Boom, boom, boom... The mighty waterfall's roar echoes day after day, year after year through the valley, its moist air nearly completely isolating the small valley from the outside heat. Beneath the waterfall, which surges like a silver dragon, a young boy, bare-chested, clenches his teeth and grips a massive black measuring ruler tightly, continuously slashing at the turbulent flow. With each stroke of the ruler, a cascade of water splashes rises into the air. His feet, like the roots of a thick bush, are firmly anchored to the wooden posts. Subtle yellow aura pulses faintly over his body; whenever water strikes him, a light mist rises. To drive the ruler through the flowing water requires immense strength, and as the boy has already been steadfastly holding his position for some time, each stroke now sends waves of sharp, numb pain through his arms. Holding on with sheer determination, Xiao Yan's feet gradually grew weak. Finally, during the next strike, the powerful current crashed with a loud *thud*, knocking him—already near his limits—from the wooden post into the lake below. "Phwoosh." Rising to the surface, Xiao Yan spat out a mouthful of lake water, shook his dazed head, and slowly paddled his nearly numb body toward the shore. Upon reaching land, he collapsed limply onto the cool stone, his muscles aching and tingling, unwilling to move an inch. "Here," a perfectly roasted fish was passed to him from behind, then held up in front of him. With his eyes open, he inhaled the fragrant aroma, and his stomach immediately rumbled. With great effort, he shifted his body, leaned against the massive stone, and took the fish, devoured it hungrily. Looking at Xiao Yan's expression, Yao Lao smiled, his gaze sweeping over the ten wooden stakes beneath the waterfall, and said, "Not bad. Just five days, and they've already managed to stay on the third stake for such a long time." With his mouth full of food, Xiao Yan could only mumble a few indistinct words. "Recently, it seems the number of mercenaries visiting this area has been increasing steadily," Yao Lao remarked casually while sitting beside him. A slight pause, and Xiao Yan's eyes gradually narrowed as he swallowed the food in his mouth, then said coldly, "So it must be the Wolf-Head Mercenary Corps who've sensed something." "Given their pace, they probably won't take more than a month to discover this small valley. We'll have to speed things up a bit then." Yao Lao stroked his chin and offered a quiet smile. "How exactly?" Xiao Yan blinked in curiosity. Now, his progress in cultivation was already quite rapid—could it possibly improve further? "Indeed, it can still be improved, though... using this thing comes at a considerable cost," the Elder of Medicine admitted. "Have I not suffered enough lately?" Xiang Yan rolled his eyes, frowned. "Hm, also..." With a warm smile, the Elder produced Xiang Yan's Naji ring and slowly extracted over a dozen transparent jade vials from it. Inside each vial was a deep red liquid, thick and viscous—resembling blood itself. "What is this?" Xiang Yan asked, eyes fixed on the unfamiliar substance. "Burning Blood!" the Elder picked up one vial, gently shook it, and smiled. "This is made from twenty-three distinct fire-type herbs and the blood of three second-tier fire-type beast creatures. In terms of quality, this should qualify as a fourth-rank pill." "Fourth-rank?" Xiang Yan raised an eyebrow, having never seen such a grade in person. "What effect does this have?" "This 'burning blood' is effective only for those who cultivate fire-based qi; for those who cultivate water-based qi, however, it acts as a poison. When applied to the body, it accelerates the consumption of internal qi while simultaneously speeding up regeneration. In this ongoing balance between consumption and regeneration, your strength will gradually grow stronger." The elderly pharmacist smiled, his eyes revealing a touch of cunning. "But don't get too excited yet. As I mentioned earlier, if you wish to use it to enhance your cultivation pace, you'll have to endure considerable hardships." "What kind of hardships?" Seeing the pharmacist's serious expression, Xiao Yan felt a bit uneasy, asking cautiously. "Extend your arm." The pharmacist smiled, pulling Xiao Yan's arm free, then tilted the jade bottle slightly, allowing a drop of red liquid to land upon Xiao Yan's arm. "Ah…" As the red liquid was first applied, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly drew in a sharp breath, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He clenched his teeth tightly, his arms trembling incessantly. To Xiao Yan's perception, the droplets of red liquid seeping onto his arms felt like a blazing flame, continuously radiating intense heat—so scorching that it was as if his arms were placed directly upon hot, glowing charcoal. Anticipating Xiao Yan's reaction, the medicine elder smiled gently and, from his ring, retrieved a small jade plaque carved from white jade. He then slowly spread the red liquid, gradually increasing its coverage area. As the area of the red liquid expanded, Xiao Yan's arm trembled even more violently, veins bulging prominently, appearing quite alarming. A crimson liquid adhered to the surface of Xiao Yan's skin, emitting a