Above the sky, the young man in black robes took to the air, hovering motionless, and the entire arena fell silent. On the judges' bench, Su Qian's face showed a touch of astonishment, though his gaze was clearly far more discerning than anyone else's. As his eyes once again swept over Xiao Yan's wings, that astonishment gradually transformed into a look of sudden clarity: "So it is a flight technique! I never expected this young man to possess such a rare art." With Su Qian's revelation, the other elders likewise caught on. While a flight technique might be uncommon to most, their own experience and knowledge had exposed them to such rare feats before. "Good thing... I was almost certain he had already advanced to the Battle King level." Gently wiped a bead of cold sweat from their foreheads, several elders murmured in quiet dismay. After decades of tireless cultivation, they had finally reached their current level of prowess. To think that a young man barely in his twenties had already achieved this—how could they help but feel a deep sense of frustration and even resentment? And even more alarming, this young man was only a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. The atmosphere in the hall remained still for some time before gradually coming to life. A few individuals on the dais recognized the origin of the dual wings behind Xiao Yan, and thus breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes now filled with admiration. While the flight technique was not quite on par with true Qi-powered wings, it still enabled one to soar through the skies—a goal many had long pursued. Yet, the threshold of the Battle King rank remained so distant; they often wondered how long it would take to reach that level. "So it's a flight-based technique..." N Yao, whose face had gone blank, gradually regained composure. He could clearly sense that Xiao Yan's aura had not yet reached the level of a Battle King. Upon closely examining the form of the deep purple and black wings, he felt a sudden clarity, and his tense body slowly relaxed. As long as Xiao Yan hadn't truly attained the Battle King rank, even with his advantage of flight, Yao wouldn't be overly intimidated. Standing firmly on the eerie black water that covered nearly the entire arena, he looked up at Xiao Yan in the sky and coldly remarked, "I don't believe you can stay aloft forever. Isn't it true that sustained use of a flight technique requires a considerable amount of energy?" In the sky, Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the Xuanzhong Chi, glanced downward at the arena, and furrowed his brows slightly. As Yao Sheng had said, the arena had now become almost entirely his domain—whenever he stepped onto the ground, he would inevitably come into contact with that strange black water. While Xiao Yan could effectively block the corrosive force, the suction effect still somewhat impeded his speed. Against an opponent like Yao Sheng, who excelled in agility and speed, even a slight slowdown might put him at a disadvantage. Yao Sheng clutched his two dark daggers tightly, sneering at the figure hovering above him in the sky. Though Xiao Yan commanded the aerial advantage, Yao Sheng’s attack range simply couldn’t reach him. If he forced himself to leap and strike, he would become an easy target. Therefore, at this moment, the best strategy was simply to remain still and patient. "It really is quite troublesome..." As the wings behind him slowly vibrated, Xiao Yan's body descended significantly, forming a faint energy layer of green ki on his surface. The black heavy staff was completely enveloped in this ki, and his gaze remained fixed on Yao Sheng. A subtle silver glow suddenly materialized beneath his feet. Then, with a sudden, powerful shake of his wings, he harnessed the wind force, pushing the "Three Thousand Thunder Strikes" to its absolute peak. As a result, except for a few observers, everyone else could only see Xiao Yan's body tremble—leaving behind a faint, almost imperceptible silhouette in the sky. The sudden surge of Xiao Yan's speed also caused Yao Sheng's expression to subtly shift. The force of the attack, which reached the ground before the person himself arrived, instantly caused black water to splash upward. A hazy shadow suddenly emerged within his pupils. Yao Sheng subtly shifted his left foot, his body gliding with exceptional fluidity across the black water, weaving through it with swift movements. As his body moved, the heavy, sharp-wind-slicing broad staff repeatedly brushed against his face, causing a searing pain. The staff initially struck with a powerful downward force, but