The unusual phenomenon that suddenly appeared in the sky also startled Su Qian and the others. Immediately, a series of gusts of wind echoed through the sky, and figures swiftly emerged from the inner courtyard, finally hovering above, their faces serious as they gazed at the dense clouds spreading across the heavens. "Dan Lei..." Su Qian floated above, his expression grave as he watched the lightning weaving through the clouds like a silver serpent. He spoke slowly and deliberately. Beside him, Xiao Yi and Zi Yan also stood suspended in the air, feeling a subtle sense of unease even under the overwhelming presence of the heavens. "Listen, all senior monks and nuns—set up a large array within the inner courtyard. Should the Dan Lei enter the courtyard, act immediately!" The thick clouds had nearly covered half of the inner courtyard. Seeing this, Su Qian raised his voice with growing urgency. "Understood!" "Heard Su Qian's command, the numerous internal court elders could not afford to be slow, all responding with a unified voice, then swiftly descending, eventually dispersing to various corners of the internal courtyard, their powerful qi surging forth from within and resonating with one another at a distance. 'Internal courtyard students—return immediately to your dormitories! Do not wander around!' Seeing the elders standing ready, Su Qian still felt somewhat uneasy, turning his head and issuing the order to the internal courtyard. Though many students had been curious about the unusual sky phenomena, upon seeing Su Qian's serious, weathered face, they all obediently rushed back to their dorms and stood at the door, carefully watching the sky." "Some of the higher-tier elixirs, once they emerge, generate such profound power that they stir the very heavens, eventually culminating in the formation of elixir thunder. Throughout my life, I have only witnessed this phenomenon twice. The first time was when I was young, during my training across the Central Continent, when a seventh-rank alchemist performed a refining ritual—upon the completion of the elixir, the sky subtly rippled with thunder. The second time, as you can see, is precisely now. Moreover, the elixir thunder generated by Xiao Yan today surpasses even that of the seventh-rank alchemist I witnessed back then." After delivering these words, Su Qian finally exhaled a slow breath, lifting his gaze to the towering masses of dark clouds that continued to rumble with thunderous sounds. "Senior Elder, look at this—do you think Xiao Yan can withstand this elixir thunder?" The young female physician, her eyes fixed upon the black-robed young man standing steadily on the stone platform, voiced her growing concern. Hearing this, Su Qian hesitated slightly before shaking his head with a wry smile, saying, "I'm not entirely sure myself. The danao thunder I've witnessed has been rather limited. Back then, when I saw it, the alchemist had summoned three powerful figures—each at the level of three-star battle cultivators—to successfully withstand it. This time, Xiao Yan's danao thunder appears significantly stronger. With just one person, he might face some difficulties." Gently tightening her hands, Xiao Yixian nodded silently, her powerful battle qi beginning to circulate within her. She had already decided that should Xiao Yan falter, she would immediately step in. "Ah, keep a close eye on him. If things go awry, we'll both step in. We may not be able to fully withstand the danao thunder, but at the very least, we can provide substantial support to Xiao Yan," Su Qian sighed, adding. The young physician lightly touched her snow-white chin and said, "Thank you, Senior Elder." As the two spoke, the clouds above grew thicker and heavier, pressing down on the ground as if about to crush it, creating an overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere. From the perspective of those in the inner courtyard, Xiao Yan appeared almost entirely enveloped by dense clouds, within which silver lightning flickered and danced, occasionally colliding to produce thunderous booms—so powerful that it stirred awe and trepidation in everyone present. Thus, the ability of Xiao Yan to remain composed and upright on the stone platform under such circumstances earned the admiration of not only the students but also several elders. On the stone platform, Xiao Yan raised his head, gazing at the thick, nearly adjacent clouds, whose surging thunder roared right beside him, causing a constant hum to resonate within his eardrums. "Is this what the Dan Thunder is like?" Staring intently at the lightning weaving through the clouds like a silver serpent, feeling the immense power within it, a spark of astonishment and intense warmth flickered in Xiao Yan's eyes. For countless alchemists, the greatest aspiration in their lifetime was to create a high-tier medicine capable of summoning thunder-drums—considered a profound honor. Xiao Yan shared this very ambition. He clearly remembered that even when the Elder Pharmacist himself crafted the Spirit of the Land Pill, he had never witnessed such a spectacular display. If the Elder were to see this scene today, he would surely be filled with pride. "Master... you once said that when a disciple successfully produced a medicine capable of summoning thunder-drums, that would mark their qualification to graduate. Alas, you have not been able to witness this moment firsthand..." The silver lightning danced constantly within Xiao Yan's dark gaze. Gently brushing his fingers over the flame mark on his forehead, he murmured softly. "Thunder!