Stepping out of the tower gate, warm sunlight poured down, filling the air with a sense of renewal that made Xiao Yan, who had spent five full days inside, feel as though he wanted to lie on the ground and simply stay still. He pressed his palms against his face, gazing through the gaps at the clear blue sky, and took deep, refreshing breaths. While practicing cultivation within the Tian-Fen Tower certainly accelerated one's progress, the constant sense of gloom remained deeply oppressive. Although the inner courtyard had anticipated this and designed the interior lighting to be soft yet still somewhat dim, no matter how well-lit the tower was, it still retained the feeling of a prison—only outside, gazing up at the vast expanse of sky, could one truly feel the openness and freedom of the mind. "It's no wonder the inner courtyard keeps trying to prevent students from staying too long in the tower—staying too long truly does distort one's psyche..." murmuring to himself, Xiao Yan finally began to move, stepping steadily along the path toward the area where the Pan Gate stood. "It's been four days since I've come out. I wonder how Xun'er and the others are doing. I hope everything's fine..." As he thought this, his pace naturally quickened. Having walked this route many times before, Xiao Yan was certain not to get lost. After about half an hour of walking, the newly established dormitory area came into view. With a quick glance, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Only then did he set down the weight he'd been carrying in his chest, and gradually slowed his pace. Approaching the accommodation area at a leisurely pace, Xiao Yan's steps suddenly halted. His brows furrowed as he gazed at the four students standing at the entrance, swiftly scanning their chests—only to discover identical badges there. The badges were a pale green, engraved with a black-shaped object. "Which faction do these students belong to? Are they here to cause trouble again?" A thought flashed through his mind. His expression grew increasingly stern. How could these students treat them so unfairly? Coming three times already to disrupt their peace—did they truly think the new arrivals were indifferent to their frustrations? With a subtle twist of his palm, his massive Xuanzhong Scale materialized unexpectedly. Holding the scale tightly, Xiao Yan strode purposefully toward the four students at the entrance, his dark, resolute expression clearly conveying his growing anger. At the same time, the four students at the entrance noticed Xiao Yan and were momentarily stunned—then, without hesitation, they charged directly at him. Glancing at the four approaching figures with a slightly narrowed gaze, Xiao Yan pushed off the ground with his foot. However, as his body was just about to leap into motion, the excited shouts from the four caused him to be utterly astonished. "Head! You're back!" With a firm press of his heavy staff against the ground, Xiao Yan managed to halt his momentum, then stared in surprise at the four who had now arrived beside him. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke with a touch of uncertainty, "You... are from Panmen, aren't you?" "Hmm, yes," replied a young man whose appearance was unremarkable but whose face shone with bright enthusiasm. Nodding with a smile, he added, "Xun'er mentioned that, as a unified faction, each should have its own emblem. She believes this would strengthen the members' sense of belonging to Panmen." Relieved, Xiao Yan felt a bit embarrassed. As a leader, he had truly been rather negligent—he couldn’t even remember his team members’ faces, and had nearly resorted to physical action earlier. As he glanced at the four of them, now that he was closer, he noticed that the black emblem on their badges was nothing more than his own Xuanzhong Scale, and the pale green background matched perfectly with his Qinglian Dixin Fire. "This girl really has a keen eye," he murmured, patting the excited four beside him. "Shouldn't Xu'er be inside?" "Yes, Xu'er is here. Now our Panmen has its own guard team. Four members rotate on duty each day to patrol the residential area, and there are always ten members on standby, ready to handle any emergencies. The rest of the members are assigned by Xu'er to operate freely, so they can get familiar with the inner courtyard’s layout as soon as possible." The young man seemed exceptionally talkative, leading the way while pouring out a steady stream of stories about the changes that had occurred within Panmen over the短短 four or five days. Xiao Yan listened quietly, his mind filled with admiration. Indeed, this girl had real talent—within just a few days, she had completely revitalized Panmen. Such a level of coordination and initiative, something that had always been a challenge for Xiao Yan, who had typically worked alone. When they reached the entrance to the residential area, the other three Panmen members paused here to continue their watch, while the talkative young man kept leading until he finally brought Xiao Yan to the innermost pavilion, where he stopped. "Heh, head, go on in and take care of yourself—I still need to return to duty. Sister Xun said that as long as I maintain watch for three days without any unexpected incidents, I'll be entitled to one day's 'Fire Energy.' Right now, everyone else is eager to take on the