Lying within the wooden basin, his body immersed in the cool spiritual liquid, Xiao Yan felt deeply intoxicated by the fullness of energy flowing within him. According to the usual breakthrough pattern, after reaching the seventh stage, there typically follows a period of nourishment and stabilization. However, thanks to the foundational spiritual liquid, Xiao Yan had bypassed this phase entirely and directly entered the stage of fullness. After sitting quietly in the basin for a while, allowing his exhilaration to settle, Xiao Yan finally rose slowly. His bare body, glistening with pale green droplets, shimmered under the sunlight. He lazily stretched, and the bones within him resonated with a crisp, clear sound, as though reborn. He then turned his head slightly, and with a simple gesture of his right hand toward the bed, a suction force surged forth, instantly drawing the clothes into his palm. "Indeed, the combat energy has grown significantly stronger. With the suction power now generated, I believe it should be sufficient to lift a person's entire weight." "Dressed properly, Xiao Yan furrowed his brow, murmuring, 'Unfortunately, this 'Siphon Palm' seems to lack substantial offensive power. The supposed ability to forcibly draw blood from an opponent is only effective against those significantly lower in rank. Against opponents of equal or higher rank, it falls short—quite out of reach.' As he said this, Xiao Yan sighed with a touch of regret. After all, this was his very first technique. He pursed his lips, about to step out of the wooden basin, when suddenly a thought struck him. His eyes glowed with an unusual brightness. Slowly curling his right palm, he fixed his gaze on it, and after a moment, the palm, positioned half a foot away, gently aimed at a vase. Licking his lips, the combat energy within Xiao Yan surged straight out from the palm of his hand, without following any specific pathway—simply flowing out in a straight, unadorned manner. To project combat energy outward requires at least the level of a Great Combat Specialist, so Xiao Yan's action produced only a moderate breeze, with no other noticeable effects. The gentle wind that issued from his palm caused the vase to sway violently, nearly knocking it off the table. Despite the lack of outward projection, Xiao Yan didn't feel disappointed—he looked delighted, even excited, rubbing his hands together and stepping back several meters before repositioning his right palm toward the vase. "Absorb the palm!" he murmured, and instantly, a powerful suction pulled the vase swiftly toward him. As the vase approached within three feet of Xiao Yan's face, he suddenly released the suction, simultaneously expelling all the combat energy from his palm. A strong gust of wind then slammed into the rapidly approaching vase. "Boom!" Two forces moving in completely opposite directions met in the air, and at the very center of their convergence—the vase—shattered into fine fragments, exploding outward. Watching the effect of his palm technique, Xiao Yan's face was filled with surprise. The destructive power resulting from the collision between suction and counter-pressure far exceeded his expectations. Although the abundant Qi within him had been nearly depleted by the counter-pressure generated earlier, Xiao Yan was exceptionally excited. The counter-pressure he had previously produced had been generated through the most basic form of internal cultivation, which was both the most labor-intensive and yielded only modest results. If he could master a specialized technique that specifically enhanced counter-pressure—something akin to his current suction palm technique—then, when combined with the suction, he was certain the resulting effect would be remarkably powerful. "Little one, that's quite good—how clever of you to think of using this move to strengthen the 'Suction Palm' technique." The ring on his finger flashed gently, and the old medicine master drifted out, gazing at the fragments within the room, then nodded slightly, praising with a soft voice. Xiao Yan chuckled, his eyes rolling thoughtfully over the old man, full of pleasant deference. "If there were a specialized technique focused on reverse propulsion, refined to the point of mastery, then your current, lower-level Xuanyuan-class technique—Absorbing the Palm—would likely match even mid- or high-level Xuanyuan-class techniques in terms of offensive power..." As though he hadn't noticed Xiao Yan's expression, the old man continued speaking. "Teacher, you yourself know how rare auxiliary techniques are. I managed to obtain this Absorbing Palm purely by luck. Now, where am I to find another auxiliary technique that complements it?" Xiao Yan said, slightly exasperated, his head tilted. "Stop acting so innocent—you've been eyeing me for this all along," the old man replied, giving Xiao Yan a withering glance. "That idea wasn't entirely novel—others must have thought of it before. However, both of these techniques are rather auxiliary, akin to side dishes that lack substantial appeal, and thus hard to find. As a result, it's rare for people to gather both of them. Did the Master not have any such techniques?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's face fell, his expression growing increasingly frustrated. Without specialized techniques that could generate reverse thrust, relying solely on his own qi to activate them would clearly be a disadvantage. The spot on Xiao Yan's forehead caused his head to swell slightly, as a vast amount of information poured in. It took him a while before the details gradually came into focus. "Blow-Flame Palm: a low-tier xuan-level technique, capable of generating strong wind pressure!" The simple description and rather plain name made the term "low-tier xuan-level" sound quite unimpressive. "The founder of this technique was a blacksmith who spent his entire life forging iron. Due to the need for furnace fire, he unexpectedly discovered this blow-flame technique..." Watching Xiao Yan's stiff expression, Yao Lao chuckled with a touch of amusement. Shaking his head slightly, Xiao Yan respectfully admired the blacksmith's ingenuity—creating a combat technique wasn't as simple as merely shaping iron. The Blow-Flame Palm wasn't difficult to learn. Under Yao Lao's guidance, Xiao Yan grasped its essential principles within just two hours. Standing in the room, Xiao Yan eagerly looked at the single vase in the space, took a deep breath, and then curled his palm, releasing a strong suction: "Absorption Palm!" Driven by a powerful suction, the vase shot directly toward Xiao Yan. Focusing intently on the rushing vase, Xiao Yan swiftly withdrew his suction palm and guided the internal Qi of his combat technique along the pathways of his Blowing-Flame Palm. "Blowing-Flame Palm!" As the vase was about to strike his head, a strong gust surged suddenly from within his palm, instantly filling the room with dust and gray particles. "Boom!" A crisp, resonant sound echoed again—this time, the vase was shattered into countless fragments by the collision of two opposing forces. "Good..." With white powder cascading from his body and dust swirling around him, Xiao Yan's eyes sparkled as he admired the result. As long as he mastered the seamless transition between these two combat techniques, he would surely secure a decisive advantage over anyone unprepared. Brushing off the white dust, Xiao Yan realized that over the final three months, he had added yet another training objective to his list. After March, it would be my coming-of-age ceremony... "Hehe, perhaps many people are hoping I'll keep making fools of myself?" The young man chuckled softly amidst the disorder of the house.