His eyes were fixed intently on the jade-blue flame rising from Xiao Yan's palm. At the very moment it appeared, Sha Tie clearly sensed a sharp rise in the temperature throughout the forest. His face now bore a serious expression, and he stared at Xiao Yan with growing astonishment, asking, "Are you a medic who specializes in alchemy?" On the Dragon and Spirit Continent, only two possibilities exist for someone to summon tangible flames: either an alchemist extracts flame essence from various fire-type beasts or from the natural elements and refines it into their own use, or a powerful cultivator who specializes in fire-based qi can condense it into a physical flame. While the latter is achievable only at the level of a Grand Master or above, it's not absolute—some cultivators of fire qi, though not alchemists, have managed to incorporate rare and unusual flames into their practice. However, such feats demand a high level of cultivation. Given Xiao Yan's current state, clearly falling short of the latter category, Sha Tie immediately concluded that the first possibility was the most plausible. At Sandie's astonished questions, Xiao Yan said nothing. A jade-green flame surged upward from his palm and swiftly enveloped both of his arms. He slightly raised his head, the jade-green flames occasionally flickering across his dark eyes. "Boom!" His foot struck the ground once more, producing a crisp, resonant sound. Xiao Yan's figure transformed into a faint jade-green silhouette, carrying with it intense heat, and surged directly toward Sandie. The scorching air rushing toward him caused Sandie's brows to furrow. Though he didn't know exactly what type of jade-green flame Xiao Yan had summoned, the steadily rising temperature around him gave him a clear sense that the flame's power was certainly formidable. Standing like a towering iron structure, Sha Tie did not choose to retreat. The golden qi granted him powerful offensive and defensive capabilities, but at the cost of agility. He knew that even if he wished to dodge, he would inevitably be caught in Xiao Yan's attacks. If that were the case, then why perform this futile effort—why expose his vulnerabilities with such a gesture? As the scorching aura drew closer, Sha Tie roared fiercely, and a surge of dark golden qi erupted violently from within him. Amidst the blazing light, a dark golden armor of qi swiftly formed, enveloping every part of his body, ultimately fully encasing him. From a distance, he appeared as a solid, metallic figure of gold. Only after the armor materialized did the intense heat begin to subside. Sha Tie then clenched his massive, metallic fists firmly, delivering a straightforward, unadorned, and uncomplicated strike—no flourish, no technique—directly toward his opponent. Although Sha Tie's fist had no change in technique, the immense power contained within it directly permeated and filled the space around Xiao Yan, rendering absolute force that encompassed everything. Xiao Yan's face was taut, and the battle crystals within his body's spiraling energy constantly trembled, releasing wave after wave of powerful ki that swiftly circulated through his meridians, infusing him with renewed combat strength. On Sha Tie's fist, the jade-colored flames swirled rapidly before suddenly striking with force, meeting head-on with Xiao Yan's fist. Instantly, a ripple of powerful pressure radiated outward from their center, shaking several nearby trees and cracking their trunks, causing them to sway precariously. The fierce pressure transmitted through Sha Tie's fist forced Xiao Yan to retreat two steps, while Sha Tie himself only trembled slightly—indicating that, in a pure contest of strength, Xiao Yan still fell short compared to him. At that time, although Xiao Yan was pushed back two steps, Sha Tie also felt somewhat uncomfortable. The azure flame on Xiao Yan's fist had inflicted considerable suffering upon him. During their initial clash, had it not been for the protection of his aura armor, his fists would have been scorched to the point of swelling in several places. Even so, his fists now still carried a faint, lingering heat and pain. As his eyes subtly scanned the azure flame in Xiao Yan's hands, Sha Tie was struck with a sense of astonishment. While he had seen the flames produced by alchemists before—indeed, he had even fought several alchemy students on the arena—those flames typically failed to penetrate his aura armor and cause any real damage. Yet now, Xiao Yan's unusual azure flame demonstrated such remarkable potency that it left Sha Tie with a growing sense of seriousness. As thoughts raced through Xie Tie's mind, Xiao Yan once again surged forward, this time abandoning direct confrontation and instead leveraging his agility, moving like a ghost, darting and gliding continuously around Xie Tie's body. His fists occasionally launched bursts of emerald flame, striking with force and creating a steady rhythm of metallic clinks across