When Xiao Yan stepped out of his room in the morning, he noticed two figures swiftly moving and intersecting in the hall, their powerful aura surging vigorously from within their bodies and rippling throughout the hall. Sitting on a chair in the hall, Xun was smiling warmly at the two figures. Upon hearing the footsteps, she turned around and greeted Xiao Yan as he descended the stairs, her voice soft and gentle. "Has Xiao Yan brother woken up?" "Ah, yes." Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, turning to the two figures in the hall and asking, "What are they up to again?" "Perhaps it's because of this 'Hunting Competition.' Last night, both Wu Hao and Hu Jia sister advanced to the rank of Seven-Star Grand Combatant, one after the other. This morning, they simply wanted to practice and refine their skills, so..." Xun smiled lightly, covering her mouth. "Oh? They've advanced?" "Heard that, Xiao Yan's brow lifted, and then he shook his head in amazement. These two truly are outstanding talents from the outer academy of Gan Nan—their potential far exceeds ordinary individuals. In fact, when it comes to cultivation aptitude, they even stand on par with Xiao Yan himself. "What about Xun'er? What level is she currently at?" Turning his gaze toward Xun'er, Xiao Yan smiled and asked. This girl has always demonstrated cultivation talent that even he has been deeply impressed by. When he first left Wutan City, she was merely a Battle User; now, just over two years later, she has already reached the level of Grand Battle User. Such a pace would have been difficult to match, especially without the assistance of Yao Lao. Moreover, Xun'er is actually younger than Xiao Yan. "Me? I'm currently at the Seven-Star Grand Battle User level. However, following this 'Fire Hunter Competition,' I'm beginning to feel as though I'm on the verge of promotion. I believe I'll be able to successfully advance to Eight-Star Grand Battle User within the next three or four days." Xun took the teacup from beside her, took a light sip, and smiled at Xiao Yan. "Hmph, one after another..." Xiao Yan couldn't help but emit a series of soft exclamations. Among this small quartet, none of them seemed ordinary—each displayed remarkable talent and immense potential. He was certain that each of these three possessed their own secret strengths or decisive moves. Should they face an exceptionally critical moment, the power they would unleash might well astonish anyone. He didn't doubt this at all. After all, Huojia's grandfather was the Vice Dean of the Outer Academy, nearing the peak of the Du Phong rank, and naturally, he would have spared no effort in passing down his full expertise to his only granddaughter. And according to the mentors Lin and others, the person behind Wu Hao appears to be the commander of the enforcement team—a force that functions almost as the armed military of Cana College, regularly handling the most vicious offenders from the Black Horn Region. To become a commander of such a unit, his strength must surely be no weaker than that of the deputy vice-president Hu Qián. As for Xun'er, even the current Xiao Yan still hasn't fully grasped the magnitude of her powerful network—though from the slightly cautious tone of the old medicine master, he can already sense the imposing scale of it. With their respective backgrounds and reserves, Xiao Yan doesn't believe his own team holds any significant disadvantage. If he himself has managed to defeat a Dao Ling-level master through secret techniques, then surely they can do the same. "Thud! Thud!" Just as Xiao Yan was silently admiring the strength of his small team, an abrupt, urgent knocking suddenly interrupted the moment. Curious, Xiao Yan raised his head and directed his gaze toward the main gate. Xun gently stood up and hurried over. Upon hearing the knock at the door, Wu Hao and Huo Jia paused their sparring, wiped sweat from their brows with a nearby cloth, and came to stand beside Xiao Yan, lifting the tea on the table and drinking it down in one go. "What's going on?" Wu Hao asked, his voice slightly muffled. "Just look," Xiao Yan smiled, lifting his head to see that Xun, after a brief conversation with the person outside, was now quickly returning. "Something wrong, Xun?" Huo Jia tied a pale purple sash around her sturdy waist, accentuating her already slender figure, and smiled warmly at Xun. "There are about a dozen new students outside, saying they'd like to see Brother Xiao Yan." Xun said, frowning slightly. "New students? Any urgent matter? Never mind, let them in." Xiao Yan was momentarily surprised, then nodded. "Hmm." "Heard that, Xun'er nodded slightly and gestured toward the door. Instantly, several figures surged in, gathering around Xiao Yan and the others, their faces now flushed with some unknown reason. "Xiao Yan, senior, as fellow first-years, you absolutely have to help us! The upper-year students in the inner courtyard are truly treating us terribly," said a young man, his face flushed with emotion. Xiao Yan vaguely remembered him—he was one of the three first-years who still stood after fighting against a Black Shatter team member during the 'Hunt Competition.' His name was, if memory served, Atai. "What's going on? Explain clearly," Xiao Yan frowned, saying. "Since this morning, several senior teams have started entering our freshman