Suddenly, a surge of combat energy erupted among the dense woods. In a moment, a figure shot straight out from the ground, crashing heavily into a stone jutting upward from the surface, his face contorting as a thin stream of blood trickled from his lips. The intense pain radiating from behind made the yellow-robed man's eyes flash with fury. Yet before he could react, the black silhouette darted swiftly toward him, its immense shadow sweeping through the air with a crushing pressure, then crashing down with force upon his head. "No!" the yellow-robed man cried out, startled by the terrifying power emanating from the shadow. As his voice reached its peak, the shadow halted abruptly—though perfectly timed, the powerful gust of wind still surged through the air, causing his young face to ripple like waves before settling back to normal. The shadow gradually receded, and the massive ruler was firmly planted into the ground before the yellow-robed man. The black-robed youth stood above him, gazing down with a calm voice that caused the yellow-robed man's face to tremble once more. "Present the fire crystal card," he said. "You... you're the newcomers. What do you want with the fire crystal card?" Wiping his throat, the yellow-robed man glanced toward the four fierce battles unfolding in the forest, his eyes darting around before speaking. "Of course, we need the 'fire energy'..." Xiao Yan smiled gently, yet the grip on the handle of his Xu Zhong Ruler tightened slightly. "Within ten seconds, either present the fire crystal card, or I'll first strike you senseless, then take it myself. Choose which you prefer." Gazing at the serene, refined face, the yellow-robed man felt a sudden chill rise in his heart—this person was truly terrifying. Though he deeply resisted, he could not delay, and with a look of weary resignation, he withdrew a pale blue crystalline card from his storage amulet and handed it to Xiao Yan. With a warm smile, Xiao Yan took the card and glanced at the number displayed: "Thirty-two." He nodded to himself internally—excellent indeed, an abundant harvest. He had not expected this individual to be wealthier than the others from the previous time. Holding the card, Xiao Yan suddenly moved, lightly tapping the yellow-robed man's temple with his right foot—just enough force to knock him unconscious without causing harm. Not long after Xiao Yan subdued the yellow-robed man, the other four battle circles also reached their conclusion. Moments later, four figures crashed into each other, landing heavily on the ground, and the battle was finally over. "Five Fire Crystal Cards—after setting aside the essential seven-day 'Fire Energy' guarantee, we'll have a total of one hundred and twenty-five days of 'Fire Energy' to distribute. Each of us will receive exactly twenty-five days. Does that sound fair?" After taking the five cards from Bai Shan's four companions, Xiao Yan paused to calculate briefly, then waved them in the air, smiling and asking. "Yes." The four nodded in unison, as they had already agreed on the distribution plan and naturally had no objections. Seeing their affirmative response, Xiao Yan smiled gently, handed the cards back to them, and chuckled, "Go ahead and take your share. If you fall short, draw from the other crystal cards." Each of the five now held one card, and as they vigorously rubbed them together, flashes of light shimmered, causing the red numbers on the once-black crystal cards to rise once more. After securing the "fire energy," Xiao Yan returned the pale blue crystal cards to the several inner-courtyard students, smiled at the ones bound to the tree trunk and unable to move, and said, "Thank you all for your generous gifts. I'll return the favor when I have the chance. For now, I'll be off." "Hurry up—we sense other teams approaching this way," he whispered softly to Hu Guo and the others as he turned. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Yan swiftly darted into the dense forest. Behind him, the four excited students hurried close, now realizing that following Xiao Yan was a splendid decision. Just a few hours earlier, they had successfully secured the "fire energy" from two senior inner-courtyard teams—an achievement that left them thoroughly thrilled. Just a few minutes after Xiao Yan and the others had vanished, the branches in the forest suddenly trembled and then five figures flashed into view. Upon appearing, they glanced at the five senior first-year students tied to the tree trunk, their mouths gagged, and were instantly taken aback, exchanging puzzled glances. Only after one of them carefully cut the ropes did the five students slump to the ground, gasping for breath. "For heaven's sake! They've actually been taken over by the freshmen!" The yellow-robed man leapt to his feet, his face pale with fury, shouting in disbelief. The group of seniors who had just arrived to hear the commotion were stunned by the outburst, then stared at the yellow-robed man and his companions with a mixture of bewilderment. "Look at them! When you encountered those people, you'd probably have had a similar fate! What on earth has happened to this year's freshmen? Are they all mad? The stranger's odd expression only drove the yellow-robed man into a fury, who, regardless of whether or not the stranger had actually defeated them, launched a torrent of angry accusations. After all, within this forest, while they could seize the young, they