The man's laughter had immediately silenced several probing competitors on the platform. Facing Zi Yan, even Li Qinglin and Xiu Ya, despite their full efforts, could only maintain half their chances of victory. As for this one... After speaking, the man on the platform noticed that some of the surrounding glances were off-kilter, though he didn't know precisely why. His smile slightly stiffened as he carefully scanned Zi Yan. Given his own strength, how could he possibly discern Zi Yan's true limits? To him, she merely seemed to have a rather weak, gentle flow of ki circulating within her—soft, fragile, almost unsteady. Under the collective, puzzled gazes, Zi Yan finally reached the center of the stage. She glanced sideways at the man across from her, crossed her fingers, and gently pressed. Instantly, crisp cracking sounds echoed through her bones. Raising her head, she looked toward the Senior Elder Su Qian, her tone weary yet composed: "Hey, old man, shall we begin?" "As soon as she spoke, the entire hall fell silent. Those who knew her identity remained composed, while the others, unaware of the situation, stared in wide-eyed astonishment—how could anyone dare speak to the Grand Elder in such a manner? And among those who were stunned, her opponent was precisely one of them. Gazing at the man who unfolded himself into a lecture, Ziyan grew impatient, tossing her pale purple ponytail with a graceful gesture. Her endearing, neat little虎teeth gently ground against one another. Then, with a delicate lift of her slender feet, she poised them for a moment before suddenly bringing them down with force! "Boom!" The impact sent a deep, resonant explosion through the air. Amidst the prolonged wave of astonishment, a crack half a span wide surged rapidly from beneath her feet, spreading like a serpent coiled deep within the earth. In a flash, it reached the man named Bei Ju, who stood equally stunned—his feet still rooted in awe. The crack widened slightly, and an invisible surge of power shot forth, striking squarely between the man’s legs. When the crack reached his soles, Bei Ju became aware of it. Though his heart was shadowed and uneasy due to the terrifying strength Zǐ Yán had displayed in that instant, he couldn't pause to ponder further—he roared, and at once a powerful aura surged from within him, forming within a moment a gray-white aura armor on his body. The armor of Bei Ju coalesced remarkably swiftly, clearly indicating that he possessed solid capabilities to reach this point. Yet... the oddity lay in his poor fortune—he had encountered Zǐ Yán, a force even Li Qing Lin and Xiu Ya avoided. With Ziyan's strength comparable to that of a Dueling King, though it was merely a casual blow, the force was far from negligible. Even though Bei Ju's body was protected by a sturdy aura armor, at the very moment of contact, the armor—seeming remarkably resilient—shattered with almost effortless force, completely collapsing within an extremely brief span of time. The powerful, fierce energy then pierced straight through the armor, striking precisely between Bei Ju's legs. As a result, a piercing, agonizing cry erupted, tearing through the air on the plaza. "Ah!" Staring at Bei Ju, who was cradling his lower body and lying on the ground like a curled-up shrimp, continuously moaning, everyone in the arena was stunned, wiping cold sweat from their foreheads. Some male trainees instinctively covered their own lower bodies, shivering all over—what if someone were actually struck by this? Even if the physical injury were healed, they’d surely carry some psychological scars. On the stage, Xiao Yan and the others were equally speechless, watching the scene in silence. After a moment, they all managed to swallow a lump in their throats. Though Bei Ju appeared harmless and even endearing, his technique was surprisingly forceful. "Such raw strength," Water Ling observed, her eyes fixed on Zi Yan. "It seems she didn't even use any energy—entirely relying on her physical strength," Xun'er murmured, her voice tinged with surprise. Xiao Yan nodded slightly. While he didn't sense much energy fluctuation during Zi Yan's attack, thinking about her true identity, he found himself reassured. Most beasts were renowned for their physical strength, and even the herbal elder had mentioned that Zi Yan might be a rare ancient anomaly. Thus, it was no surprise that she possessed such formidable power. "Looking at Zhuo Yan's adorable appearance—so delicate and refined, like a porcelain sculpture—Xiao Yan wouldn't have believed it was her who managed such a fierce move, even if he had personally witnessed it. "I happened to see him win a match and then publicly declared that his next opponent would be you," Zhuo Yan said, glancing at the match already underway and chuckling as she gently held her light purple ponytail. Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback. He had assumed Zhuo Yan's sharp actions stemmed from impatience with the opponent, not realizing there was any connection between them at all. Still, this little girl truly did appeal to him. Gently patting Zhuo Yan's head, Xiao Yan smiled, "These matters I can handle myself. You needn't worry about them." "If you don't help me, then I'll never again prepare pills for you." "Unhappy, Zi Yan shook her head and huffed, saying that as a beast, she didn't have the human's elaborate schemes. She simply believed that only when Xiao Yan truly owed her something would he continue crafting pills for her. "Now that I've helped you deal with that person, you owe me a personal favor—something I'll never forget," Zi Yan mumbled. "Heh, well, that's settled—I'll count it as a favor," Xiao Yan said, shaking his head with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He gently tugged at her ponytail, watching the adorable smile bloom on her face in a flash. Suddenly, a memory surfaced—a little girl who was always humble, always bowing low, timid and full of quiet dignity, with human-serpent blood. "I wonder how Qinglin is doing…" He softly sighed. Back in the Gamma Empire, that little girl, who had once been caught in the jaws of danger, had ultimately been taken away by the Celestial Serpent Clan. For that timid girl, Xiao Yan had always carried a lingering sense of regret. "Heh." Seeing Xiao Yan nod, Zi Yan beamed, showing her cute little虎teeth, standing on the railing and patting his shoulder with a bold voice: "Don't worry, I've got you covered. I'll definitely make sure you're in the top ten—anyone who dares to challenge your spot, I'll knock them senseless." Her voice didn't fade, so nearly every competitor on the platform heard her. Many of them immediately flushed, as they were well aware of Zi Yan's formidable strength. Shrugging slightly, Xiao Yan gently tapped her forehead, watching her cover her head with a look of mild annoyance, and smiled: "I'll fight my heart out to make it into the top ten. But if I need your help, even if I get in, I won't be able to sit comfortably." Zi Yan rolled her eyes, mumbled a few words, but ultimately kept quiet and didn't repeat her earlier promises. "Hmm, I didn't expect Xiao Yan and Zi Yan to be so close." A familiar laugh suddenly rang out from the side. Xiao Yan turned to see it was Lin Xiu'ya and the others, all of whom were glancing at Zi Yan with a faint, almost hesitant gaze. "Senior..." Xiao Yan cleared his throat, taking a moment to observe the two. He found himself chuckling, though a touch of surprise also crept in. Usually, Lin Xiu'ya maintained a composed and calm demeanor in front of others, but now, in this smile, there was clearly a sense of hesitation—almost fear. Zi Yan glanced at Lin Xiu'ya with a lazy air and said, "Oh, it's you! It's been a while. You ran so fast last time in the competition." A touch of embarrassment crept onto Lin Xiu'ya's face. Back then, during the "Strong Ranking" event, he had just met Zi Yan at the final stage—his strength, naturally, wasn't as strong as it was now. So, when he first saw her, he had promptly stepped down and conceded, which left Zi Yan, who had hoped to defeat him, somewhat disappointed and lingering with that sense of unfulfilled ambition. "The game is truly boring. You go ahead and have at it—I don't think I'll be involved today." Watching the intense, bustling battles unfolding on the field, Zi Yan yawned lazily and waved at Xiao Yan before simply jumping down from the platform and darting out of the arena. Hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily speechless—how could it be that the leader of the "Wolf Teeth" from the Inner Courtyard held such deep fear for Zi Yan? "I'll make sure to advocate for you when we meet," Xiao Yan nodded, suppressing a smile. Seeing Xiao Yan agree, Lin Xiu'ya finally exhaled in relief, gave him a grateful smile, and then bowed and departed. Watching Lin Xiu'ya turn and walk away, Xiao Yan chuckled softly—truly, one thing does indeed overcome another. "Fourth match: No. 15!" Just as Xiao Yan was reflecting, a sudden announcement from the referees' stand caught him off guard. He looked up and noticed Su Qian's warm, smiling gaze fixed upon him. "It's finally my turn, then?" Xiao Yan turned his head and focused on the spot where two sharp, hostile glares were directed. A calm, composed smile slowly spread across his lips.