At the sudden shift in Lord Xiao Yan's demeanor, both the man known as Madhi and the purple-robed girl were momentarily stunned. Madhi then spoke cautiously, "I am a mentor from the Galen Academy; she is one of my students, Molei." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded slightly and smiled, "Then let's go with me." Seeing the warm smile on Xiao Yan's face, both Madhi and the purple-robed girl opened their mouths in surprise, momentarily at a loss. After a brief pause, Madhi finally hesitated, took the purple-robed girl's hand, and quickly rushed toward Xiao Yan and his companions. "You're going to die!" the leading black-clad figure snapped, his eyes flashing with cold intensity. "Kill them all! Don't let a single breath go lost!" Upon hearing the leader's command, the group of about a dozen black-clad figures responded with solemn voices, tightened their grip on their sharp, long swords, and moved swiftly, charging directly toward Xiao Yan and his party. Their cold, relentless aura instantly froze the air of the forest. Feeling the sudden surge of a chilling, murderous intent, Madie's face paled instantly, and then he urgently pulled the purple-robed girl, rushing desperately toward Xiao Yin and the other two. However, their speed clearly fell short of that of the black-robed figures. Within just a few blinks, two long swords, gleaming with a cold sheen, swiftly materialized behind them and shot out like venomous snakes. The chilling aura that emerged behind them was also sensed by Madie and the purple-robed girl, who both instantly went pale. In their current condition, they simply lacked the strength to evade such a vicious assault. As the ever-approaching aura of deadly intensity grew, a sense of dread surged within both of them. Just when they thought they were destined to perish without a struggle, a faint crackling of thunder suddenly echoed through the forest. Instantly, they felt their bodies surge upward with a sudden, powerful lift—a process that lasted only a brief moment. When they regained their senses, they were astonished to find themselves positioned between Xiao Yan and the other two, with one hand resting gently on each of their shoulders. By the side, the purple-robed girl named Mo Ling also gaped, her bright eyes wide with astonishment, staring at the person she had previously dismissed as timid and cowardly—someone who hadn’t made a favorable impression on her. To her surprise, this individual’s strength surpassed even Master Medei’s. “Mo Ling, handle them,” Xiao Yan said calmly, glancing at the swiftly approaching black-robed figures with a composed tone. Upon hearing this, Mo Ling pursed her lips, murmured something about being treated like a overworked child worker, and then slowly stepped forward. "Be careful—they're all Grand Combatants, and that one leading them is even a Seven-Star Combat Spirit... You—you know, uh..." Upon seeing Xiao Yan summoning a little girl to fight, Ma Di was instantly alarmed. However, just as he finished speaking, Zi Yan's figure surged forward like a streak of light, and soon, the sound of solid impacts echoed through the air. One after another, figures tumbled from the sky, crashing hard onto the surrounding mud, unconscious or dead. "Patter, patter," Zi Yan gently landed, then lightly tapped her hands and pouted. "A bunch of mediocre Grand Combatants—they dare to block us?" Beside her, Ma Di and Mo Ling stared at the black-robed combatants sprawled on the ground, utterly stunned. In less than ten seconds, over a dozen Grand Combatants had been defeated so completely? How astonishingly strong was this young girl! "And that one—have we taken care of him too?" Xiao Yan raised his gaze, looking at the leading black-robed figure atop the branch, and said casually. "You... you... who exactly are you? We are indeed from the Magic Flame Valley!" As Xiao Yan's gaze settled upon him, the leading black-robed figure's face instantly paled, and he stepped forward with a sharp, urgent voice. Just as his words fell, Zi Yan grew impatient, shook her head in annoyance, and with a swift movement of her body, appeared directly in front of the black-robed figure. She clenched her fists tightly and then forcefully swung them toward the figure. Faced with Zǐ Yán's astonishing speed, the black-robed warrior was also deeply startled and immediately summoned his internal qi to form a solid qi armor on his body. Just as the armor took shape, Zǐ Yán's small fist struck swiftly and powerfully. Then, a tremendous force poured down in a sweeping wave, instantly shattering the seemingly unyielding qi armor. The remaining qi waves crashed heavily against the black-robed warrior's chest, causing him to spew out a gush of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. His body then plummeted from the branch. "A mere Spirit Realm cultivator? Daring to withstand my fist? Hmph—dying already..." Glancing at the fallen figure, Zǐ Yán lightly tapped a branch with her foot, spun gracefully in midair, and landed steadily on the ground. She then glanced at Xiāo Yín and murmured, "This time, you're returning that 'Blood