area, demanding a 'new student tribute'—two days' worth of 'fire energy' per person. We knew that, being new, we shouldn't be overly sharp, so we've just tolerated it and quietly paid their demands. Yet, surprisingly, after sending those first groups away, more senior teams have kept coming, blocking our exits and insisting we pay again and again. Now, it's already been three waves. If this continues, the little 'fire energy' our freshmen have painstakingly earned under your guidance, Master Xiang, will soon be completely drained!" The young man named Atai said, gritting his teeth in frustration. "These people are simply too demanding," said Hu Jia, her face slightly serious, her delicate hand firmly pressing against the chair arm. Xiao Yan held his teacup in both hands, his eyes slightly half-lidded, but said nothing. "Xiao Yan, we've come to see you—not because we're asking you to spare us from this kind of harassment. We fully understand that as new students in the Inner Courtyard, it's inevitable that we'd be pressured by the seniors. I've even asked a friend to find out about the situation in past years. While new students did have to pay what they called the 'new student tribute fee,' it wasn't like this—never had we seen such a continuous wave of complaints. According to my friend, this year's situation stems from the fact that some seniors are dissatisfied with our performance in the 'Fire Ability Hunting Competition,' which is why things have turned out this way." Atai sighed, a smile on his face. "Say all this isn't to blame Xiang Yan, senior. You've carried us through the old students' pressure during the 'Fire Hunting Capture Competition,' and in the hearts of this year's new entrants, Xiang Yan senior now holds the highest reputation. Therefore, when we face such difficulties, we have no choice but to come to you for help—hoping to end this layer upon layer of exploitation so that we new students can continue our cultivation without financial strain. Otherwise, we simply won't have enough funds to cover even the entry fees for the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower,' let alone cultivate within the inner academy. "Atai fixed his gaze firmly on Xiang Yan, stating, "If all else fails, we would rather pay the so-called 'New Student Contribution Fee' directly to Xiang Yan senior than to those old students!" "To pay a 'contribution fee' to me? Wouldn't that mean I'm being treated just like those old students?" Xiao Yan smiled faintly, lightly tapping his finger on the teacup, producing a crisp sound. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he looked up at Atai and said, "Since the seniors are blocking the exit to collect their dues, we won't be left out either. So, you go ahead and gather the freshmen. We'll join you right away." "Then thank you so much, Xiao Yan, senior! From now on, whenever there's anything that needs doing, the freshmen of our class will follow Xiao Yan senior without hesitation!" Hearing this, Atai and the about ten freshmen accompanying him were delighted, quickly bowed to Xiao Yan, and then hurried out of the hall. Watching the freshmen depart, Xiao Yan turned to Xun'er and the others, and asked, "What do you think of this?" "As the team leader, it's your call. But we can't just be passive lambs, allowing them to treat us unfairly, can we?" Huogua furrowed her brow, saying, "Moreover, if you don't take action, the reputation you've gradually built among these new recruits might collapse right away, and the trust in you could quickly erode." "Yesterday, Su Elder mentioned that there are numerous power factions within the Inner Courtyard, and we'll be staying here for a long time. With just the four of us, we might find ourselves somewhat isolated. Now, this is precisely an excellent opportunity to gather support. Thanks to your standing among the new recruits, as long as you're willing to lead and take the risk of being pressured, perhaps eight out of ten of them will follow." Xun'er said, after a thoughtful pause. "You're suggesting that we form our own faction on our own?" Xiao Yan said, slightly surprised. "It's better than joining someone else's ranks... as you mentioned earlier, we can't escape paying that so-called 'tribute fee' either. Then, why not consolidate our forces? Though the new recruits are currently a bit weaker, together we now have over fifty people. That should be enough to deter most small teams from coming to bother us. After all, we'll have significantly fewer headaches." Xun'er spread her hands and smiled. "Xun'er makes excellent sense. Rather than letting the new recruits gradually be absorbed by other powers, we should gather them all under our own banner and make them our own assets." Wu Hao nodded slightly. Xiao Yan's brows were furrowed, his hands continuously rubbing the cup. Seeing his thoughtful expression, the three of them—Xun'er included—remained silent, simply waiting for his decision. "Ah..." After a silence lasting nearly a minute, Xiao Yan finally exhaled deeply, stood up, and said firmly, "Very well. I agree with you!" Now is the perfect time to win over the new recruits; once lost, it will be ten times more difficult to regain them later! "Come!" With that, Xiao Yan raised his hand and strode steadily toward the door. The three of Xun then exchanged glances, smiled in unison, and quickly followed.