Staring at the battle that had dramatically reversed just within a few minutes, everyone surrounding the plaza was stunned, their eyes wide open—hard to believe that Xiao Li, who had rarely faced a serious challenge within the group, had unexpectedly lost to Xiao Xin, who was nearly eight to ten years younger than him. Xiao Li stared intently at the massive ruler lying on the ground, smiling warmly. "Huh?" Xiao Yan blinked slightly, then nodded with a smile, stepping back a pace, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Xiao Li rubbed his hands, slowly standing beside the Xuan Zhong Ruler, grasping it firmly and then tightly gripping the handle. He exhaled gently, letting his palm casually tug at the ruler. As his hand moved, however, Xiao Li's face suddenly changed, his expression growing startled—he noticed that since he had taken the Xuan Zhong Ruler, the previously surging lightning combat energy within him had suddenly slowed down, as though crawling instead of flowing. "Good heavens, there's definitely something unusual about this," he murmured in astonishment, his arms now tense, veins pulsing visibly along his arms. With his hands tightly holding the ruler, Xiao Li's face gradually flushed. He raised his voice, shouting, "Now—rise!" "As the words settled, Xiao Li's arm trembled slightly before slowly rising, and he finally held the object firmly in both hands, vigorously swinging it back and forth. With a growing sense of awe, he looked once again at Xiao Yan's eyes. 'You... you fought me while carrying this thing?' said Xiao Li, suddenly finding his throat dry. Heaven's sake, it was already remarkable that the object could be moved smoothly while worn on the back—yet Xiao Yan had carried him throughout several rounds of combat! How could Xiao Li not be stunned and amazed? Seeing Xiao Li's expression of astonishment, Xiao Yan smiled gently and nodded slightly. He then took the Xuan Zhong Chi in his hands and simply placed it against his back. Throughout the entire process, Xiao Li kept his eyes fixed on Xiao Yan's movements. He noticed that when Xiao Yan received the Xuan Zhong Chi, his hands merely sank slightly, and at that very instant—the subtle curve formed—was immediately refined and perfected." Looking at Xiao Yan's relaxed demeanor, Xiao Li's mouth opened slightly, and after a while, he shook his head in admiration: "Little one, truly impressive! Did Lan Yan's eyes get covered in dog droppings? Our brother is so outstanding—how many such talents can the Imperial Capital find? Yet she still finds fault with him?" Xiao Yan smiled and gestured. "At least Xun'er won't be weaker than me." "Xun'er? Ah, yes, that little girl. It's been many years since she last returned. I'm sure she's grown quite lovely and graceful. I recall back then, the young gentlemen of Wutan City would climb over the walls every day just to see her at the Xiao family's doorstep. Though, she seems to have a special fondness for you, doesn't she? Haha." Hearing the refined name, Xiao Li was momentarily taken aback and smiled with a touch of nostalgia. Recalling the beauty of the young girl and her graceful movements, Xiao Yan offered a gentle, slightly moved smile, lightly patting the Xuan Chong Chi with his hand and smiling, "One day, I'll bring her to meet you all. Hmm... But for now, I have a matter that I'd like Brother One and Brother Two to assist with." "Oh? Something on your mind? No problem at all! Even if it falls outside our capabilities, both Brother Two and Brother One will do our very best to help!" Hearing this, Xiao Li immediately waved his hand and smiled warmly. "Yes." Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan smiled and gave a quiet affirmation. ... In the spacious room, the three of them sat together, while Qing Lin carefully placed three cups of clear tea on the table and stood quietly behind Xiao Yan. "Ah, little Yan has something to share? Go on, tell me, and let Brother One help you analyze it," said Xiao Ding, sipping his tea and smiling at Xiao Yan. Nodding with a smile, Xiao Yan paused thoughtfully before speaking softly, "This time, I've come to the Tagoer Great Desert in search of something specific." "Something? What kind of something?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Li slightly smiled with curiosity. "Unique fire..." Xiao Yan gently tapped his fingers on the desk as he spoke softly. "Hm..." As the words "unique fire" left his mouth, the room fell into quiet. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged glances, puzzled. "Unique fire? Isn't that something only alchemists would need? What do you need it for?" Xiao Yan shrugged lightly and smiled calmly. "Because I am an alchemist." "Ah?" Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's faces stiffened momentarily, then joy surged across their brows. "You're an alchemist?" "Heh, I've fortunately been blessed with the talent to become an alchemist. Also, during my time in Wutan City, I met a mentor, so..." Xiao Yan smiled gently. "Hmph... Remarkable for such a young one. I never thought my family could produce an alchemist. Well done!" Seeing Xiao Yan nod in confirmation, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li burst into laughter, their voices filled with both admiration and satisfaction. "The rarity of this 'divine flame' is truly astonishing. Though we've lived in Shishemo City for quite some time, we've never actually heard of any place where such a flame has been reported." After a moment of joy, Xiao Ding furrowed his brow, speaking with a touch of resignation. With a gentle shake of his head, Xiao Yan lightly tapped his naga ring, withdrawing an ancient sheepskin scroll and carefully laying it out on the table. He pointed to a flame symbol on the scroll, speaking softly, "This is a map I've obtained. At the location marked by this flame symbol, there should be a good chance of finding traces of the divine flame. However, I'm not very familiar with the terrain around Shishemo City, so I'm unable to pinpoint the exact spot of this symbol. Brother Ding, you've been living here for a long time—do you know of any unusual or remarkable places in the vicinity of Shishemo City?" "Heard that, Xiao Ding pulled the map over and quickly scanned it, then exclaimed, 'What a detailed map! I've never seen something so detailed before.' 'Indeed, it's rather overly detailed,' nodded Xiao Li, furrowing his brows as he carefully examined the map, and said softly, 'The area marked with the flame symbol—shouldn't that be somewhere in the eastern part of Shishemo City?' 'Yes, more precisely, perhaps slightly south of east,' replied Xiao Ding, thinking deeply, 'Yet the eastern part of Shishemo City doesn't seem particularly remarkable, does it?' 'Correct. In fact, during one of my missions, I once led a team to search there for several days, and found nothing unusual.' Xiao Li shook his head, sighed, and said with a touch of resignation. Shaking his head at the two, Xiao Yan's face fell with a touch of disappointment. He sighed, seemingly convinced that there were no traces of the unusual flames here. Yet, just as he was fully disheartened, a timid, soft voice suddenly broke through the silence within the room. "Um... Master, there seems to be something rather odd in the eastern part of Shiduo City." Xiao Ding gently stroked the teacup, expressing some doubt. "I... I don't know. Six months ago, I sensed an extremely powerful presence outside the city of Shishemo. This presence... bears some resemblance to certain bloodlines within my own body. In fact, even the commander of the Sand Corps was significantly outmatched by this presence." Qinglin carefully pressed close to Xiao Ding, speaking softly. "Oh?" Upon hearing this, both Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were slightly moved. The commander of the Sand Corps was a grand master, and if even he was outmatched so greatly, then... the mysterious presence must be at least a grand master-level warrior. "A presence similar to your bloodlines? Could it be Queen Medusa?" After a moment of reflection, Xiao Li suddenly exclaimed, startled. With Queen Medusa's strength, even destroying the city of Shishemo wouldn't be difficult. How could such an extraordinarily powerful being have moved through the area around Shishemo without their knowledge? The Queen Medusa's words reached Xu Ding's ears, and his expression also subtly shifted. Around the Tagoor Desert, this name carried the same renown as the ancient King Dan, Guo He, held within the Gama Empire. "I don't know..." Qing Lin shook her head gently, "I can only vaguely sense that she suddenly arrived at the eastern part of the Stone Desert City about six months ago. There, she seemed to stay overnight. That night, the energy there was exceptionally turbulent. Moreover, I remember that when she departed, she appeared to have sustained injuries." Listening to Qing Lin's account, Xu Yin exhaled softly, his eyes narrowing slightly, and murmured, "Can you be certain about the exact location where she stayed?" "I believe so. Though it's been six months, the residual energy she left behind is remarkably strong. I... I rely on the faint bloodline within my body. I should be able to locate that place." "When speaking of that bloodline connection, Qinglin's face clearly grew a bit paler, yet she still managed a smile and said, 'If Master wishes to go, Qinglin will do my best to accompany you!' 'Ah, that would be most kind of Qinglin,' said Xiao Yan, smiling gently and nodding. 'Then let's go and take a look tomorrow. I hope the results won't fall short of my expectations.'"