Amidst the icy, misty atmosphere, it felt as though one had stepped into a realm entirely dominated by coldness—the white fog rolled on endlessly, its horizon always just out of sight. Within the mist, an elder raised his head, eyes wide with astonishment at the young man floating in the air above. After a moment, his expression grew steadily serious, and he roared, "Young man, what secret technique have you employed?" It was no surprise to the elder. Though the Continent of Qi was not lacking in techniques capable of rapidly enhancing one's strength, such techniques typically ranked at or above the Earth-tier level. On this Continent, only a few preeminent powers or secluded, world-class masters could boast such methods. In the eyes of these elite forces and individuals, the warriors of the Garde Empire were merely like fireflies shining beside the moon. Could this young man be one of their own? A surge of somewhat fearful thoughts flashed through the elder's mind, shaken by the overwhelming presence of those exceptionally powerful, transcendent factions. "It's impossible! Though this young man possesses numerous rare treasures, his cultivation technique appears no higher than the Xu level—this simply doesn't align with the style of those factions!" Though initially startled, the elder soon calmly suppressed this emotion, reassuring himself internally. As his composure gradually returned, his expression grew serious. With slightly dry hands, he clenched them tightly, causing the cold mist around him to rapidly condense, ultimately solidifying into a snow-white ice spear between his palms. Even after forming the ice spear with his qi, the elder still felt a lingering sense of unease. He then swiftly pressed a hand seal and softly declared, "Ice Spirit Armor!" As the sound of the drink settled, the icy mist surrounding him instantly coalesced into a thick, solid layer of shimmering, cold-glazed ice armor upon his body. Both the weapon in his hands and the armor on his body were entirely formed from condensed ki—something that required at least a Ki Spirit-level master to achieve. On the Ki Continent, ordinary individuals typically begin to project their ki outward when reaching the level of Grand Combatant. At that stage, channeling ki onto their weapons significantly enhances their attack power. Upon reaching Ki Spirit level, as the white-haired elder now does, they can fully solidify weapons and armor composed entirely of ki—making such defenses and weapons far surpass ordinary ones. The fact that the elder had devoted such earnest effort and focus to this moment clearly demonstrates the high regard he now holds for Xiao Yan, whose strength had unexpectedly surged. Ignoring the fully armed appearance of the elder below, the aura radiating from Xiao Yan in the air grew increasingly potent. At a certain moment, he suddenly roared skyward, and the surge of martial energy within his roar blew away nearly half of the mist hovering beneath. As the elder watched Xiao Yan break through the thick fog with just a single roar, his expression changed once again. No longer able to afford delay, he raised his ice spear, causing countless sharp ice spines to rapidly coalesce above his head. With a series of rushing gusts, these ice spines shot toward Xiao Yan in the sky. Above, the roar gradually ceased. Xiao Yan's wings flared powerfully, and his body surged downward like a great phoenix. He calmly observed the sweeping waves of ice spines approaching, then extended his palms to form a ten-finger gesture before gently closing them. With the mutual collision of his palms, an invisible surge of energy erupted like a lightning bolt, spreading outward. Then, immediately following the deluge of ice needles rushing in, came a crisp crack—spectacularly transforming the swiftly rotating ice spikes into a fine, cool white powder. "Wait... is this... spiritual power?" The white-haired elder was momentarily stunned, then gasped aloud. Unperturbed by the elder's astonishment, Xiao Yan shook his wings and swiftly moved into the space above the elder, holding firmly to his Xuanzhong Chi, and suddenly drove his blade downward. With this stroke of Xuan Zhongchi, the air was nearly completely torn asunder, leaving behind a faint black trace where the heavy staff passed—though this attack lacked the grandeur of the previous one, the elder's face grew increasingly serious. He knew well that, though quiet and unassuming, the destructive power contained within this strike far surpassed that of Xiao Yan's earlier assault. Taking a cautious step back, the elder clenched his hands tightly, and then launched his ice spear with a piercing, bone-chilling force. "Only just taken over, the ice spear had been compressed