As the cold tone of Xiao Yan's words settled, Liu Fei's face gradually grew redder, her embarrassment mounting. To be granted a private training room by the inner courtyard? That sounded like something that would make a whole crowd burst into laughter. Given the prestigious status of the Ganav College on the Continent, even a student with merely average talent—like herself—wouldn't qualify. And as for her cousin Liu Qing, who held a distinguished reputation within the inner courtyard, such an honor was simply out of reach. Thus, Xiao Yan's words amounted to a sharp rebuke. The entire area fell silent under the weight of his words, a palpable atmosphere of rising storm—tense, expectant, and charged—draping itself over the training room. Beside him, Rainer regained his composure only after hearing Xiao Yan's remarks, his face now darkened with fury. His eyes locked onto Xiao Yan, his voice strained and barely audible, brimming with suppressed rage. "You've got something to say, boy!" he snapped. "Don't you know the rules?" "If you wish to challenge someone, you must first ring the challenge bell outside the training room—do you keep pounding on the door like a barbarian to show off your strength?" Xiao Yan lifted his gaze slightly, a cold glint passing through the dark depths of his eyes. He pointed toward a black button nearby the door, his voice cold. Although in the Tianfen Qi Tower, indeed those with the strongest punches enjoyed the best training conditions, it was still true that if someone had already entered the training room to train, any subsequent challenger would need to ring the challenge bell outside. To ring the bell, one had to insert their own fire crystal card and deduct one day's "fire energy." As long as someone rings the challenge bell, the practitioners in the cultivation hall gradually begin to sense a diminishing inner flame. With the weakening of this inner flame, they can exit their cultivation state safely without any risk—this is a protective measure implemented by the inner courtyard. However, previously, Lei Na clearly ignored the challenge bell and instead opted for the most effective way to abruptly awaken a cultivator: forcibly smashing the door. Although the door itself is constructed from special materials within the courtyard, the sharp, piercing sound produced by such force still disrupts the practitioners inside, often forcing them to abandon their cultivation state altogether. Consequently, since Xiao Yan stepped out earlier, his expression has been notably gloomy, and his tone has been slightly sharp throughout his speech. Stung by Xiang Yan's scolding, Lei Na paused, his anger intensifying. Used to his own arrogance, he had rarely paid attention to such formalities, and in his view, how could someone who only trained at the third level possibly possess great strength? Thus, he had simply ignored the challenge bell and instead resorted to the most forceful—and most effective—method to rouse the practitioners within. Pointing a finger at Xiang Yan, Lei Na, furious, laughed dryly, "Well, it seems you've got something to offer. I've been itching to do this for days—today, I'm going to really loosen up." As he spoke, a powerful aura surged forth from within him, exerting strong pressure that caused several of the nearby students to step back. "Around four-star Battle Spirit, slightly stronger than Fu Ao..." Xiang Yan remained expressionless, yet clearly discerned Lei Na's true strength through his aura. By the side, Li Fei's previously strained expression gradually improved. Observing Renae's approach toward Xiao Yan, she remained silent—never having faced much pressure before, today's gentle yet persistent pressure from Xiao Yan had stung her quite deeply. Thus, she welcomed the idea of someone going after him. "Renae, don't be too severe," Li Fei glanced calmly at Xiao Yan before addressing Renae, "or Brother will blame me later." "Heh, sure," Renae nodded with a smile, then turned back to Xiao Yan with a grim expression, rapidly gathering powerful aura in his fists. As the confrontation seemed imminent, the people around hurriedly stepped back, fearing they too might be caught in the crossfire. Gazing steadily at Renae's stern expression, Xiao Yan's own demeanor darkened further. He inhaled the slightly warm air inside the tower, his voice cold. "Do you really intend to fight?" "Are you afraid?" "Renar sneered, "Get out of this training chamber right away, apologize to Fei, and from now on never enter this premium area again—I'll let you off the hook." Hearing this, Xiao Yan lowered his gaze slightly, nodded silently, and with a flick of his fingers, a purple pill was pressed into his mouth, where he chewed it slowly and quietly. "Hmph, youngster, wanting to boost your strength by force-feeding yourself pills?" Observing Xiao Yan's actions, Renar couldn't help but chuckle, his expression showing clear disdain. He could sense Xiao Yan's aura—only a mid-Combat Master level, certainly not a match for him in a ten-fight contest. Ignoring Renar, Xiao Yan slightly opened his mouth and expelled a stream of purple flame, which he then held in his palm. "Hm?" Renar was momentarily stunned by the purple flame in Xiao Yan's hands, his brows furrowing as he coldly remarked, "There's some real talent here—no wonder he's so confident. But to defeat me solely with this? Still short on it." Xiao Yan still paid no attention, slowly spreading