Seeing Xiao Yan's suddenly blazing eyes, Su Qian also sensed what was going through his mind, and gently waved him to calm down. Upon receiving Su Qian's gesture, Xiao Yan nodded in agreement and gradually suppressed his excitement. "Master Qian, why don't you go rest for a while? The hundred elders should be returning shortly," said Su Qian, glancing upward. The earlier group of strong warriors from Mo Yan Valley had fled together with Han Feng, leaving the sky now empty and serene—no longer echoing with the thunderous battle that had once unfolded. With a smile, Su Qian addressed the elder hovering in the sky. At the words, the elder did not hesitate, merely nodded slightly, then lightly stepped through the void, descending slowly toward the ground. Su Qian, Xiao Yan, and the others followed in succession. Upon entering the inner courtyard, elders had already dispersed the startled students. Meanwhile, Xiao Li and the others who had been waiting below quickly approached, their anxious eyes scanning Xiao Yan before urgently asking, "Are you all right?" "Fine, second brother. This is Su Qian, the head elder of the inner courtyard. Thanks to him earlier, I would have surely ended up in serious trouble otherwise." Xiao Yan smiled, pointing to the elder in front of him. "Xiao Li bows to Elder Su." At the mention of this, Xiao Li promptly bowed, having taken in the formidable strength displayed by Elder Su Qian earlier. Naturally, he could not afford to be casual. "Ah, yes." Elder Su nodded with a warm smile. While Xiao Li's abilities were not particularly impressive in his eyes, Xiao Yan's performance had earned him genuine respect, which in turn made his attitude toward Xiao Li more friendly. After exchanging greetings, the group followed Su Qian deeper into the inner courtyard, eventually settling into a spacious living room, where the gathering of people filled the space completely. Everyone sat at separate tables, chatting softly among themselves, while Su Qian reported to the Thousand Elder about various events that had occurred within the inner courtyard over the past few months—particularly the fall of the Heart Flame and several major incidents, all briefly summarized. When the Thousand Elder heard that the final Heart Flame had ended up in Xiao Yan's hands, he paused momentarily, then slowly said to Xiao Yan, "You've truly been fortunate. Back then, Meng Tian Chi discovered the Heart Flame and sealed it, intending to absorb and refine it. However, the Heart Flame evolved some intelligence of its own and consistently resisted, remaining hidden deep within the molten rock underground. It was only recently that it finally came to you—unexpectedly, I must say." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a touch of embarrassment. After all, the Heart Flame was an asset of the inner courtyard. Though there were many reasons for its current situation, being reminded of it now still left him with a sense of guilt. "Rare treasures of heaven and earth, known only to those with a destined connection—no one can force them to be revealed. Thus, you needn't feel guilty at all. The sealed Heart of Flame's downfall has always been a hidden curse; it remains dormant until it inevitably erupts. Should it one day fully break forth, the Inner Courtyard itself will be utterly destroyed. In fact, when I first sealed it, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the decision—such a thing, the more we try to suppress, the harder it becomes to manage in the future." As if sensing Xiao Yan's thoughts, Su Qian spoke calmly. "Yes," Xiao Yan replied promptly. Su Qian smiled slightly and then gently shifted the conversation. About half an hour after Xiao Yan and the others entered the hall, a vague figure suddenly appeared mysteriously, slowly materializing within the hall. Then, the figure revealed itself as the ancient form of the Hundred-Year Elder. With a simple gesture, the elder tossed aside a cold, lifeless body, which was then casually placed upon the floor. The gathered guests quickly turned their attention to the body. Covered in solid, brownish-red scars, the corpse was unmistakably the once-vaunted, arrogant Elder of the Yet at this moment, the founder of Mo Yan Valley—once a renowned powerhouse of the Black Angle Era—had turned into a cold, lifeless corpse. This dramatic transformation prompted many to quietly sigh. Thousand Old, gazing at the corpse whose eyes were filled with resentment, then at the composed, impassive face of Hundred Old, sighed and said, "Our long-standing grievances have now been settled. You've finally released your inner burden. Your chances of reaching the Battle Sovereign rank have grown significantly." Hundred Old nodded slightly, sat silently in the chair beside him, and closed his eyes. "Today's affairs are concluded. Then I and Hundred Old shall return to our meditation retreats. We may not reappear for some time to come. In the meantime, the inner courtyard is yours." Turning to Su Qian upon seeing Hundred Old return, Thousand Old said. Su Qian nodded, but slowly rose and spoke solemnly, "Senior Hundred and Senior Thousand, I would like to ask you for a favor." Hearing this, Thousand Old was momentarily surprised and asked, "What is it?" "This young one has been struck by a severe toxin that can only be fully eliminated by a Dou Zun-level powerhouse—yet Dou Zun-level cultivators are not easily found. I wonder if the combined efforts of the two elders, Thousand and Hundred, might be sufficient to drive out the poison." Su Qian pointed at Xiao Yan, his face serious. Upon hearing Su Qian's words, the elder Thousand and the silent elder Hundred also raised their heads, their gaze turning toward Xiao Yan, eyes flashing with astonishment. "It truly requires a Dou Zun-level cultivator to neutralize it? In all our years of experience, we've rarely encountered such a potent toxin. Come here, young man—let me examine you." "Don't worry, it's alright..." Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly, offering a calming gesture, then quickly rose and hurriedly pulled up his robe to reveal the strange, dark, toxin-encrusted spot on his chest, sealed by intricate runes. He sighed, "This is said to be the 'Mystic Toxin Spot.' It was created by a Cultivator of the Cultivator Realm, who poured all his life force into it. The toxin is extremely potent—only a Cultivator of the Cultivator Realm can effectively expel it." "It's remarkable that a Cultivator of the Cultivator Realm would expend his entire life force just to poison you. He truly knows how to give you, a young lad, the benefit of the doubt." Qian, chuckling, gazed intently at the deep black spot. After a moment, his brows furrowed slightly, a sense of seriousness settling in his eyes. He exchanged a glance with the elder by his side. Then, both of them extended their fingers, and from the tips, a dense surge of cultivation energy flowed out. As the energy rippled, it solidified into two energy crystals, each about half an inch long. Seeing that the two had managed to solidify the ki, everyone present was filled with astonishment. It was said that only the esteemed Douzun-level warriors could achieve such solidification—yet these two had done so as well. With a gentle flick of his fingers, the ki crystal detached from the thousand-and-two elders' fingertips and drifted softly toward the black spot on Xiao Yan's chest. At just an inch's distance, it suddenly burst into fragments, scattering into countless fine crystalline dust that gently settled into the black spot. As the dust settled, Xiao Yan's body trembled violently, and his face twisted in discomfort. The dust seemed like blazing sparks, causing sharp, intense pain to radiate from his chest. The black toxic spots, upon the arrival of the qi crystal dust, suddenly came to life, wriggling and pulsing as if alive. Within the profound darkness, points of luminous gleam flickered and danced—this glow lasted for approximately two minutes before abruptly fading away. A peculiar black mist then seeped out from within the spots, gently spreading and diffusing into the air. "Be careful—it's toxic!" Seeing the spreading mist, the young physician's face slightly tightened. With a graceful gesture, she summoned a surge of gray qi into her hands, enveloping the black mist within it, and then carefully absorbed it back into her body. As her body was naturally a furnace for toxin processing, though this magical toxic spot was exceptionally potent, the relatively small amount posed no real threat to her. As the black mist surged forth, the black spot once again fell into silence and darkness. "Such a potent toxin..." Slowly withdrawing his fingers, the hundred-and-second elders all seemed moved. Their aura crystals had only slightly lightened the magical poison—indeed, no wonder it was a rare formation requiring a Battle Sovereign's lifetime of accumulated aura to create. "Second Elders, how did it go?" Su Qian quickly asked upon seeing both of them lift their hands. The elder shook his head slowly. "It's difficult. We are not true Battle Sovereigns. Previously, we could only produce a modest amount of aura crystals. This person has been exceptionally ruthless. It seems you'll have to seek out Battle Sovereigns to intervene." "Even you couldn't manage it?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt a touch of disappointment, offering a wry smile. "It's not that we can't do anything with this—you've already seen that we're capable of eliminating some toxins. But each time, the amount we can remove is quite small. At this pace, it might take several years before we fully eradicate the toxins. Do you have that much time?" Bai Lao raised his eyes and said. Xiao Yan sighed again. Several years? By then, the toxins might not even be completely eliminated, and the seal would likely break on its own. In that case, it would be better for him to seek out a Supreme Sovereign-level cultivator or absorb and refine the third type of heterofire himself... Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Su Qian sighed and gently patted his shoulder, offering a little comfort. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan bowed deeply to the thousand-and-two elders before slowly sitting back in his chair. Though he had been slightly disappointed, he did not feel discouraged. In truth, when he first saw the elders merely able to expel the toxin from their bodies, he had already suspected that having them attempt to drive out the poison might not be the best course of action. The magical toxin spot indeed posed a significant threat to Xiao Yan, yet it also contained the accumulated qi of a fully established Douzong cultivator—something he had long coveted. If he could gradually refine and absorb this power, as he had done previously, his strength would undoubtedly advance significantly. Therefore, allowing it to dissipate would be a great waste. "It seems," he thought, "that I'll have to rely on myself. As long as I obtain the third type of unique flame, I will be able to refine and absorb the magical toxin spot through my own efforts—my strength will surely grow considerably." At this thought, the slight disappointment in Xiao Yan's heart instantly turned vibrant and passionate.