Two gray figures appeared without any warning. Before萧In had even registered their presence, his senses had barely registered anything. This sudden development caused his shifting hand seals to pause momentarily, and he fell into a brief silence. Glancing at the rapidly growing fire sphere, he shouted sharply, "Ladies and gentlemen, the fire sphere is about to erupt—please evacuate immediately!" Upon hearing萧In's call, the two gray-robed figures standing beside the massive fire sphere slowly lifted their heads, casting a calm and composed gaze upon him. It was merely a casual glance that startled the first figure—she suddenly realized that the intense, turbulent surge of her internal medicinal energy was gradually calming down. As he sensed this change within himself,萧In's eyes widened with astonishment. Simply by projecting a single gesture, he could suppress the violent surge of her internal medicinal energy from such a distance. Such power—how utterly extraordinary and terrifying! Who exactly are these two enigmatic gray figures? When did the Black Horn Domain first emerge such formidable beings? As Xiao Yan was struck with astonishment, the Su Qian, Han Feng, and others who had stepped back a distance also noticed the presence of these two mysterious gray figures, all of them momentarily stunned. After a moment of silence, Su Qian suddenly recalled something, his eyes quickly filling with exhilaration as he murmured softly, "These eternal-lived ones... they've finally decided to intervene." "Grand Elder, who are they?" asked several inner court elders behind Su Qian, who were equally puzzled. Though they hadn't sensed any particularly powerful aura emanating from the two figures, there was an undeniable, peculiar pressure that had been subtly enveloping their minds and souls. "The guardians of Gan'an Academy..." Su Qian said slowly. "But unless Gan'an Academy is facing extinction, they would never have stepped in. Fortunately, this time... otherwise, the inner courtyard would have been in serious trouble." As he spoke, a trace of unease flickered across Su Qian's face. "Guardians?" The numerous inner courtyard elders stared at the two figures in gray, their eyes wide with bewilderment, murmuring softly to themselves. Unmoved by the countless curious glances from across the hall, the two enigmatic figures remained still. After turning their gaze from Xiao Yan, they fixed their attention on the massive fire sphere before them, sensing the overwhelming force of destruction within it. A subtle surprise passed through the calm, weathered eyes. They exchanged a glance, then slowly extended their dry hands from their sleeves, beginning to form an unusual set of hand seals. As the movements of the two gray figures unfolded, intense spatial ripples suddenly surged outward from their bodies, distorting the surrounding space into a series of writhing folds—crooked, uneven, and visibly warped, distorting the very lines of sight. As the spatial disturbances intensified, two strange, deep black glimmers gradually emerged on the tips of the gray figures' slender, dry fingers. With a gentle, effortless stroke, the two fingers brushed through the air, and suddenly, the crowd gasped to see the space where the colossal fireball resided being violently torn open—as if by an invisible giant hand—revealing a vast, gaping rift in the fabric of reality. When the final edge of the colossal fireball entered the spatial rift, the terrifying temperature in the heavens instantly dropped. The two figures in gray, their fingers glowing with deep black luminescence, flashed once more. And behold—the vast spatial rift began to heal rapidly. Within less than a minute, it was completely restored, the sky once again smooth and mirror-like. Perhaps even the ancient earth demon lord himself would find it difficult to reach this level. Who exactly are these two enigmatic figures? As the fiery sphere was finally driven away, Xiao Yan breathed a great sigh of relief in the distant sky. If that fire sphere had continued to expand unchecked, the inner academy would surely have been completely destroyed—making him the very cause of its downfall. For him, that would have been nothing short of a nightmare. Henceforth, he would have to carefully consider before attempting to unleash this terrifying "Destroying Lotus of Fire" again. Of course, the "Destroying Lotus of Fire" is formed by the fusion of four types of flames. The "Birth Fire" he collected today has already been consumed by half. Thus, unless he can find other substitutes in the future, he will only be able to summon this power once more. Even then, the ultimate success remains uncertain. This time, his successful execution of the "Destroying Lotus of Fire" was no small feat—it was truly a matter of luck. As Xiao Yan exhaled in relief, several gusts of wind sounded, and then Su Qian, Xiao Yi Xian, and the others materialized