Staring at Xiao Yan with an eerie stillness while he maintained a calm, serene smile, Mu She slowly raised his long spear. Under the impetus of his killing intent, the qi within him surged rapidly. Gradually, pale azure qi broke through his body's surface, eventually forming a thin, translucent green qi robe outside. The ability to catalyze one's qi into an enveloping energy robe is a hallmark of a Master Combatant. Such an energy robe not only enhances the user's defense, speed, and attack power but also enables more efficient absorption of energy from the surrounding environment to replenish internal consumption. Therefore, almost every Master Combatant's first action during battle is to summon this energy robe. With Xiao Yan's current strength, if he were to summon such a qi robe, he could only achieve it in localized areas of his body, and the enhancements to defense, speed, and attack would be negligible—after all, the distinction between a Combatant and a Master Combatant is vast. Therefore, if Xiao Yan wished to summon something as complete and profound as Mu She, he would need to first become a Battle Master. Gazing at Mu She, who had summoned the energy robe, Xiao Yan exhaled gently, his face gradually settling into a serious expression. No matter how eloquent his words, Mu She was a genuine Battle Master. Holding the Xuan Zhong Chi tightly in his hands, as Xiao Yan's spirit remained tense, streams of battle energy began to flow within his body, surging through his limbs and supplying him with the strength needed for combat. Slowly rubbing his palms against the spear, as the battle energy within him grew more intense, Mu She suddenly roared softly, thrusting her foot firmly into the ground, and launched herself toward Xiao Yan. The spear in her hands trembled slightly, yet miraculously spun out several delicate white spear blooms in mid-air. The tip of the spear transformed into a sharp, pale shadow, skewering Xiao Yan's neck with a precise and vicious intent. Having received the prolonged sword projection from Mu Li earlier, Mu She now knew that Xiao Yan's body was likely protected by an inner armor layer. Thus, his attacks were now consistently aimed at Xiao Yan's head. The slender lance, sharp and precise, sliced through the air with a piercing sound, darting forth like lightning. The black measuring rod likewise hurriedly moved horizontally and vertically, attempting to block it once more. Yet, as the lance was about to make contact with the rod, the lance shaft subtly trembled and the tip suddenly pivoted—deflecting cleanly past the rod's resistance. Staring at the Mu Snake closing in relentlessly, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, glanced back briefly, and noticed it had already reached the wall corner. A flash of thought struck him—Xiao Yan leapt forward, his feet suddenly springing back. As his soles made contact with the wall, a pale yellow aura of combat energy spread over them. With his knees slightly bent, a sudden explosive force erupted, propelling Xiao Yan forcefully outward. The long spear paused slightly, then struck the dark, heavy jade staff with a sound that pierced the eardrums. "Clang!" A resonant, metallic clash erupted suddenly in the courtyard, echoing steadily and clearly. It's undeniable that the gap between a Battle Master and a Battle Specialist is considerable, and as a two-star Battle Master, Mu She's strength and depth of aura far surpass those of Xiao Yan. With the use of her technique, she produced a crisp sound and managed to knock Xiao Yan's heavy jade staff out of his hands. The black staff shot skyward. As Xiao Yan, now without his weapon, turned pale with alarm and reached out to reclaim it, Mu She smiled with a cold, satisfied expression. She launched herself into the air, using the lightness granted by her wind-based aura to swiftly move and position herself beneath the staff. Then, with a single reach of her right palm, she seized the staff firmly in her hands. As soon as Mu She grasped the black ruler, his face suddenly changed. The immense weight of the ruler not only violently pulled him off the ground but, under the special qi pressure exerted by the Xuanzhong Ruler, the qi surging within him immediately slowed down. Unaccustomed to such a phenomenon, Mu She felt both startled and his body grew sluggish—clearly, someone who was used to swift qi circulation found this sudden shift utterly disorienting. "Damn! What an odd weapon!" A surge of astonishment flashed through his mind. He quickly reached for the black ruler, which felt like a hot potato in his hands, only to find Xiao Yan suddenly appearing behind him, emitting a low, cold, and frosty chuckle that sent a shiver down his spine. "Take it then—haven't you been eager to seize it all along?" "Ba Ji Bing!" The cold, resonant cry in his heart surged through Xiang Yan's fists, infusing them with a startlingly fierce force. With his fingers tightly clenched, the fists crushed the air with a powerful pressure, delivering a solid blow to the back of Mu She, whose body had already begun to slow down. The sudden, intense surge of energy from behind sent Mu She's face into a state of panic. He swiftly released his black staff, then surged his internal qi, causing the qi-draped robe on his body to thicken once more. In the brief instant, Mu She managed only these preparations. As he was just thickening his defensive qi-robes, Xiang Yan's attack struck him squarely on the back. "Thud!" The deep, resonant sound of solid contact echoed quietly within the courtyard, though low, it carried a tangible sense of force. The powerful force coming from behind instantly turned Mu Snake's face pale, causing him to lunge forward. Fortunately, at the last moment, he braced his palms against the ground, executing several swift aerial rolls before finally landing a few meters away, his body slightly unsteady. Just as he had stabilized himself and had not yet turned to counterattack, his face changed again. With a mere shift of intent, the surging ki within him rapidly enveloped the subtle, sneaking pressure that had seeped in from his back. As his ki wrapped around it, Xiao Yan, standing