The young man in blue robes standing before Xiao Yan had his hair casually draped over his shoulders, a relaxed expression on his face. His posture was upright, though not as striking as Bai Shan's, yet he exuded a warm, approachable charm. With his harmless, unassuming features, he naturally made people feel at ease and less guarded—no wonder, given Xiao Yu's temperament, she had been outwitted by this very person upon their first meeting. "Hmm…" Hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned. This guy was truly a natural—already able to establish such a strong rapport with him just upon first meeting. Truly a talent. "Then, thank you, Lu Mu, for that. However, I'm also very interested in the top five spots. Will you still be lenient with the rankings?" Xiao Yan smiled lightly. "Hmph… Xiao Yan, remember to stay grounded and practical. Don't aim too high. Even I don't have much confidence in the top five. Yes, you defeated Xue Bing, but you should know, he was only mid-tier in strength during the selection finals." Upon hearing this, Lu Mu blushed slightly and cleared his throat, smiling warmly. Observing Lu Mu's straightforward demeanor, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle. He was quite sincere—unlike Bai Shan, who carried a colder, more reserved nature. "Alright, let's begin!" On the referee's stand, a middle-aged man waved his hand and announced with a clear voice. "Lu Mu, defeat Xiao Yan!" "Let him experience the strength of the Cana College!" “……” As the middle-aged referee’s voice fell, waves of cheers erupted from the stands. However, the ones shouting these words were mostly male trainees, and as their intense reactions unfolded, it seemed to inadvertently irritate some more sympathetic female trainees. After all, the strength Xiang Yan had displayed just yesterday had left many in awe, and with his pleasing appearance—his tall, graceful figure and refined features—many girls had been particularly drawn to him. Thus, shortly after the voices calling for Xiang Yan’s defeat began, a steady stream of clear, crisp cheers from the girls quickly rallied his support. “Hmm, it seems Xiang Yan has quite a following among the girls,” the mentor, Ruo Lin, smiled softly,掩嘴 while listening to the youthful exclamations. Beside her, Xun'er also offered a gentle smile and nodded in agreement. "Xiao Yan, defeat that medicine pot!" Excited by the two powerful cheers surging upward from the crowd, Xiao Yu suddenly placed both hands to her lips and shouted loudly. Listening to the persistent, overlapping chants floating above the plaza, Xiao Yan shook his head in quiet amazement, looked up at Lu Mu across the field, shrugged slightly, and slowly grasped the handle of his heavy jade ruler on his back. With a soft "shriek," the ruler sliced through the air, slanting toward the ground. A steady surge of green combat energy rose from within him, gradually enveloping his entire body, radiating a powerful and majestic aura. "Lu Mu, please!" Feeling the robust aura rising from Xiao Yan's body, Lu Mu was momentarily stunned, then gradually smoothed out his previously relaxed expression. With a flicker of light from his finger ring, a steel sword materialized and swept forward, its tip gently raised toward Xiao Yan. He spoke seriously, "The aura emanating from Xiao Yan, I suspect, has already reached the level of a Great Battle Sealer—no wonder he defeated Xue Bing yesterday. His cultivation potential is truly outstanding." "As for the top five contenders, I'm quite interested in them. I won't be able to let them go unchallenged, so I'll have to give it my all!" As Lu Mu finished speaking, a powerful aura of comparable strength to Xiao Yan's surged forth from his own body, eventually coalescing into a vibrant red glow that enveloped him completely. From a distance, the dancing red light appeared as if a blazing flame. At this moment, the two stood completely isolated from the surrounding noise, their minds focused and calm, locked in mutual gaze. The battle aura flowing over their bodies rose and fell like breath, constantly expanding and contracting. The two figures on the field maintained silence almost simultaneously, and as the gentle breeze swept across the plaza, tension mounted—like a bow drawn fully. Sensing the imminent clash, the spectators in the stands also grew slightly still. Suddenly, the two distinct energies, each swirling around half the sky, converged with remarkable intensity. In an instant, the audience felt a brief blur of vision, and two streaks of light surged forward, followed immediately by a brilliant symphony of clashing metal and bursts of sparks erupting from the center of the field. Most of the onlookers could only see the indistinct silhouettes of a black and a blue figure, the sharp crackling sounds as their blades sliced through the air, and then the stone planks beneath them shattering and cracking under the force of the combat. Though the precise details of the fight remained unclear, the near-equal intensity of the two forces