his right hand, and a streak of emerald flame burst forth. Watching Xiao Yan now holding one hand with violet flame and the other with emerald flame, Rainer's eyes finally flickered with a touch of astonishment. Though proud, he was far from foolish—this dual intensity of heat from the two flames was enough to earn him a measure of serious regard. "We can't delay any longer..." a thought flashed through Rainer's mind. His body trembled visibly, deep golden energy surging forth from within him and enveloping his entire form. "Young man, today I'm going to show you—when it comes to being in the inner courtyard, you'd better keep your head down!" A cold chuckle echoed from within the golden energy sphere. Then, Rainer slammed his foot firmly onto the ground, his figure surging forward like a massive, charging beast, generating a fierce, pressing wind that bore down directly upon Xiao Yan. Staring coldly at Rená charging forward, the powerful gust of wind rushing in pressed萧In's black robe tightly against his body. In his dark pupils, Rená's figure rapidly expanded. As his face grew colder, the jade-purple flame in his hands slammed together with force. At the exact moment of the flame collision, Xiao Yin stepped lightly to the left, perfectly deflecting Rená's full impact. With a solid thud against the ground, Rená turned without looking back, delivering a sweeping leg kick that sent shockwaves through the air, aiming it straight for Xiao Yin's head. The two hands were tightly pressed together, with the emerald and violet flames rapidly entwining and spewing out like electric sparks. Feeling the sharp gust of wind rushing toward his head, Xiao Yan's body suddenly tilted backward, his slightly inclined feet lightly brushing the ground. With a burst of energy, he swiftly retreated as the force of impact pushed him backward. Now, He doesn't need a prolonged campaign. To prevent future complications, He must wield absolute strength to establish a commanding reputation—otherwise, those who disrupt his cultivation may continue to appear without end! The impact of the Buddha's Wrath Lotus will prove more effective than anything else! Rena's twin claws slammed hard onto the ground, sending sharp gusts of force that immediately caused fine cracks to appear on the solid black stone floor. In less than two minutes, through a series of swift attacks and evasive maneuvers, the two of them exchanged over a dozen rounds. The sharp bursts of energy and the swift movements of their figures caused the onlookers to gasp in awe—first at the severity of Rena's attacks, and then at Xiao Yan's ability to withstand Rena's onslaught for so long, despite being only a Grand Master-level cultivator. After all, Rena himself was a four-star Spirit Master—fewer than a hundred cultivators in the entire Inner Academy could even defeat him. "Crack!" "Another fierce assault. This time, Xiao Yan's movements were slightly delayed, and the black robe was torn at one corner by Renae's powerful strike—though fortunately, his body remained unharmed. The well-prepared attack was once again evaded, deepening Renae's anger. He lifted his head, sneering at Xiao Yan, who continued to dodge, and remarked, 'Are you really a rabbit? Show me you can face me directly!' Hearing this, several students observing from the sidelines couldn't help but quietly chuckle—how could one with a Du Ling-level strength dominate a large Du Shi, while still forcing the other to keep dodging? Did they truly think the opponent was foolish? Yet, as these spectators laughed in their minds, Xiao Yan, who had been constantly moving and shifting, suddenly stopped. His refined face now radiated cold determination, his dark eyes steadily fixed upon Renae. Seeing Xiao Yan finally comply and cease his evasive maneuvers, Renae was overjoyed. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and surged forward with a sudden burst of momentum. Staring indifferently at the surging Renā, Xiao Yan didn't budge an inch. Slowly lifting his hand, he rotated his palm, and a lotus of pale green and purple, about the size of a palm, floated into the air. As soon as the lotus appeared, waves of ripples surged suddenly at the space where his hand rested. Gazing closely, the spectators saw the space itself warp and distort, all of them gaping in astonishment. Renā, who had been charging directly at Xiao Yan, also noticed the unusual phenomenon caused by the lotus in Xiao Yan's palm. Instantly, a wave of shock swept across his face. He could faintly sense the immense power emanating from within the lotus. "Oh no! With his strength, how is it possible he could manifest such a formidable technique?" A thought flashed through his mind. With growing alarm, he pressed his feet firmly against the ground, then hurled bursts of force into the earth with both palms, using the counter-pressure to halt his forward momentum. Finally, he braced himself on both feet and hurriedly retreated. "Boom!" Gazing calmly at the retreating Renar, Xiao Yan stepped forward lightly, then settled onto the ground, his energy erupting beneath his feet. Instantly, his body blurred into a vague silhouette, transforming into a streak of black lightning that materialized before Renar's face—cold and composed, he raised his flaming lotus and slammed it hard against Renar's head. The cyan-purple lotus rapidly expanded in Renar's field of vision, casting a face twisted with shock and fear.