into a bow-like shape. With a cold command from Xiao Yan, it cracked with a sharp snap, shattering into fragments, sending ice shards flying in all directions. In a single round, the weapon had been effortlessly broken by the opponent. The elder's expression grew noticeably troubled—he hadn't expected that within just a few minutes, this young man had transformed so dramatically that the contrast between his earlier and current strength was simply overwhelming. If previously Xiao Yan had been merely a strong Battle Seer, now he likely had already reached Battle King level! This remarkable gap in strength was truly astonishing, leaving the elder deeply impressed. "What exactly had this young man done?" A thought flashed swiftly through his mind. With a quick push of his foot, the elder stepped back rapidly. As he retreated, his hands moved swiftly, and with each motion, seven shimmering, cold mirrors swiftly solidified, completely blocking off Xiao Yan's path of pursuit. Only just having set up the seven ice mirrors, the elder hadn't yet had time to catch his breath. He listened to the crisp sounds of impact and, lifting his eyes in surprise, discovered that Xiao Yan, wielding his heavy staff, had charged straight ahead—each of the ice mirrors, before even touching his body, had been reduced to nothing by the purple flames radiating from outside him. "Good boy," the elder exclaimed, "I've been living in seclusion for over twenty years, and now, I never thought I'd be completely outmatched by this young upstart!" "Growing increasingly irritated by Xiao Yan's relentless and swift attacks, the elder raised his brow, then suddenly planted his foot firmly onto the ground, causing the cold qi to freeze the surface within a ten-meter radius into a thick layer of ice. "Xuan Bing Xuan Sha!" With rapid hand gestures forming seals before him, the elder roared deep in his throat, and instantly, a series of crescent-shaped ice blades began to swirl and emerge around him. As more blades formed, they eventually began to completely encircle the elder, interlocking to create a compact spiral storm composed entirely of ice blades. "Go!" A low command echoed from within the storm, and the ice blade whirlwind surged forward, sweeping toward Xiao Yan. Along its path, the room floor was ravaged, its surface torn into deep furrows. Several crystal counters were shattered as the blades swept past, their points of impact now smooth and mirror-like. Watching the elderly man charge with fierce intensity, Xiao Yan suddenly halted, and the purple flames enveloping his body, along with his powerful aura, completely withdrew into him. Now, Xiao Yan had no defenses at all, and his Xu Zhong Chi, once held in his hands, was simply planted beside him. "You're dead!" boomed the elder, his voice tinged with irritation as the icy blade storm surged around him. Clearly, the dismissive manner in which Xiao Yan acted stirred strong displeasure within him. As a senior figure, it was already improper to engage a junior, and now, having summoned his full strength, he found himself met with a defenseless opponent who chose to abandon his defensive stance in the face of his most powerful assault—this clearly undermined the elder's sense of superiority. Ignoring the elder's anger, Xiao Yan felt the pressing sensation coming from the void before him, exhaled gently, and slowly extended his hand. It then trembled slightly, and a crisp, pale flame suddenly surged upward. After the pale flame appeared, Xiao Yan swiftly planted his foot on the ground, and with a burst of explosive sound, his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, cutting through the oncoming storm of small ice blades at lightning speed. "You've chosen to die on your own—there's nothing I can do about it!" the elder exclaimed, his voice cold as he watched Xiao Yan deliberately meet him head-on. Though his strength had declined significantly over the years, during the execution of his advanced, third-tier technique, "Xuan Ice Spiral Slash," few had dared to take on the storm directly. Xiao Yan's bold move now clearly made the elder feel that he had sealed his own fate. Still ignoring his roar, Xiao Yan charged straight into the storm. His palm, nearly completely obscured by the pale, sharp flames, narrowed his eyes as he suddenly plunged his hand deep into the storm. Gazing at the elder, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, then widened again. At that moment, the calmness and depth of experience that had once lingered in his dark gaze had completely vanished, replaced instead by the vitality and freshness befitting a young man. "Sir, you've lost. I'm sorry, the items are now mine," Xiao Yan said, smiling warmly as he waved his hand.