In the hall, everyone was staring at Xiao Yan in astonishment. They had never expected that the young man who seemed to specialize in alchemy could match Mu Zhan in combat at all—especially considering the brief yet perilous exchange of lightning strikes earlier. Mu Zhan's combat prowess among the youth of the Imperial Capital was nearly unrivaled, and in the city of Jia Ma, few peers his age could hold his own against him. Particularly after his two years of military training, Mu Zhan had grown significantly stronger and more formidable than before. Yet during that earlier encounter, he had not clearly gained the upper hand. Though this battle had not been fought with Mu Zhan's full strength—nor had he even deployed any combat techniques—everyone remembered that the ordinary-looking young man had been relying entirely on his innate physical instincts throughout the fight. "It turns out the Rock Hawk's combat prowess is actually quite impressive," the Princess exclaimed, eyes wide with astonishment. She was well aware of Mu Zhan's natural talent in battle, yet during the match, he hadn't managed to overwhelm the Rock Hawk—instead, the two had ended in a balanced, evenly matched contest. Li Lin's lips twitched slightly. He hadn't expected to see the scene he'd imagined—Xiao Yan being thoroughly beaten and scattered. As he listened to the Princess's surprise, a subtle sense of irritation stirred within him. He replied calmly, "If Mu Zhan had truly unleashed his full strength, I'm certain the Rock Hawk wouldn't have stood a chance." "Perhaps that's true," the Princess smiled, noncommittal. As a woman, her observations were naturally more attentive than Li Lin's, who harbored some reservations. During Mu Zhan's retreat, she had clearly noticed a slight awkwardness in his gait—there was something subtly off about his steps, suggesting that during the initial clash of forces, Mu Zhan had sustained an unseen injury. "Xiao Xiao, are you all right?" Concerned, the Yafu hurried forward, her eyes fixed on the retreating Xiao Yan, and asked anxiously. As she spoke, she quickly grasped his sleeve, clearly wanting to keep him from going back into battle. "I'm fine," Xiao Yan smiled slightly, letting his robe hang down and drawing his fists into the folds, his hands trembling gently as he slowly pushed away the pain radiating from his palms. "This guy truly has strong capabilities—seems like he's at the peak of Eight-Star or even Nine-Star Battle Master level," he mused to himself, feeling the waves of pain pulsing through his fists. "Still... I'm sure he must be feeling the strain as well. The fire element, especially the intense searing from Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame, must have taken a toll on him." He glanced at the wooden warrior's feet, a subtle smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. Mu Zhan stared at Xiao Yan with a fierce expression, his jaw tightening with each wave of pain radiating from his feet. His inner ki flowed rapidly, then wrapped around his feet, gently glowing a pale green. Mu Zhan's ki was of the wood type, known for its healing properties. As the ki circulated around his feet, the injury—though not severe—began to heal gradually. The smile on his face vanished suddenly, and with a thunderous roar, a powerful surge of combat aura erupted from within him. As the aura rippled and surged, a somewhat blurred combat armor gradually formed and solidified on his body. Watching the combat armor now shimmering on Mu Zhan's body, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected this man to summon a combat armor typically reserved for grand combatants—though the armor was still in its early stages, its defensive strength far surpassed that of a combatant's aura robe. "这家伙要真动真格了…" Xiao Yan murmured to himself, his expression growing steadily serious. As he focused his mind, strands of Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire were drawn from within the spiraling aura and swiftly transported through his meridians, ready to unleash their formidable power at any moment. "Mu Zhan! You crazy man! Stop!" Morale, her face turning pale with anger, watched as Mu Zhan refused to yield. Ignoring Yaofi's furious cries, the qi on Wood Zhan's body grew increasingly dense, radiating a powerful aura that surged from within him, pressing upon the slightly weaker fighters in the hall, causing their faces to pale. "I've said