Spirit Grass' to me." Zǐ Yán's demands only earned Xiāo Yín a withering look, after which he turned his gaze toward Mài Dì and the other two. At the sight of Xiao Yan's gaze, Madhi hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir, thank you so much for your timely rescue. May I know your name?" "Ah, Madhi, no need for formalities—call me Xiao Yan. To be honest, we're all kindred spirits after all..." Xiao Yan smiled warmly. "Kindred spirits?" Madhi was momentarily taken aback, then brightened and exclaimed, "Could it be that you're also from the Gan Nan Academy?" Hearing this, Mo Ling also paused, then fixed her gaze curiously upon the young black-robed youth before her—though his strength was astonishingly formidable. After a moment, her delicate willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed, and she murmured, "Xiao Yan? That name sounds familiar." "Xiao Yan? You—aren't you the one from the Inner Courtyard?" Madhi furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, as if recalling something, then suddenly gasped in disbelief. Seeing the shock on both of their faces, Xiao Yan smiled and said, "If there isn't anyone in the Inner Courtyard with the same name, then I believe you were referring to me." Seeing Xiao Yan nod, Madi and Mo Ling's expressions of astonishment grew even more intense. In recent years, the name Xiao Yan has become virtually synonymous with fame throughout the Cangnan Academy. Everyone knows that this young man, who has only been training within the inner academy for three years, has repeatedly defeated the most formidable and relentless强者 from Blackhorn Domain. The Panmen he established within the inner academy has now grown into the largest and most influential power in the entire Cangnan Academy—so well known that nearly every new student is familiar with its name. Moreover, the Xiao family's stronghold in Blackhorn Domain has provided the greatest protection and support for students undertaking their training and expeditions there. And yet, the very person who founded this vast power remains the idol and even a myth in the hearts of countless students. Though Xiao Yan had left the Canaan Academy over two years ago, his reputation had not faded with time—it had, instead, grown stronger through the passage of years, becoming an idol in the hearts of many. Numerous academy girls harbored the most beautiful fantasies about this senior who had never personally appeared before them. As for Mei Ling standing before him, although her expression remained calm when her friend had recounted Xiao Yan’s achievements in a dazzling, vivid manner, a subtle impression had indeed been made upon her heart. Now, the figure who had become a near-mythical figure within Canaan Academy stood before her in reality—something that made it hard to believe. "Didn't expect that after more than two years away, someone still remembered me," Xiao Yan smiled lightly, gazing at the two's expressions of astonishment. Hearing Xiao Yan's laughter, Mai Di and Mo Ling finally regained their composure from shock. Mai Di suddenly stepped forward, grasping Xiao Yan's arm tightly and exclaiming, "We're saved! The Wu Elder and the others are saved!" "Wu Elder? What's going on?" Xiao Yan frowned slightly and spoke in a steady tone. "This story is quite lengthy. Our inner academy typically sends a significant number of students on training expeditions every six months. Most of these students are accompanied by either faculty members or elders from within the academy." "At this point, Medei chuckled, then sighed, 'This time, it was Elder Wu from the Inner Court leading the team. Everything had gone smoothly until the very end—seemingly, word had leaked out. When our expedition team arrived at this mountain range to hunt down beast-wyrms, we were suddenly attacked by the Magi-Flame Valley. Under urgent circumstances, Elder Wu fought valiantly, eventually leading a group of several trainees into a small valley, only to be completely surrounded by the valley's forces. I and Moli managed to break through and make it out, originally intending to seek reinforcements. However, we were spotted by the valley's hidden sentries and were pursued all the way.' 'Xiao Yan, our senior—there are over thirty of us trapped there. If they fall into the hands of the Magi-Flame Valley, they will surely perish. This enemy faction has been our bitter rival since the beginning, specifically targeting our Gan Nan Academy.' Moli, beside her, bit her lower lip softly, speaking in a quiet tone. Hearing what the two had said, Xiao Yan's expression also grew slightly serious. His feelings toward the Gan Nan Academy were deep—he simply couldn't ignore this situation. "How strong is the Wu Elder? It seems we haven't heard of such an elder within the Inner Academy before," Xiao Yan nodded slightly and asked casually. "Wu Elder was promoted last year. He was originally a student of the Inner Academy; his birth name is Wu Hao," Madhi said quickly. "Wu Hao?" Upon hearing the name, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then his expression suddenly turned completely gloomy.