At the exit of the inner courtyard, several figures flashed out, clearly identified as Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and also Lin Yan, who had come along out of curiosity. As Xiao Yan and his companions just emerged from the forest, a faint, elderly voice resonated above their heads: "To leave the inner courtyard, one must receive a letter of endorsement from a senior elder. You all have such a large group—what exactly are you planning to do?" Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Yan and his companions promptly raised their heads to see an elder standing on a branch, carefully observing them. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Su Elder, the one they had first encountered when they first entered the inner courtyard. "Senior Su, I am Xiao Yan. I have an urgent matter to attend to in the outer courtyard, but my letter of endorsement has not yet been arranged. I would be deeply grateful if you could kindly grant me a favor," Xiao Yan stepped forward, suppressing his sense of urgency and respectfully addressed the elder on the branch. "Oh? Xiao Yan?" "Heard this, Su Elder was momentarily startled and immediately turned his gaze to Xiao Yan. Upon seeing that familiar face, a warm smile broke across his previously composed expression: 'Ah, it's Xiao Yan, isn't it? Has the inner academy life become too monotonous, and have you decided to take a stroll outside?' 'Far from it. I've just come across an urgent matter that requires my immediate attention.' Xiao Yan chuckled lightly, bowing respectfully to Su Elder. 'Elder, thank you very much.' Su Elder hesitated slightly. According to the inner academy's regulations, no gift of appreciation was allowed when releasing someone—yet Xiao Yan was different. He had been personally entrusted by the Grand Elder to receive special attention. Though he had remained stationed here, Su Elder had also heard that Xiao Yan was capable of crafting fifth-rank pills. Thus, he showed particular enthusiasm toward Xiao Yan. 'Normally, under the rules, no gift would be accepted—yet today, seeing how much Xiao Yan means to me, I'll make an exception.'" After a moment's pause, Su Elder finally raised his hand and smiled. "Thank you, Elder!" Upon seeing Su Elder nod, Xiao Yan immediately felt delighted. "Hah, you've got quite the flair for showing off, don't you? I've visited this elder several times, and each time he'd keep his face stern, refusing to approve unless I brought a personal gift. I never thought he'd make an exception for you." Lin Yan, standing behind Xiao Yan, expressed his surprise. Xiao Yan smiled, knowing well that the elders' courtesy toward him stemmed largely from his ability to craft fifth-rank pills—something he deeply understood, given that fifth-rank pills were highly desirable among the elders, who were all at the Battle King level. "Brother Xiao Yan, don't worry," said Xun, who had been closely observing him. "I'm sure nothing major will happen at the Gan Nan Academy," she said softly, though Xiao Yan had masked his anxiety well—she could still sense a subtle worry in his expression. Xiao Yan nodded slightly, speaking in a low tone. "But you also know, Xiao Yu, how reserved and proud you are. You would only come to me if there truly were something of great importance. Regardless, we are family, and moreover, the Xiao family has ended up in its current state largely due to my involvement. For them, I do feel a certain sense of regret." Xun'er smiled gently, lightly grasping Xiao Yan's hand to reassure him not to worry. As the two spoke softly, the open space before them suddenly began to ripple violently, as though torn apart by an invisible giant hand. Instantly, a magnificent silver-gleaming gate appeared before everyone's eyes. "Already, I've sent out a signal outside, so there are lion-hawk beasts on standby. The deep mountains beyond the inner courtyard are teeming with wild beasts. Without the lion-hawks riding along, it would take at least a week to reach the inner courtyard," said Su Elder, lightly descending from the branch to the ground, and smiling warmly at Xiao Yan and the others. "Thank you, Master Su. Today's kindness will surely be repaid by Xiao Yan." With a bow of gratitude, Xiao Yan didn't linger long and quickly strode toward the silver gate. As the light shimmered, his figure vanished. Following Xiao Yan, Xun'er and the others closely trailed behind, and as the silver glow faded, the area outside the forest once again became empty and quiet. "Xiao Yan's hurried demeanor suggests he indeed has urgent matters. This situation will likely need to be reported to the Senior Elder." After the last person disappeared through the silver gate, Master Su paused thoughtfully before turning and ascending into the sky, his pair of aura wings emerging as he swiftly headed toward the inner courtyard. By the mountain stream at this moment, a massive griffon was flapping its wings, with two riders mounted upon its back. "Ah, you all are heading to the outer courtyard, aren't you? Please come up," one of the riders stood and smiled warmly at Xiao Yan. "Thank you," Xiao Yan didn't waste any time. With a wave of his hand, he stepped onto the griffon first, standing straight and motionless on the rather smooth, slick back of the creature. The others—Xun'er and the rest—followed closely. Given their strength, they certainly didn't exhibit the nervousness that some new students had shown when first entering the inner