Amidst the swirling dust, a figure emerged slowly, with a striking jade-colored flame appearing first, radiating an unusual intensity and enveloping the plaza. The figure was almost entirely encased in the jade flame; upon closer inspection, even the contours of the face remained blurred, though one could still clearly discern that it was Xiao Yan within the flame. This jade flame was now denser and fiercer than any Xiao Yan had previously summoned—its waves surged and roared. To those with keen eyes, it appeared as though the flame had solidified into a robust, jade-colored armor encasing Xiao Yan's body, capable of turning any assault into mere vapor under its intense heat. The giant clad in this flame armor stepped forward with a steady, resonant gait, and as it moved, the very space around it gradually warped and distorted. Gazing at the jade-armored giant now appearing in sight, the arena fell utterly silent. Though they weren't sure exactly what had transpired, it was clear that Xiao Yan's presence had grown significantly stronger than before. Even from a distance, the spectators felt a wave of intense heat sweeping over them—imagine the searing intensity if they were to meet the flames head-on. "This must be the young one's unique flame," murmured Su Qian, his elderly eyes gleaming with wonder. After a pause, he exclaimed in astonishment, "I never expected someone of his age to master the flame to such a refined degree—it's truly remarkable." Although the Strange Flame was rare, Su Qian, with his extensive experience and insight, was well acquainted with its fierce and unruly nature. He knew well that taming it was nearly impossible, and even after successfully taming it, maintaining precise control over it—making it as responsive as one’s own arm—was an exceedingly difficult task. Indeed, a single misstep could easily result in being overwhelmed by its power. The flame currently being displayed by Xiao Yan had been compressed to an extreme degree, ultimately solidifying into a tangible, armor-like form. This method required an exceptionally high level of control, and Su Qian had not expected someone of Xiao Yan’s age to achieve such mastery. Su Qian had also cultivated relationships with many alchemical artisans, yet these alchemists were all exceptional individuals. Though the flames they employed were no ordinary ones, they still fell short when compared to true hetero-flames. Moreover, in terms of flame manipulation, they did not surpass Xiao Yan by much—indeed, mastering hetero-flame manipulation is ten times more difficult than handling other types of flame. Furthermore, most of these individuals were renowned alchemical masters across the continent, while Xiao Yan, though possessing notable talent, was at this point merely an ordinary, relatively unknown young apprentice. Flame solidification into armor—a technique that ranks among the more advanced forms of flame control within the alchemical discipline—demands an exceptionally high level of mastery, one that most alchemists simply cannot match. Of course, the flame-solidified armor wasn't something that Xiao Yan suddenly grasped through inspiration. It was actually a rather straightforward principle, much like the battle aura armor of a great battle cultivator. The strength of this flame armor primarily depended on the user's mastery over flame and the inherent intensity of the flame itself. As for mastery—Xiao Yan naturally had no issues there, thanks to his exceptionally powerful soul energy, which even the Medicine Elder had been amazed by. As for the flame's essence, what could be more potent than the unique, extraordinary flame? Therefore, the defensive strength of the flame armor formed from the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame would likely reach an exceptionally formidable level. On the elevated platform, Lin Xiu'ya, Liu Qing, and the others were all staring in astonishment at the green-flame armored giant on the field. At this moment, even with their combined strength, they found themselves somewhat at a loss. The green flame enveloping the armor was undoubtedly an exceedingly terrifying force—though they had not yet personally encountered it, they could clearly sense its presence. Should it make contact with them, they would surely face serious difficulties. Since direct contact was impossible, merely launching attacks with their qi power seemed unlikely to penetrate the armor's tough, turtle-shell-like structure. As evidenced by Bai Cheng's powerful "Blood Earth Eight Cracks," which failed to inflict significant damage, the armor's defensive capabilities were truly astonishing. To be frank, with this searing, impenetrable green fire armor—something that cannot be directly touched and boasts formidable defensive strength—Xiao Yan's combat prowess has significantly surged. Even Li Qing and the others have been unable to devise an effective strategy against its solid