When the last streak of emerald flame receded into Xiao Yan's body, the previously surging momentum finally settled down... Though no aura spilled outward from Xiao Yan's surface, an invisible pressure rapidly expanded from him as a center. This pressure surpassed even that of Hong Chen after his divine thunder manifestation. If Hong Chen currently stood at the peak of the nine-star Emperor level, then Xiao Yan had truly reached the pinnacle of the Emperor rank, mere steps away from the realm of the Master. "Such a powerful technique... even the Divine Thunder Manifestation of Fenglei Pavilion falls short in comparison. Heh, it seems Xue'er has truly brought in a truly extraordinary deity for my Han family." On the Han family's seat, Han Chi, gazing at Xiao Yan whose aura now matched his own in strength, could not help but be struck with admiration, smiling as he spoke. "Back then, when he was still just a regular Grand Master within the Inner Court, he dared only to participate in battles among Grand Pharaohs. Now, after several years have passed, his achievements have naturally grown far more impressive. Though Hong Chen is talented, even before Xiao Yan, he can only trail behind." Han Yue smiled warmly, delighted to see Xiao Yan gaining the upper hand. After all, this matter was deeply tied to her lifelong aspirations—she couldn't help but feel genuinely excited, though she would certainly have been nervous if she hadn't been truly enthusiastic. Han Xue, standing by, listened intently to Han Chi's words and offered a gentle smile, her beautiful eyes fixed steadily on the young man clad in plain hemp robes on the stage. To her, that ordinary attire—so commonplace in daily sight—now seemed to radiate a unique, subtle sharpness, much like a world-class sword concealed within an unassuming sheath, exuding an unmistakable, formidable aura of intensity. At this moment, the young man stood as the most radiant presence on the celestial stone platform. This small step—many strong ones, even over a lifetime, had never managed to take it. The difficulty was truly unimaginable. "If I still possessed the final two transformations of the Heavenly Fire Triple Perfection, and if I paired them with the Strange Fire, would I be able to break through that barrier?" Xiao Yan's eyes sparkled, his heart blazing with excitement. Perhaps this method actually worked. Maybe one day, he could try it out. As these thoughts passed through his mind, Xiao Yan quickly brought his focus back to the present, slowly lifting his gaze and offering a warm smile to Hong Chen, who looked deeply serious. Then, he clenched his palm tightly around the heavy staff and gently stepped forward. With that single step, the distance of several dozen zhang was covered in a single, astonishing flash. At the very moment Xiao Yan stepped, Hong Chen's face slightly tightened. Silver lightning surged from his legs, and then his body trembled— "Shhh!" A dark, heavy staff suddenly appeared at Hong Chen's head and struck his forehead with force, yet no blood spilled—it instead pierced straight through. "Three thousand thunderclaps?" Hong Chen's mind flashed with a quiet smile as he took a sudden, odd step sideways, shifting ten paces. The staff now resembled a spear, aimed precisely at a point in front of him. "Clang!" As the staff made contact, a dark iron hammer materialized from the void and collided with it. Immediately, a figure emerged, stepping back rapidly along the ground for several strides before finally steadying himself. Why had the Three Thousand Thunderclaps had no effect at all? "Once more, Xiao Yan effortlessly pinpointed Hong Chen's position, and a flicker of astonishment passed through Hong Chen's eyes. His hands, gripping the Hao Lei hammer, trembled slightly—Xiao Yan's fierce strike had nearly rendered his entire arm numb. After unleashing the Tian Huo San Xuan Transformation, Xiao Yan's strength was clearly now surpassing Hong Chen's. With a single footstep, Xiao Yan pushed Hong Chen back by a foot, then swiftly advanced, each step covering nearly ten meters. In moments, he closed the gap once again. His arms now shook, generating a continuous stream of foot-long shadows that cascaded like waves, overlapping one upon another, and crashing powerfully against Hong Chen. On the plaza, two figures continuously flickered into view, moving with astonishing speed. Ordinary observers could only hear the constant clashing of weapons and the bursts of sparks shooting forth, while only those with keen eyesight could manage to catch glimpses of their forms. After Xiao Yan had fully unleashed his Tianhuo Sanxuan Transformation, Hong Chen had nearly been completely outmatched. In terms of combat power, he fell short of Xiao Yan's robustness; in terms of footwork, Xiao Yan possessed soul perception, allowing him to constantly detect Hong Chen's position; and in