In the crimson glow held by Xiao Yan's hand was a scroll of pale red hue, radiating intense heat from within. As his gaze pierced through the light and carefully scanned the scroll, faint traces of characters became visible. "Nine Levels of Phoenix Fire Technique, Low-Grade Earth Rank." These simple words caused Xiao Yan to swallow hard. For the first time since his birth, he had encountered a technique of Earth Rank Mid-Level—rarely seen in his life. Even within the Black Corner Domain, where black-market goods are most abundant, such a technique would undoubtedly spark widespread excitement, drawing fierce competition from countless factions vying for it. Yet now, this priceless Earth-Rank technique, of such immense value, had simply fallen into Xiao Yan's hands—what a striking turn of fortune. With a casual toss, the scroll felt surprisingly light in his hands—yet a weight settled upon them. Once a thing he had dreamed of obtaining, now it was casually emitted even within this mysterious archive hall. The sheer depth of the Cangnan Academy’s collection left Xiao Yan utterly astonished. The three from Bai Shan fixed their keen eyes upon the glowing crimson orb in Xiao Yan’s hands—this scroll had so far been the most stirring discovery, though they didn’t know precisely what it was, they could already sense its likely rank. "Heh, Xiao Yan, you're being too modest," said Bai Shan, gazing at the bright red glow in Xiao Yan's hands with a gentle smile. "You mentioned earlier that all these things depend on fate—your ability to grasp them is indeed your talent. But if you have the luck to extract them from the glow itself, then that's true mastery. Otherwise, I myself have been a cautionary example." He leaned forward, eyes sparkling with interest. "I'd really like to see whether Xiao Yan truly possesses such fortune." A cascade of radiant light surged forth, with one after another glowing orbs swiftly passing by the five individuals. Yet at this moment, none of them felt inclined to intercept—instead, their eyes were fixed solely on Xiao Yan. Many harbored the mindset that if they couldn’t obtain these treasures, then even Xiao Yan’s chances would be slim. Thus, they eagerly anticipated seeing Xiao Yan’s frustration should his efforts fail. Holding the deep-red scroll tightly, Xiao Yan's excitement was hard to conceal, and he laughed heartily. "Hmph." Seeing Xiao Yan finally succeed, Bai Shan's expression grew somewhat displeased; he gave a cold sniff, turned his gaze away from Xiao Yan, and began searching for his own target. Hu Jia and Wu Hao also stared in admiration at the deep-red scroll in Xiao Yan's hands, before eventually turning to look for their own targets. "Congratulations, Brother Xiao Yan!" Xun'er smiled warmly at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan smiled, gently stroking the deep-red scroll, then suddenly tossed it toward Xun'er with a smile. "I won't be able to use this technique myself, so if you like it, I'll give it to you. I've never once presented something so precious to you before." "This guy is truly generous—those are indeed Terran-stage techniques!" Although Bai Shan and his two companions had mostly focused on locating their targets, they had clearly noticed Xiao Yan's act of handing over the technique scroll to Xun'er, especially when they heard the remark that followed. They were momentarily stunned, their expressions turning slightly puzzled—Terran-stage techniques were priceless, so how generous was this guy? "Huh?" Xun'er, slightly taken aback, shook her head gently and said, "During the selection matches, I observed the hue and strength of your aura during combat. I'd assume that the technique you're currently practicing is still only at the Xu-level." "For now, yes," Xiao Yan nodded with a touch of resignation—the current Feng Jue had indeed only recently evolved to the Xu-level. "Then why are you giving it to me? This scroll clearly has a fire attribute, which would be perfectly suited for you." Xun'er scolded. "For some reason, I can't switch my technique, so this has no other use besides giving it to you." Xiao Yan spread his hands, unable to explain too clearly about the Burned Technique. To avoid Xu'er's further questions, he simply straightened his face and said, "Take it if you want; if not, just let it go." Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Xu'er smiled sweetly and said, "Alright, I actually need a transitional technique right now—this one fits perfectly." "By the way, what would Xiao Yan want? Let me see if I can find something for him." Xu'er whispered softly. "I need a Sonar Combat Technique." Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, sighed, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to find one here." "A Sonar Combat Technique?" "Hearing that name, Xun paused, then mused, 'This specialized technique is quite rare. While there are some examples among the lower ranks, I'm sure even my brother Xiao Yan wouldn't find them impressive. As for the higher ranks, they're extremely difficult to come by. Ah well, we'll have to rely on luck.' 'Agreed,' Xiao Yan nodded, lifting his head to gaze at the dense clusters of glowing orbs floating in the space above the room. He couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy—such an immense collection of treasures in this archive was truly astonishing. If the people from Black Angular Domain knew about it, they'd surely go wild. That's why this archive has remained so well-hidden, and why it's guarded by two powerful, enigmatic gray-robed figures." After giving the scroll of the Earth Step Technique to Xun'er, Xiao Yan closed his eyes again and used his soul perception to detect the energy orbs. Since Xun'er lacked such refined soul perception, she could only rely on her sense of feeling to grasp them. However, the success rate of such acquisition was extremely low—indeed, even after successfully catching over a dozen orbs, she had still not obtained the required items. The other three in the Archive, after putting in tremendous effort, each secured items that were only marginally satisfactory and successfully retrieved from the luminous sphere. Bai Shan obtained a nearly translucent silk armor, which exhibited exceptional defensive strength—its resistance to impact even surpassed that of the inner armor previously granted by Yun Yin to Xiao Yan during his time in the Gamma Empire, a piece capable of withstanding attacks from a purple-crystal winged lion. Hugua received a purple pill whose specific function remained unclear. As for Wu Hao, he had secured a scroll of combat technique, yet upon obtaining it, he revealed nothing about its rank or significance—thus, aside from himself, no one else in Xiao Yan's party knew what role the scroll played. At this moment, only ten minutes remained before the one-hour limit for entry into the Archive, yet the sonic combat technique that Xiao Yan had been eagerly anticipating had still not materialized. A faintly pale figure darted down from the air. Xun wiped a strand of sweat from her forehead and held up a glowing orb in front of Xiao Yan, offering a wry smile. "The magic core of a six-tiered beast... that's a rare treasure indeed. Unfortunately, it's not exactly what we need." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. As time passed, his spiritual perception grew increasingly taut. At one moment, when his spiritual strength reached its peak, his heart suddenly trembled, and a subtle ripple in the air—so fine it was nearly imperceptible—was transmitted directly to his mind through his full-spectrum spiritual awareness. "This vibration..." His closed eyes snapped open, and he surged upward like a cannonball, his hands firmly gripping the glowing orb before he landed steadily. "Xun, did we get it?" Xiao Yan asked, eager to know. Xiao Yan slowly spread out the glow in his hands, his gaze passing through the light. He nodded first, then sighed with a touch of disappointment: "Indeed, but unfortunately... it's only a mid-tier Sound Technique of Yellow Stage. That's quite a difference from what I expected." "What should we do? Should we just wait a bit longer?" Xun'er hesitated. "But we don't have enough time," Xiao Yan chuckled, looking up toward a spot in the room. There, he caught Bai Shan's smug expression. Shaking his head slightly, he didn't bother to address him, and turned to Xun'er: "Well, then, let's go. Though the level is low, we can make do with it for now." With that, he turned and walked back toward the path he had come from. "Ha ha, Xiao Yan, it seems you're the one who's been truly unlucky!" Behind them, Huo Jia and the others had also arrived due to the time constraints. Seeing Xiao Yan's visibly frustrated expression, Bai Shan couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and smiled: "You really are the one who's had it the worst!" "Is that the itch in my bones "His steps suddenly halted. Xiao Yan turned, coldly laughing. His face slightly changed, Bai Shan offered a faint smile, saying nothing, yet in his heart he felt a deep sense of unease: 'Now you can act proud—once we reach the Inner Courtyard, you'll see what I'll do!' Seeing Bai Shan unable to speak further, Xiao Yan gave a dismissive shrug, then glanced once more at the energy shields in the room, whose pulsing speeds had begun to slow. He sighed inwardly, turned, and prepared to leave. As Xiao Yan took action, a transparent energy sphere shot forth from within the energy shield, and with its emergence, sharp sound waves radiated outward in a ripple-like pattern throughout the room.