Here lies an open expanse strewn with scattered stones. As the forest spreads, it halts upon encountering this rocky stretch, allowing sunlight to pour unimpeded from the sky, warm and golden, spreading evenly across the ground and enveloping all in a gentle, radiant warmth. Not far beyond this rocky area lies a gently rising slope, dotted with irregularly positioned mountain rocks. At present, these rocks and the adjacent spaces are occupied by numerous figures—many of them in their twenties or early thirties—though their garments vary, they all wear a distinct, tower-shaped badge at the center of their chests, clearly indicating that these are all seasoned students from the inner academy. At another spot on the slope, there stood a platform built of massive stones. On this platform, two elderly figures sat—precisely the Su and Qing Elders that Xiao Yin and the others had first seen upon entering the forest. Surrounding them were several middle-aged men with calm, steady energies, clearly all part of the inner courtyard's administrative staff. "Hmph, they're merely justifying their own shortcomings. After all, they've been training within the inner courtyard for over a year now—how could they possibly fall to the hands of newcomers? Well, that's rather surprising." "I hope so. I heard that the black death team's Sha Tie also ventured into the forest. Do you know if he encountered any of these new recruits?" "Oh? Sha Tie went in too? Then those newcomers are truly in trouble—Sha Tie is no ordinary contender; he's on the verge of reaching the Du Ling level." "Indeed, their luck seems to have finally run out." Amidst the murmurs spreading through the air, several figures nestled among the scattered stones stirred slightly, then slowly opened their eyes, their calm gaze sweeping across the dark forest. All five were seated cross-legged on the stones, breathing steadily and evenly, unaffected by the whispers drifting through the air. Each wore a set of white garments, reflecting their composed, cool demeanor. Among the five, the strength of their breath was most pronounced in the young man with a pale complexion situated at the center. At this moment, he was the only one among the five still maintaining a closed eyelid, seated cross-legged on the rock, his body as still as an ice sculpture, with a faint cold aura swirling around him—so gentle that even some grasses growing among the scattered stones had developed a layer of white frost. Time passed slowly as the sun moved steadily across the sky. While the students on the slope had begun to anticipate another day of waiting in vain, suddenly footsteps emerged from the deep forest, instantly rousing everyone's spirits. All eyes turned toward the forest's entrance, and the previously lively murmurs instantly fell into silence. Even Su Elder and Qing Elder, seated on the stone platform, slightly raised their heads and narrowed their eyes, gazing toward the direction from which the footsteps came. As the atmosphere grew still, the footsteps echoing from the dark forest grew increasingly heavy. After a while, two sets of footprints emerged from the forest's black entrance, followed slowly by twenty figures. Then, the leading figure among them was Sha Tiesu and his companions. His voice, though soft, was undeniably like a thunderclap suddenly breaking through a clear sky, instantly leaving the junior students in the inner courtyard stunned and motionless. Twenty seasoned seniors, capable of sweeping aside all freshmen in direct combat, now found themselves completely defeated—by the very freshmen team? While deeply astonished, the inner courtyard students didn't hesitate to believe the pale-faced young man. With his skill and keen observation, it was hardly surprising that he could discern such a situation. At this moment, every student felt a sense of dazed bewilderment—had the freshmen truly grown this strong? Sand Iron, too, didn't feel particularly surprised when he saw the young man's clear assessment. He simply spread his hands, sighed, and said, "Those fellows are indeed strong—far beyond the ordinary freshmen in terms of combat experience." "With that, another wave of sounds of people swallowing their breath echoed across the slope. Some of the older students nearly couldn't conceal their astonishment, drawing in sharp, cool breaths—Black Death's team had even been defeated by these freshmen. Were these new recruits truly that extraordinary?" The pale young man slowly rose from the rock, his tall frame suddenly radiating a chill. He spoke softly, with a faintly eerie tone. His gaze, oddly still, fixed upon the pale young man's emanating cold aura. At that moment, Shai's lips curled into a smug, almost malicious