Vast and dense, the forest sea teems with all kinds of wild beasts. From time to time, fierce creatures surge forth from the forest, roaring at the formation of lion-hawks soaring above, occasionally pursued by other aerial beasts. Yet whenever these creatures draw near to the formation within a hundred meters, they are struck dumb and retreat, overwhelmed by the powerful aura radiating from the four figures of Huqi. Yet, it was not entirely the case. Given the dense concentration of beasts throughout this vast and endless mountain range, there were certainly several exceptionally powerful ones among them. Half an hour after the flight formation entered the rear of the Canaan Academy, several strong beasts began to forcefully surge against the lion-hawk formation, disregarding the pressure exerted by Hu Qi and his three companions. At this moment, Hu Qi and the three elders began to reveal their truly astonishing strength—each of their gestures sent waves of powerful energy rippling across the sky like thunderbolts. With a deep, resonant crash, the large, imposing beasts exploded into splashes of blood, showering the group below. Throughout their journey, various fierce beasts continuously surged forward, yet none managed to penetrate the barrier established by Hu Qi and his three companions. Xiao Yan and the others stood upon the lion-warden beast, staring in astonishment at the bodies of the monstrous creatures that had exploded into mist. By the quality of their aura, these beasts were nearly all powerful enough to match any one of them individually—yet even so, they were reduced to nothing but blood vapor with merely a few gestures from Hu Guian and the others. Such strength was truly breathtaking. "It's no wonder we've had to escort them all this way. I never expected the terrain deep within the academy's rear mountains to be so perilous. If we had to traverse through the forest, I doubt many of our students would survive the journey." Staring at the blood mist that erupted once again at a distance of about fifty meters from the formation, Xiao Yan smiled faintly. When the squad had flown swiftly over the vast mountain range earlier, his exceptional soul perception had clearly detected the presence of five-stage, or Battle King-level, beast energies deep within the dense forest. However, these higher-tier beasts, possessing intelligence comparable to that of humans, naturally recognized the strength of Hu Qiyan and the others. Thus, they did not charge blindly against the squad as the less powerful beasts had, failing to see the need to sacrifice themselves. It was precisely because these advanced beasts understood what to respect and avoid that, even with Hu Qiyan and the other three Battle King-level warriors escorting them, the squad of lion-beast riders had managed to reach their destination unscathed. All the way through the flight, blood mist trailed behind them, and the four of Hu Qi surged forward like sharp cones, forcibly carving a path through the overwhelming horde of beasts. The sheer strength of their Battle皇-level prowess was nothing short of formidable. However, after nearly an hour of such relentless impact, the formation of lion-hawk beasts gradually slowed in pace. Noticing this deceleration, Xiao Yan swept his gaze ahead, only to be puzzled—besides a deep, unfathomable ravine beneath their feet, the rest of the landscape remained an endless expanse of green, with not a single figure in sight, let alone any trace of the inner courtyard. "What's going on?" He exchanged glances with Xun'er and the others, all of whom looked equally bewildered. "Let's land!" The sharp intensity in his eyes gradually faded, and the powerful aura that had previously surged from Hu Qi's body gently receded back into him. With a warm smile, he waved his hand, and the ten lion-hawk beasts gently spread their wings, descending slowly toward the opposite side of the ravine. The lion-hydra swept shadows and gales, settling gracefully onto the ground. Upon seeing Hugua wave them forward, Xiao Yan and the others exchanged glances, then leapt off the creature, landing in scattered formations across the open space, their eyes scanning the surroundings with expressions of bewilderment. "Where are we? Is it really the Inner Courtyard here?" Hugua was the first to break the silence, asking Huguan as soon as they landed. The others, hearing the question, immediately turned their attention to Huguan, clearly seeking the same answer. "The Inner Courtyard isn't something you can simply walk into." Huo Qian offered a faint smile, then, under the gaze of all present, slowly walked forward ten or so paces before pausing. With a sweeping motion of his hand, a surge of energy shot forth from his palm and traveled toward the space before him. Suddenly, an eerie phenomenon unfolded—where the energy passed through an otherwise empty stretch of space, it stirred ripples like waves of water. These ripples surged rapidly, and ultimately, a large, pale silver gate, towering seven or eight zhang high, materialized out of thin air. Waving his hand, Hu Qi stepped forward first, heading into the silver gate. Following closely behind were dozens of students, each with expressions of curiosity. Xiao Yan did not walk ahead—he stood at the back, watching the people entering the silver gate, then turning his gaze outward to the space beyond. To his astonishment, he found that those who had entered the gate seemed to vanish entirely, as if they had stepped into a completely different realm. Only after all the