shift, so I'm quite busy, heh-heh." "After pausing, the young man smiled and said. Gazing at his slightly eager and proud face, Xiao Yan opened his mouth, finally bowing in admiration. This girl—using just a little strategy—had managed to make the monotonous duty of standing guard so desirable that others were eager to take it over. While such a strategy wasn't particularly uncommon, how many factions within the Inner Courtyard had the courage to offer 'fire energy' as a reward? Even they themselves were far from idle. Xiao Yan, who had personally visited the second level of the Tianfen Qi Tower, knew well the immense demand for 'fire energy' down in the lower levels. Nodding with a smile, Xiao Yan watched the figure stride out of sight, and sighed once more at the changes within Pan Gate. Now, Pan Gate radiated a strong sense of cohesion—a force that truly formed the very foundation of any powerful faction. A soft smile played on his lips as he turned and pushed open the grand doors of the pavilion, walking in slowly. Upon entering, he scanned the room before his gaze settled on the graceful figure carefully watering a potted flower at the window ledge on the second floor. Soft sunlight poured through the windows, illuminating the slender, elegant form of the young woman, like a lotus blooming gently in the morning light—refined and serene, yet irresistibly alluring. Gazing at the beautiful figure with a slightly dazed expression, Xiao Yan remained silent, unwilling to disrupt the scene's beauty. "Brother Xiao Yan?" "No matter how beautiful the scene, it will eventually return to reality. After setting down the water basin in her hands, the young girl finally caught sight of the black-robed young man below, a gentle warmth and subtle delight blooming on her refined cheeks. Hearing the clear tone of the girl's voice, Xiao Yan regained his composure, smiled at her, and slowly walked up the stairs, gently rubbing the top of Xun'er's head as he said, "Niece, that's impressive—didn't expect just in four days we'd managed to turn Panmen into such a mess. I truly underestimated you." "That's all thanks to Hugua's efforts," Xun'er remarked, easing her breath as she noticed Xiao Yan's composed expression. With a natural grace, she linked her arm with his, smiling softly. "Thank goodness for both of you. Otherwise, Panmen would eventually end up in disarray under the strain of my and Wu Hao's relentless efforts." Xiao Yan chuckled, knowing his own limits, and recognizing that Wu Hao—such a passionate fighter—was clearly not a natural manager. "By the way, where are Hugua and Wu Hao?" Xiao Yan scanned the room, puzzled, and asked. Xun'er smiled gently. "Huogua went to the Inner Courtyard's Battle Technique Library, saying she wanted to check if there were any suitable advanced battle techniques for her. As for Wu Hao—he's gone to the Arena and hasn't returned in two days. But don't worry, Xiao Yan, there are our Panmen representatives there, and they'll inform us of anything that happens." Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan gazed at Xun'er's graceful, composed face, his heart stirred. He reached out, gently wrapping his arms around her slender waist, drawing her close to his chest, with a touch of warmth on her slightly bashful cheeks. "Thank you, Xun'er..." He murmured softly, his chin resting against her forehead. "How formal you've been with Xun'er lately? When we were children..." Xun'er smiled warmly, but before she could finish speaking, Xiao Yan interrupted her. "All those accidental, haphazard things I did as a child—over the years, you've returned them back to me a hundredfold," Xiao Yan sighed. This girl has truly demanded a great deal from him. By nature, she was so refined and graceful, like a lotus, that it should have been difficult for her to truly fall for any one man. And given her exceptional talents, few young men of her age could have even caught her eye. Though she currently holds only the rank of a mid-tier Great Battle Master, Xiao Yan never forgot that, back in Wutan City, when she was still just a Battle Master, she had suddenly surged to Great Battle Master level—thanks to the alchemist, Liu Xi, invited by the Jialei family. Three years ago, she had already reached that level. Three years later... Thinking of that, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle again. Her cheek gently resting against Xiao Yan's chest, Xun'er didn't seem to care at all. A faint, slightly resolute curve appeared at the corner of her lips. After a moment, as though remembering something, she straightened her expression, broke free from Xiao Yan's embrace, and then pulled him swiftly toward her room. "What's wrong?" Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, asking with genuine curiosity. "Let me introduce you to someone." Xun'er smiled lightly, gently tapping her hand. Suddenly, a dark spot in the room began to slowly extend and gather, then rapidly pulsing and shifting. In Xiao Yan's slightly astonished gaze, the shadows gradually coalesced into a towering, elderly figure, and finally, a familiar, smiling face emerged before him. "Ah, Xiao Yan, it's good to see you well!" the elder chuckled, observing Xiao Yan's growing bewilderment. "You... you're Master Ling?" Staring intently at the elder before him, Xiao Yan still found it hard to believe after a moment.