almost instantly changed its momentum, halting its descent and forcing a pivot—twisting the staff from a downward strike into a sweeping motion, then cutting sharply toward Yao Sheng's waist and abdomen. Yao Sheng plunged his body into the black water, not encountering a single resistance, but instead moving like a fish gliding through the water—his body flickering strangely as it settled. In an instant, he appeared directly beneath Xiao Yan, only two meters above the ground. With a quick arm motion, his dark dagger arced like a venomous snake, cutting through the cold wind to spear straight for Xiao Yan's chest. The intense battle that unfolded in a flash saw Xiao Yan and Yao Sheng once again engage in a perilous exchange. Both parties now had a clearer understanding of each other's aerial maneuvers and movements across the black water, gaining a general sense of their speed and agility. Outside the arena, the crowd was captivated, their eyes blazing with admiration. Xiao Yan's thoughts raced through his mind, his eyes flashing with intensity: "No matter how strange these black waters may be, they still possess the essence of water. As long as it's water, I won't let you evaporate!" With that thought firmly settled, he didn't hesitate at all. With a gentle flick of his fingers, slender streaks of delicate cyan flames burst forth from his fingertips, instantly raising the temperature in the arena significantly. On the ground, Yao Sheng watched the scattered cyan flames drifting across the sky—nearly a dozen in number—and his expression subtly shifted, especially when his gaze landed on the cold smirk playing at Xiao Yan's lips, which deepened his sense of unease. "Go!" With a simple flick of his finger, Xiao Yan sent the dozen fine flames shooting downward. Yao Sheng felt the searing cyan flames approaching and swiftly twisted his body, dashing aside to avoid them. Yet, these flames did not directly target Yao Sheng, but instead spiraled at a height of half a foot above the ground, swiftly moving back and forth. As they made close contact, under the terrifying heat of the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire, the black water spreading across the ground began to visibly diminish. On the elevated platform, observing the steadily decreasing volume of black water, several people quietly admired the scene. They had not expected Xiao Yan to employ this method to counter Yao Sheng's "Black Water Domain." While the approach wasn't particularly rare, it proved remarkably effective. Among them, many had previously faced off against Yao Sheng; however, lacking flight techniques, they could not ascend to evade the domain's powerful suction and corrosive effects, and thus had to endure its influence while fighting defensively. Under such constant pressure, unless their strength vastly surpassed Yao Sheng's, they would inevitably be worn down by his speed. "Hehe, Xiao Yan's tactics truly are breathtaking—without Yao Sheng of Heishui Realm, he'll surely be outpaced in speed." Lin Xiu'ya couldn't help but chuckle, gazing at the nearly halved expanse of black water on the field. "Such a technique, only Xiao Yan could master. That black water is a liquid formed by condensing Yao Sheng's qi and certain special toxins; ordinary flames find it difficult to handle." Han Yue nodded slightly. "Indeed, the flames are quite troublesome..." Lin Xiu'ya's eyes swept over the streaks of vibrant jade flames darting wildly across the field, a touch of seriousness passing through them. "Scolded by Liu Qing, Liu Fei was left feeling deeply委屈, sitting back down in her chair and glaring fiercely at Xiao Yan, who hovered motionless in the air. She muttered under her breath, 'Isn't it just because he has a flight technique? What's so impressive about that?' 'As long as one can defeat the opponent, it's no mere trick—establishing various rules for competition is nothing but the kind of thing children do. In real, life-or-death battles, the fallen have absolutely no chance to argue.' Liu Qing said calmly, his gaze suddenly sharpening as he observed the scene, then sighed, 'Yao Sheng's 'Black Water Domain' has finally encountered its match.' As Liu Qing finished speaking, the final swirl of black water dissolved into nothingness, swirling gently in the presence of Qing Fire, while Yao Sheng's face remained stern and composed. In the sky, Xiao Yan waved his hand, gathering ten strands of the now-smaller azure flames into his body, quietly observing Yao Sheng's increasingly stern expression. With a beat of his wings, he once again wrapped his heavy staff in potent qi energy. "What will you have next?"