In the quiet house, Nalan's father and daughter spoke softly, occasionally glancing toward the two figures by the bed. As time passed, observing the老人's sweat rolling down his face and the veins pulsing in his arms, Nalan's soft conversation gradually slowed to a halt. They exchanged glances, each reading in the other's eyes a growing sense of anxiety and concern. A jade-colored flame enveloped the outer surface of the dark bones. Though they appeared to be closely adjacent, upon close spiritual observation, a remarkably fine gap could be discerned between them—the heat of the strange fire was indeed overwhelming. Should it make direct contact with Lan Jie's bones, even a Duke-level warrior would inevitably suffer severe injury, or possibly perish instantly! The scorching heat seeped out from the flame and gently熏烤ed the dark bones. As the steady glow of the azure flame continued to roast,丝丝缕缕 of black mist gradually seeped out from the bones, only to be swiftly engulfed and wrapped by a cluster of azure flame before it could escape, the intense heat gradually transforming these misty toxins—once formidable even to the strongest Du Huang cultivators—into nothingness. Yet, while Xiao Yan employed the unique flame to burn away these black vapors, he noticed that, as the mist was about to dissipate, certain mysterious black substances began to slowly blend with the azure flame, eventually settling into stillness. As time passed, the section of blackened bone wrapped in Xiao Yan's azure flame began to restore its normal hue, visibly and steadily. Outside, Lan Jie was now drenched in sweat, his aged face constantly twitching, and he was drawing shallow, cold breaths through his teeth. "Little... little brother, good. Are we all right now?" His fists were clenched tightly, the veins on his arms bulging like little snakes, his voice hoarse and trembling. Behind him, Xiao Yan's forehead was beaded with sweat. Maintaining such precise control over the hetero-fire for this extended period had placed a significant strain on his spiritual energy. Hearing Nalan Jie's trembling question, he gave a slight nod and spoke softly, "Since you can't go on any longer, let's pause the detoxification process here. Your poisoning is deeper than I anticipated. It's clearly impossible to completely expel the scorch toxin in one go. We'll have to proceed gradually." "Then, can the scorch toxin truly be completely eliminated?" Nalan Jie asked, his voice filled with excitement. Though the elder had lived for so many years, between life and death, if given a choice, anyone would naturally prefer to live. "Given the current progress, it seems everything is going smoothly, doesn't it?" Xiao Yan said calmly. "Ha ha, I never expected a young lad of such age to possess such abilities. Truly, I wonder which hidden master could have nurtured such an outstanding disciple..." Lan Jie nodded eagerly, his voice slightly hoarse as he smiled, "Then, all depends on you, young sir." "By the way, may I ask your name?" "Yan Xiao... Hold on, I need to withdraw the hetero-fire." Frowning slightly, Xiao Yan curved his fingers, and the swirling jade-blue flame that had been encircling his bones began to slowly recede, finally being drawn back into his body one strand at a time. Only after the last strand of jade-blue flame had been fully absorbed did Xiao Yan take a deep breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. His face subtly changed, but then quickly returned to normal. He glanced casually at the slightly blackened fingertip, then, with a subtle smile, gently tucked his hand back into his sleeve, as if nothing had happened. "Xiao Jiao, how is he?" Seeing that Xiao Yan seemed to have stopped his efforts to expel the toxins, Lan Su hurried forward two steps and asked. "Today's treatment will be concluded here. Based on this progress, it will likely take at least seven days to fully expel the toxins," Xiao Yan glanced at Lan Jie, whose complexion had improved somewhat, and said after a moment's thought. "Thank you, Xiao Jiao. As long as you successfully heal Elder Lan, the Lan family will never fail to meet your expectations in terms of compensation!" Seeing the slightly brighter, more vibrant look on Lan Jie's weathered face, the heavy weight pressing on Lan Su's heart finally lifted. Lan Jie's importance to the Lan family was much like that of Mo Cheng to the Mo family. Without this pillar, although the Lan family would not collapse entirely, the gap between them and the other two major families would inevitably widen over time. "I'll come again tomorrow. For now, I'll be leaving." Xiao Yan glanced at the sky outside, then turned to Lan Jie who was lying on the bed. "Young sir, I think to save some trouble, we might as well stay at the Lan family's place." Upon hearing this, Lan Jie immediately smiled warmly. "No, thank you. I have my own matters." With a gentle shake of his head, Xiao Yan paid no further attention to