courtyard. Seeing their steady, composed movements, the two riders silently praised them—indeed, such grace was far beyond what one would expect from students of the outer courtyard. "Please hold on tight!" With a single cry, the griffon's wings surged powerfully, sending a gust of wind rushing forth, and its massive body rose into the sky, swiftly darting toward the outer courtyard beyond the mountain range. In the outer courtyard, the griffon landed at the docking plaza. Surrounding the plaza, numerous students gathered, drawn by the griffon's striking presence. When these students saw the group descending in procession from the griffon, they were momentarily stunned. Xiao Yan, Xun'er, Huojia, and Wu Hao had been well-known stars among the outer courtyard students before entering the inner courtyard, and even after more than six months, many still remembered them. As soon as the four appeared, a wave of murmurs and warm, admiring glances filled the area. Naturally, Xiao Yan, in a hurry, paid little attention to these gazes, simply leading the group out of the plaza and heading directly toward the residence of his mentor, Ruolin. "Hey, that young girl in green is absolutely beautiful—never seen her before! It's a pity. If I had seen her earlier, maybe I could have had the chance to meet her face to face." As the group faded into the distance, the voices grew louder. Over the past few months, a new batch of students has joined the outer academy, so the newcomers had never actually encountered Xun'er and the others before. However, observing the confident demeanor of the departing group, the fresh faces had been hesitant to speak up loudly. Now that they were gone, their voices naturally spilled out. "Hmph! That kid is so clumsy—she's the woman of Xiao Yan, the senior student. How do you expect to get close to her?" A slightly older student glanced coldly at the newcomer who had just started speaking. "Who's Xiao Yan? I've only heard of the senior student Wang Yan Cheng—the name Xiao Yan is completely unfamiliar to me," countered the newcomer, equally defiant. "Wang Yan Cheng?" Hehe, these fresh-faced kids, so full of themselves, think they can compete with us? When Xiao Yan, our senior, first entered the inner academy, he was already a six-star grand combatant. After six months of rigorous training here, his strength must have improved significantly—perhaps even reached the peak of grand combatant level. What about Yan Cheng? Who's he, really? With just one palm strike, he'll be recognized only as a stranger by his own mother. One of the seniors sneered, saying this. The so-called "King of the Freshmen" was merely selected during the freshman gathering event—Yan Cheng stood out as the most outstanding among them, and thus was embraced by the group of freshmen as their leader. Though the freshmen weren't particularly strong individually, their numbers gave them a solid presence, making them a notable force in the outer academy. Hearing the claim of peak grand combatant status, the freshman's face slightly flushed. He fully understood the vast gap between the two, and thus, hesitated to utter any dismissive remarks, quietly retreating with his head down. … The Xiao Yan and others naturally had no knowledge of the changes that had occurred in the Outer Courtyard over the past six months, and even if they did, they wouldn't have given it much thought. With the Pan Gate's current influence, they were already recognized as prominent figures within the Inner Courtyard—how could they possibly pay attention to the fledgling students in the Outer Courtyard? The door opened of its own accord, and a familiar, slightly worn face appeared in Xiao Yan's sight. The upright figure and the characteristic slender, well-proportioned legs—couldn't possibly be anyone else but Xiao Yu? When Xiao Yu opened the door and saw the crowd gathered outside, she paused momentarily, but as her gaze settled upon Xiao Yan's face, she was struck silent, tears beginning to gather in her eyes, steadily building up as if about to cascade like a sudden downpour. "Stop crying, stop crying! What's happened? I've been rushing all the way here!" For the first time since their acquaintance, Xiao Yan had witnessed Xiao Yu display such delicate vulnerability, and he was genuinely taken aback, quickly urging her to compose herself. Clutching her lips tightly with her teeth, Xiao Yu managed to hold back her tears, instead reaching out to grasp Xiao Yan's hand and hurrying them toward the inner room. Under these unusual circumstances, Xiao Yan could not resist and allowed himself to be led along. Guided by Xiao Yu, the group passed through the grand hall and finally reached a door at the end. Only then did Xiao Yu slow her pace, gently pushing it open. Gazing at Xiao Yu's expression, Xiao Yan's hands suddenly trembled slightly, and he took a slow step forward into the room, where he spotted a bed and a man lying upon it. The man appeared to be around twenty-five years old, his eyes tightly closed, his face pale as paper, tinged with a touch of pain, and his body occasionally trembling faintly. Remarkably, this face bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Yan's—three-quarters alike. Fixing his gaze intently on that familiar countenance, Xiao Yan's fists clenched suddenly, blood vessels beginning to trace their way through his dark eyes. A low, restrained voice, choked with rising fury, emerged softly from his throat after a moment. "Second brother!"