the open forest clearing. Perhaps due to having already engaged in battle for some time, the qi radiating from Huigua and Wu Hao began to fade slightly after nearly six to seven minutes of combat. Huigua fared slightly better, but Wu Hao, whose strength, speed, and agility had significantly diminished due to the weakening of his qi, was now being steadily outclassed by the member of the "Black Devastation" team. If it weren't for Wu Hao's aggressive and forceful attacks, which somewhat worried the "Black Devastation" team member about potential injury, Wu Hao's situation would have been even more difficult. Compared to the slight disadvantage faced by these two, Xun'er was entirely the opposite—her palms burst with golden light, her figure flowing gracefully like a thin stream of smoke, her attacks swift enough to leave streaks of fragmented shadows. Perhaps aware that Wu Hao and Hu Jia could only hold out for so long, she made no effort to conserve her strength. Whenever she unleashed a powerful technique, she pushed her opponents into perilous situations. Without her extensive combat experience, this unfortunate member of the "Black Devour" team would likely have been the first to fall. Thus, within less than ten minutes, five of the fifteen new recruits were shaken off the battlefield by one member of the "Black Death" team, and the remaining ten could only勉强hold on through coordinated efforts. However, their coordination was clearly lacking, so every two to three minutes, their opponents would identify weaknesses and strike them, temporarily disabling them. Across the entire open space, within the five battle circles, Hugua, Wu Hao, and the three new recruits all occupied less favorable positions. While Xiao Yan could hold his own against Sha Tie thanks to his unique fire, securing a decisive victory would remain impossible without a critical strike. Thus, among the five battle circles, only Xun'er's circle was completely in the upper hand. The current battlefield would now hinge on which side could free up a fighter first—anyone who triumphs by just half a minute would swiftly shift the momentum in their favor. This dynamic was clearly understood by nearly everyone present, including the new recruits not directly involved in combat. As a result, their eyes were intently focused on the battle circles involving Wu Hao and Xun'er, as these would be the first to either achieve victory or suffer defeat. The pervasive crimson qi grew slightly dimmer, clearly indicating that Wu Hao's qi was now nearing its last reserves. The battle against Xiuyan had already drained his strength, and now, under this intense strain, even after consuming one Qi-restoring pill from Xiao Yan earlier, he began to falter. With a powerful strike, Wu Hao hurled his crimson heavy sword at his opponent, but the force was effortlessly parried. The opponent slipped past, now positioning himself on Wu Hao's left, and delivered a sharp cutting blow to Wu Hao's wrist—immediately causing the heavy sword to fly from his hands. The member of the "Black Devastation Team" sneered with satisfaction, swirling his palms with swirling qi, then charged forward with a powerful thrust aimed squarely at Wu Hao's chest. With this momentum, if the blow landed, Wu Hao would surely be the first to fall. Under the anxious gaze of all present, the fist closed in steadily on Wu Hao. Yet, as the fist was about to strike Wu Hao's body, Wu Hao, whose face had grown slightly pale, suddenly snapped his eyes open. Two streams of blood gushed from his nostrils, and a powerful, resurgent aura of martial vigor surged forth from within him, as though a sudden resurgence of life had been kindled. A deep, resonant roar erupted in his throat, and the faint, dim red aura on his palms rekindled, growing vividly crimson once more. With his hands clenched tightly, he charged forward with fierce determination. Yet judging by Wu Hao's expression, it seemed that this method of drawing upon his reserves had already drained him completely, and he would be unable to use it a second time. "Hmph!" One of the members of the 'Black Devastation Team' also sensed that Wu Hao was now near his breaking point. He thus emitted a sharp exhalation, forcefully suppressing his internal injuries, and transformed into a streak of black shadow, charging again toward Wu Hao. "Boom!" When the member was less than five meters away from Wu Hao, a black shadow suddenly shot forth. Startled, the member's forward momentum halted, and he promptly stepped back two paces. As he retreated, the black shadow crashed heavily onto the ground. The member glanced at it, his face instantly pale—he realized that the shadow was none other than the one who had previously fought against Xu'er. A surge of alarm swept through him. He quickly raised his head and saw, standing beside Wu Hao, a young woman in a green robe, calmly poised, her golden light swirling gently around her palms, which caused him slight discomfort.