The sound that suddenly rang in his ears made Lin Yan pause, his thoughts momentarily frozen. Then his eyes widened, and he swiftly turned around. When he saw the unfamiliar face, the joy that surged in his eyes instantly turned into astonishment. "Hush, don't make a sound..." Seeing Lin Yan's expression of surprise, Xiao Yan smiled gently and spoke softly. Hearing that familiar voice again, Lin Yan quickly regained his composure, his eyes instantly brightening with an unmistakable surge of excitement. He nodded, smiling and speaking in a voice only the two could hear: "Good boy! How come you've also arrived in the Central Region?" Noticing Lin Yan's animated expression, Xiao Yan smiled and waved his hand, indicating that this wasn't exactly a private setting. Seeing this, Lin Yan became fully aware of the situation. A quick glance revealed that the sudden turn of events had immediately drawn the attention of the entire crowd—everyone could clearly see that Xiao Yan had suddenly entered the scene, rescuing Lin Yan from Wang Chen's grasp with decisive action. Around the plaza, numerous strong warriors from Fenglei Guild were on guard. Upon witnessing Xiao Yan's sudden actions, they were instantly startled and furious, rushing in with sharp cries echoing across the plaza: "Who are you? Why are you disrupting the grand assembly?" Several Fenglei warriors, each bearing dual wings of aura, hovered above, encircling Xiao Yan tightly, their eyes cold and sharp, their sharp weapons subtly radiating a faint chill. The unexpected turn of events also surprised Wang Chen. When he regained his composure, his gaze settled coldly upon Xiao Yan, his hands gently rubbing the two dark-blue daggers, emitting a continuous, chilling sound of creaking. "According to the assembly's rules, once a competitor has been defeated, no further attacks may be made upon them. Yet this individual disregarded the rules. Why have you all come to me instead of confronting him directly?" Xiao Yan loosened his grip on Lin Yan's shoulder, glanced up at the十余 wind and thunder hall masters, and spoke softly. Aware that he didn't want to reveal his identity right here, he deliberately kept his voice slightly hoarse. Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, the十余 wind and thunder hall masters were taken aback. They had naturally witnessed the earlier scene, knowing that Wang Chen was a member of the Huang Quan Hall—yet the Huang Quan Patriarch was still seated at his place. In such a situation, what could they possibly do? They had only been able to let things slide. But no one had expected Xiao Yan to suddenly appear midway, and even more unexpectedly, this newcomer seemed utterly oblivious to the situation—could Wang Chen's status truly be measured merely as that of an ordinary person? Yet though they thought this in their hearts, they certainly wouldn't voice it openly. After all, it was indeed true that Wang Chen had been at a disadvantage, and Xiao Yan's intervention, though slightly out of the ordinary, was entirely reasonable. "Just a useless waste who happened to make it this far by sheer luck—kill him and that's it. What's so special about it?" They didn't want to say much more, but Wang Chen could speak freely. He merely sneered, his cold voice laced with a quiet disdain. "You son-of-a-bitch!" Upon hearing this, Lin Yan—known for his fiery temperament—immediately flared with anger. As he took a step forward, he was caught by Xiao Yan. Caught by Xiao Yan, Lin Yan gritted his teeth and turned his head, glaring at the former with a determined, unyielding gaze. In Lin Yan's memory, Xiao Yan wasn't the kind of person who liked to endure grievances silently. "The people from Huangquan Pavilion must not be very impressive. You've managed to stay this long merely because of the prestige of Huangquan Pavilion—there's nothing truly worthy of boasting about..." Xiao Yan grasped Lin Yan's arm, his gaze fixed on Wang Chen, and coldly remarked. He had long been dissatisfied with this man as well. Xiao Yan's surface strength had been deliberately kept around the level of Eight-Star Sovereign, such that even with his current soul power, not only these individuals but even Fei Tian, such a strong contender, would likely struggle to discern his true capabilities. However, there was one exception—Feng Qing'er. At the very first glance of her eyes upon Xiao Yan, the faintest furrow formed between her brows, a natural, intuitive sense of familiarity making her feel as though she had always known him. As he spoke, Master Huang also took a thorough look at Xiao Yan from head to toe, his eyes flickering with astonishment. He immediately recognized that the man's appearance had been deliberately altered, and what struck him most was the somewhat hazy quality of the boy's aura. Just as he was about to delve deeper, he sensed that Xiao Yan was enveloped within an intensely blazing flame. Though this flame presented numerous obstacles, Master Huang's seasoned perception allowed him to discern that the boy's strength was likely at the peak of the Battle Emperor rank, if