola, a seasoned student, exerting such immense effort against a newcomer, could not help but furrow their brows. Raising his eyelid slightly and watching the fist rapidly expanding in his field of vision, Xiao Yan shook his head slightly. As the fist approached his body, he suddenly extended his hand, intercepting it firmly. Once the fist made contact, his hand remained perfectly still—like the force had been absorbed and plunged into the depths—without any reaction at all. "Speed? Too slow! Strength? Too weak! Are you really a student of the Gan'an Academy?" "Lifted his face, Xiao Yan shook his head and spoke softly. The slightly mocking tone of the young man caused the surrounding crowd to go silent, their eyes wide with astonishment fixed on the point where the fists and palms met—hard to believe that a freshman could so easily deflect an attack from a one-star combatant. Even Rob, who had been smiling throughout, now saw his expression grow steadily gloomy, his gaze cold and piercing, fixed firmly on the composed young man. It seemed he had underestimated him; if only he had chosen someone with greater strength to step up. "You useless fool! You're going to die!" Furious at being publicly humiliated by a newcomer, Gola's face flushed crimson as he roared. With his right foot aimed squarely at Xiao Yan's abdomen, he drove it forward with force. Unmoved, Xiao Yan's idle left hand moved as if swatting at mosquitoes, casually flicking it down, and with a crisp 'snap,' struck Gola's foot sole. Instantly, a patch of bruising appeared. "Hmph." The intense pain radiating from his feet forced Gola to draw a sharp breath, his fury intensifying as he hurried back, breaking free from Xiao Yan's grasp. With a spring from his right foot, he launched himself into the air, then spun violently, causing a faint azure aura of combat energy to emerge along his right leg. A shimmering, wind-blade-like glow formed over his leg and sliced straight down toward Xiao Yan's head. "Unbelievable! He's even summoned the 'Wind Blade'—a Yellow-Rank Advanced Technique! How utterly ungracious of him!" The girls gasped in outrage, their faces flushed with anger as they watched the blurred blade gliding over Gola's leg. Lifting his face, a slightly sharp breeze caused a slight pain across his cheeks. He slowly raised his hand, aiming it at the戈剌 plummeting downward. "Go!" With a subtle movement of his lips, he issued a calm, clear command. From Gora's powerful attack to the sudden, inexplicable counterstrike, it had only taken less than a dozen seconds. Watching this decisive turn of events unfold in the blink of an eye, silence spread throughout both inside and outside the tent, almost without anyone realizing it. Under the blazing sun, the fresh-faced students stared in bewilderment at Gora, who had collapsed just a few steps away. After a moment, their intense gaze shifted to the young boy standing in the shade—this was the first time they had seen a freshman defeat a senior, and remarkably, the boy appeared even younger than they were. Several of the more attractive female freshmen fixed their eyes on the quiet, black-robed boy, their admiration shining in his steady gaze, as if stars of admiration were dancing within his eyes. If the moment had been more suitable, they would have surely screamed out in sheer awe. Indeed… his talent was truly astonishing. Her eyes fixed firmly on Xiao Yan, Xue Ni shook her head in amazement, as the latter had proven with facts the truth of what Xiao Yu had said earlier. "Yu... Yu'er, what level of strength does your man possess? From the way he's standing, it seems he's already a Battle-User." Staring at the black-robed youth, the girl beside Xiao Yu was momentarily at a loss for words, stammering her inquiry. How could it be a joke—easily reducing a one-star Battle-User to this state? His strength was clearly surpassing most of the people here. Xiao Yu smiled sweetly, her gaze locked on the young man in the center of the scene, a subtle glow of wonder flashing in her eyes. After a moment, she mimicked Xiao Yan's gesture, spreading her hands out and smiling gently, "When we actually fight, even I can't beat him—don't you think he's a Battle-User?" "Hm, such a young Battle-User—among the Gan Nan Academy students, he'd certainly be among the very best in talent. Haha, Yu'er, your eye for talent is truly sharp. Though, isn't he your cousin?" "Shall we let you go?" the graceful girl smiled playfully. "Get out of here, you wanton!" she pushed him back, her cheeks flushed. Suddenly, Xiao Yu murmured under her breath, "I've already said—I'm not really related to him by blood..." The unexpected words made her delicate ear tips blaze red. She quickly cleared her throat, spat at herself mentally, and hurried to calm down, determined not to dwell on it any longer. While Xiao Yu was engaged in this lively exchange, Luo Bu's expression grew steadily more stern, his gaze cold and piercing, his lips slightly twitching. "Now, shall we not go out?" Xiao Yin casually rolled up his sleeve, glanced at Luo Bu, and offered a quiet smile. "Hm, you're quite a hidden talent, young sir." The gloom on his face gradually faded, and Luo Bu once again brightened, stepping forward to gently pat Xiāo Yīn's shoulder with a low, cold chuckle. "Kid, don't be too confident. You may have some talent, but in the Gan'an Academy, there are surely many others who surpass you. With your temperament, you'll definitely end up at a disadvantage there!" "Thank you for the advice," Xiāo Yīn nodded with a warm smile. "But I believe you still haven't earned that qualification." Xiāo Yīn wasn't naive—he was well aware of Luo Bu's hostility. There was no need to pretend otherwise in front of him. Even if things came to a head, Xiāo Yīn wouldn't hesitate to face Luo Bu. If things grew tense further, he'd certainly be ready to kill and dispose of the body—something he'd done before. Though Luo Bu's animosity stemmed from a few misunderstandings, Xiāo Yīn simply didn't have the time or patience to resolve them. To be blunt, Luo Bu still hadn't earned that qualification yet. Yet though they often argued, Xiao Yan truly didn't want her to be harmed by such insincere, contradictory individuals. Hearing Xiao Yan's blunt words, Luo Bu's bright smile turned somber, his eyes cold and fixed steadily on Xiao Yan, his face twitching slightly, the intensity in his gaze as if he were about to slice Xiao Yan to pieces. Ignoring this relentless eye pressure, Xiao Yan's composed, serene expression—clearly more natural and appealing than Luo Bu's forced, artificial smile—proved far more endearing. "You arrogant youngster," Luo Bu gritted his teeth, speaking with a cold tone, "in the future at the Cana College, I'll make sure to look after you well!" Touching his face gently, Xiao Yan said softly, "I may not know much about other places, but if you keep showing off, believe me—I'll make sure you never leave Wutan City." His eyes narrowed slightly, and Luo Bu watched the young man with a twitching mouth, yet sensed a quiet, frosty detachment radiating from those dark eyes. His body subtly trembled, locking eyes with the cold, dark gaze, and suddenly a deep sense of chill crept into Luo Bu's heart—a feeling much like the one he'd experienced when encountering a fierce, savage wolf during a previous mission alone. He swallowed quietly, but the threatening words that had formed in his throat were abruptly pushed back down. "Very good," he exhaled deeply, as if trying to banish the humiliating chill that had settled in his chest. With gritted teeth, he nodded firmly to Xiao Yan, already making up his mind to find a way to nurture a strong personal bond with this younger brother in the future. While Xiao Yan silently considered whether he should truly offer this man a permanent position in Wutan City to eliminate potential future complications, a gentle voice—so warm it instantly softened his heart—lightly echoed within the tent. "Hehe, the little one truly has great talent. It seems I've just stumbled upon a treasure this time."