As the hazy, fleeting disorientation in his mind vanished like a lightning flash, Su Xiao's heart suddenly tightened. He was well aware that such a lapse at this moment would carry significant consequences. His expectations had not been misplaced—this flaw, with Xiao Yan's sharp perception, could hardly be overlooked. Precisely as Su Xiao regained clarity, Xiao Yan's foot struck the ground with a crisp burst of energy, sending a powerful shockwave that crumpled the earth, forming a half-inch deep crater. Seizing the force of this explosive thrust, Xiao Yan moved like a ghost, appearing at Su Xiao's head within the span of a single breath. With his fists clenched, unadorned and direct, he delivered a solid, resounding blow of immense power and aura straight onto Su Xiao's skull. Though not particularly large, the fist now seemed like that of a giant. The qi emanating from it tore through the air, sharp gusts of wind and deep sonic booms merging together, as if exploding directly within the observer's mind, compelling even the most confident to hesitate, bracing themselves in awe of the overwhelming force. This sense of apprehension lingered in Su Xiao for only a brief moment before being forcefully dispelled. Facing Xiao Xiang's lightning-fast assault, he managed only to swiftly channel his internal qi under pressure. As the light intensified, a pale jade-colored aura of armor solidified upon his body. Then, with a sudden, decisive motion, he sharply arched his head back, successfully deflecting the attack and avoiding critical contact. The fist, enveloped in azure qi, drove straight through Su Xiao's facial area, slicing downward and striking forcefully against his chest. As the qi momentarily settled, it then erupted with immense power, surging forth like a volcanic eruption, under the deep, resonant cry that echoed within Xiao Xiang's heart! "Eight-Point Collapse!" The deep cry, accompanied by a terrifying surge of force that caused Su Xiao's face to pale, poured over Xiao Xiang's sturdy armor like a flood releasing its waters. At once, a ripple of azure energy surged outward from the point of contact, expanding in a circular pattern with great force. The dense forest on the side, swept by this energy wave, saw most of its trees severed mid-air, their lush green leaves cascading down like a rain of emerald, blanketing the open clearing. "Crack... crack..." As the ripple of energy spread outward, the sharp, crisp sound suddenly became piercing, vividly reflected in Su Xiao's wide-eyed astonishment. On the solid aura armor, cracks began to rapidly spread—within an instant, they covered the entire surface, eventually overwhelming the armor completely. With a final, resonant "crack," the armor shattered into countless shimmering fragments, detaching from Su Xiao's body and gradually dissolving into nothingness. The blood spurted from Su Xiao's mouth was instantly vaporized into nothingness at a distance of a foot from Xiao Yan's body. With a point of his foot in the air, Xiao Yan spun through the air, landing on one knee beside the Xuan Zhong Chi. Only after he had settled did a sound of heavy impact echo from behind him. He slightly turned his head and saw Su Xiao lying pale among the dry leaves, his eyes still filled with shock. A powerful cultivator of around five or six stars in rank had revealed his fatal flaw under Xiao Yan's unexpected "Lion-Tiger Gold-Spattering Song," ultimately being defeated by a single thunderous attack from Xiao Yan. The sudden cry echoed like thunder in everyone's ears, instantly silencing the chaotic battlefield. The clashing sounds of swords and blades abruptly ceased, and all eyes turned toward the figure holding a heavy staff—Xiao Yan—and the one lying motionless on the ground behind him, Su Xiao. "Su Xiao has actually lost?" The two, Lin Bai and Xiu Yan, who were engaged in battle against Bai Shan Wu Hao, exchanged startled glances. After all, among the three of them, Su Xiao had always been the strongest in terms of strength. Yet none of them had expected him to be the first to fall—nor so swiftly and decisively. "This person... has truly grown this strong?" His gaze swiftly shifted from Su Xiao back to Xiao, who was now holding the heavy ruler firmly. Both Leng Bai and Xiu Yan were filled with astonishment—only now did they begin to understand why this young man, seemingly younger than most of the attendees, had the boldness to gather all the new students together. With such strength, not only were the new students no match for him, but even some of the older students from the inner courtyard might find themselves at a disadvantage. "Captain?! Damn it, you've been so ruthless! Brothers, for heaven's sake, fight them! If we're defeated by a bunch of freshmen, how will we ever stand a chance in the inner courtyard?" Suddenly, a voice of rage broke through the stillness of the atmosphere. Then, three figures enveloped in aura surged through the chaos of the battlefield, charging directly at Xiao. The sudden roar shattered the calm in the arena, stirring a hint of fierce determination in the eyes of the senior students. Within the inner courtyard, reputation was everything—these students didn’t want to be seen as embarrassed, or else, as the roar had suggested, how would they ever hold their ground? With that determination surging, powerful Qi streams surged anew from the remaining seniors and surged fiercely toward the battered group of freshmen, now displaying an added sharpness and ruthlessness in their attacks. "Don't leave me any room!" With a surge of azure qi enveloping his entire body, Xiao Yan roared, then flashed forward like a ghost, materializing suddenly behind one of the inner-courtyard senior students. His powerful palm struck the student's shoulder with lightning speed, sending a strong gust of force that sent him staggering. The student rolled like a barrel across the ground, tumbling a considerable distance before finally crashing into a tree trunk and collapsing unconscious. At this moment, Xiao Yan had clearly reached the peak of his normal capabilities, free from the constraints of the Xuan Chong Chi. His movements were swift as shadows, and the other two inner-courtyard seniors could only detect his position by sensing vibrations in the air. However, they were not particularly skilled at this wind-based positioning technique, and within just a few minutes, they took several heavy punches. After enduring this struggle for another four to five minutes, they finally collapsed, their bodies limp and unconscious. After all, although Xiao Yan's surface strength was only that of a six-star Grand Martial Artist, the heavy burden of the Xuan Zhong Chi scale he carried for years had significantly enhanced his speed, strength, and endurance—far surpassing ordinary six-star Grand Martial Artists. In fact, even after he had shed the Xuan Zhong Chi scale, his natural speed would likely match or even exceed that of seven-star or eight-star Grand Martial Artists, even without employing any footwork or combat techniques. Of course, Xiao Yan lacked the agile footwork techniques used in battle—his earlier acquired technique, though direct and powerful in impact, proved useless when engaging in close combat. His mid-tier footwork technique, "Thunder Roaring in Thousands," had yet to be mastered. Thus, in actual combat, Xiao Yan primarily relied on his inherent agility to maintain the pace. Nevertheless, defeating three first-year students who had just reached Grand Martial Artist rank required only moderate effort. During the approximately ten minutes Xiao Yan engaged with those three senior students, the other three battle circles also reached their conclusion. The strength between Bai Shan and Ling Bai was quite comparable, though Bai Shan's practiced techniques and combat skills were significantly more advanced. While the battle began with both sides evenly matched, as it progressed, the advantages of Bai Shan's superior techniques gradually became evident. When Ling Bai's aura began to dim slightly, Bai Shan remained vibrant and full of energy. After ten or so minutes of sustained engagement, Bai Shan finally unleashed the powerful attack technique he had used against Xiao Yan, sending Ling Bai reeling and forcing him to retreat, his face pale. As Ling Bai retreated, Bai Shan's silver spear flashed through the air like lightning, coming to a sharp stop just before Ling Bai's throat. Instantly, Ling Bai stiffened and raised his hands. Seeing Ling Bai choose to yield, Bai Shan strained his throat, his rapid breaths causing his chest to rise and fall vigorously. The droplets of sweat rolling down his face clearly indicated that this victory had far from been easy.