made it evident to nearly everyone that the battle was anything but gentle. On the field, Xiao Yan wielded his heavy jade staff with broad, expansive movements, utilizing the ample length of the staff to generate a powerful, pressuring wind with every stroke. When the aura surged, the staff often remained suspended above the ground, its sharp force cracking the floor and splitting it open. This clearly demonstrated the immense power behind Xiao Yan's staff attacks. In stark contrast to Xiao Yan's sweeping offense, Lu Mu's iron sword moved like a cunning, supple serpent, rarely making contact with Xiao Yan's staff. Even when they did touch, the sword would instantly withdraw, never allowing the force of the staff to transfer through. The figures darted and shifted across the field, their aura streams colliding with tremendous force. From time to time, brilliant ribbons of aura erupted from their palms and converged, sending out expanding ripples that swept away all the debris on the plaza. "His defense is so tight," Lu Mu remarked, "that despite my sword's speed, I can't manage to reach his body at all." The iron sword in his hands launched a lightning-fast strike, successive residual figures shimmering with fiery cultivation energy appearing before him. Yet no matter how swift Landu's attacks, the massive ruler would instantly shift horizontally, leveraging the broad, exceptionally solid body to effortlessly deflect all the dozen or so residual images. As the battle progressed, the lazy expression on Landu's face gradually faded, until now, it was completely replaced by a serious demeanor—Xiao Yan's displayed strength warranted serious attention. "Ah…" Landu exhaled deeply, then slightly retreated his steps before leaning forward, swiftly channeling the fiery cultivation energy on his body into the iron sword. In an instant, the originally sharp, cold long sword transformed into a blazing, intensely hot fire sword. The face, too, flushed with the transformation of the long sword. Lu Mu's arm suddenly trembled, and a crisp crackling sound resonated from his joints. His flaming sword surged forth, its intense heat slicing through the air, even carrying a faint scent of roasting. As Xiao Yan stepped back from the Xuan Zhong Chi, the compressed Qi within him surged forth like a flood, its speed multiplying exponentially at that very moment. His figure became a streak of black lightning, passing by Lu Mu, who stared in astonishment. At the instant of their collision, Xiao Yan's elbow slammed down precisely onto Lu Mu's wrist, causing the crimson sword to detach and leaving Lu Mu's arm completely numb. "Grasping his wrist tightly and yanking with all his might, Lu Mu's mouth quivered slightly before he shook his arms off, eyes wide with astonishment. Xiao Yan smiled gently and walked slowly toward Xuan Zhong Chi, though his hands remained a few inches away from it. "Ah, I truly underestimated you. It seems we can't just go through the motions—this truly calls for something more substantial," Lu Mu sighed, then slowly extended both hands from his robes, his gaze fixed steadily on Xiao Yan. "You must know my other identity—my role as a pharmaceutical alchemist. While I may not excel in qi cultivation, I do have a particular talent... for working with fire!" With a touch of pride, Lu Mu shook his hands, and instantly, a deep blue flame surged forth, swiftly enveloping both palms. The intense heat caused his face to seem slightly ethereal. Observing the deep blue flames rising from Lu Mu's hands, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with surprise. This was clearly a type of beast-fire. Yet, Lu Mu's simple phrase—'working with fire'—left him with a faint, almost amusing sense of bewilderment. Working with fire? Really? Hey, with the way he now controls fire, even a fourth-rank alchemist wouldn't dare to play around with flames in front of him. "Xiao Yan, you'd better watch your step—I've got this blue crystal flame that once injured a Douling-level master!" With an oddly composed smile, he looked up at Lu Mu, who was proudly gazing at him. Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his long, slender, pale hands slowly emerging from his black robe. In the midst of countless eyes fixed on him, he finally reached into his storage amulet and placed a purple pill into his mouth, gently chewing it. After a moment of chewing, he lightly brushed his thumb and middle finger together, and a crisp sound echoed across the square. As he moved his fingers, he opened his mouth, and suddenly, a vibrant purple flame erupted, stunning everyone. With a gentle motion of his right hand, the flame hovered above his palm. Gazing at the purple flames dancing like spirits, Xiao Yan lifted his face, and his warm smile caused the entire arena to fall into quiet stillness. Even Lu Mu, who had been confident and proud, now stood wide-eyed in astonishment. "Hehe, Lu Mu, I'm sorry—while I'm certainly skilled in battle energy, my true strength lies not in energy, but in... playing with fire!"