steady, gentle warmth that seeped out in thin streams. His arms grew increasingly redder. This state persisted for over ten minutes before gradually subsiding. Only after the fiery sensation on his arms fully receded did Xiao Yan finally exhale deeply, wiping sweat from his forehead and once again gazing at the small jade vials before him—his eyes now clearly filled with a sense of apprehension. "This thing... is truly terrifying," he murmured, patting his arms, which were slowly returning to normal temperature, with a sense of lingering unease. "Will we really have to use it for cultivation?" he asked, his voice thick with bitterness, fixing his gaze on the old doctor. "Just focus and sense the flow of qi in your arms—what changes do you notice?" the doctor smiled, without directly answering his question. Shrugging, Xiao Yan followed the elder's advice and closed his eyes, quickly shifting his mind concentration to the meridians in his arm. Upon a brief examination, he was somewhat astonished to find that the qi flowing through the meridians in his left arm was not only significantly more robust than that in the other meridians, but also seemed to carry a slightly stronger energy. With a touch of wonder, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the smiling elder beside him. After a moment of quiet contemplation, he clenched his teeth firmly and said, "Alright, let's go—on it!" Seeing Xiao Yan nod resolutely, the elder's smile brightened even more. He had anticipated this—he knew Xiao Yan would absolutely be unable to withstand the allure of the rapid strength gains brought by "Burning Blood." "Lie down now. Apply a full-body treatment every day from now on. Your training progress should improve by another three to four levels." With a wave of his hand, the elder chuckled. Cracking his lips, Xiao Yan shoved his robe into his mouth and tightly grasped the rock crevices with both palms, his muffled voice emerging: "Come!" Observing Xiao Yan's tense, battle-ready demeanor, Yao Lao shook his head in resignation, tilting the jade bottle so that the red liquid flowed out steadily. "Ah!" A piercing, mournful cry erupted once again, echoing throughout the valley. Meanwhile, as Xiao Yan was making every effort to train, the search efforts of the Wolf-Head Guild were growing increasingly intense. After sacrificing over a dozen of their comrades, they gradually began to approach the small valley where Xiao Yan was located. On a particular day one month later, when Xiao Yan had already been able to sustain himself on the eighth wooden stake for a sufficient duration, a Wolf-Head Guild member finally stumbled into the quiet, peaceful valley at random. Standing at the valley entrance, this wolf-headed mercenary stared in bewilderment at the young man practicing beneath the waterfall. Only after a moment, stirred to awareness by the cold breeze, did a surge of exhilaration flood through him. Without a word, he quickly drew out a signal flare from his breast pocket, just as he was about to unfold it—when a sharp gust of wind suddenly surged from directly in front. The force carried by the wind sent the mercenary, whose strength ranked around six stars, momentarily aback. With a sudden push of his feet against the ground, he retreated swiftly. "Boom!" The black silhouette that had broken through the air crashed heavily onto the muddy ground, sending a flurry of soil particles flying. A massive, strangely shaped black iron ruler was driven deep into the earth. Gazing at this unusual black ruler, the wolf-headed mercenary's eyes narrowed slightly—this distinctive weapon had nearly become the very symbol of the young man they had issued a bounty upon. Despite the mud particles obscuring his vision, the seasoned soldier remained composed, steadily retreating with sharp, constant glances sweeping across his surroundings. As he was about to step out of the valley entrance, his heart suddenly tightened, and he dropped to the ground without warning. "Crack!" The force of the wind swept fiercely over his head, striking a large tree beside him, causing its trunk to split and snap in two with a sharp sound. Standing before the violently shattered tree, the soldier took a deep, cool breath—what kind of strength would be required to produce such devastation? The moment of awe passed swiftly. Then, the soldier suddenly pushed off the ground with his palms, and his body moved with the grace of a gecko, launching himself forward with an odd, dynamic surge into the dense jungle. The mercenary, deeply satisfied with his own maneuver, was confident that his advanced Yellow-Rank Wall-Crawling Technique—once the lifeline that saved him on multiple occasions—had rarely been matched by any combatant in the jungle. Indeed, in his mind, few fighters could ever successfully intercept him once he'd deployed this elusive footwork. Wiping the blood from the Xuangzhong Chi with a detached motion, Xiao Yan glanced at the body beneath his feet, lightly licked his lips, a hint of bloodlust blooming on his face, and said softly, "You want to kill me, do you? Very well... Starting today, every single member of the Wolf-Head Guild who dares to enter the Beast Mountains will be eliminated. Since you're eager to play, let's make it a grand game."