terms of physical strength, Xiao Yan's body, having been refined through countless celestial treasures and unique flames, far surpassed Hong Chen's. With all these aspects now at a disadvantage, how could Hong Chen possibly hold his own against Xiao Yan? The situation on the field was clearly evident to anyone with sharp eyes—Hong Chen's advantages were being rapidly eroded. Naturally, members of the Han and Hong families, who were keenly aware of this shift, were no exception. The Han family's expressions grew increasingly warm and confident, while the Hong family members grew steadily more somber. They had long held unwavering confidence in Hong Chen, rooted in his consistent performance over the years and his current strength. Yet they had never anticipated that the Han family would truly identify a young contender capable not only of matching but surpassing Hong Chen. This development came as a complete surprise. With a single palm strike, a powerful surge of force poured over Hong Chen like a flood, instantly causing his face to pale and a gush of blood to spurt from his mouth. His body then shot backward, skidding across the ground and leaving a trail of over ten meters before gradually coming to a halt. The sudden development on the field immediately drew a wave of gasps and exclamations from the surrounding spectators. This was the first time since the two had been fighting hand-to-hand that someone had genuinely bled and been injured. And when they saw that the one retreating wounded was none other than Hong Chen, their expressions of shock deepened even further. As the battle progressed, those who had been observing closely noticed that throughout the entire encounter, Hong Chen had never once touched or soiled Xiang Yin's garments—yet he himself had ended up in an unusually disheveled condition. After repelling Hong Chen with his palm strike, Xiang Yin slightly raised his eyes, glanced at the fallen figure at the far end of the ground, and said calmly, "Get up. That single palm strike won't kill you." "Hmph. Hong Chen's face was cold and grim, his eyes filled with fury. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then slowly rose to his feet, his eerie voice echoing, "Among my peers, you are the first to drive me to this pass." Wiping the blood from his lips, he lifted his gaze, revealing eyes like those of a wounded beast. With a sharp bite to his tongue, he sent a gush of blood spraying forth, which fully soaked the Hao Lei Hammer before him. As the blood spread across the hammer, a distinct scent of blood began to rise from it. Grasping the Hao Lei Hammer tightly, Hong Chen took a deep breath, and then a roar erupted from his throat—a furious surge of thunderous cultivation energy, like electric sparks, surged forth from within him and gathered fully in his palm, concentrating upon the hammer. As more and more thunder energy accumulated, the blood stains on the hammer gradually dispersed and blended into the energy, amplifying the hammer's raw, explosive power exponentially. Watching Hong Chen's actions on the field, everyone at the Hong family's seating area exchanged slightly concerned glances. The gray-robed elder sighed softly and said, "He's managed to push Hong Chen to use the combat technique personally transmitted to him by our Northern Pavilion's master. Xiao Yan truly is strong—perhaps among his peers throughout the Fenglei Northern Pavilion, few can match him. Unless..." The elder paused briefly, then murmured, "Unless Feng Miss steps in..." Upon hearing this, Hong Li's body instantly stiffened. He lowered his voice in astonishment, asking, "Feng Miss? Is that the Fenglei Pavilion's only Miss in the past century to have passed the Thunder Tower examination, as mentioned by Fan Elder?" The gray-robed elder nodded calmly, said nothing further, and fixed his gaze steadily on the field. A hoarse cry suddenly erupted from within the lightning surge, and immediately, Hong Chen's Haolei Mallet, like a colossal heavenly thunderbolt, slammed hard onto the ground. At that instant, the entire Tianshi Platform shuddered violently. Faced with the terrifying speed and attacks of this fierce thunder beast, Xiao Yan was also slightly startled. A silver glow suddenly appeared beneath his feet, and then his body shot backward in a series of blurred silhouettes, effortlessly evading the lightning-fast assault. However, just as he had retreated a short distance, Xiao Yan suddenly stopped mid-motion, as though he had realized something crucial, and murmured to himself, "Oh no!" At that very instant when Xiao Yan's body halted, the gray-robed elder seated at the Hong family's position suddenly widened his eyes in astonishment, then sprang to his feet, his robes fluttering without a breeze. He fixed his gaze firmly on Xiao Yan and declared in a measured, deliberate tone: "Three thousand thunder strikes?"