defenses within a short span of time. As the entire arena fell into silence, the colossal green fire armor figure suddenly trembled slightly, then the flames gradually receded inward. The concealed green armor beneath swiftly faded, and within a moment, it was entirely gone. With that, Xiao Yan reappeared once more before the gathered onlookers. At this moment, Xiao Yan's clothes were slightly tattered, and his face pale, yet the deep black of his eyes shimmered with an unmistakable sense of wonder. He had initially thought it merely a casual attempt, but to his surprise, he had truly managed to compress the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame into a shield-like armor. Moreover, the defensive strength of this flame armor far exceeded his expectations—it felt almost like an absolute, invincible protection for him. However, the process of forming this flame armor demanded a substantial consumption of both qi and spiritual energy. With Xiao Yan's current capabilities, he could only maintain it for less than five minutes, clearly indicating that the armor functioned as an inexhaustible sink for his qi and spiritual power. "After all, it's a fortunate surprise—during the critical moment, it should prove to be a life-saving asset." The pale face briefly broke into a satisfied smile as Xiao Yan slowly lifted his head, gazing at Bai Cheng across the table, who held a long spear and looked as white as a sheet. His expression gradually grew colder. With a sudden, firm grip on his Xu Zhong Chi, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that Bai Cheng had truly struck with intent. Though even if Bai Cheng failed to form a Flame Armor, Xiao Yan could still unleash his "Three Thousand Thunder Strikes" at the last moment to evade the attack, Bai Cheng's fierce determination had completely chilled Xiao Yan's demeanor. Noticing the growing coldness in Xiao Yan's face, Bai Cheng's lips twitched slightly as he summoned the meager Qi remaining within him, his gaze remaining venomous and relentless. The Qi within Xiao Yan surged rapidly along the route prescribed by the cultivation technique, continuously drawing in energy from the surrounding天地 and absorbing it. Although the Burned Decree was merely a mid-tier technique of the Xuanyuan rank, its efficiency in drawing in energy and generating Qi surpassed even the higher-tier techniques, outpacing even the most advanced ones. Combined with the refinement of the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire, Xiao Yan's recovery rate of Qi was exceptional—so much so that, barring a significant gap, no one of the same rank could match him in this aspect. The crimson lance rapidly expanded within the dark pupils. As it approached within ten meters of Xiao Yan's body, he suddenly stomped the ground, and from his fingertips, a deep, richly toned blue flame erupted. Though the flame moved at a moderate pace, its power was astonishing—upon first contact with the lance tip, the onlookers witnessed the steel tip instantly transforming into molten iron, hissing as it dripped down, leaving behind fine indentations on the floor. The tip melted first, then the shaft, and finally the handle. Thus, under everyone's watchful eyes, the finely forged long lance was completely reduced to a pool of molten iron by a seemingly unimpressive blue flame. This scene left many spectators shivering—what if someone were to collide with it? Would they even be left with ashes? Staring blankly at the lance that had turned to molten iron mere feet away from Xiao Yan's face—less than three meters—Bai Cheng's form began to waver. Every technique he had summoned had been exhausted, yet the man across from him remained upright. His eyes fixed intently on Xiao Yan. When Bai Cheng suddenly noticed the latter's icy gaze, thick with murderous intent, tiny spots began to appear across his skin, and a fresh wave of fear surged from within. "Does this man intend to kill me?" a shock surged through his mind. Bai Cheng immediately raised his hand, preparing to shout out his surrender. Yet, as his arm began to move slightly, Xiao Yan lightly stomped his foot, and a deep rumble of thunder echoed across the plaza. Then, a flash of silver swept through everyone's vision, and suddenly, a dark figure materialized before Bai Cheng. "Since you wish to kill me," said Xiao Yan, "then I shall return the favor." Gazing at the face of fear now mere inches away, Xiao Yan smiled, a fierce, demonic expression casting itself onto Bai Cheng's pupils. His body suddenly halted, lifting half an inch off the ground, rotating midair as his fingers clenched tightly, harnessing the rotational force to deliver a powerful sonic boom, and then slamming forward with explosive force! "Ba Ji Bang!" The cold, commanding voice sent Bai Cheng's body instantly rigid, his eyes widening as the fist, enveloped in an unmatched surge of powerful qi, rapidly expanded... "Boom!"