the three, and simply stepped forward toward the door. "Hm... Well, then, little one, you go see him off." Seeing Xiao Yan walk with such ease and without any hesitation, Lan Jie was momentarily surprised, then sighed slightly. "Yes." Nodding slightly, Lan Yan watched the slender figure ahead, and then slowly followed. ... Walking steadily along the path paved with stones, Xiao Yan stared straight ahead, expression neutral, as though the princess accompanying him didn't even exist. Standing beside Xiao Yan, Lan Yan occasionally glanced at the young man who completely ignored her. Though her face remained calm, she felt a sense of surprise and subtle irritation—though she didn't particularly mind, it was the first time in years that she had been treated this way. She had always believed herself to be rather proud, yet this young man seemed even more so. Nevertheless, Lan Yan was aware that the young man named Yan Xiao, though proud, truly possessed the credentials to back it up. At his age, he commanded a terrifying hetero-fire that even the strongest battle-royal cultivators feared—enough to make him stand above his peers. Thus, despite a slight sense of frustration, she could not help but feel a deep admiration. "Yan Xiao, although I'm not entirely clear on how a medicinal cultivator expels toxins, I'm certain that introducing such a powerful hetero-fire into the human body must require exceptional control." Your control seems considerably stronger than that of many third-rank alchemists I've encountered. Finally, unable to bear the stagnant atmosphere, Lan Yanran broke the silence and softly inquired. "Perhaps so," Xiao Yan replied, not looking away, his voice cold and detached. "Then why haven't you gone through the assessment for third-rank alchemist?" "To simply display my capabilities clearly on my chest—such a move—I haven't been that foolish." Xiao Yan murmured with a lazy, slightly scornful tone, slightly tilting his head and glancing at the softly swathed, full bosom of Lan Yanran, before quickly turning away. "You haven't worn your rank insignia either, have you?" "My teacher explained that the so-called rank insignia is merely a facade. Moreover, I myself don't even know exactly which tier my abilities belong to—my strength fluctuates significantly." Lan Yanran smiled. "Significantly fluctuates? What do you mean by that?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression subtly shifted, and he softly asked, without drawing attention. "...I'm sorry, this is some confidential information from Yunlan Sect and cannot be disclosed." Lan Yanran slightly apologized, shaking her head without revealing the exact reason. Frowning briefly, then smoothing her expression, Xiao Yan silently nodded, walking steadily. As he glanced at Lan Yanran beside him—her steps graceful and poised—he hesitated momentarily, then gradually extended his soul energy outward, allowing it to swirl gently around her, attempting to gauge her true strength. Although Master Yao had mentioned that certain elements within Lan Yanran could impede soul energy detection, Xiao Yan still wished to personally verify it. The soul energy circled around her for a while, and after a moment, Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. In his perception, her body seemed enveloped in a layer of energy, completely blocking out the soul energy probing it. Gently drawing back his spiritual energy, Xiao Yan's brow suddenly twitched slightly. He turned his head, gazing at Na Lan Yanran, who was calmly looking back at him. The fist concealed beneath his sleeve tightened slightly, and he murmured softly, "What's wrong?" "Master Yanxiao seems quite concerned about my strength," Na Lan Yanran observed, smiling with a hint of meaning. "Though I'm not a medicinal alchemist, I've always been naturally sensitive to spiritual energy." "I've long heard that Miss Na Lan is a strong contender for the next head of Yunlan Sect. So I've been eager to probe into your abilities—never expected such careful observation to be noticed. Truly impressive," Xiao Yan said, shrugging with a touch of resignation. "Hmm, really?" Na Lan Yanran smiled gently, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Xiao Yan's ordinary face. For some reason, she felt a peculiar sensation deep within her heart—something elusive, yet always just out of reach. With a slight furrow of her brows, she found herself slightly puzzled and uncertain. "Here we are, Lady Nalan. There's no need for you to see me off. I'll return on my own. Goodbye." As he stepped out the main gate, Xiao Yan slightly inclined his head in greeting to Nalan Yanran, whose brows were slightly furrowed. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked steadily into the bustling street, joining the flow of people. "Such a strange, self-important man..." Watching his figure fade into the crowd, Nalan Yanran shook her head gently, sighed, and then turned to enter the Nalan manor.