"Pfft!" Gazing at the shimmering light as the two fire crystal cards crossed each other, and at the steadily rising figure on the dark crystal card, Xiao Yan smiled slightly. Now, the fire energy stored on his fire crystal card had reached a solid "seventy-four." That meant these reserves should be sufficient to allow him to train for over two months within the so-called "Heaven-Burning Qi Tower"—a truly impressive achievement. "With this team added, we've already defeated five teams so far," Xun'er said, neatly folding her crystal card and glancing at the five individuals who had been knocked out by Xiao Yan and were now tied to the tree trunk as usual. "Excluding the two teams that were supposed to pass through the Black and White Thresholds, we should be able to secure three more." "However, the forest is so vast that it's quite difficult to locate those three teams within it. Once we reveal our presence, I suspect all of them will converge upon us simultaneously. Although the two days of training have significantly improved our coordination—compared to before—we can still only efficiently handle one team at a time. With two teams, we're already at our limit; three teams would certainly mean certain defeat." Huiga mused. Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, then glanced at the five new students still standing in awe on the open ground. His mind suddenly stirred, and he slowly said, "Currently, among the senior teams still eligible to participate in the hunting competition, only three remain—excluding the Black and White Teams of Guan Sha—comprising fifteen students. Our new students, however, are not subject to the restriction that if their 'fire power' falls below ten, they will lose their qualification. Therefore, I believe there should be quite a number of new students still wandering through the forest." After all, the forest is vast, and without a route map, it would be difficult for them to successfully leave within such a short timeframe. "What do you intend to do?" Hearing Xiao Yan's proposal, all four members were momentarily stunned. Bai Shan furrowed his brow and asked. "Collect all the new students, then spread the word to draw in the other three groups of senior students. Gather their combined strength and eliminate them all at once—what do you think?" Xiao Yan said calmly. "Draw in those three senior groups? That's no small feat—what if the other new students can't hold their own against them? Then wouldn't we be caught between the wolves and the sheep?" Hearing Xiao Yan's bold suggestion, Bai Shan's expression changed noticeably. Even a single group required seamless coordination to defeat; with three groups, the outcome would surely be their defeat. He certainly didn't want to hand back the "fire energy" they had only recently secured. "Not necessarily. If there are enough new students, we can absolutely prevail. Don't underestimate the other newcomers—they've made it into the top fifty of the selection finals, so their individual strengths are certainly solid. They've merely been overwhelmed by the senior teams' coordinated attacks." Xiao Yan shook his head. "Moreover, we can't keep waiting and wasting time. We need to seize the opportunity to eliminate them all at once—this will save us considerable effort. Don't you want to head to the inner academy sooner and see that so-called 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower'?" Xiao Yan spread his hands. "Yes, we've been moving through the forest for three or four days now. We can't keep dragging on." Wu Hao nodded, his voice low. "I don't mind. As long as we can return the 'fire energy' they've obtained to them." Hu Jia gave a slight sigh, looking at Xiao Yan. "Now that you're the team captain, make your decisions. Don't hesitate or fuss about it." "He sighed, shaking his head with a sense of resignation. What he saw as a straightforward request for input had, in her ears, come across as overly cautious and fussy. 'Well, alright,' he said, 'I'll listen to you once more. I hope you don't mess it up.' Seeing that both Wu Hao and Hu Jia were unconcerned, Bai Shan could only nod. He knew well that, after these past two days of adjustment, Xiao Yan had already earned a degree of credibility among Wu Hao and Hu Jia, while Xun'er had consistently followed his lead. As a result, his own voice in the team now carried little weight—after all, he simply didn't have the backing of the majority. Once the team had reached a consensus, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, paused briefly, then turned his gaze toward the five new recruits standing on the open ground. With a smile, he walked over, flipped his hand, and produced several bottles of healing medicine, offering them to the newcomers, 'Are you all alright?' "Thank you so much, Senior Xiao Yan, for stepping in. Otherwise, today would have ended with another good beating." A young man who seemed to be leading the group eagerly accepted the healing herbs offered by Xiao Yan, his face filled with gratitude. "Heh, as fellow first-year students, mutual support is only natural." Xiao Yan smiled indifferently, his gaze fixed on them, then suddenly added, "Would any of you like to stand up and resist those guys?" Upon hearing this, the five first-years were momentarily taken aback. Of course, they knew exactly whom Xiao Yan meant—the senior students who had participated in the hunting competition. After a brief hesitation, they nodded firmly, their teeth clenched. Over the past few days, they had endured countless indignities at the hands of those seniors, yet due to the gap in their own strength, they had been forced to remain silent. "Then, I'd like to ask you to help me with something," Xiao Yan said gently. "Senior Xiao Yan saved us once. Just say the word, and we'll do whatever you ask." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, a young man quickly patted his chest and immediately agreed without hesitation, while several of his companions beside him nodded with eager excitement. Seeing how firmly these individuals had committed, Xiao Yan was momentarily surprised—perhaps even himself unaware of the profound impression his initiative to challenge the senior students had made on the current batch of freshmen. Now, nearly all of them regarded Xiao Yan as a role model, not for any other reason than his strength and courage in standing up against the seniors who had been bullying them. Xiao Yan bowed slightly to the group and then spoke in a low tone, "I wonder if you all could agree." "Good! We have connections with several new students. Many of them have been hiding out, afraid of being caught by the upperclassmen." A warm glow spread across their faces as the five new students, stirred by Xiao Yan's words, became increasingly enthusiastic. After days of being oppressed, they finally had the courage to stand up and resist—how could they not be excited? "Hmm. Please make the most of your time. Also, if you happen to encounter any upperclassmen groups along the way, deliver the 'fire energy' to them first. The 'fire energy' you've lost, I will compensate you for later," Xiao Yan said, easing his breath as he reminded them. Upon hearing this, the five new students nodded in agreement and then bowed to Xiao Yan, saying, "Xiao Yan, brother, just wait for us to bring more new students. As long as you lead the way, we'll be brave enough to start challenging those jerks right alongside you!" "With that, the five of them quickly dispersed, darting swiftly through the dense forest, vanishing into the rustling leaves under Xiao Yan's watchful gaze. "Hehe, done! Now we just wait for our new recruits to gather. Once they're assembled, the decisive counteroffensive will begin!" Xiao Yan stood up, turned to face Xun'er and the others, and smiled warmly at them. ... Perhaps fueled by the expectation of being able to challenge the senior students from the inner courtyard, the five newcomers performed so efficiently that even Xiao Yan was somewhat astonished. Within just a single morning, one after another, the freshmen began to appear cautiously around this open grove. Only upon seeing Xiao Yan and his four companions resting in meditation beneath the trees did they finally believe. Then, quietly, the forest came alive—figures, battered and disheveled, moved in and settled one by one onto the open space. When their eyes fell upon the five seniors bound to the tree trunks by Xiao Yan, the accumulated frustration that had lingered for two or three days finally began to ease. On the open ground, more and more new students gradually emerged from the dense forest over time, their gazes naturally converging upon the young man in black robes at the center of the clearing, filled with a warm, reverent admiration. At a certain moment, Xiao Yan, who had been quietly closed his eyes, finally slowly opened them, gazing at the newly arrived students seated in a scattered, attentive arrangement, their eyes bright and focused. A gentle smile spread across his face—a satisfaction that the number of attendees had not fallen short of his expectations. Suddenly, the branches in the forest trembled, and three or four figures darted out, instantly drawing the attention of dozens of eyes in the field. "Xiao Yan, we've already exposed our positions to the other three senior teams as you instructed. They're now rushing this way!" "Good." With a firm clap of hands, Xiao Yan rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the fresh faces—though disheveled, each one blazing with indignation—and said firmly, "Everyone, stay concealed. Today, we're going to give these arrogant seniors a solid slap!" As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, nearly forty freshmen swiftly darted into the dense undergrowth around them. In mere moments, the once-crowded clearing became once again empty and serene. "Alright, everyone, get ready—we're going to take them all at once!" Xiao Yan smiled warmly at Xun and the others. "Understood!" A dense forest, atop a towering tree, two elderly sages seated upon its branches once again opened their eyes, gazed at each other, and a low, warm laughter gently echoed through the air. "Hehe, this is going to be quite lively!"