Inside the room, Xiao Yan slowly stroked his chin, his face deeply contemplative. After a while, he flipped his hand, and a transparent bottle appeared in his palm, containing a bottle of companion purple crystal essence. Upon opening the bottle's lid, he carefully extended his fingers, gently dipping them into the essence. Instantly, a sharp, scorching pain radiated through his fingers. Drawing his fingers back, Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on the drop of purple crystal essence clinging to his fingertip. His inner qi flowed steadily, then gently touched the drop. At that moment, a soft, subtle "pop" echoed, and a slender thread of purple flame rose from between his fingers. The intense heat caused Xiao Yan's eyes to slightly flutter. "The temperature is quite good," he said with a smile. "Yet, regretfully, the amount of purple flame produced by a single drop of crystal essence is rather limited." He nodded slightly, expressing a touch of mild disappointment. "The amount of original purple crystal essence stored here is rather limited. If only a single drop can produce this much purple flame, then it would truly be a waste of resources." Xiang Yan frowned, his brow creased as he stared at the bottle of companion purple crystal essence. "But this little one hasn't absorbed much—how come it's spitting flame like a fire hose?" He slowly turned his head, gazing at the dragon snake enthusiastically spitting out flames, puzzled. … After a series of exhausting efforts that left him drenched in sweat, Xiao Yan finally managed to extract half a bottle of pale green saliva from beneath the gorged serpent's sharp fangs, placing it to his nose and inhaling. To his surprise, the saliva carried a faint, delicate aroma. Xiao Yan shook his head with a puzzled expression, glancing at the serpent lying on the bed, murmuring to himself, "Is this little fellow a female as well?" Holding the two small bottles gently in his hands, he pondered for a moment before suddenly extending his hand and retrieving a dark red cauldron from his storage amulet, placing it on the table. With a light tap of his fingers, a surge of pale green flames erupted, instantly igniting a vibrant, hot flame within the cauldron. Observing the swirling flames within the cauldron, Xiao Yan gently touched his storage ring, withdrawing several plants with uniformly fiery bodies, clearly radiating fiery energy. With a simple hand motion, he tossed them into the cauldron and skillfully controlled the green flames, repeatedly refining them until they transformed into a compact mass of red powder. Once the red powder formed, Xiao Yan used two hollow syringes to draw a drop of crystal purple essence and a drop of the Sky-Devouring Python’s saliva, then carefully injected them into the cauldron. Watching the flames rise within the cauldron, Xiao Yan smiled faintly, his fingers dancing with agility. As his thoughts shifted, the green flames continuously adjusted—fluctuating between rising and cooling. Though such rapid temperature changes demanded exceptional mastery of flame control, Xiao Yan, now having consumed the Earth-Fire Lotus seeds, clearly possessed the refined skill to manage these intricate processes. Within the cauldron, a vibrant jade flame danced gracefully. After a while, the intense heat gradually subsided, and the roaring flames gently receded, finally spilling through the spout and transforming into a slender thread of flame that slipped into the creases of Xiao Yan's fingers. "Though we've consumed much during the preparation, even a little recovered is something," Xiao Yan smiled, bending his fingers slightly to send a gust of wind that knocked the lid of the cauldron aside. With a simple hand gesture, three crimson pills shot out and landed steadily in his palm. With his fingers gently rolling a crimson pill, Xiao Yan took it into his mouth and lightly chewed. As he felt the intense, rapidly dissolving energy spreading throughout his mouth, his body's battle energy surged upward and collided with this heat. At the moment of impact, Xiao Yan slightly opened his mouth, expelling a surge of vibrant purple flame that landed steadily upon the palm wrapped in battle energy, burning fiercely and with considerable power. Exhaling a warm breath, he looked down at the rising purple flame hovering above his palm. This time, the concentration of purple flame had reached a level capable of blending seamlessly with Qinglian Earth Heart Fire. Satisfied, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief—having secured a single drop of purple crystal essence, a drop of Tengtian Python's saliva, and several fire-based herbs, he considered this outcome quite satisfactory. "Then let's call this the Purple Flame Pill..." Throwing the two crimson pills in his hands, Xiao Yan smiled. Right now, he was eager to find out just how powerful the Buddha's Wrath Lotus—created by blending the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire with the Purple Flame—could be. "It seems we'll need a living target..." With the Purple Flame Pills in hand, Xiao Yan's face broke into a smile. He turned, gently placing the sleeping Tian-Devouring Python—worn out from its fiery bursts—into his sleeve, then stepped out of the wobbly room with a cheerful expression, heading off to find a suitable target to test the strength of this makeshift Buddha's Wrath Lotus. "Mr. Luo, it seems that the brothers from the Sand Company have been getting along very well with everyone here. Thank you so much for your efforts over these past few weeks." Looking at the two groups of mercenaries now, whose initial tensions had clearly eased through these recent adjustments, Xiao Ding turned to smile warmly at Luo. "All of this is due to Mr. Xiao Ding's strategies—my role has simply been to carry them out." Luo shook his head, with a respectful gaze toward Hai Bodo, who stood beside him. On one occasion, Luo had personally witnessed the elder's remarkable performance, and thus fully understood the immense strength hidden within this seemingly unassuming man. The very fact that Xiao Ding had invited him to reside within the company also deepened Luo's sense of admiration. At the moment, when Xiao Ding asked his question, Luo promptly responded with courtesy. Xiao Ding naturally understood the latter's apprehensions. He chatted with him for a few moments, then turned his gaze to Hai Bo Dong, who was leaning against a tree trunk, his face etched with worry. He smiled and said, "Hehe, Master Hai, doesn't the herbal shop in Shishuo City have the herbs you need? Don't worry—I've already sent people to nearby cities to search for them. As soon as we hear anything, we'll let you know right away." "You really have a heart, haven't you? Since Xiao Yan told me about these herbs, he's been staying indoors, never stepping out again." Hearing this, Hai Bo Dong's face finally broke into a few smiles, and he turned to Xiao Ding. "It seems not too good to talk behind someone's back, doesn't it?" A soft, gentle laugh suddenly came from behind the group. The familiar voice made everyone turn around to see Xiao Yan approaching, smiling warmly. "Your injury has healed, hasn't it?" Seeing Xiao Yan's more spirited demeanor than before, Hai Bo Dong's weathered face flashed with surprise, and he asked in astonishment. "Um." Xiao Yan nodded with a smile. "Heh, truly a freak—such severe injuries, and yet fully recovered within less than a month..." Seeing Xiao Yan nod, Hai Bo Dong sighed, shook his head with a look of both relief and admiration, deeply impressed by Xiao Yan's remarkable recovery. After a while of light conversation with Xiao Ding and the others, Xiao Yan's gaze suddenly shifted to Luo Bu beside him, his smile subtly warming the latter, who found himself slightly uneasy. "Xiao Yan, Commander," Luo Bu greeted promptly as Xiao Yan approached. "Mr. Luo, are you adjusting well to life at Mo Tie Guild?" Xiao Yan asked with a warm smile. Observing Xiao Yan's composed demeanor, Luo Bu quickly nodded. With the news of the Master of Mo Family's passing now widely known throughout the eastern provinces of Jia Ma Empire, while others might not know who had carried out the attack, Luo Bu himself was certain—without a doubt, it was this seemingly ordinary young man who had done it. "Mr. Luo, I've got nothing else to do—would you mind coming out and helping me test something out?" Xiao Yan smiled, and before waiting for Luo to respond, he simply lifted his foot and stepped toward the shade's edge. Though his strength had now returned to the Battle Master level, Xiao Yan knew that if he suddenly became kind and courteous, Luo would likely harbor doubts. Xiao Ding and the others were all senior officers of the Mo Tie Mercenary Regiment. Seeing them gathered here, the other regiment members soon gathered around as well, curiously watching Xiao Yan and Luo Bu. "Be careful," Xiao Yan said, gently reminding Luo Bu, whose face was turning blue. With a flick of his finger, a red pill appeared and he tossed it into his mouth, chewing it slightly. After a moment, he opened his mouth, and a vibrant, hot purple flame erupted, landing steadily on the palm of the hand shielded by his ki. Gently tossing the purple flame, Xiao Yan smiled, then extended his right hand, where a steady, jade-colored flame began to rise slowly. Watching the two hands displaying flames of different colors, Haibo Dong was momentarily stunned, then his expression changed, murmuring, "By the gods, is this boy about to pull out that trick again?" As fear began to ripple through Hai Bo Dong's eyes, Xiao Yan himself was genuinely starting to slowly bring his palms together. Witnessing this gesture, Hai Bo Dong's face completely transformed. With a sudden stomp of his feet, he shot skyward in a lightning-fast surge, leaping and shouting with urgency, "Xiao Yan! You're mad! Last time you didn't kill anyone—this time, you really intend to send them all flying?"