Staring at the jade-red crystal floating in midair, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement after a long while. With a slight curve of his palm, a gentle suction force burst forth. To this soft force, the magic core—emitting a surprisingly potent energy surge—offered no resistance, instead flowing smoothly downward and finally hovering two inches above the tip of Xiao Yan's palm. The faintly shimmering jade-red light illuminated his face, casting an eerie glow in his dark eyes. As Xiao Yan was absorbed in the magic core, Zǐ Yán suddenly tugged at his sleeve, rousing him from his dazed state. Xiao Yan, regaining his composure, instantly shifted his gaze from the jade-like, crimson magic core. He deeply exhaled, his eyes widening in astonishment—this thing was utterly strange, from within to without. He had no idea what kind of extraordinary beast the monster must have been before it died. "This damn thing..." After placing the jade box into his storage robe, Xiao Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, only to suddenly realize that his back was now drenched in sweat. He couldn't help but feel a surge of unease and murmured under his breath, barely able to conceal his astonishment. Simply relying on a corpse that had been preserved for countless years—something he had long taken for granted—had left him so flustered and nervous. This was the first time in all his years that such an unusual occurrence had happened. Despite his palpitations, Xiao Yan also felt a sense of relief and delight. No matter how great the risks he had faced tonight, the rewards he had gained were more than sufficient to offset all the excitement and anxiety. "A mere corpse, and yet you're acting so shaken—what a shame!" Watching Xiao Yan's expression, Zi Yan couldn't help but smile softly and secretly chuckle. Xiao Yan glared at the young girl with impatience, but recalling that without her help tonight he would have had to discard half of the beast's body as useless waste, he decided not to hold it against her. He firmly rubbed her head with his palm and said, "Alright, everything's settled. It's time for you to go back and rest. And remember—don't mention tonight's events to anyone else." Though Xiao Yan didn't know exactly what kind of beast this dreadful creature was, the series of thrilling incidents tonight clearly indicated it wasn't an ordinary one. Should the matter become known, it would surely bring about considerable trouble. Understanding this, Zi Yan didn't argue with Xiao Yan. With the ten exceptionally sharp and sturdy bone spines now in her possession, she was already satisfied. She simply nodded and then turned her body, her purple ponytail swishing gracefully in front of Xiao Yan as she strode confidently out of the door. Sending off this little niece was a great relief for Xiao Yan. With a wave of his sleeve, a gust of wind closed the door firmly. Then, lazily stretching his arms, he yawned—after all the折腾 through the long night, the toll on him had been considerable. With a simple movement, he slipped onto the bed and with a flick of his fingers, the lights in the room gradually dimmed. Feeling the surge of powerful energy within him, Xiao Yan suddenly roared out a low command, his body shifting instantly. He executed a series of vigorous punches with seamless fluidity, as if the movements flowed like clouds and streams, without a single pause. Though this martial technique wasn't particularly advanced, under the solid support of Xiao Yan's robust aura, it still commanded a strong presence. The force of his punches sent the dry leaves scattered across the ground. The punches flowed so smoothly that within a short while, Xiao Yan stood still, having finished the sequence. Perhaps due to the surge of turbulent energy from the vibrant, crimson blood he had inhaled the day before, Xiao Yan consistently sensed a subtle enhancement in the strength and power of his punches compared to before. "Clap! Clap!" As Xiao Yan finished his series of punches, a sudden burst of applause rang out, followed immediately by laughter: "What a magnificent aura! Even though we're so far apart, your punches have stirred my inner aura to such a degree that it's now agitated. Truly, a Supreme Sovereign-class martial master lives up to their reputation." "Listening to the applause, Xiao Yan turned his gaze and saw Xiao Li standing smiling at the entrance of the courtyard, gazing at him warmly. "Second brother," Xiao Yan smiled and called out to Xiao Li. "I noticed your aura is remarkably strong—perhaps your strength goes beyond the early stage of a Sovereign?" Xiao Li stepped forward, then slightly puzzled, as he had encountered many Sovereigns at the early stage, yet none had caused such a noticeable