not beyond. The sensation of being obscured during this examination left Master Huang particularly stunned—how could a master of Battle Sovereign rank fail to penetrate the strength of even a junior disciple? At the same time, Masters Lei, Feng, and Jian, standing beside him, also experienced this same sense of obstruction, each of them expressing a measure of surprise. Master Huangquan suddenly spoke, and Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly. He hadn't expected such a junior-level dispute to draw in this elder. He bowed slightly to him, composedly stating, "Master Huangquan truly holds the young man in high regard. I merely addressed the matter as it stood. My friend had already declared defeat beforehand, yet the opponent still launched a full assault. Such conduct appears to violate the tournament's established rules. The other three Masters have clearly observed this, and I'm certain they also understand who is at fault and who is right." Seeing Xiao Yan face four Supreme Combatants without the slightest sign of hesitation, many present felt impressed. Such composure was no ordinary feat—after all, each Supreme Combatant was a pillar of their own domain, and it was no exaggeration to say they could rise and fall a kingdom with a single hand. For Xiao Yan's response, the three elders—especially the Thunder Sovereign—had not expected it. Yet before they could reply, the Yellow Springs Sovereign's expression darkened considerably, and his voice grew cold. "Handle this matter with your words, Thunder Sovereign," he said. "Do not delay the proceedings of the assembly." The Thunder Sovereign lightly tapped his chair with a finger, his face calm and expressionless. With a gentle smile, he turned his gaze toward the Wind Sovereign and the Sword Sovereign, saying, "Ah, what do you two think should be done?" Such a seasoned elder—so shrewd—understood that such matters often offend people. Wang Chen was at a disadvantage; if the Thunder Sovereign showed too much favor, others would perceive the Wind and Thunder Pavilion as biased, harming its reputation. Yet if no action was taken, the Yellow Springs Sovereign would surely feel slighted. Thus, he simply passed the delicate issue directly to the Wind and Sword Sovereigns. "Proceed according to the established rules," he said. "Anyone who disrupts the assembly must be severely penalized. However, since this is the first offense, let him receive fifty strokes of the Thunder Staff and "Master Huang spoke with a calm, detached tone—so matter-of-fact, as though it were a trivial matter. Of course, given his standing, he truly had the authority to speak thus. 'The fault isn't his. If you're arbitrarily penalizing him, aren't you trying to make Master Lei bear the unjust reputation?' Master Feng smiled, glanced at Master Huang, and said. Lord Lei was taken aback, then shook his head with a sigh of resignation. It was clear these two elders intended to slight Lord Huangqu, yet what they said did hold merit—the Fenglei Pavilion was no match for the Huangqu Pavilion in terms of style and approach. He could only offer Lord Huangqu a polite smile of apology. Seeing Lord Lei's expression, Lord Huangqu's face grew even more strained. His gaze turned cold, fixed steadily on Xiao Yan, who had just exhaled in relief, and a faint streak of sternness passed over his features. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a calm tone, ahead of Lord Lei: "Since you believe Wang Chen has merely held on thanks to the prestige of my Huangqu Pavilion, then I shall grant you an opportunity—to face him directly. Regardless of the outcome, you may depart with your companions in peace. How does that sound?" "Yellow Springs Master's words immediately stirred a wave of murmurs across the plaza, and Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly—this old man seemed to lack the composure befitting a true Supreme Sovereign-level warrior. 'Don't pay attention to this ancient relic; let's go,' Lin Yan said, his expression shifting as he grasped Xiao Yan's arm and prepared to step forward. He hadn't expected such a remark from the old man. Wang Chen's strength was well known to him; in this gathering, only a few—perhaps Feng Qing'er among them—could truly match him. 'If you're unwilling to fight, simply bow three times toward your master's direction, and the matter shall be settled. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave.' Wang Chen gently licked the sharp edge of his crimson-tipped dagger, then grinned fiercely at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan locked his dark eyes steadily on Wang Chen, his hand slowly tightening within his sleeve. Fight? Or retreat? All eyes were fixed upon Xiao Yan's body. They wanted to know how this young man, who had always maintained a composed and dignified demeanor, would respond to Wang Chen's bold provocation. Though most of them didn't hold much hope for him, they did hope that Xiao Yan would truly engage with Wang Chen and give him a real challenge—especially given their discomfort with Wang Chen's arrogant attitude.