Xiao Yan's calm voice echoed slightly in the vast forest, stirring a surge of passion and determination among the fresh recruits standing behind him. Regardless of the outcome, as long as they fought with all their might, they would have no regrets. Though their reserves of "Fire Energy" were modest, even if they lost some, it wouldn't matter much—after all, the hunting competition didn't require fatalities; they could simply be thoroughly beaten, with only minor losses. With these thoughts in mind, the fifteen recruits, previously weak in vitality, lifted their heads and fixed determined, unwavering glares on the five members of Sha Ji standing on the tree trunk, no longer fearing at all. "Heh, good spirit! Then let my Black Death team give it a try. You've stirred up the entire inner courtyard with your presence—what exactly makes you so special?" Staring at Xiao Yan, who faced the strong team with no hesitation at all and instead galvanized the spirits of the crowd, Sandie's eyes flashed with astonishment. He gave a slight nod—though Xiao Yan's resistance would bring some minor complications, Sandie deeply admired this firm resolve. Indeed, the way Bai Shan had abandoned his teammates to leave alone earlier had left him particularly disapproving. Yet these thoughts remained only within his own mind, never spoken aloud. As Sandie finished speaking, five powerful streams of energy surged forth from the five individuals, spreading across the open space. The overwhelming pressure caused the newly arrived students, who had been brimming with battle enthusiasm, to momentarily feel their hearts sink. Feeling the resolute aura radiating from above, Xiao Yan took a deep breath and turned to the group, speaking firmly, "Be on your guard. Sandie will handle that." "Xiao Yan, brother, I think that Sha Tie has already taken his first step into the Douling level. In a normal match, your chances of winning might not be very strong. But if you have to push yourself as we did during the qualification round—putting such a strain on your body—it would be quite severe," Xun'er said, her brows slightly furrowed. She was very aware of the injuries Xiao Yan had sustained when he had raised his strength to match that of a Douling master. If it hadn't been for the fortunate timing of his promotion that day, it would have taken him nearly a week to recover to his peak condition. "No worries," Xiao Yan replied with a smile. "I'll try not to push myself too hard. With the other strengths I have, I believe I can still compete with him." Xiao Yan waved his hand, knowing well that although the "Heavenfire Triple Transformation" could temporarily elevate his strength to match that of a Douling master, the intense, violent energy unleashed by the unique flames would indeed take a significant toll on his body. Therefore, he would only activate it if absolutely necessary. Moreover, even without using the Heavenfire Triple Transformation, he was confident he could hold his own against Sha Tie for several rounds. "Then be careful," said Xun'er, nodding as she saw Xiao Yan remain resolute. Her gaze shifted to the five figures on the tree trunk, and she spoke softly, "Hugua and Wu Hao have been weakened by their earlier combat. Now, they can only barely manage one opponent each, and the outcome is still uncertain. I can hold my own against one, but there's still another one left." At the side, hearing Xun'er's words, both Hugua and Wu Hao nodded in quiet resignation, as her statements were indeed accurate. "I'm feeling better, but Wu Hao had a fierce struggle with Xiu Yan earlier—his ki is likely nearly depleted now. Although the pills from Xiao Yan have helped, it's unlikely he'll fully recover within such a short time. Moreover, these opponents aren't any weaker than Xiu Yan." Huojia sighed. "You don't need to worry too much. At least within the next ten minutes, he won't be able to defeat me." Wu Hao spoke in a low, steady tone. "As for the final opponent, it seems we'll have to let the other new recruits hold them off first." "Don't worry," said one of the new recruits, smiling as he listened. "Even though we're also running low on ki, we still have a solid number of people. In the short term, that opponent won't be able to handle us. As long as one of you seniors—any one of Xiao Yan's group—can defeat one of the opponents, we'll be able to gain the upper hand in this battle." "Yes, we can temporarily hold them off, but the final victory ultimately rests in your hands, the senior students. With our current strength—just at the eight to nine-star level—it would indeed be difficult to defeat a five- or six-star grandmaster. Several other new students also nodded in agreement with a smile. "Agreed," Xiang Yin nodded slightly, smiling. "Then, I'll rely on all of you. As long as you manage to hold off one extra opponent, we'll do our best to defeat them and free up our strength to assist you." "Yes!" On the ground, the fifteen new students shouted in unison, their eight-to-nine-star grandmaster-level energies radiating outward from their bodies, forming a notably strong collective force. "Go, Xiang Yin! Win against them!" Many of the newer students who had lost their combat strength struggled to maintain