it before—anyone who dares touch you, I will kill!" With a thunderous footfall, cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb from the point of impact. Wood Zhan slightly inclined forward, then shot forward like a green shadow toward Xiao Yan, leaving behind a series of furrows, each one a foot deep, stretching in his wake. The entire hall was now in disarray. Feeling the fierce aura swirling around Mu Zhan's body, Xiao Yan's face grew serious as he pulled the Ya Fei tightly behind him. At the tip of his sleeve, the jade-colored flames began to leap erratically. Within the robe, the jade-colored flame surged with increasing vigor under this pressure, its intense energy rapidly coalescing... Just as Xiao Yan was about to counterattack with the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire, a subtle sensation caused his brow to slightly furrow. He then paused, his slightly inclined body stilling. At the same moment, a clear, crisp voice rang out throughout the hall. "Wood War! Hold your ground!" As the command echoed, a moon-white figure shot across the hall from the opposite corner, her form drifting through several strange, floating motions before materializing directly before Xiao Yan. Glancing at the enigmatic way Lan Yan moved through the air, Xiao Yan's brow subtly twitched—this woman had made remarkable progress in the past three years. "Thousand Wind Gale!" Suddenly appearing before Xiao Yan, Na Lan Yanran's delicate face grew slightly cold as she gazed at Mu Zhan, who continued his relentless attacks. With her snow-white hand extending from the loose sleeve, her slender, jade-fingered fingers lightly flicked, and five strands of pale green spiral qi emerged at her fingertips, resembling five sharp, pointed green nails. As these five spiraling gusts whirled furiously, they seemed to tear through the space itself. With a gentle flick of her fingers, the spiraling qi surged forth with powerful force and struck directly upon Mu Zhan's fist, covered in green wooden spines. Hey, I didn't expect that in just two years, you'd grown so strong—seems Cloud Rhythm Sect Master has been giving you quite dedicated guidance," said Mu Zhan, licking the blood from his fist, ignoring the slight pain. "Mu Zhan, this is the Na Lan family's grounds, not your own Mu family. Mr. Yan Xiao is a guest of ours, and he won't tolerate such impertinence from you!" Na Lan Yanran lightly commanded. Mu Zhan narrowed his eyes, clenched his fist, and scanned the hall before his gaze settled on Na Lan Jie and Na Lan Su, who were approaching steadily. Knowing he had lost the chance to act against Xiao Yan, he sighed and spread his hands, lifting his chin to fix his eyes on Xiao Yan. "Today, on Na Lan Yanran's behalf, I'll spare you. But going forward, I'd advise you to keep your distance from Lady Ya." Otherwise… "I'll be right here, ready to serve at any moment," Xiao Yan冷ly remarked. After the earlier clash, he knew that Mu Zhan was slightly above him in rank, but if both of them brought out their strongest reserves, the outcome remained uncertain. "Good spirit! I didn't expect, just upon returning to the Imperial Capital, to encounter someone who could make me stumble—this is truly exciting!" Mu Zhan grinned at Xiao Yan, his white, sharp teeth standing out vividly. "Stumbling someone? That requires strength—don't you want to risk puncturing your own foot before even making contact!" Facing this young man who displayed no hesitation in his arrogance, Xiao Yan showed no sign of softness or retreat, his firm, direct stance leaving everyone in awe. "Enough of this—let's all keep quiet. Today is a gathering hosted by the Na Lan family. Let's not disrupt the atmosphere," Na Lan Yanan sighed, her delicate brows furrowed, and gently commanded. Xiao Yan shrugged, shifting his gaze from Mu Zhan to the beautiful woman facing away from him, her eyes slightly half-lidded. His fingers gently tapped against the folds of his robe. It had been the first time since he'd known Lan Yanran that he'd witnessed her intervene—her single strike had managed to push back Mu Zhan, who had been evenly matched with her. This woman had indeed progressed remarkably in just three years. Though the combat technique she'd employed earlier might have been of a high rank, without a solid foundation of strength, even the most refined technique would fall short in a battle where the levels were so closely matched.