"Boom!" Two indistinct black silhouettes collided violently in the sky, sending out a tremendous surge of energy. As the impact reverberated, both figures were knocked back several steps, each emitting a low grunt. When the two figures stabilized, it became clear that they were Su Qian and Han Feng—two who had just engaged in a fierce battle. After their intense combat, both were clad in torn garments, their hair disheveled, appearing quite disheveled. However, upon closer inspection, it was evident that Su Qian's aura appeared slightly more strained, clearly falling slightly behind Han Feng in the struggle. Wiping away a streak of blood from his lip, Senior Master Su fixed his gaze firmly on Han Feng, his surging ki rippling around him, creating gusts of wind that fluttered his robes with a soft, rustling sound. "Hehe, Su Qian, Senior Monastic, it seems you've truly grown old..." Han Feng slowly calmed the turbulent ki within his body, lifting his gaze to mock Su Qian with a smile. "You're no better off either. After sacrificing your unique fire and transforming into this half-human, half-goblin state, it seems rather unprofitable... " Though slightly at a disadvantage, Su Qian remained composed, his tone still calm and composed. Trembling slightly, Han Feng maintained his smile across his face, yet a growing wave of cold, murderous intent surged vividly in his eyes. "Do you think, when I defeat you before all the inner academy students, you'll still have the dignity to teach them in the future?" Han Feng gave a cold, sharp smile, then sharply shook his sleeve, causing a powerful surge of scorching ki to erupt from within him, sweeping across the sky and immediately overpowering Su Qian's presence. The momentum was suppressed, and Su Qian's brow slightly furrowed. He waved his hand, calming the group of inner court elders who had been quietly restless nearby, then took a deep breath—within him, his qi surged forth in a mighty flood, pouring out in full force at that moment. "Hey, old Su Qian! Since I've ascended to the status of a Battle Sect Master, I've never defeated a Battle Sect Master before. Today, it's your turn to be the first!" Han Feng grinned fiercely, his body slowly rising. However, just as he had ascended ten or so meters, a sudden and violent surge of celestial and terrestrial energies erupted around him... The abrupt change startled Han Feng, who promptly descended a few steps, eager to investigate. As he did, a vast, overwhelmingly destructive energy quietly emerged in the heavens. Feeling this immense force, every person present instantly grew pale. Under its pressure, even the strongest Du Huang-level warriors sensed a deep, soul-shaking fear spreading from within. Han Feng and Su Qian's bodies trembled sharply at that moment, and they swiftly lifted their heads, their eyes filled with astonishment, fixed upon the direction from which the destructive force originated. Yet, upon spotting the source of this energy, their faces instantly went blank with shock. High above, the young man in black robes vibrated his translucent, radiant bone wings, and deep, rumbling thunder echoed continuously across the sky. Yet what left Han Feng and Su Qian utterly stunned was not the wings themselves, but the magnificent, palm-sized flame lotus hovering before Xiao Xin—its hues vivid and rich, far more intense and vibrant than ever before. This extraordinary beauty, though, instilled in them a profound sense of dread and cold fear. They could clearly sense the terrifying power contained within the lotus—so potent that even the strongest Douzong cultivators felt a deep sense of awe in its presence. "How powerful this flame lotus has become," Han Feng murmured. "Su Qian swallowed hard, knowing that Xiao Yan possessed a fire lotus technique of exceptional power. He had even witnessed it firsthand back then, yet the fire lotus he saw that day was almost worlds apart from the one he saw today." Opposite Su Qian, Han Feng’s earlier dazed expression gradually faded, his face shifting in uncertain hues as he gazed at Xiao Yan. His fist in his sleeve slowly tightened. As a surge of murderous intent surged within him, Xiao Yan, who had been controlling the vibrant lotus of flame, seemed to sense something, and cast upon him a pair of calm, detached eyes. Gazing at Han Feng, who was trembling and shifting his gaze away, Xiao Yan's pale face also broke into a smirk. He then focused his attention on the vibrant flame lotus before him. Though "Hua Sheng Fire" was not a true hetero-fire, its power was quite impressive. The fusion of flames generated an exceptionally fierce and turbulent energy through various transformations during the process—energy that only required certain catalysts to emerge. At this very moment, "Hua Sheng Fire" proved to be the perfect substitute. Integrating the "Born-From-Transformation Fire" into the Buddha-Indignant Fire Lotus naturally carried significant risks. During the brief period of fusion, Xiao Yan had nearly faced death on multiple occasions, each time barely escaping with his life. Fortunately, he possessed soul strength far exceeding that of other practitioners at his level, and his mastery of the balance between the fire lotuses had grown increasingly refined. This enabled him to repeatedly turn peril into safety, ultimately successfully fusing the "Born-From-Transformation Fire" into the Buddha-Indignant Fire Lotus, thereby creating the most powerful and formidable Buddha-Indignant Fire Lotus in history—what Xiao Yan himself named the "Destruction Fire Lotus!" As the creator, Xiao Yan was most intimately familiar with the power of this Flame Lotus—indeed, even during its creation, he himself had been struck with awe by its force. Should that destructive power have slightly spilled over, the very first to be completely obliterated would have been himself. Currently, under the robust support of Xiao Yan’s profound soul energy, the Flame Lotus is able to maintain itself勉强, yet the persistent outpouring of fiery glimmers around it clearly indicates energy leakage. Clearly, this current Flame Lotus is less refined than the ones Xiao Yan crafted previously, particularly the Buddha’s Wrath Flame Lotus. Nevertheless, merely maintaining this "Destructive Flame Lotus" in balance represents Xiao Yan’s utmost effort—any further progress beyond that, however, lies beyond his current capabilities. Regardless, under Xiao Yan’s control, the Flame Lotus has now fully taken shape, and the next phase—the complete unleashing of its destructive power—is now imminent! Under this destructive force, even the ancient earth demon could only tremble in awe! With his palm cradling the vibrant flame lotus, Xiao Yan’s dark eyes slowly settled on the elderly earth demon who had ceased his attack, the lines of his pale face gradually curling into a somber, eerie arc. Under the weight of Xiao Yan’s piercing gaze, the earth demon’s complexion for the first time grew pale and strained. His hands within his sleeves trembled involuntarily—by now, even he felt a surge of regret. He had never imagined that a young four-star domain emperor, whom he had previously considered easily crushable with just one hand, would now unleash a power so formidable that even he found it deeply unsettling. One after another, the eyes of the inner courtyard students burned with intense heat, bearing the energy pressure descending from the sky. The slightly slender figure of the black-robed figure had etched an indelible impression in their minds. Even years later, when these students scattered to different paths, they would still remember this rare and unforgettable scene. And the name Xiao Yan would remain with them—perhaps he would become the most outstanding student in the history of Ganlan Academy.