—" A silver lightning surged and collided with increasing intensity within the clouds, gradually turning the entire sky into an atmosphere of profound pressure. After roughly ten seconds, the clouds suddenly split open, and then a silver bolt—about half a foot in length and width—roared across the heavens with a thunderous sound, bursting forth like a colossal silver serpent directly from the cloud. Its target, unmistakably, was the purple-red pill resting upon the stone platform—right before Xiao Yan. The silver thunder surged forth, though its force was somewhat diminished as it passed through the spatial arrangements surrounding the stone platform, it still carried the weight of celestial might and struck the shadow with tremendous force, resonating throughout the heavens. As the thunder roared, countless fine electric filaments were flung out by the shadow, densely cascading like slender silver serpents, spreading across the entire platform. "Splitting fire!" The shadow layered upon itself, forming a continuous, unbroken wave, absorbing the entire surge of silver lightning. After a brief pause, a low cry rang out, and several massive shafts of light converged and then burst forth, striking the silver lightning with such force that it was cleaved in two. With this single move, Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, clenched his slightly numb hands, and firmly planted the heavy staff into the stone platform. He then raised his head and commanded, "Continue!" "As if provoked by Xiao Yan's challenge, the dense, dark clouds roared more violently. A moment later, a sharp crack echoed through the air—this time, a silver lightning bolt surged forth from the clouds, twice as powerful as the one before. 'Hah!' With blazing eyes fixed on the silver lightning that spanned the heavens, Xiao Yan burst into laughter, swiftly forming hand seals. 'Open Mountain Seal! Break it!' A massive energy hand seal materialized before him, trembled slightly, then surged forward, finally meeting the colossal bolt head-on, unwavering amid the countless astonished gazes below. 'Boom!' The energy hand seal collided with the giant lightning, causing a brilliant silver glow to explode like fireworks across the sky. In the next instant, the hand seal began to fade, while the silver lightning, though dimmed, remained remarkably resilient and continued to strike Xiao Yan. 'Indeed, you're a force of nature,' Xiao Yan remarked. 'But I'm curious—how many times can you withstand this?' Staring at the silvery lightning that had unexpectedly shattered the mountain-establishing seal, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with surprise before he chuckled and began forming his hand seals again. As his hand seals shifted, another massive energy seal emerged and collided fiercely with the remaining silvery lightning. In a thunderous explosion, both seals were ultimately consumed. Within the inner courtyard, countless spectators were left speechless, their eyes wide with astonishment—alongside a surge of undeniably excited emotion. To withstand and counter the might of heaven and earth with just one person's strength was no small feat; such a display would surely ignite passion in any man, let alone these young trainees still in the early stages of their journey. Gazing at the dense, cascading silver lightning descending from the sky, a surge of fervor flared in Xiao Yan's eyes. Though years of experience had cultivated his calm demeanor, perhaps due to the imminent departure that lay ahead, he now radiated an unusually bold and passionate spirit. Indeed, Xiao Yan now exuded a genuine aura befitting his age—youth, after all, is about daring to act and to fight, even daring to confront the heavens themselves. Beneath him, vibrant emerald flames surged around his body. He lifted his head and roared with laughter, the sound thunderous and resonating throughout the inner courtyard. Then, with a powerful sweep of his sleeves, immense, broad columns of martial energy—each several feet in width—burst forth from within him, surging forward without hesitation to meet the deluge of silver lightning. Boom! Boom! Boom! The colossal thunderbolts exploded one after another in the sky, each detonation causing subtle tremors throughout the very fabric of the realm. Silver lightning poured down from the sky, creating a scene reminiscent of the end of the world, evoking a deep, profound fear that spread through the very essence of every being. On the stone platform, after enduring nearly forty direct clashes with the silver lightning, Xiao Yan's face had grown increasingly pale, with a faint streak of blood appearing at his lips. Yet the fervor blazing in his eyes remained undiminished. A series of tingling, electric forces surged rapidly through his meridians, leaving him feeling increasingly weak, and gradually, his resistance began to wane. As Xiao Yan's resistance softened, the Dan Lightning grew ever more intense, pressing with an unyielding resolve as though it would never cease until it shattered the precious pill. "Boom!" Under the radiant silver glow, a massive silver Dan Lightning, stretching half a zhang in length, burst forth once more from the clouds. Feeling the sheer strength of this silver lightning, Su Qian and Xiao Yi both slightly pale, their bodies shifting as they prepared to intervene. Yet at that very moment, on the stone platform, Xiao Yan suddenly burst out laughing. "Earth Spirit Puppet, appear!" With the laughter, a silver figure materialized before him, then, with a simple fist-clench, delivered a straightforward punch—no flourish, no elegance. The punch struck, and the lightning shattered.