The gust of wind swept past Bai Cheng, yet even as he still hadn't had time to feel relieved, Xiao Yan's elbow suddenly drove down with a sharp, forceful impact. The concentrated pressure formed at the tip of the elbow, producing a piercing sound that vibrated painfully against the eardrums. Grasping his long spear tightly and pressing it against the ground, Bai Cheng steadied his tilted body. His left hand quickly rose to meet Xiao Yan's elbow, where a powerful collision sent out ripples of energy—subtly, faint cracks of bone could be heard. When Bai Cheng's fist met the tip of Xiao Yan's elbow, he fully felt the immense strength radiating from it. His face paled slightly; under the sheer force, his already unsteady body was abruptly slammed into the ground, spreading fine cracks from the point of impact. Xiao Yan maintained a cold expression, with no pause in his movements. His foot slightly curved, gathering azure qi at an accelerated pace, then struck the head of Bai Cheng who lay on the ground with force. The intensity of the blow suggested that if he were hit, even with Bai Cheng's strength, he would surely collapse and lose consciousness on the spot. The sharp gust of wind rushing directly toward Bai Cheng's head caused him to sweat profusely. Without caring about his disheveled appearance, Bai Cheng rolled across the ground like a donkey in a struggle, narrowly avoiding Xiao Yan's attack. From the moment Xiao Yan released his heavy staff until Bai Cheng's current awkward roll, the entire sequence had lasted less than a minute. Yet this unexpected development, so contrary to everyone's expectations, left the spectators on the stands utterly stunned. The members of the "White Faction," who had previously been laughing, now resembled ducks with their necks suddenly compressed—struggling to emit hoarse gasps, unable to regain their earlier laughter. Compared to the hesitant, clucking sounds of the Bai faction members, the Panmen side erupted in loud cheers. They had initially thought that Xiao Yan, having lost the heavy staff, would be completely outmatched—yet instead, he staged a remarkable comeback, pressing the Bai Cheng, who had been expected to gain the upper hand, into a series of desperate rolls on the ground. This unexpected turn left the Panmen members, who had been tense all along, unable to contain their excitement, with some more impetuous ones even returning sharp taunts and mocking laughter to the previously confident Bai faction members, leaving the latter flushed with anger. "Xiao Yan's close-quarters combat skills are quite impressive," remarked Yan Hao, observing the sudden surge of energy from Xiao Yan from the upper level of the arena. "Not just impressive—far from it." Lin Xiu'ya slightly furrowed his brow. He could vaguely sense that the latter's Qi, after the jade staff was released, had grown more robust. After a brief thought, his gaze shifted to the staff that had fallen outside the arena, and he said softly, "I think the issue must lie with that staff." Upon hearing Lin Xiu'ya's suggestion, Yan Hao and the others recalled the noticeable surge in strength they had witnessed when Xiao Yan released his staff, and nodded in quiet realization. "This guy truly surprises me at every turn." "Both palms slightly extended, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. Following the vigorous, full-bodied combat he had just endured, the latent strength within him seemed to awaken at this very moment, filling him with a sense of exhilaration so profound he felt as though he could roar to the heavens. Having advanced to the next stage, this battle proved immensely beneficial for Xiao Yan. 'Have you ever truly looked me in the eye?' Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly, offering a mocking smile. Before the other could respond, silver light flashed beneath his feet, and his figure reappeared once more like a ghost beside Bai Cheng. In a matter of moments, Xiao Yan unleashed a flurry of attacks—punches, elbow strikes, leg kicks—employing every available point of contact. A series of lingering silhouettes danced through the air, while the rushing wind of his punches emitted a continuous whistling sound, creating a relentless gale across the battle platform." Thanks to the experience from the previous encounter, Bai Cheng no longer felt as flustered when facing Xiao Yan's fierce attacks, his long spear now skillfully weaving and deflecting the strikes that had only appeared as fleeting glimpses before. Within the battle circle, the two figures darted and moved swiftly, each collision of azure and deep yellow aura producing thunderous explosions. As the force waves spread, the already cracked ground rapidly expanded, spreading out at a pace clearly visible to the eye. Watching the fierce collision unfolding on the field, many spectators on the stands were quietly impressed. From the current intensity of the duel between the two, it was clear that they were evenly matched—this indeed came as a surprise. While Bai Cheng, though not as renowned as Lin Xiu'ya among the inner courtyard students, was still ranked among the "Strong List" and considered a top-tier contender, his strength was widely recognized as being among the best in the entire inner courtyard. Yet now, Xiao Yan—a newcomer who had only joined the inner courtyard