Sitting at the head of the room, Xiao Yan kept his head lowered, his right hand propping up his forehead while his left tapped rhythmically on the armrest. He listened to the clamor below, turning things over in his mind.
After pondering for a moment, Xiao Yan rapped his left hand down hard twice, and the noisy gathering instantly fell silent.
Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing exchanged a glance, a trace of amusement appearing in their eyes.
This fellow had changed enormously over the past year...
Xiao Yan slowly raised his head. After a year of tempering, his once-gentle eyes were now as keen as a hawk's. An air of cold, iron-blooded ruthlessness radiated from him, sending chills down the backs of those below.
Once those eyes fixed on someone, he was like a venomous snake lurking in the grass, refusing to relent until his prey was dead.
"With our current strength, if Xinlai City and Zhong Sai City come rushing over..."
At this point, Xiao Yan paused briefly. Everyone pricked up their ears, afraid of missing even a single word.
"If they dare come, we'll make sure none of them return!"
The young man's cold voice rang out, inspiring conviction in everyone below, and they voiced their agreement one after another.
After everyone below had dispersed, only Xiao Fan, Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, and several of the Inner Academy's highest-ranked students remained in the spacious meeting room.
"Once this battle grows large enough, the Earth Flame Sect and the Eight Gates will probably realize what's happening here."
The normally mild-mannered Lin Xiuya looked at Xiao Yan with a serious expression as he spoke evenly.
"Yes, I know."
Xiao Yan nodded at his words. His gaze swept over the faces of the Inner Academy students, gradually softening, before he continued,