Amid the dense and quiet forest, the leaves suddenly trembled slightly, and several figures leapt out from the branches. Then, like acrobatic monkeys, they swiftly moved along a single trunk, advancing with fluid motion. With a few more leaps, they swiftly vanished at the end of the branches. "Stop!" As the figures moved, the leading one raised his hand, and the four figures behind swiftly landed on the trunk, turning their curious gaze toward the black-robed young man ahead. "What's wrong?" Hugua scanned the surroundings carefully but saw no movement, and murmured with mild bewilderment. "Somebody's approaching—we should hide." Xiang Yan fixed his gaze on the left. His exceptional soul perception granted him outstanding skills in surviving in the jungle. While others might miss subtle movements, he sensed them first—this ability made it rare for him to be caught off guard during such hunting competitions. Hearing Xiao Yan's words, everyone except Xun'er was somewhat stunned—they hadn't sensed any approaching presence. Yet, looking at Xiao Yan's expression and recalling his status as team leader, the three nodded slightly and then, simultaneously, their five figures flashed into motion, swiftly darting into the dense undergrowth below. However, although these students were strong, they still fell short compared to Xiao Yan and his companions. Moreover, Xiao Yan and the others were no mere greenhorns with unrefined minds, so they naturally didn't make any unnecessary coughing or other sounds at this moment. As a result, after searching for a while, the five senior students had to sigh and reluctantly depart. A quiet atmosphere lingered among the trees. After nearly three or four minutes, the branches where Xiao Yan and the others were gazing suddenly trembled, and then several figures emerged in succession. To their faces, they were precisely the group that had been expected to have departed long ago. At this, Bai Shan's expression grew slightly troubled, and he seemed somewhat disgruntled. "There's no one here, Liu Mu—you're truly overly suspicious. We can't afford to waste our time like this," said one of the figures on the branches, who surveyed the still-unchanged surroundings with no signs of movement and then turned to a slender, green-robed young man. "These people in the inner courtyard truly are no ordinary ones..." gazing after the five who had moved away, Xiao Yan finally rose slowly from among the trees, sighing. Had it not been for his soul perception ability, he would have been caught right at the moment he stepped forward—by these individuals who appeared to have gone on, yet were actually hiding in the background. Hugua and the others pushed through the foliage, standing up and shifting their gaze from where the group had originally departed to Xiao Yan himself. Hugua and Wu Hao, even Bai Shan, now showed a measure of growing confidence. At least, when they hadn't noticed Xiao Yan's presence earlier, he had been able to detect them in advance and guide them to avoid being caught—this alone demonstrated that Xiao Yan, as their leader, had performed exceptionally well. "Let's go. Though we've been scrambling around for a while, we now have no clear sense of our current location. If we keep wandering like this..." Xiao Yan frowned slightly, speaking calmly. "I think we should try to gather some specific information—about the forest itself, and the number and strength of the senior students participating in the hunting competitions. Otherwise, if we keep charging ahead blindly, we'll inevitably find ourselves outmaneuvered due to a lack of intelligence on our opponents. Perhaps we can win against a single senior team, but if we draw in other senior teams during the battle, I doubt we'll be able to defeat them all. For some reason, these internal students seem to have a lot of combat experience." Xun'er paused slightly before speaking. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others were momentarily taken aback, then thoughtfully nodded. Xun'er was right—on unfamiliar ground, charging haphazardly would eventually slow them down when they encountered strong senior teams. "Here, it seems that only the senior students from the inner courtyard possess this information—do we really have to go get it from them?" Bai Shan furrowed his brows. Moreover, you must have noticed the seniors' intense hunger for this so-called 'fire energy.' I believe it must be of great significance within the inner courtyard. If they can come and seize our 'fire energy,' then why shouldn't we go after theirs? To avoid regret later, we might as well take a risk—there's no loss at all." Xiao Yan waved the dark crystalline slab in his hand and smiled. Upon hearing this, Hu Jia and Wu Hao exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with interest, and after a thoughtful pause, both nodded firmly. "We'll give it a try." Seeing that neither of them objected, Xiao Yan finally exhaled in relief and turned his gaze to Bai Shan, smiling. "What about you?" Under the steady gaze of Xiao Yan and his three companions, Bai Shan's expression shifted several times. After a moment, he clenched his teeth and said, "Alright, let's give it a try. But I'd like to make one condition—should anything go wrong, you, as the team leader, will be responsible for covering our retreat." Smiling warmly and nodding, Xiao Yan simply ignored the last sentence of that person. