Sweating profusely, Xiang Yan sat on the ground, gasping heavily. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, shaking his head in a weary smile. After this tense standoff lasting just a few minutes, he felt more exhausted than if he had fought a full-scale battle against a Grand Combatant. Fortunately, Queen Medusa's strength had diminished for some reason; otherwise, Xiang Yan would have been utterly defeated today. Taking a deep, relieved breath, he slowly stood up. As his gaze moved, it paused on the vibrant green flame that surged like a living serpent, dancing up and down his body—his mouth fell open in astonishment. This green flame whip had been created effortlessly when Xiang Yan had pulled it during his retreat. At the time, it seemed to have required no significant effort from him. After the flame whip was drawn out, it detached itself from Xiao Yan's hands and automatically spiraled around his body, as if a spiritually aware guardian deity. Staring in wide-eyed wonder at the swirling jade-green flame whip encircling him, Xiao Yan's lips subtly trembled. Though, over the past twenty-plus days of training, his command over the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire had grown more refined, he was well aware that with his current level of control, he could never hope to make the flame whip as fluid and responsive as his own arm. Yet the reality before him left him both elated and utterly bewildered. After a moment of stunned silence, Xiao Yan gradually regained his composure, reaching out and gently touching the spiraling jade-green flame whip. As his palm first made contact with the flame, the latter instantly obeyed, coalescing into a cluster of jade-green fire that adhered to the tips of his fingers, gently swirling and dancing. Their fingers gently tapped each other, then slowly separated, and instantly, ten slender streaks of pale blue flame emerged, stretched out. As their palms moved, the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire on their hands rose and surged downward with fluid grace—so agile and responsive, far surpassing the state when Xiao Yan had previously refined pills several days ago. With this thought flashing through his mind, Xiao Yan gained a clearer understanding. The earth-fire lotus seeds and the celestial jade heart fire originated from the same source. Now, by unintentionally absorbing the refined essence of the earth-fire lotus seeds into his body, he had, in a way, gradually perfected the harmony between his body and the celestial jade heart fire. As he reflected on this, the furrowed lines on his brow slowly smoothed out, and a sense of delight spread across his face. He hadn't expected the earth-fire lotus seeds to yield such an unexpected benefit. The enhanced harmony between his body and the celestial jade heart fire was even more exhilarating than fully healing his injuries—since, though injuries would eventually heal on their own, the harmony between body and heart fire could only improve slowly through time and gradual adaptation. Thus, comparing the two, it was immediately clear which was more precious and practical. With a touch of joy on his face, Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on the jade-colored flames dancing on his fingers. The flames gently quivered, and after a moment, coalesced into ten sharp, pointed flame spines at the tips of his fingertips. Due to the compression, the destructive power contained within these ten spines was notably intense. With a simple flick of his fingers, the ten sharp spines shot forth violently, forming a delicate layer of jade-green light around their bodies. As they approached the wall, Xiao Yan slightly bent his fingers, and instantly, the spines seemed to be pulled back, reversing direction and returning along their original path toward him. Smiling at the returning jade-green spines, Xiao Yan extended his fingers flat, and the ten spines shot directly into the hollow of his fingers. The azure flames on his palm gradually faded. Xiang Yan gazed at the palm, untouched by any wound, and nodded in awe. Previously, his mastery over the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame had made it impossible to release it and then seamlessly reabsorb it—yet now, after absorbing the Earth-Flame Lotus Seeds, his command over the unique flames had reached a level that allowed him to execute this intricate maneuver with ease. Each cluster of Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame required a substantial outlay of qi to be drawn from the inner spiraling energy reservoir and summoned forth. If these flames were launched and then never returned, it would undoubtedly represent a wasteful, extravagant expenditure. During combat, such a loss would be tantamount to neglecting his own life. Therefore, the ability to freely retrieve and reabsorb the launched flames now filled Xiang Yan with deep satisfaction. After further refining the now exceptionally attentive Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame, Xiao Yan slowly drew it entirely into his body. With a simple gesture, he directed his palm toward the floating Qinglian Throne, which instantly transformed into a streak of jade light and shot into his Na Ji. Standing in place, Xiao Yan gently closed his eyes, allowing his spirit to sink deep within him and swiftly surveying the surroundings. Then he opened them, clenched his fists slightly, and smiled lightly, "After that intense infusion of Earthfire Lotus energy, I believe he should now possess the strength of a Six-Star Battle Master, at least..." With a satisfied smile, Xiao Yan slowly walked toward the bedside, gazing at the Sky-Consuming Python coiled upon the blanket, emitting a series of soft chuckles. As Xiao Yan approached, the python's pale-violet eyes observed his cheerful expression for a moment before turning away, tilting its head and then gently settling its body onto the soft bed, clearly feeling a bit perturbed by the sudden and unexpected infusion of energy from Xiao Yan, which had stirred the python's emerging sense of awareness. Gazing at the swallowing serpent, which looked as though it were pouting like a child, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation, then reached out gently to caress its body. When it still showed no response, he sighed and retrieved a bottle of purple crystal essence from his storage ring. After opening the bottle, a warm, subtly fragrant vapor slowly rose. As soon as the bottle was taken out of the ring, the soft, curled serpent that had been lying on the bed suddenly straightened up, turned its head, and gazed at Xiao Yan’s smiling face, then glanced at the rising pale purple mist from the bottle. A glimmer of longing passed through its eyes. After hesitating for a moment, it could no longer resist the hunger in its heart. It swayed its tail swiftly and moved quickly toward Xiao Yan, its tongue flicking in and out, emitting a series of hissing sounds. With a warm smile, Xiao Yan gently shifted the bottle. The serpent then flicked its tail, its body transforming into a streak of light and appearing instantly before the bottle. It probed its head forward, and its tongue plunged directly into the bottle, greedily sipping the essence. Since this time he had specifically intended to ease the young creature's resentment, Xiao Yan did not hinder its eager absorption, merely watching the amethyst essence slowly descending within the bottle, a pang of discomfort crossing his face. When the celestial python had consumed nearly one-tenth of the amethyst essence inside the bottle, it finally ceased its suction, pulling itself slightly dazed from the bottle's mouth, its pale purple eyes now gleaming with a hint of drowsiness. Gazing at the wobbling, unsteady python, Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile, carefully securing the amethyst essence and gently stroking the slightly warm body of the creature, sighing, "Little one, should you now be satisfied?" "Eating what one is given makes one weak. This time, the Sky-Devouring Python didn't shy away from Xiao Yan anymore. It swayed its long neck, and suddenly, a purple glow surged within its serpent eyes. With a snap of its jaws, a deep, resonant 'thud' echoed—then a surge of vibrant purple flame erupted from its mouth, instantly engulfing the wooden beams atop the roof and reducing them to blackened charcoal. Helplessly watching the Heaven-Eating Python, which seemed to play about like a child, occasionally spouting clusters of fiery sparks, Xiao Yan sighed. As he was about to rise and tidy up the mess, his body suddenly stilled, his gaze fixed on those purple flames. A thought quietly rose from the depths of his heart. "If I blend the purple flames generated from these purple crystal sources with the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire, even if the resulting Buddha-Indignant Lotus Fire doesn't quite match the authentic version, it should still be quite powerful, wouldn't it? And with my current strength, I believe I should be able to control it well," Xiao Yan murmured, gently rubbing his chin.