As Xiao Yan whispered softly, the dark ring on his finger remained still for a while. Then, suddenly, the black ring began to tremble gently, a faint coldness starting to swirl around his fingertips, making the joints of his fingers slightly pale. Apparently sensing something, the purple flames within the medicinal cauldron stirred uneasily. Fortunately, under the absolute control of Xiao Yan's soul power, their agitation had not yet caused any mishaps. On the plaza, as Yan Li's booming laughter gradually subsided, the gazes previously focused on the Zixin Paozheng Dan once again turned back toward Xiao Yan's direction. Now, on the stage, only he remained at work refining the medicine—every other pharmacist had either surrendered or had already withdrawn. After all, in the face of Yan Li's four-tier peak pill, they still lacked the extraordinary strength to achieve a stunning turnaround that would leave everyone astonished. Ceasing the tossing of the purple-heart barrier pill in his palms, Yan Li folded his arms across his chest, coldly watching Xiang Yan's desperate struggles from afar. "The temperature has dropped, and this dense cold aura is affecting such a wide area—must be something the Ice Elder did?" Jia, who had arrived beside Fang Ma at some point, glanced strangely at Hai Bo Dong and said. "If I could spread this cold throughout the entire plaza without anyone even noticing, I'd have long since become a Battle Sect Master." Hai Bo Dong rolled his eyes. He knew deep down that this cold aura was likely caused by Xiao Yan activating that pale, ethereal flame—the one he'd faced before. He remembered how formidable it was: intensely cold yet carrying an intense heat, making it extremely difficult to handle. "No, the cold... it seems to be emanating from Xiao Yan's medicine furnace." Fang Ma shook his head, speaking seriously. "What is he doing? Generating cold while refining pills? Won't that extinguish the furnace flame? Is he simply giving up and going for broke?" Jia frowned. "No, with his nature, he couldn't possibly do something so dull... I'm certain he has his own plans in mind." Fama shook his head, knowing from his understanding of Xiao Yan that he wouldn't see it as a sign of self-sabotage. "Young man, what exactly do you intend to do?" He sighed softly, gazing steadily at the youth at the center of the arena, speaking in a low tone. "Teacher, pray for me..." With a slow exhalation, the fingers slightly curved at the flame outlet suddenly straightened. The dark ring trembled once more, and then, a dense, pale white flame surged forth violently. At that instant, the temperature around Xiao Yan dropped sharply. "Withdraw!" A low command echoed in his mind. As the pale white flame rushed into the cauldron, the purple flame was swiftly guided and steadily sprayed out through the other flame outlet, then gradually dissipated. "Raise the temperature..." Xiao Yan's soul energy surged instantly, enveloping the pale white flame entering the cauldron. With a powerful thrust of his feet against the ground, several cracks spread from his soles. Cold sweat poured down his forehead like a steady rain, soaking his robes completely. Yet thanks to the robe's exceptional craftsmanship, its built-in moisture-absorbing function efficiently drew the sweat from both fabric and skin, keeping Xiao Yan from appearing overly disheveled. Under the frantic manipulation of the souls' power surging forth, the temperature of the silver-white flame began to rise rapidly. At a certain moment, it was finally within Xiao Yan's eyes—relieved as though a heavy burden had been lifted—that the jade pill was fully enveloped. Although Xiao Yan diligently raised the temperature of the bone-spirit cold flame surrounding the pill, other flames that had not been suppressed continued to emit a steady coldness. Fortunately, Xiao Yan had already used warming flames to encase the pill earlier, so the swirling cold flame did not pose significant difficulties. Yet, it seemed this situation was only temporary. As the bone-spirit cold flame churned within the cauldron, strands of white cold vapor gradually seeped out, eventually blurring the cauldron slightly. What was he doing now? Staring at the spreading chill, Princess Xiao and Li Ling exchanged glances, all of them looking utterly bewildered. Though they were close to Xiao Yan, when he used the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, he had inserted his fingers into the flame's mouth, and later, the surge of coldness had intensified. Thus, even though they were near him, they remained unaware that within the ordinary dark-red cauldron, a third kind of flame had already begun to transform. "Such an odd chill... It's cold to the touch, yet the soul perception detects a fiery intensity—like flames burning through." Holding the Purple Heart-Opening Pill, Yan Li frowned, his voice low, his heart now subtly uneasy. "Don't worry," he said, brushing his fingers gently over the purple pill in his palm. "I simply don't believe that man can accomplish anything remarkable in the next thirty minutes." "Hum…" Xiang Yan's gaze was tightly fixed on the perfectly round pill suspended within the pale, shimmering flame inside the cauldron. An unusual sound caused him to pause momentarily. His eyes swept across the stone platform before settling on the deep crimson cauldron, where the humming sound was now clearly originating. He furrowed his brows slightly. As he grew slightly puzzled, a delicate "crack" suddenly broke the silence, causing his expression to darken instantly. Turning his neck, Xiang Yan's eyes narrowed sharply on the dark red cauldron, his pupils suddenly shrinking to the size of needles. "The furnace is about to explode..." Gazing at the small crack, Xiao Yan's throat rolled slightly, and his mouth suddenly felt dry. After undergoing three transitions of flame, the furnace had finally reached its limit and was on the verge of bursting—something that a practitioner who had always disregarded the importance of a good furnace had never before realized: a fine medicinal cauldron was no mere luxury for a pharmacist. "This is quite a predicament..." Cold sweat slowly trickled down his face. Xiao Yan hadn't expected such a dramatic turn of events at this very critical moment. Soon after the first crisp crack, a second followed, then a third, then a fourth... Within just a short while, the once-pristine medicinal cauldron was now covered in fine cracks, through which Xiao Yan could still see the dancing, pale flames. "Oh my..." "Hai Bodo's brows also furrowed slightly. He was more aware of the details than Fang Ma, and it seemed that Xiao Yan intended to use the Silvery Flame to refine the Qingling Pill into a three-pattern grade—yet had inadvertently overlooked this small issue. Yet precisely this small issue would now determine the champion of the grand assembly! "Haha! The cauldron's about to explode—I don't think you'll be able to refine anything!" Staring in astonishment at the cauldron riddled with cracks, Yan Li paused for a moment before bursting into loud, unrestrained laughter, clearly having been startled by Xiao Yan's unusual actions earlier. With no leisure to attend to the voices or gazes around, Xiao Yan perspired profusely, striving desperately to maintain the integrity of the broken cauldron. Unfortunately, though he was a pharmacist rather than a metallurgist, even after expending all his efforts, he could only helplessly watch as the cracks in the cauldron widened further and further. "The cauldron, already at its limit, finally erupted with a thunderous roar under Xiao Yan's single strike. The explosive sound resonated throughout the plaza, sending countless fragments of cauldron flying in all directions, causing the alchemists nearby to hastily retreat. "Hah! Hah! I said it—this championship is mine!" With the stone platform now enveloped in white, cold vapor, Yan Li finally relaxed completely, laughing heartily. At that moment, the only sounds echoing across the entire plaza were the lingering echoes of the explosion and Yan Li's booming laughter. Everyone else fell silent—now, defeat had been sealed in stone!"