Hearing the sound of the main gate closing firmly behind them, Xiao Yan paused slightly before resuming his pace, pulling Xun gently forward. After nearly five minutes, a soft yellow light appeared from a distance ahead, prompting their steps to quicken. A little while later, they finally emerged from the dark corridor, bathed in bright, radiant light, and both of them slightly inclined their heads to adjust. Before them lay a spacious room. Along the walls, there were nearly ten energy shields, each slowly pulsing with light, casting the entire room as bright as day. Inside the room, the three members of Hu Guo had arrived. Upon hearing the footsteps, they turned to look back and, upon seeing the two, Hu Guo took a step forward, smiling warmly and said, "Xun'er, once we enter the inner courtyard, we'll have to stick together. Though we haven't been there yet, my grandfather mentioned that to secure the best training conditions inside, one must demonstrate strength—specifically, the strength of one's fists. Therefore, if we spread out, as newcomers, we'll surely be exploited and pressured." Hu Guo's gaze briefly passed over Xiao Yan before skipping over him, clearly still holding a lingering resentment over his harsh treatment during their last encounter. "Indeed," said Bai Shan, smiling gently, "newcomers who don't unite often find themselves treated poorly. However, I have an uncle who has already been in the inner courtyard for two years. Once we enter, if Xun'er and the others join me, with his support, we'll certainly be able to avoid the most challenging transitional period as newcomers. "Haha, we truly appreciate White Mountain's kindness, but we can manage this on our own," Xiao Yan chuckled, then glanced around the room, his eyes suddenly widening with surprise—as if this vast hall had already reached the very end of the library. Where were all the books? Hearing Xiao Yan's words, White Mountain's mouth slightly twitched, the warm smile on his face briefly turning cold before quickly fading. In his heart, he murmured with growing unease: "If you won't accept the toast, well, then, I'll just have to make you stubborn. I hope you remain that way once we reach the Inner Courtyard—I'll make sure you're the one crawling out of it!" "Don't look anymore—it seems there's nothing else here, just these odd energy fields. Are we supposed to go through them?" Seeing Xiao Yan's wide, searching gaze, Huo Jia rolled her eyes and said. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's brow furrowed, puzzled by the meaning behind it. Just as Xiao Yan and the others were wandering in bewilderment within the vast room, a subtle rustling sound suddenly echoed through the space. Though the sound was faint, it resonated like thunder for Xiao Yan and his companions. They quickly turned their gaze toward the sound, eventually settling on an energy shield located on the left side of the room. "Something seems to be emerging from there," Xun'er remarked, puzzled. "Emerging?" Xiao Yan paused, still catching his breath. Before he could respond, a sudden tightening sensation surged through him. As he remained still, a burst of deep purple light erupted from within the energy shield, swiftly transforming into a streak of light that shot directly toward the five of them. "Watch out!" Seeing the streak approaching, the others—unfamiliar with its nature—immediately stepped back. Xiao Yan shifted slightly, deflecting the light stream. As he retreated, he called out to Xun'er, who had remained motionless in her place. However, as soon as Xiao Yan's words settled, the purple light suddenly accelerated and surged straight toward Xun'er. She fixed her gaze firmly on the light, and as Xiao Yan's expression subtly changed, she extended her jade-like hand and reached directly toward the light. "Ssshh." Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, Xun'er swiftly grasped the purple light with her hand, and then it gradually faded away, leaving a spiraling purple scroll wrapped in an energy layer resting in her palm. "A mid-tier, high-level technique—Zi Lei Ju?" Holding the scroll, Xun'er gently tested her hand against the energy layer, finding it completely seamless. She then softly recited the characters inscribed on the scroll's surface. "A technique?" Hearing Xun'er's voice, Xiao Yan and the others were momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized—the items were being automatically expelled from these energy shields. As Xiao Yan and the others were coming to this realization, a fresh wave of rushing wind sounds erupted, followed by countless energy clusters of varying colors and shapes being forcefully sprayed out from the shields, swirling and darting throughout the vast room, creating a constant whooshing sound. Observing these energy clusters each emitting distinct sounds, Xiao Yan's face brightened with delight. With a quick flick of his foot against the ground, he launched himself upward like a projectile, extending both hands to catch them. When he landed, a faint green glow had already formed in his palms. Through this glow, he could clearly see a medicinal herb of jade-like green hue within the cluster. His eyes swiftly scanned the herb, finally settling on a jade-like fruit at its apex. Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat: "The Heavenly Jade Fruit?" "Tianfei fruit—according to Xiao Yan's knowledge, merely consuming it directly can raise a person's Qi strength by one star. If used as an ingredient in a pill, a successful formulation would surely yield a rare pill capable of significantly enhancing the strength of a Duke-level warrior. This fruit is nearly priceless outside these halls, extremely difficult to find. Yet here, within the Library, it has been suddenly expelled into the air—something that leaves Xiao Yan utterly astonished. "Unfortunately, though rare, it's not exactly what I need right now." Holding the Tianfei fruit, Xiao Yan sighed with lingering disappointment, then gently released his grip. The fruit immediately transformed into a shimmering green glow, rising upward once more, eventually blending into the surrounding radiance and vanishing. "Xun! Grab it!" Turning to Xun, Xiao Yan shouted loudly. As his heart moved, he swiftly reached out again, grasping at a cluster of light. As萧炎's loud cry settled, the others seemed to snap into awareness, and at once their figures surged into motion, transforming into swift shadows that darted across the room, continuously seizing the glowing orbs shooting out from the surrounding energy shields. The room echoed with a constant rush of wind. Xiao Yan and his companions hurried back and forth, grabbing the orbs only to discard them if they found them unsuitable, then swiftly moving on to pursue their preferred treasures. Holding the silver glow tightly, Bai Shan couldn't help but smile proudly at Xiao Yan. He quickly drove his palm toward the silver orb, but as soon as his hand made contact with the inner core of the orb, a tremendous rebound force surged forth, violently pushing his palm back. The light then surged brilliantly, forcing itself free from Bai Shan's grasp and transforming into a streak of brilliance, which shot into an energy shield. Xiao Yan and the others stared in astonishment at Bai Shan, who had just been boasting and laughing confidently moments before, now gasping and retreating, blood trickling from his mouth. They exchanged glances, their mouths twitching with a mix of disbelief and heartfelt sympathy—what a classic case of joy turning to sorrow! Hadn't Bai Shan forgotten, when he entered, that the Vice Dean Hu Qi had said everything would unfold as it pleased? Upon hearing Xiao Yan's reminder, Xun'er nodded slightly and ceased her unnecessary pursuits, standing still with her gaze firmly fixed on the energy shield continuously spewing out luminous orbs. Beside her, Xiao Yan closed his eyes. With his spiritual perception, he had a distinct advantage in such a setting—allowing him to detect the strength of the emerging energy orbs before anyone else. His spiritual awareness spread throughout the entire room. Though occasional energy orbs passed swiftly by his side, Xiao Yan remained completely still, showing no reaction at all—these were not yet worth his effort to pursue. The quiet lasted for nearly ten minutes. During this time, Xun'er managed to secure five or six energy orbs, yet still failed to reach the desired level, so she ultimately returned them all. At a certain moment, Xiao Yan's body remained still, yet his heart suddenly tightened, and his eyes snapped open. Without any warning, he pointed his foot at the ground and shot straight toward the energy shield on the left side. Just as Xiao Yan began to move, a bright red glow burst forth from within the shield with a sharp whoosh. As soon as the red glow appeared, the temperature in the vast room rose slightly, prompting Bai Shan and the others to quickly turn their attention toward it. Witnessing the impressive force of the red glow, they all paused in surprise, then instinctively launched themselves forward. However, as soon as they began to move, Xiao Yan—having detected the glow earlier—materialized suddenly as a shadow, reached out with his hand, and, despite the intense heat radiating from it, caught the red glow in his palm. He then stepped back swiftly, while Xun skillfully darted forward to block Bai Shan and the others. "Hehe." Smiling at the three from Bai Shan, Xiao Yan carried the blazing glow to Xun'er's side, glanced into the light, and then paused, his throat rolling slowly.