nearby, softly exclaimed, "Explosion!" A deep, resonant boom echoed. Mu Snake's body trembled violently, and a painful groan escaped his throat. A bright streak of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Too bad..." looking at Mu She, who had only sustained some relatively minor injuries, Xiao Yan shook his head with regret. Indeed, a Battle Master deserved his title—having so quickly sensed the hidden force of Ba Ji Bing. If he had detected it any later, the battle might have ended much earlier. Yet, unfortunately, Mu She's response far exceeded Xiao Yan's expectations. In such a short span, he had managed to gather his chi and encircle the hidden force of Ba Ji Bing, thereby weakening the impact when it finally erupted. Taking a few steps forward, Xiao Yan picked up the Xuan Zhong Chi, slightly rotated it, and then stored it in his storage amulet. Turning his gaze to Mu She, whose face was now deeply somber, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile. This defeat was entirely self-inflicted—this was truly fate at work. "Good... good boy! I really did underestimate you!" Wiping the blood from his lips, Mu Snake's face was filled with fierce rage—having been humiliated twice by a single combatant, this was the first time in many years he had felt so defeated. He now glared venomously at Xiao Yan, gritting his teeth. Xiao Yan, however, merely smiled and didn't pay him any mind. With a slight movement of his tongue, he swallowed the Hu Qi Dan hidden in his mouth and then felt his internal qi gradually returning. "Xiao Yan, don't think you've won yet," Mu Snake said, with a cold smile. "I know you've mastered some advanced combat techniques." Suddenly, the long spear slammed heavily into the ground. Mu Snake chuckled, and the qi robe covering his body began to gradually fade away, while thick layers of jade-green qi began to envelop the iron spear. "Yet, do you really think I'm unaware?" "Grasping the long spear tightly, Mu She sneered, 'Thanks to you and Xiao Yi Xian, the third stone box deep within that cave contains exactly a high-tier combat technique suited for my cultivation. Today, I'll have you perish beneath its power!' Hearing Mu She's sneer, Xiao Yan's face also tightened slightly. He hadn't expected Mu She to truly risk damaging the contents inside the box and force it open. Observing the thick aura swirling on the long spear in Mu She's hands, Xiao Yan—well-versed in numerous high-tier combat techniques—knew at once that this was at least a technique of the Xu level. 'Ah...' sighed softly, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation. With a gentle stroke of his fingers on his storage ring, the massive Xuanzhong Scale reappeared in his palm. By now, he could no longer afford to hold back." Watching Xiang Yan's movements with a calm gaze, the Mu Snake's aura on his long spear grew increasingly dense, until finally, amid the swirling energy, a vivid, roaring lion head began to take shape—its form rising upward as if in a mighty cry. Seeing the lion head coalescing at the spear tip, a gleam of satisfaction flashed across Mu Snake's eyes, and a fierce, grim smile spread across his lips. Suddenly, his spear began to tremble strangely, then, in an instant, he forcefully planted his feet onto the ground, shouting, "Feng Xiang Step!" "Young man, today you'll learn just how different a senior-tier advanced technique wielded by a Battle Master truly is from one used by a mere combatant!" With a powerful surge, Mu Snake charged forward, shouting loudly, "Kang Li Yin!" As the roar echoed, a massive, rushing lion of energy surged from the tip of his spear, its thunderous roar filling the entire small realm, causing even the young healer in the sky to pale in astonishment. Gazing upward at the energy lion clinging to the long spear, Xiao Yan's face grew serious. He exhaled slowly, and within him, his ki surged violently. The black measuring rod suddenly glowed intensely, its heat so strong that the surrounding space appeared blurred and distorted. "Yan Fen Shi Lang Chi!" The young man's low cry caused the temperature in the courtyard to rise sharply. The rod grew brighter, and strange patterns on its surface converged to form a mysterious design. This time, the execution of the Territorial-level technique did not suffer from the lackluster follow-up seen previously. Though, with Xiao Yan's current strength, he still could not fully unleash even one-tenth of the true power of a Territorial-level technique, it was more than sufficient to handle Mu Snake. Amidst the swirling crimson glow, Xiao Yan suddenly unleashed a furious slash with his black measuring rod, a blazing red beam stretching over ten feet erupting violently from the rod's tip. The path it traced left the ground in ruins, carving a deep gully that stretched from beneath Xiao Yan's feet all the way to the advancing Mu Snake. The intense pressure and scorching heat in the air caused a flicker of shock to pass through the Mu Snake's eyes—he hadn't expected that, just within a few months, the mysterious combat technique wielded by the young man had grown so powerful. Grasping his resolve, he knew now was not the time to retreat; retreat meant certain death. With that clear understanding, the Mu Snake poured his inner qi into his spear without hesitation, then drove it head-on into the crimson beam. "Boom!" A tremendous roar shook the courtyard so violently that it seemed to be uprooted. At the point where the crimson glow met Mu Snake, vast cracks spread out like a spiderweb, eventually reaching several buildings. With a slight tremor, entire rooms collapsed. Within the crimson glow, the space momentarily grew still, then a figure surged forth, violently spewing blood from the sky, before crashing hard against the wall—immediately transforming the wall into a heap of rubble, shrouded in smoke and mist. As the gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, dust gradually settled. Slowly, the figure of the young boy holding a heavy ruler emerged. Gazing down at the boy who remained unharmed, the young physician in the sky gently covered her rosy lips with her hands, her face filled with astonishment.