less than six months ago—was able to hold his own against him, maintaining a strong and competitive edge. Such a feat was truly humbling for those who had entered the inner courtyard earlier. As the battle on the field intensified, the noise from the stands softened considerably. Many spectators held their breath, watching the swift flashes of light and movement between the two teams. At this stage, both sides were fully unleashed—any slight hesitation now could easily be exploited by the opponent, leading to the decisive strike that would determine the outcome. In fact, even if the battle ended in a defeat for Xiao Yan, his reputation would likely suffer only minor damage. After all, Bai Cheng had been a senior student in the Inner Courtyard for over two years, and achieving a draw against him within less than a year of joining the Inner Courtyard was no small feat—such performance would surely earn the admiration of most of the Inner Courtyard students. On the contrary, the expectations placed on Bai Cheng to achieve such results would far exceed those on Xiao Yan. Therefore, Bai Cheng himself was well aware that he could not settle for a draw—he had to win. Otherwise, he would have to sacrifice his own reputation to elevate Xiao Yan's standing. In the span of a moment, a cold, determined gleam flashed in his eyes, and Bai Cheng found himself growing increasingly anxious. He had originally believed that, with his full strength, defeating a fledgling Douling cultivator like Xiao Yan would be straightforward. Yet he hadn't anticipated being held in a deadlock by Xiao Yan. No matter how fierce his attacks, Xiao Yan remained as tenacious as sticky glue, clinging firmly to him. Bai Cheng's relentless physical assaults, infused with powerful force, kept him from effectively unleashing his lance attacks. Under such persistent pressure, it was impossible for him to remain composed. "No matter what, I must defeat this young upstart!" A thought flashed through his mind once more. His face grew stern and fierce. With his right hand tightly gripping his lance to withstand Xiao Yan's onslaught, he extended his left, and a purple-red pill slid gently from his sleeve into his palm, before being swiftly swallowed. As the pill entered his mouth, Bai Cheng's face instantly flushed with an eerie purple-red hue, and a low roar erupted from his throat. The deep yellow battle energy rising from his body suddenly surged uncontrollably, bursting forth with intense force—within the deep yellow energy, faint traces of purple-red shimmered. He slammed his fist hard against the spear shaft, causing it to slightly bend, then suddenly unleashed a powerful surge of force. As the energy rebounded, Xiao Yan stumbled back, only to find himself retreating again as the yellow figure darted past him. Bai Cheng now accelerated dramatically, forcefully swinging the spear and striking Xiao Yan's arm with great strength. "Boom!" A deep sound resonated, and Xiao Yan felt sharp pain radiating through his arm. Bai Cheng's sudden surge of power sent Xiao Yan staggering backward, retreating five to six meters. This powerful blow also caused Xiao Yan's complexion to pale slightly. The sudden change in the battlefield, which had originally been scorched and intense, caught the audience off guard. When their eyes fell upon Bai Cheng, whose face had turned a deep purple, they all paused in surprise. Some sharp-eyed spectators exclaimed immediately, "Bai Cheng took the pill!" At the sound of this cry, a wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd. While it wasn't considered a foul to consume pills during a match, it was still remarkable—Bai Cheng's opponent was merely a first-year student, barely a year into the Inner Courtyard, and even against someone whose strength was already inferior to his own, Bai Cheng had to rely on pills to bolster his performance. Such a move was truly hard to swallow. With swift strides, Xiao Yan directed his qi to dissipate the pressure, then lifted his gaze steadily at Bai Cheng, whose face was now deeply flushed and whose eyes had also taken on a purple hue. He furrowed his brows, and with a cold smile remarked, "Remarkable medicine indeed—it's capable of amplifying such a strong surge of power all at once." "Victory becomes the king, defeat the foe—when it comes down to life and death, no one cares about the process; what matters most is the outcome!" Bai Cheng said with a cool, calculating tone. By now, he had no need to find further excuses. All he wanted was to reduce Xiao Yan to half-dead, and if possible, completely disable him. Since Xiao Yan entered the Inner Courtyard, he had not enjoyed a single moment of peace. "Bai Cheng senior says exactly that," Xiao Yan remarked, gazing at Bai Cheng. After a brief pause, he unexpectedly smiled and nodded. Then, with a flick of his fingers, a smooth, deep-red pill appeared between his fingers. He raised his eyes to meet Bai Cheng's gaze and smiled warmly. "Since Bai Cheng senior has said that, I can't pretend any longer. This 'Dragon Power Pill' has been crafted, but I've never tested its effectiveness. Today, I'll have Bai Cheng senior try it out." His eyes were fixed intently on the dark-red pill held between Xiao Yan's two fingers, and upon hearing the name of the pill, Bai Cheng's face instantly grew deeply troubled.