In the spacious hall, Xiao Yan sat lazily in his chair, listening as Xun recounted the developments at Panmen since his departure. He occasionally stretched and yawned widely, his relaxed demeanor prompting Xun to pause mid-sentence and shake her head in mild resignation. "How is Huojia's condition?" Xiao Yan asked, finally regaining some focus as Xun stopped her stream of words. "She sustained a serious injury this time, but thanks to the pills you prepared, her recovery will be a matter of time. Moreover, I've noticed subtle fluctuations in her energy—there seems to be a clear sign of her approaching the rank of Nine-Star Grand Combatant." Xun smiled. Hearing this, Xiao Yan's face brightened with surprise, then nodded slightly. Huojia and Wu Hao both possessed exceptional natural talents. Without the abundance of medicinal herbs he had access to, it would have been difficult for him to advance so swiftly and surpass them. "Has the outside situation been calmer these past few days?" Holding her cup of tea lightly and sipping it gently, Xiao Yan suddenly smiled faintly and asked. It had been exactly two days since he had defeated Bai Cheng in the arena. During these two days, Xiao Yan had remained indoors, barely leaving his room—first because the battle had drained his strength, and second because by defeating Bai Cheng, he had not only ascended to the rank of a "Strong Rank" master but also claimed Bai Cheng’s position on the "Strong Rank" list. According to the rules, anyone who defeats someone ranked above them on the "Strong Rank" list automatically takes over that person’s position. Since Bai Cheng had originally ranked thirty-fourth, Xiao Yan now not only became a "Strong Rank" master but also secured the thirty-fourth spot. Thirty-fourth place—though this rank may not appear particularly outstanding at first glance, it is nonetheless a strong testament to excellence within the prestigious Inner Academy, where talent is abundant. On the Strong Ranks list, each step upward requires intense and arduous competition. While advancing to the ranks of the elite strong contenders is no easy feat, once achieved, the rewards are truly impressive and often admired and envied by many. According to Xiao Yan, the two hundred days of fire energy he receives monthly from the Inner Academy as a Strong Rank thirty-fourth is a substantial benefit. Although Xiao Yan currently has ample fire energy due to his successful sales of pills, this sum would be considered a generous and valuable stipend in the eyes of others. Among the Strong Ranks, merely securing a slight improvement in position brings a significantly enhanced status and treatment. Thus, after Xiao Yan defeated Bai Cheng and claimed the thirty-fourth spot on the Strong Ranks, a steady stream of challengers began to emerge, sending challenge letters in thick stacks to the Pan Gate. Although Xiao Yan had demonstrated an exceptionally powerful performance during the arena competition, his true strength was still only at the level of a first-tier Douling. Consequently, many people, in their subconscious, believed that defeating Xiao Yan might not be particularly difficult, especially since he no longer possessed a second Dragon Force Pill to rely on. As for why Xiao Yan had been staying indoors, it was mainly because the stack of challenge letters had been overwhelming him. To outsiders, he had merely offered the excuse of recovering from injuries and taking a temporary break, which only left those hoping to leverage Xiao Yan as a stepping stone to watch helplessly. After all, within the inner courtyard there were established rules: injured students had the right to decline challenges without any obligation. "Heh, the number of people wanting to challenge has decreased quite a bit compared to yesterday," said Xun'er, smiling gently as she covered her mouth. "But I'm sure that once Xiao Yan brother steps out of the磐gate, several or even eight people will immediately come forward to challenge you." This treatment he received was quite exceptional even among the entire "Strong Ranking" cohort. "Ah," he sighed, lazily propped up on his chair, murmuring softly, "I still don't know when the grand tournament is going to start..." "Haha, Xiao Yan! It's been two months since we last saw each other, and I never expected you to have not only reached the Burned Spirit level but also defeat Bai Cheng—this news truly came as a surprise. When I heard it at the Tian Fen Qi Tower, I almost couldn't believe it myself!" Suddenly, the closed door swung open, and a familiar voice drifted in, followed by Lin Yan stepping inside. Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Yan was momentarily startled, then beamed with joy, lifting his head to gaze at Lin Yan entering with a bright smile. "It's really you, Lin Yan, isn't it? How's your internal fire toxin doing?" "All thanks to your medicinal infusions—the fire toxin has been largely cleared now." Lin Yan nodded to Xun'er, casually found a chair and sat down. Now, the vibrant red in his eyes was almost fading away, quite different from the intense crimson he had displayed a few months ago. As the fire toxin cleared, Lin Yan’s demeanor had grown calmer, shedding some of his earlier impatience and gaining a more composed, steady calmness—his aura suggested a noticeable enhancement in his strength. "Hmph, truly, you’ve reached the Battle Spirit stage. Your progress is simply astonishing," Lin Yan remarked, his gaze carefully scanning over Xiao Yan’s body, absorbing the significantly stronger and more powerful aura emanating from him. Xiao Yan smiled, waved to Xun'er, who promptly fetched tea from the side and handed it over with a warm smile. "Heh, I heard Xun'er was never intimidated by Liu Qing in the arena—now she’s serving me tea and water. Xiao Yan, you’ve certainly got some skills!" "Quickly took the tea, Lin Yan, however, raised his thumb in admiration toward Xiao Yan. To have such an outstanding girl fully follow his lead—this kind of skill truly impressed Lin Yan. Xiao Yan shook his head with a sigh. Though after expelling the fire toxin, Lin Yan had become less impetuous than before, his words still poured out nonstop. "I've heard about the events in the arena. I didn't expect you'd actually clash with Liu Qing. That man isn't exactly a quiet one, is he?" Lin Yan's smile softened slightly, and he spoke with a touch of seriousness. "Of the top ten on the Strength Ranking—how many of them are truly quiet and efficient?" Xiao Yan smiled, not overly concerned. Though his current strength was merely a one-star Douling, once he had crossed that significant threshold, he no longer felt particularly intimidated by Liu Qing or the others. In the past, when he was still only a Da Doushi, even with his reserve strength—such as the Buddha's Fury Lotus—he had often had to endure and avoid direct conflict with Bai Cheng, knowing that the gap between the two ranks was simply too vast. Even with powerful Dou Techniques, if he failed to defeat his opponent, he would likely find himself in a difficult situation. But now, things were different. Having himself stepped into the Douling rank, although he still lagged several levels behind strong Douling peak fighters like Liu Qing, a direct confrontation would still be fiercely competitive. Even if he managed to win, it would surely be a hard-fought victory. This, indeed, was the gap between ranks. Seeing Xiao Yan’s calm, unconcerned expression, Lin Yan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and said, “What a bold spirit! You’ve always been hard to pin down—your confidence and arrogance suggest you’ve got some hidden strength behind them. I must have been overthinking it all.” Xiao Yan smiled, changed the subject, and after a moment of quiet reflection, asked, “Could you tell me when exactly the ‘Strong Rank Tournament’ begins?” “Oh, yes, now that you’re also listed on the Strong Rank List, it truly does concern you.” Lin Yan nodded with a smile. “It’s about a month from now—should be the start of the tournament. Is that right? Do you have any particular expectations about the top ten?” Xiao Yan gave a noncommittal smile, gently rotated his tea cup between his palms, and said softly, “I’d like to know where Li Qing stands—what rank does he hold?” His smile paused slightly, and after a brief silence, Lin Yan finally extended three fingers. “Third?” "Slightly taken aback, Xiao Yan remained silent—Li Qing's strength was even more impressive than he had expected. "Second is Lin Xiu'ya, fourth is Yan Hao, and the fifth through eighth are all well-known figures from the Inner Courtyard. As for me, I've been hovering between ninth and tenth—heh, of course, this is the previous ranking. Now that I've completely expelled the fire toxin from my body, my strength has significantly improved. If I were to rank again, I believe I could make it into the top six," Lin Yan chuckled. "Lin Xiu'ya ranked second?" Xiao Yan's face flashed with surprise. He hadn't expected Lin Xiu'ya to rank one position ahead of Li Qing. Yet, upon reflection, it made sense—during their time in the mountains, even after being struck by the snow-mountain tigress, who had awakened her wild fury bloodline, Lin Xiu'ya had still managed to stay alive and active. If he were a cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Realm, he likely would have perished on the spot. Indeed, Lin Xiu'ya possessed considerable strength. "Don't underestimate Lin Xiu'ya. This guy has refined his wind-type qi to a near-perfect mastery, and he comes with solid background support. The techniques and cultivation methods he practices are all of a high-tier level—far beyond what ordinary people could hope for—making him quite difficult to handle." Lin Yan said seriously. Even with his usual arrogance, he held genuine respect for this name, clearly indicating Lin Xiu'ya's strength. Nodding slightly after having witnessed his battle against the Snow Demon Giant, Xiao Yan naturally didn't take him lightly. After a brief pause, he suddenly smiled, "Now that we've already secured the second and third spots, who holds the first?"