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Since everyone's opinions have been aligned, let's go. Rather than have others take the lead, we'll take the initiative ourselves." Upon saying this, Xiao Yan stepped forward, becoming a silhouette as he moved swiftly into the dense forest, followed closely by Xun'er and the others. ... After finalizing their strategy, Xiao Yan and the group began focusing on the older student teams they occasionally encountered. Over the course of nearly two hours, they met three such teams, but due to the proximity of these teams, they were ultimately forced to abandon their attempts to act. Amid the dense undergrowth, the five of them watched as another group of seniors flashed past overhead once more, shaking their heads in resignation. Xiang Yan could feel that another group remained stationed about a hundred meters north of their current position, and the battle vibrations would surely reach them. To be safe, they would have to abandon this attempt once again. Xiang Yan gestured to the others behind him, and the four whose inner qi had already begun to stir once more fell silent. Shortly after the senior group passed, Xiang Yan was about to rise and lead the group away when his steps halted. He turned his gaze toward the northern direction and sensed that the group there had suddenly stopped. "Let's go," he said, hesitating slightly, then waved his hand, and the four followed him, moving through the thick forest like earth mice, heading steadily north. About five minutes later, Xiao Yan and the others suddenly halted, their eyes piercing through the dense foliage to gaze upon an open space beyond. There, ten figures were moving in intricate patterns, occasionally one young man gasping and collapsing from blood loss. Within just a few minutes, five clearly new students had been completely defeated, now surrounded in the center of the clearing. Around them, five upper-year students stood leisurely, their faint aura of ki gently pulsing and expanding from their fists. On the open ground, a young man in blue robes gazed at the three additional "fire energy" points appearing on his crystal card, licked his lips, and smiled. "Thank you so much, everyone," he said to the five freshmen, their faces still flushed with indignation. "If you're not satisfied, feel free to come find us in the inner courtyard anytime—just bring enough 'fire energy' to challenge us, of course. We'll be waiting, and we're always ready for a good match, haha!" He waved his crystal card at the five newcomers, his smile warm and cheerful. "Now then, let's go and find our next target." With a gesture, he motioned, and his four companions turned around, swiftly heading off in a new direction. "No need to search—we're right here," said a soft, clear laugh that suddenly rang out from the branches. As the blue-robed group turned, the young man quickly looked up and saw five figures—three men and two women—already appearing on the tree trunks around the open space, now encircling them. The group of young men in blue robes were startled by the sudden appearance of five new students, momentarily taken aback. After all, shouldn't these newcomers have been fleeing like mice, one by one? How could these five dare to stand so boldly before them? "Ah, what lovely girls! Everyone—just be gentle when you handle them, or else you'll leave a bad impression. Then, well, you'll never have a chance again," said one of the blue-robed youths after a moment, regaining his composure. He scanned the group standing on the tree trunk, his eyes suddenly brightening as they settled on the two young women, and immediately broke into playful laughter. "What about the other three?" asked one of his companions, smiling. At this, the young man gave a slight smile, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. He gestured helplessly, saying, "Since these newcomers are so bold, as seniors, we naturally have to show them how to survive and thrive within the academy." So, let them see some blood first. This method is the most efficient way to help them understand the proper demeanor they should maintain within the inner courtyard. "Hehe." Hearing his words, the four senior students beside him chuckled, then looked up, their eyes filled with ill will, fixed firmly on the three young students standing on the tree trunk. "Strength is roughly around two-star Grand Battle Master level. One by one—no delays. Quick action, decisive. Remember: none of them must escape!" Gazing calmly at the five senior students on the open ground, Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly toward Xu'er Bai Shan and the others, offering a reminder. "Understood." The four nodded slightly, exchanged glances, their bodies trembling slightly as a surge of powerful battle energy erupted forth. Then, with a swift motion, they appeared on the open ground like lightning. As the mighty qi surged forth from the bodies of Xun'er and the others, the five young men in blue robes on the open ground suddenly grew pale, their expressions shifting dramatically. Simply judging by the strength of this qi, these five newcomers were clearly far stronger than they themselves! "Damn it! This time we've hit a wall! How are these new recruits so strong?" A thought of dire concern flashed through the mind of the young man in blue robes. He raised his hand, but before he could utter the words to urge his companions to hastily retreat, a sudden, strange silhouette appeared before him. His eyes narrowed as, without hesitation, he drove a powerful fist straight into the figure's head. At the very moment the blue-robed youth launched his punch, the silhouette spun mid-air, and the sharp force of the impact generated a deep sonic boom in the air. The fist, in terms of both speed and power, far surpassed the blue-robed youth's attack. This time, it seemed they'd sink without a trace. Feeling the strength and speed of the black figure's punch, the young man in blue suddenly felt a surge of astonishment. He lifted his gaze to see a refined, slightly cool face and eyes as dark as ink.