High in the distance, two streaks of light shot toward them, their rushing wind creating a constant, resonant whistling sound that echoed across the sky. "We are now at the edge of the Northern Region. If we fly on our own, it will likely take us at least two or three months to reach the Dan Region. Fortunately, not far from here lies the city of Tianfeng. There's a spatial wormhole connecting to the heart of Zhongzhou there—by taking that route, we can save nearly half the journey." As the light flashed swiftly, Lin Yan suddenly turned to speak directly to Xiao Yan. Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded. As long as he could reach the Dan Domain promptly, that would be sufficient. Calculating the time, it had already been half a year since he parted from Xiao Yi and the others—he didn’t know how they were doing these days. Seeing Xiao Yan once again return to his ordinary appearance as when they first met, Lin Yan smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, where a vast city silhouette gradually came into view within sight. "Let's go—we're almost there. Speed up!" Lin Yan waved his hand and immediately quickened his pace, rushing toward the distant city, with Xiao Yan following closely behind. As the saying goes, "To reach a mountain, one must ride a horse to exhaustion." Though the city's outline was clearly visible, it took Lin Yan nearly twenty minutes of swift flight before the massive city gradually came into full view. After gliding down and smoothly entering the city known as Tianfeng, Xiao Yan did not immediately head toward the spatial wormhole. Instead, he strolled through the city's largest auction hall, and after spending a considerable amount of money, purchased three types of beast-fire there. This beast-fire is typically drawn from the bodies of various beast-wizards, and its power is generally moderate—some even fall short of even basic qi-congealed flames. Of course, this depends on the rank of the beast-wizard; certain powerful ones possess exceptionally potent inner fires. For instance, Feng Qing'er's strange black flame, though Xiang Yan managed to contain it at the time through the unique power of the special fire, would likely have been difficult to suppress even if Xiang Yan fully unleashed his Lvylian Heart Fire, should it be wielded by elder beings from the Sky-Phoenix Clan. This clearly illustrates the gap in strength between the two. Lin Yan found it rather surprising that Xiang Yan had gathered such beast-fires, yet since Xiang Yan didn't mention it, he didn't inquire further. Only after seeing that Xiang Yan had gathered all the necessary items did Lin Yan take him to the central district of Tianfeng City. ... Standing on the vast central plaza of Tianfeng City, Xiao Yan gazed at the nearly hundred-foot-tall black spatial rift, taking a quiet breath of astonishment. Such a magnificent sight—something he could only have encountered within the Central Region. "The spatial rift of Tianfeng City was constructed jointly by two Douzun-level masters, making it exceptionally sturdy. Over the years, it has never experienced a single spatial storm. As a result, the city's foot traffic within this thousand-li radius likely surpasses that of any other city in the region," Lin Yan smiled, observing Xiao Yan's awed expression. "Two Douzun-level masters—now I understand." Hearing this, Xiao Yan finally felt a sense of clarity. Throughout his years, he had encountered only a handful of Douzun-level masters, and the real ones he had personally seen were only a few days ago on Leishan Mountain. In the past, such a level of strength had always seemed utterly unattainable to him. "Come on, it's getting late. If we delay any further, the spatial wormhole will close today." Lin Yan waved his hand and quickly ascended the stone staircase. After paying two substantial fees—quite hefty—to the guards stationed before the wormhole, the two were finally able to enter. "Hehe, fortunately, when I defeated those two six-tiered beast warriors, I managed to make it into a cave by sheer luck. The martial technique I'm currently practicing was obtained from that very cave. Though it looks rather clumsy and unattractive when in use, it's actually of mid-earth tier quality." As he spoke, Lin Yan couldn't help but be enthusiastic, clearly impressed by the significant gains from that initial encounter. "What's the name of this martial technique?" Xiao Yan was equally curious. He had witnessed Lin Yan's technique firsthand—though unrefined in appearance, it was undoubtedly highly practical. "Fruit-Duck Evade-Fire Step." Lin Yan slightly tilted his head, a bit embarrassed, as the name of the technique was just as unimpressive as its execution. "A very solid martial technique. With this, even some six-star Emperor-level combatants might find it difficult to keep up." Xiao Yan glanced at the line of people ahead and nodded gently. "The Bat-Duck Evade Step also comes with a corresponding technique known as the Fire Bat Technique, though it's only a lower-tier Earth Rank. Hehe, I've been able to achieve the strength I have over the years thanks entirely to this Fire Bat Technique..." Lin Yan smiled proudly and leaned closer to Xiao Yan. Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled as well, then softly sighed inwardly. The Burned Decree had always remained at the lower level of Earth Rank—enough to allow him to flourish at the Emperor-level stage. But now, having ascended to the Grand Master rank, the demands on his techniques had become increasingly stringent. It was clear he needed to upgrade his technique level soon. As Xiao Yan pondered, it was their turn among the group ahead. With a single step forward, the two entered the vast space wormhole, and a ripple of spatial energy surged, vanishing them entirely. Once the space ship's flight stabilized, Lin Yan turned slightly and smiled at Xiao Yan in the cabin. Hearing this, Xiao Yan did not hesitate, merely nodded with a smile—precisely because he also needed this month to thoroughly study the Long Yan Ju. With a mere thought, a crimson scroll instantly materialized before him, radiating a warm, intense heat. This, of course, was the Long Yan Ju he had obtained during his time in the Magic Fire Valley. Previously, the Long Yan Ju required three practitioners to jointly cultivate in order to generate the "Born Fire"; however, the version in Xiao Yan's hands had been refined over several years by the Earth Demon Elder. Not only did it no longer require three practitioners, but the "Born Fire" generated no longer consumed the cultivator's vital energy—making it vastly superior to the original version. Indeed, even Xiao Yan occasionally marveled at the Earth Demon Elder's skill, as refining a cultivation technique was far from a simple task. As he slowly spread his hands to unfold the scroll, his soul energy gradually seeped into it, and a vast amount of information flooded into his mind—precisely the true method of cultivating the Long Yan Ju.