right beside him. After confirming that he wasn't seriously injured, Su Qian waved his hand and murmured, "Come with me. Don't speak out of turn." With that, he moved swiftly toward the two gray figures in the sky. After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Yan also followed, taking Xiao Yi Xian with him. "Heh, Master Su, Master Qian, thank you so much for your timely intervention today. Otherwise, the Inner Courtyard might have truly disappeared..." Bowing slightly before the two gray figures, Su Qian smiled warmly. "Su Qian, as your Senior Elder, you're rather underperforming. If the Inner Courtyard had truly suffered such a catastrophe, I'd say you'd need to die at least ten times to make up for it." One of the gray-robed elders glanced at Su Qian, furrowed his brows, and spoke in a calm yet slightly stern tone. "Both of you elders, this matter today is entirely due to Xiao Yan. If anyone wishes to hold blame, let Xiao Yan bear it—there is no connection to Su Qian, the Senior Elder." As Su Qian smiled wistfully, Xiao Yan quickly interjected. The two gray-robed elders calmly scanned Xiao Yan with their steady, composed gaze, and then a sudden spark of astonishment flashed in their eyes. One of them spoke, "You're... the young man who once controlled the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame?" At the surprise that the two elders remembered him, Xiao Yan nodded slightly, brushing his hair back. "I remember first seeing you—then you were merely a young Grand Duelist, weren't you? In just a few years, you've now reached this level... The Gan Nan Academy has finally produced a truly outstanding student. If Maotian Shi, the old man, were to hear of this, he'd surely be proud." One of the gray-robed elders remarked, marveling. "And the strange flames controlled within the body seem to be of more than one kind as well—capable of stably integrating several such flames. This kind of cultivation technique is truly unparalleled. Young man, when you go out on your journeys, you'll need to be especially cautious..." The other gray-robed elder nodded slightly, his gaze slightly astonished, then spoke slowly. "Thank you, Elder," said Xiao Yan, naturally respectful toward these two superiors whose true capabilities he still didn't fully understand, and promptly replied. "Hmm?" The two gray-robed elders nodded in turn, their eyes shifting, then suddenly settled on the young healer beside Xiao Yan. They exchanged a brief, slightly surprised glance. Noticing the elders' focused gaze, the young healer instinctively tensed, her inner qi flowing gently. "Indeed," one of the gray-robed elders smiled softly, "I didn't expect to encounter someone with the rare condition of Eren Toxin Body after all these years. Truly unexpected." "However, unfortunately... every successive holder of the calamity poison has ended up with a similar fate..." the other gray-robed elder sighed with a touch of nostalgia. Listening to the conversation among the three, Su Qian rolled his eyes and addressed the two gray-robed elders, "You never fail to startle people the moment you appear. If you had shown up earlier, this situation wouldn't have arisen at all. You know the Elder Earth Demon's strength better than anyone—when he comes to settle scores, what can I do against him? It's thanks to Xiao Yan stepping in that things haven't spiraled out of control right now." "You all are always hands-off. The Headmaster hasn't returned once in all these years. You've simply vanished from sight. With such a large academy, I've had to manage everything single-handedly." By the end of his speech, the frustration in Su Qian's tone was clearly evident. Hearing Su Qian's criticism, the two gray-robed elders also found themselves slightly embarrassed. Indeed, these years they had lived a peaceful and carefree life, with hardly any worries. Clearing their throats, they said, "We weren't always like this back then, were we? How easy it is to be the Grand Elder—there's no way the position is that simple. But hasn't that old man returned yet? That's truly irresponsible. He's been away for nearly fifteen years now." "If only I had known back then, I wouldn't have taken over your posts," Su Qian murmured with regret, then turned to Xiao Yan and said, "These two—call them Bai Laoshi and Qian Laoshi. They used to be the Grand Elders of the Gan Nan Academy, and now retired, enjoying their well-earned retirement." Xiao Yan immediately bowed in response. The two gray-robed elders waved him off, indicating he need not be formal, and then slowly added, "You're the one known as the Earth Demon, aren't you? It's been quite some time since we last saw each other. I didn't expect to meet you again today—didn't you think so?" By the end of the conversation, their gazes had strangely turned toward the empty space beyond, their weathered faces bearing a peculiar, half-smiling expression.