were strictly forbidden from touching the older students. "Rest assured, we won't be the kind of useless fellows who've ever been outmaneuvered by the young—let alone had their 'fire energy' taken back. That's never happened before in the past ten years. From now on, you'll surely be well-known in the inner courtyard." One of the leading figures from that group, equally incensed by the yellow-robed man's words, sneered coldly and dismissed the remark with a sharp remark, then waved his hand and swiftly led his companions into the dense forest, vanishing without further delay. "You'll see what happens when you finally meet us—then you'll be crying like a baby! Right now, your stubbornness amounts to nothing! Furious at the departing team, the yellow-robed man produced a pale blue fire crystal card from his coat, its glaring digit "seven" making his face grow as dark and oppressive as the sky just before a storm. ... After Xiao Yan had secured the yellow-robed man's team for nearly three hours, the sky gradually darkened, and they finally encountered another lone team of senior inner-courtyard students. However, this time their plans completely collapsed, as the coordination and cohesion of this senior team far exceeded Xiao Yan's expectations. On previous occasions when they had met inner-courtyard teams, Xiao Yan and his companions had relied on their outstanding individual strengths to split the opponents apart and defeat them one by one. This time, however, they encountered a particularly solid and unyielding resistance. Although the team initially appeared somewhat disoriented when suddenly attacked by Xiao Yan's five companions, they quickly regained composure within a very brief period. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they formed a solid, unyielding unit—like an iron barrel—resisting Xiao Yan's team's various maneuvers. Through seamless coordination, they successfully absorbed and countered each assault. After this stalemate lasted approximately half an hour, Xiao Yan finally made a decisive move, waving his hand to order a retreat. This counter-pursuit ended in failure. It was only through this setback that the team fully realized the gap in their internal coordination compared to the inner courtyard teams. After recognizing their own shortcomings, the five of Xiao Yan began tentative adjustments and coordination. Though their synergy didn't surge dramatically overnight, it represented a significant improvement compared to the previous day—now they began to understand how to work together, rather than initially relying solely on individual strength to engage the other five simultaneously. As for the progress made by Xiao Yan and the others, the inner courtyard team has also noticed—and even more astonishingly, they've observed that as the intensity of the clashes intensifies, Xiao Yan and his companions' coordination has been gradually refined through battle. Should this trend continue, when the opposing team's coordination becomes equally refined, they would likely be truly overwhelmed. However, just as Xiao Yan and his allies began to gain the upper hand, Xiao Yan suddenly grew pale. He sensed two teams swiftly approaching their battlefield from all around—clearly drawn by the escalating combat dynamics. Without further delay, he raised his hand and commanded firmly, "Move quickly!" Hearing Xiao Yan's shout, the others who had already established their momentum—White Shan and the rest—were momentarily stunned. Though they felt a slight reluctance to give up this promising situation, Xiao Yan's remarkably accurate warnings over the past few days had compelled them to reluctantly halt and swiftly follow him into the dense forest, eventually vanishing from the sight of the inner courtyard team, which had been left breathless and exhausted by their relentless pursuit. "Damn it! These guys have progressed so quickly. By the next time we meet, our coordination will likely no longer pose a significant challenge to them," muttered a young man who appeared to be the team's leader, his expression darkening as he stared where Xiao Yan and the others had disappeared. After the battle ended in a deadlock, the older students from the Inner Courtyard found themselves chilled by a realization: the team of three males and two females—seemingly purposefully—had settled into a strategy of wearing them down. As long as no other teams appeared nearby, this hidden team would emerge from various corners, launching attacks that left them constantly on the defensive and exhausted. Within just one day, the older students were ambushed and targeted no fewer than five times by Xiao Yan and his companions. By the fifth encounter, they noticed that the coordination and synergy among Xiao Yan’s group had grown increasingly seamless. It was only then that they realized—they had been deliberately treated as mere stepping stones for refinement. Yet when they reflected upon what had transpired, it was already too late. At that moment, they found themselves once again encircled by Xiao Yan's five companions. This time, the seamless coordination and synergy between Xiao Yan's five had driven them to despair. Within less than ten minutes—just a day prior, when Xiao Yan's five had been utterly helpless against them—the once-impervious team had been completely shattered. As the defeated side, their precious "Fire Energy" was naturally seized and taken as prize by Xiao Yan and his companions.