their posture and shouted loudly, rallying support for Xiang Yin and his team. Seeing his own troops' morale soaring, Xiao Yan's face broke into a smile. He tightly gripped his Xuanzhong Chi, exchanged glances with Xun'er and the other three, then suddenly launched himself in four directions. "Xiao Yan will handle me; the others will take one each. The extra one will deal with the new recruits and swiftly shift targets," Sandie said, raising his hand and speaking firmly as the four separated. "Understood!" Four deep, resonant voices echoed in unison. As the words settled, the five figures lightly tapped the tree trunks and swiftly vanished into shadows, gliding like bats hunting in the night, appearing before the four retreating figures within just two breaths. The fifth figure, however, descended like a meteor, crashing straight into the group of fifteen new recruits, his fierce aura surging forth instantly. The soles of his feet heavily pressed against the ground, halting his forward momentum. Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes at the figure now before him. Sand Iron's towering, somewhat unusual build radiated a palpable sense of pressure, causing Xiao Yan's brows to furrow. Indeed, this man was a true rival. "The battle has begun. I won't hold any regard for you, regardless of circumstances—anyone who does so typically fails to accumulate much 'Fire Energy' in the Inner Courtyard arenas. Those who thrive there generally understand the principle of a lion hunting a rabbit." Gently twisting his neck, a subtle, slightly dark-golden aura began seeping out from within Sand Iron's body, eventually transforming him into a statue of solid metal, exuding strong visual dominance. "A golden-type aura? He's actually cultivating a power of this nature." "Observing the deep golden qi radiating from Sha Iron's body, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. This type of qi was rather uncommon, yet it possessed exceptional offensive and defensive strength. Unless the practitioners of this qi were slow and uncoordinated, it would indeed present a formidable challenge. Sha Iron was not wielding any weapon, clearly indicating that he excelled in close-quarters combat. After analyzing the nature of his attacks, Xiao Yan's expression slightly eased—just as he himself belonged to this category. Thus, their battle would allow him to fully unleash his preferred combat style. He firmly planted his Xu Zhong Chi into the ground, then, after withdrawing it, felt the powerful, surging qi coursing through his body. Slowly exhaling, he allowed a deep, jade-colored qi to rise from within. Occasionally, as the qi swirled, faint sparks of flame would emerge—but these sparks flickered and vanished almost immediately, making them nearly imperceptible beneath the dominant jade hue. 'A Six-Star Grand Combatant?' It's no wonder he managed to defeat Su Xiao. This level of strength already rivals those first-year students who've been in the inner academy for about a year. Feeling the surge of power emanating from Xiao Yan, Sha Tie felt somewhat surprised, then said, "Though, merely at this level, it would be quite a challenge to defeat me, wouldn't you agree?" He smiled at Xiao Yan and lightly tapped his fists together, producing a crisp sound of metal clashing. "Let's find out, then," Xiao Yan replied calmly, his feet slowly rubbing against the ground as his body settled slightly. Then, like a bow drawn to full tension, he suddenly stiffened. As his heel made contact with the ground, a surge of jade-colored qi erupted from his feet. With a clear burst of energy, Xiao Yan's form blurred into a shadow, and in an instant, he closed the distance and advanced upon Sha Tie. Seeing Xiao Yan adopt a close-range melee approach, Sha Ji's facial expression turned to a cold smile. He clenched his massive fists tightly, bent his elbow, and rapidly condensed dark golden qi. Then, with a powerful force, he drove his elbow straight down at the black silhouette that had materialized like lightning beside him. The gust of wind emanating from the tip of his elbow tore through the air, creating a visible shockwave. Even before the two figures had closed the gap by several feet, the invisible force of the impact sent the ground splintering into a half-inch deep crater. A deep, resonant rumble echoed at the point of contact. The powerful surge of qi rising from Xiang Yin's fist pressed his body slightly lower, yet his expression remained calm and composed. With a lightning-fast motion, his left hand extended, stopping just one foot away from Sha Tie's chest, then suddenly, an invisible wave of qi erupted forth, sweeping over everything. "His palm pressed against his chest, emitting a crisp, resonant sound. Sand coldly commanded. Gazing at Sand, who remained utterly composed, Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, his expression growing steadily serious. With a slight rotation of his palms, a serene, jade-colored flame gradually surged forth... At the very moment the jade-colored flame erupted from Xiao Yan's palms, the two elderly figures on the vast lake, who had been observing like spectators, suddenly blinked, their eyes widening in astonishment and exclaiming, 'A rare flame?'