smile—compared to his own close combat, he suspected the young man's ice-based aura would likely be overwhelmed by the terrifying azure flame. "Lu Hou, this year's freshmen are indeed strong. I believe even your final team might not be able to hold them back," Shai said, spreading his hands. "Step back. You've already lost your right to stay here." The fair young man paid him no heed, his tone remaining calm. "Well, I'm sure you'll lose that right just as quickly." Sandie didn't lose his composure either; he only gave a cold laugh, and with Su Xiao and the others slowly retreating up the slope, the moment they had just reached the hilltop, a sudden burst of wind sounds erupted deep within the forest. As the wind sounds rose, the gazes previously fixed on Sandie and his companions shifted once more toward the forest entrance. Not long after this shift, the branches within the forest began to tremble violently, and then a series of figures swiftly emerged from the dense undergrowth, landing on the sunlight-drenched ground on one knee. The number of figures was substantial—on careful counting, there were no fewer than forty. The sight of such a crowd stirred waves of astonishment and murmurs across the surrounding slopes, and even the fair young man's face showed a subtle change. "It's surprising that someone has managed to gather all the new recruits together—what a grand move! But who could this be?" Su Elder exclaimed, gazing at the group of several dozen new students appearing on the stone platform. In past editions of the "Fire Hunt Competition," there had been several attempts by individuals to unite all the new recruits for joint action, yet due to the newcomers' individual pride, such efforts had rarely succeeded. "I think it's probably Xiao Yan—the young man mentioned by Huo Qian. Didn't he defeat a combined force of three, four, or five new recruits single-handedly during the selection round?" Qing Elder mused. Su Elder nodded slightly, silently impressed. Indeed, Xiao Yan was truly a promising talent. Before the heap of rocks, the new recruits who had darted out from the forest scanned the older students on the slope, their eyes reflecting various emotions, before dispersing to either side, clearing a narrow path in the middle. The new arrivals stepped aside. At the end of the narrow path, the dark forest exit remained. There, subtle footsteps began to echo, and then four figures emerged slowly from the darkness, advancing through the crowd and finally reaching the forefront of the new arrivals. Luo Hou nodded, yet the cold aura within him grew increasingly dense. A powerful presence surged from his body, enveloping the entire heap of rocks. Even the newer cultivators with slightly weaker strength could not help but pale under the overwhelming pressure—stronger than even Sha Tie. Feeling the cold, suffocating pressure wrapping around him, Xiao Yan's expression grew serious. Indeed, as Sha Tie had said, this man was a genuine Douling cultivator. With that thought, Xiao Yan glanced at the three girls—Xun'er among them—and gave a slight nod. Together, the four stepped forward, and then simultaneously, four robust streams of power erupted from within them. These four streams intertwined in the air before merging into a unified force, successfully countering and repelling the cold pressure surrounding them. With the actions of Xiao Yan and his three companions, the dozens of new students began to emit a series of varying intensities of aura. Though individually, their auras were no match for any single one of Xiao Yan's group, when combined in quantity, their collective aura instantly became the strongest in the area. Under the cumulative aura of all the new students including Xiao Yan's group, Luo Hou's pervasive cold pressure was nearly shattered upon contact. Seeing their team leader falter, the four members of the Bai Sha team, also part of the same squad, promptly released their own auras, and only through their unified effort could they successfully withstand the strong pressure coming from the opposing side. In their first encounter, Xiao Yan and his group leveraged their numerical advantage to maintain steady pressure over the Bai Sha team, clearly demonstrating the power of their numbers. This victory in the aura confrontation significantly boosted the confidence of all the new students, and the initial hesitation caused by Luo Hou's strength was completely eliminated. Taking a step forward, Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on Luo Hou and bowed formally, speaking with a resonant voice: "Luo Hou, could we possibly pass through this final checkpoint?" Xiao Yan's voice echoed powerfully through the scattered stones, silencing the entire slope.