shift in his own aura. "I'd say it's a four-star Sovereign." Xiao Yan smiled casually, having no reservations about revealing his true capabilities to Xiao Li. Of course, while he publicly held the rank of Four-Star Sovereign, his actual combat strength was on par with the peak of Sovereign rank, and even when he deployed his reserve powers, he could hold his own against this Sovereign-level powerhouse. The only drawback was that each time he fought a Sovereign-level warrior, he had to risk his life. Hearing Xiao Yan's response, even though he had anticipated this, Xiao Li couldn't help but be momentarily stunned, shaking his head with a wry smile and sighing, "Your pace of cultivation is simply embarrassing—how could anyone stand it?" "Brother Xiao Li has now reached the peak of Sovereign rank, hasn't he? His cultivation speed is certainly impressive. As long as he can break through to Sovereign rank in the coming time, the Shishi Sheng Dan will be fully effective." Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Li, and with his current discernment, naturally recognized that the latter had now reached the peak of the Battle King rank, only a step away from the Battle Emperor level. "Well, thanks in large part to the Tian-Fen Qi Tower in the Inner Academy. Over the past two years, I've frequently trained at the lower levels, and my progress has indeed been noticeably faster than outside the academy. Unfortunately, later on, my heart fire dwindled..." Xiao Li sighed regretfully. "It's indeed useful, but only at the very bottom level of the Heavenly Burn Qi Tower. Beyond that, its effect diminishes significantly." Xiao Li nodded. "So from now on, Brother Er won't need to go there to train anymore..." Xiao Yan pondered for a while, then suddenly smiled. With a glance of curiosity from Xiao Li, he curled his fingers, and a formless flame rose gently from his fingertips. The formless flame curled like a slender serpent, spiraling around his fingers. Then, with a sudden thrust, he lightly touched it to the center of Xiao Li's chest. "Ssshh!" The intense heat radiated out, instantly turning the fabric of Xiao Li's chest into powder. As the formless flame made contact with his body, it emitted a hissing sound, and Xiao Li's body tensed sharply. Beads of sweat quickly rolled down his forehead, yet he showed no resistance—only clenched his teeth, enduring the searing pain. He knew, without a doubt, that Xiao Yan would never do anything harmful to him. The intangible flame lasted only an instant before mysteriously penetrating萧厉's skin and surging directly into his body. As the flame entered, a pattern of flames appeared on the skin over his heart. With the emergence of this flame motif, 萧厉 felt instantly at ease, wiped away the sweat from his forehead, and gazed at the flame pattern on his chest, chuckling wryly, "Third brother, what are you doing?" Xiao Yan's face carried a slight paleness as he smiled at Xiao Li, saying, "This is the seed of the Fallen Heart Flame that I've planted within you. When you use your battle energy to activate it, you'll achieve a stronger effect than what you'd get at the lower levels of the Tian Fen Qi Tower. According to my estimation, this seed should remain effective for about one to two years. By then, you should have already broken through to the Battle Emperor level. At that point, the accelerating effect of the seed will gradually weaken—so even if it fades away, it won't matter much." Xiao Yan knew that the Dan of Life-Consuming that had been planted within Xiao Li had not yet been fully dissolved. Should Xiao Li fail to reach the Battle Emperor level within the specified timeframe, his life would inevitably come to an end. Therefore, he had spared no effort in planting a seed of the Heart Flame within him, which would surely accelerate Xiao Li's cultivation journey. Hearing this, Xiao Li was also taken aback, his face gradually brightening with surprise at Xiao Yan's seemingly remarkable abilities. Though initially astonished, he found his surprise somewhat eased upon recalling that Xiao Yan's body carried the ancient heart-fire inherited from the legendary ancestor who had perished with the Immortal Heart Flame. "You've really developed quite a few skills lately," Xiao Li said, clapping Xiao Yan on the shoulder and laughing heartily. Xiao Yan smiled slightly, just about to speak, when suddenly a senior elder from the Xiao Sect entered the courtyard, quickly approaching them and respectfully reporting, "Both Masters, Su Qian, the Grand Elder, has instructed you to hurry to the front courtyard—he says the old man from E Jing Mountain has left the city!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, murmuring, "At last... he's finally willing to leave the city?"