As soon as the words fell, everyone's gazes slowly shifted toward Xiao Yao. Solemn expressions appeared on their faces as they seemed to ponder a feasible solution.
For a moment, the entire arena fell silent. Yet beneath that silence churned turbulent undercurrents, with everyone calculating their own gains and losses.
Xiao Yao, however, calmly looked at Bai Shan and the others before him, meeting their gazes. Xun Er and the others stood tightly around Xiao Yao, ready to fight at any moment.
Bai Shan looked at the students who were still watching from the sidelines, and his expression darkened. He then took the initiative to lead the people beside him toward Xiao Yao.
Aside from Wu Hao, Hu Jia, and their groups, the others remained where they were, seemingly wanting to see what Xiao Yao intended to do.
Seeing Bai Shan and the others approach, Xun Er's golden Dou Qi grew increasingly dense around her body, ready for her to strike at any moment.
Watching Bai Shan and the others rapidly approach, Xiao Yao glanced at Hu Gan on the platform and curled his lips slightly, as though he had thought of something amusing. Placing a hand on Xun Er's shoulder, he softly said, "Xun Er, step back. I'll handle Bai Shan myself."
Upon hearing Xiao Yao's words, the golden Dou Qi radiating from Xun Er's body instantly withdrew back into her. She obediently took two steps back and smiled softly. "Xiao Yao-gege, good luck. Don't hit too hard—you can't beat him to death."
Xiao Yao slowly extended his right hand. With a thought, an invisible flame emerged from his body and transformed into a Flood Dragon. In an instant, it coiled through the air above, roaring down at the crowd and drawing everyone's attention. Shock appeared across their faces.