Inside the room, soft light illuminated Xiao Yan's ever-changing face. Before him, a slow, steady flame of gray-brown hue rose gently, radiating warm heat. After a long silence, Xiao Yan finally exhaled slowly, extended his hand, and the gray-brown "Born Flame" settled into his palm. Gazing at the flame, he chuckled faintly, slightly opened his mouth, and then drew it back into his body once more. Regarding the so-called Central Plains, Xiao Yan has always harbored the greatest apprehension. This gathering of the continent's most elite warriors is the grandest stage on the land—where strength abounds, and to thrive there, one must possess genuine prowess; otherwise, one will merely serve as a stepping stone for others. Though Xiao Yan has now ascended to the rank of Five-Star Battle Emperor and is among the ranks of the powerful, he is well aware that this level of strength would be considered merely average within the Central Plains. Thus, he must rely on vital reserves to ensure his survival. Among these, the "Destruction Fire Lotus"—formed by the fusion of these four flames—is the most potent. It will serve as Xiao Yan's final, most crucial reserve. Among the choice between immediately enhancing his own strength and securing a backup for himself, Xiao Yan chose the latter. He had agreed to help Xinlan reestablish her family's position among the "Dantai" elders, though he still wasn't entirely clear on just how difficult this task would be—yet he could vaguely sense that it would certainly not be easy. With that in mind, he realized he would need something that could guarantee his own survival. The "Destroying Flame Lotus," formed by the fusion of the four flames, was precisely that. After undergoing the trials, Xiao Yan had established clear expectations: the "Destroying Flame Lotus" was capable of posing a serious threat to any Douzong cultivator of seven or eight stars in strength, and even against weaker Douzong cultivators, it could potentially deliver a decisive, instant defeat. This had been personally verified by the Earth Demon elder himself—had it not been for his rudimentary spatial abilities, which allowed him to hide within spatial fissures, he likely would have perished under the onslaught. Even after escaping thanks to those spatial techniques, the elder had been left in a state of severe distress. Thus, Xiao Yan now held strong confidence in the "Destroying Flame Lotus." With this power safeguard Within this "Born-Flame," the robust qi of the three senior elders from the Magic Flame Valley has been condensed. If preserved by ordinary means, it would inevitably dissipate over time. However, Xiao Yan can directly envelop and store it within his body using the unique flame, ensuring no leakage of qi and enabling long-term preservation. With the Born-Flame carefully stored within him, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief. Yet, he soon fell into thoughtful contemplation. After today's intense battle, he had begun to sense that his current strength, while steadily growing, was increasingly strained when facing opponents whose power had grown stronger and more formidable. It seemed clear that, before his journey to the Central Plains, he would need to dedicate time to rigorous cultivation. He must strengthen his abilities as swiftly as possible—without disrupting the balance of his internal foundation—so that he would be better prepared for the challenges ahead in the Central Plains. Two requirements, though seemingly simple, are actually quite rigorous—balancing both rapid progress and steady, solid advancement. Achieving both simultaneously is no easy feat, unless one can find an exceptionally suitable place for cultivation, one ideally tailored to Xiao Yan's needs. In truth, the conditions are not particularly demanding, as Xiao Yan merely requires a location where fire-energy is highly concentrated and refined. Of course, if such a place is also relatively quiet and undisturbed, that would be even more ideal. This so-called "Six-Direction Body-Flow Ruler" ranks even higher than Xiao Yan's "Flame-Splitting Wave-Consuming Ruler," and its power must surely be no less impressive; otherwise, paying such a premium for it would indeed be rather unwise. The scroll is a vibrant, deep crimson, resembling a slice of red crystal, striking in appearance. Xiao Yan slowly spread his hands to unfold the scroll, closed his eyes, and allowed his spiritual energy to rise from his brow, eventually seeping into the scroll. As Xiao Yan's soul power made contact with the scroll, a gentle glow of red surged forth, and a vivid crimson world unfolded within his soul vision... Here lay a lake of molten rock, with hot bubbles continuously rising and bursting on its surface. Each burst sent up a delicate plume of warm mist. Xiao Yan knew this was a world meticulously inscribed by the scroll's creator using soul power—specifically designed to record high-level combat techniques. Such soul-inscribed scrolls carried the creator's personal insights and understanding of the techniques, allowing later practitioners to indirectly inherit these experiences and find their own cultivation journey slightly smoother. As Xiao Yan's soul entered deeper, a yellow, slightly blurred figure gradually materialized upon the surface of the molten lake, standing upright on the searing rock. In his hands, he held a red iron ruler, approximately half a zhang in width. This crimson iron ruler, though not as broad and solid as Xiao Yan's Xuanzhong ruler, carried a touch of greater sensitivity. As for the faint, blurred figure, Xiao Yan knew it was merely a soul imprint left by the scroll's creator. The yellow, indistinct figure, soon after appearing, immediately began to act. With a powerful thrust of its foot, it generated a mighty force that shook the lava lake so violently that waves of fire surged forth. As the lava waves surged, the figure suddenly moved, its crimson ruler drawing intricate, elegant patterns through the air. Though the yellow figure moved the ruler at a moderate pace, the motion flowed with a seamless, fluid grace—each technique flowing smoothly into the next, forming a continuous chain. Red ruler shadows spiraled around the figure, and as the surging lava rushed past, every droplet of molten rock was intercepted by these shadows, none of them passing through the ruler's defense to land upon the yellow figure's body. Xiao Yan's soul was profoundly astonished by the yellow figure dancing freely within the molten lake. With his keen eyesight, he knew that this yellow figure had not used qi to shield his body at all, but instead had completely enveloped himself in an impenetrable layer of incantation defense through the subtle mastery of the technique. While he couldn't yet judge the strength of its offensive capabilities, the sheer defensive power alone was enough to deeply impress Xiao Yan. As Xiao Yan was astonished by the peculiar technique of the yellow figure, a deep, resonant voice gradually echoed through this realm of souls—likely the founder of this technique. Upon hearing it, Xiao Yan immediately focused his attention and carefully absorbed every word of the elder's explanation regarding the "Six Harmonies Flowing Body Technique." When the final sentence of the voice fell, Xiao Yan slowly regained his composure. He turned his gaze once more to the yellow figure tirelessly performing the technique upon the lake, and gradually, a growing clarity dawned upon his eyes. What had previously seemed entirely invisible to him began to reveal its underlying structure and potential. Silently observing the dance of the yellow figure over a hundred times, Xiao Yan finally exhaled deeply, a relieved smile spreading across his face. Indeed, at this price, the Flower had secured a worthy technique—beyond mere soul imprints, it also retained residual soul energy to explain the techniques in detail. Though the explanation had been brief, it had proven immensely beneficial for Xiao Yan's cultivation of the Six-Direction Flowing Body Technique. Simply put, thanks to this guidance, Xiao Yan could save at least half the time he would otherwise spend painstakingly studying and refining the technique. "That underground world beneath the Burned Qi Tower... wasn't it exactly a world of molten rock?..." Recalling the dormant realm beneath the earth that had slumbered nearly three years, the dark gleam in Xiao Yan's eyes sparkled brightly. The fiery energy there was immense and refined—using it for cultivation would surely propel his strength to remarkable heights in a short span of time!