beings, including the ten griffins, had passed through the silver gate did it slowly close and rise. A final ripple of silver energy spread out, and the silver gate gradually faded, eventually vanishing entirely. At that moment, the area once again transformed into a completely ordinary forest entrance. "Hehe, Old Hu, you're always so punctual. You've been entrusted with escorting the new recruits—how reassuring. How are the new students this year?" At this, one of the two elders, smiling warmly at the gathering crowd, turned to greet the leading figure, Hu Qian. "They're quite good, definitely better than last year," Hu Qian replied with a smile. "I didn't expect it to be you two elders on duty this year—looks like you'll be quite busy." "It's no easy task," the two elders sighed, shaking their heads in resignation. "Come over here, you five." Hu Qian turned and gestured toward Xiao Yan and his companions as they approached. Once they were close, he pointed to the two elders. "These two are the senior elders from the Inner Courtyard. This one is Su Elder, and the other is Qing Elder. Whenever you need anything in the Inner Courtyard, just reach out to them. Hehe, these five young ones here are the top five finalists of this year's selection competition—quite strong in ability." The last sentence, Hu Qian naturally said to Su and Qing Elder. "Oh?" "Heard that, the two elders glanced at the five with a touch of surprise, then gently nodded, saying, 'At their age, to secure a spot among the top five—this level of potential is indeed significantly better than the previous generation.' 'Oh, what a beautiful girl! It looks like two more names will be added to the list of beautiful women in the inner courtyard.' As soon as Xiao Yan and the other four stepped out, the younger people standing behind the several middle-aged figures brightened and chuckled, blowing softly. 'Shut up! Anyone who speaks another word will have their tower training time deducted for five days!' Su Elder turned and snapped, and the young people immediately silenced, smiling with relief—clearly, the threat of losing five days of tower training time was something they deeply feared." After scolding the young people until they were silent, the Su Elder turned to the newcomers and spoke slowly, "You all are new here. I hope you can adapt as much as possible. In that way, you'll reap tremendous benefits. Look at these brats—though they passed the outer academy's selection finals in past years, they only managed to finish near the bottom. Yet within just one year, I'm confident that their strength now can easily rank among the top ten among you." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned. He turned his gaze toward those young people, his eyes sharpening. He could clearly sense that these youths were indeed strong—among them, only a few could surpass them, and these were precisely the ones who had previously ranked near the bottom in the selection finals. From this, it was evident just how rapidly their strength had surged since entering the inner academy. "Alright, let's cut to the chase. Although you've already passed the selection round and earned your place in the Inner Courtyard, that's not the end of it yet..." Su Elder smiled, raised his hand, and a large cluster of dark, crystalline slabs materialized in his grasp. With a simple toss, the slabs shot out and, as if endowed with eyes, hovered in mid-air before everyone. Xiao Yan and the others were momentarily stunned, reaching out to grasp them. "Staring at the red number, Xiao Yan felt a bit puzzled. Raising his gaze, he was somewhat astonished to see the young people standing behind the middle-aged man now intensely gazing at the dark crystal slabs held by himself and Xun'er. In their eyes, there was clear, unhidden longing. "Some things are a bit complicated to explain—eventually, you'll understand them all. For now, all you need to know is this: treat the crystals in your hands as if they were your very lives. Once you enter the inner courtyard, you'll fully grasp their importance. Perhaps just by observing the looks of these young people, you'll begin to understand." With that, Su Elder pointed at the group of youths and smiled. Xiao Yan and Xun'er exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and with a gentle motion, slipped the crystals into their storage amulets. "Next, you will need to enter the forest and successfully reach the inner courtyard at its far end." "Master Su's fingers still remain on those young people, gently saying, 'As you pass through this forest, be cautious of them... According to the inner courtyard's regulations, they are free to intervene at will—meaning they may attack you.' 'Remember, the number of characters on the crystal chips you hold holds great appeal for them. Therefore, beyond simply killing you, they will employ every means possible to secure the very word—'Fire Energy'—etched upon your chips. You will find this phrase familiar and endearing in the days to come. For now, your task is simply to evade them or defeat them. As long as you remain unseized and successfully reach the inner courtyard, you will receive your final reward—the earlier you arrive, the more abundant the reward will be.'" "Master Su suddenly directed his finger toward the dark forest behind him: 'Regarding this forest's takeover, our inner academy refers to it as the "Fire Energy Hunting Competition"...' 'Now, I announce that the current season of the "Fire Energy Hunting Competition" has officially begun! Students, begin your escape!'