Staring at the black-robed young man, his face streaked with blood, struggling to raise his arms and keep his eyes open against the urge to close them, all present remained silent, speechless. This guy—truly a force that cannot be killed. Despite the devastating rebound from the combat techniques, he still retained some awareness. Su Qian himself was momentarily stunned. Clearly, Xiao Yan was now truly drained, his very strength fading—what kept him awake might simply be the unyielding determination to secure a spot among the top ten. With a gentle shake of his head, Su Qian paused, thinking deeply before finally speaking: "This match shall end in a draw. That means both of you will be tied for the top ten. So, you needn't worry." Hearing Su Qian's words, Xiao Yan's tightly tensed heart finally relaxed, and his eyelids drooped swiftly as his consciousness gradually slipped into darkness... Watching Xiao Yan now truly entering a state of unconsciousness, Su Qian sighed. With the injuries sustained by both Xiao Yan and Liu Qing, the next several battles would likely see both of them absent. Glancing at the unconscious Xiao Yan lying on the ground, Su Qian shook his head again—this young one was truly more surprising than expected. Even with Liu Qing's strength, he had been reduced to this severely wounded condition. It was likely that few present had anticipated such a development. "Master Elder, if these two end in a draw, wouldn't that mean there are eleven contenders among the top ten of the current strength rankings? That would mean eleven spots for those entering the tower to undergo heart-fire essence training?" one elder hesitated before speaking. Su Qian nodded slightly, speaking calmly, "Eleven will be eleven. Though the heart-fire essence is indeed precious, the Inner Courtyard has preserved several copies over the years. Drawing one out now should be manageable. Otherwise, how could we face these two? After all, when you look at it closely, their outcomes have been uncertain since they stepped beyond the battlefield's boundaries." Hearing the Senior Elder's words, the elder fell silent and nodded, then stepped back. "From now on, we'll use the backup arena for the upcoming battles. However, due to their injuries, Xiao Yan and Liu Qing will no longer be able to participate. With the top ten spots already decided, the overall situation is now settled. The subsequent matches for ranking within the stronger tiers will no longer matter, as the true standings are already balanced in the hearts of the participants." Su Qian glanced around, smiling gently. With Su Qian's words settled, the group seemed to exhale in relief and nodded in agreement. The sheer strength these two had displayed earlier had left them chilled—without them vying for position, the competition would have been considerably easier. Of course, not everyone shared this sentiment. At least Lin Xiu'ya sighed with a touch of regret; having lost opponents of Li Qing and Xiao Yan's caliber, what could he now look forward to in the remaining matches? After Xiao Yan and Liu Qing stepped off the stage, the competition continued, though the subsequent battles, though still intense, failed to evoke the same level of awe as the spectacular clash that had preceded them. The contestants vying for rankings found themselves particularly frustrated—how could they possibly surpass a battle that had nearly transcended the realm of ordinary Du Ling combat? The race for rankings gradually wound down in the afternoon, culminating in a decisive series of fierce engagements that established the new strength rankings. Second place was no surprise—having lost Liu Qing, and now with Xiao Yan's unexpected rise as a strong contender, the others remained firmly entrenched in their positions, allowing Lin Xiu'ya to once again secure his standing as the second strongest. Third place was originally Liu Qing's, but now that he has stepped down, it has been taken over by Yan Hao. The battle for fourth place was significantly more intense than the earlier rankings, though after enduring a series of close contests, Lin Yan surprisingly advanced all the way to the final spot, rising from his previous ninth-place position to claim fourth place. The race for the next six positions was equally intense. When the competition concluded, among the last six finishers, only two were former top ten players—everyone else had emerged as unexpected newcomers. While their advancement was partly due to luck from the draw, their strength remained remarkably solid. After all, the Strong Ranking was no ordinary list; even with favorable luck, one had to possess genuine strength to reach the final stages. During that spectacular battle, Xiao Yan's extraordinary combat prowess conquered everyone, and henceforth, no one in the Inner Courtyard would dare to look down upon this newcomer who had only joined less than a year prior. Naturally, the prestige of the Pan Gate also rose significantly. Lin Xiu'ya and Liu Qing had become two preeminent figures within the Inner Courtyard primarily due to their outstanding strength surpassing that of other top-ranked contenders. Yet now, the newly emerging Pan Gate too boasted a strong contender of such exceptional caliber. Its influence would inevitably grow steadily and ascend. According to tradition, after the Strong Ranks Tournament concludes, several exhibition matches are held—informal contests where participants can freely challenge any of the top ten on the current Strong Ranks list. Naturally, these challenges are far less formal than the main tournament matches, serving merely as festive entertainment following the grand events. Though they are described as mere sparring sessions, few participants actually step onto the stage, since those who are selected through rigorous trials are naturally among the strongest in the Inner Court. If one knows they will fall short, why would they volunteer to compete at all—wouldn't that be self-sacrificing? Yet this year’s final exhibition match left everyone stunned. The reason? The challenger was a young woman so stunningly beautiful that she seemed to leave the audience breathless. Moreover, the very person she challenged was Lin Xiu'ya! Of course, merely this was not enough to leave the entire audience stunned—it was the subsequent sparring match that did it. The regular sparring session lasted less than ten minutes, yet within that brief span, Lin Xiu-ya, the third-place contender who had long struggled to find a worthy opponent in the tournament, was swiftly defeated. As the slender jade-fingered hand of the young green-robed girl hovered just an inch above Lin Xiu-ya’s forehead, a sudden bead of sweat broke out on his brow. He stared blankly at the girl, her face serene and smiling, feeling a dryness in his mouth. Though he had not been particularly eager to face her, he felt no regret—during the sparring, he had steadily retreated step by step, drawing upon his very strongest technique. Yet, as that peak technique was just about to unfold, the girl gently flicked her finger, and a beam of blazing golden light surged forth, instantly dissipating it like mist. At the very moment his strongest technique was shattered, Lin Xiu'ya realized that the battle had been essentially meaningless—the two fighters were completely on different levels. And then, the subsequent attacks from his opponent left him with no choice but to abandon his last hope. "I've lost," he said, shrugging slightly under a wave of stunned gazes, before adding with a wry smile, "I always thought Xiao Yan was the darkest underdog of this year. I never expected his girlfriend to be even darker. You should go straight to Zi Xu's sister and challenge her to a match." "Challenging Zi Yan—little girl will surely go find Brother Xiao Yan to cry and complain, and in the end, I'm the one who'll end up being scolded." The setting sun cast a soft glow over the slender figure of the young girl in green robes. Gazing at her refined face, adorned with a quiet, serene smile, Lin Xiu'ya felt as though a heavy blow had struck him—this feeling... seemed to be called... instant infatuation? This very sensation stirred a sense of amusement within him. Always having regarded women as easily attainable, he now found himself experiencing something quite unexpected. "Challenging you," she said softly, gently pulling back her delicate jade-fingered hand from the edge of Lin Xiu'ya's forehead, "he only wished to see my radiant side. Unfortunately, he didn't manage to catch it." Lin Xiu'ya opened his mouth, but in front of this graceful young woman, the usually composed and effortless man now felt awkward and tongue-tied. "Don't worry," he added, "I have absolutely no interest in that second-ranked contender. After our sparring session, I still need to return to take care of Brother Xiao Yan." Following Xiang Yan's example, Xun'er lifted her fragrant shoulders gracefully, then turned and walked, her delicate steps brushing against the golden afternoon sun that spilled across the ground. With her green skirt swaying gently, she slowly faded into the quiet, almost silent plaza.