Seeing that all eyes in the hall were focused on Xiao Yan, Tang Zhen was also momentarily taken aback, hesitating slightly before speaking, "Young friend, would you like to give it a try?" He naturally knew that many of the attendees were there merely to watch the spectacle, but in his view, Xiao Yan had come all the way to Burned Flame Valley—surely he must possess some ability. After all, he had great confidence in the competence of the Red-Fire Elder. Standing beside Tang Zhen, the red-robed woman crossed her arms and watched Xiao Yan with keen interest, equally curious to find out whether the young man praised so highly by Tang Zhen truly had talent—or if he was merely a novice. "Since I've come to Burned Flame Valley, I suppose I must give the test a try," Xiao Yan smiled gently and nodded slowly under the collective gaze. Hearing this, several master alchemists in the hall couldn't help but display a look of scorn—after all, even they had struggled to endure the Nine Dragon Thunder罡 fire for long, let alone this young, inexperienced lad. "Since Rock Jiao has shown some interest, then please go ahead and attempt it. If you succeed, we shall have just two people—perfectly matching Master Huan's number." Tang Zhen smiled, somewhat surprised by Xiao Yan's courage. With a gentle gesture of his hand, he added. Xiao Yan slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed upon the silver flame floating in mid-air above the hall. Then, with a simple grasp of his palm, a slender, emerald flame rose gracefully. At this point, Xiao Yan's command over the Lüli Lianxin fire had reached a level of effortless mastery—without exaggeration, among those present, even the two esteemed guest elders from the Dan Tower could hardly match him, save perhaps Tang Zhen, whose depth of insight remained unparalleled. The emergence of that emerald flame also caused several people in the hall to furrow their brows. Under Xiao Yan's deliberate suppression, they barely sensed any warmth radiating from the flame. "Such a cool flame—perhaps even cooler than some condensed qi flames?" Though the seated master pharmacists were proud and discerning, they naturally recognized that the temperature they perceived wasn't the flame's true nature. Yet they remained puzzled as to why Xiao Yan had specifically suppressed the flame's intensity. The Huolian rotated slowly, its entire body a lush, jade-like green, flawless and exquisite—like a work of art, so captivating that one couldn’t help but feel compelled to hold it. With a gentle flick of the finger, the Huolian drifted slowly toward the silver flame floating in midair, then, under the intense gaze of all present, seamlessly merged into it. As the jade-green Huolian entered the silver flame, the nine fire dragons instantly sensed the change, rising with a deep, resonant roar and charging forward with great speed. Witnessing this, several master pharmacists exchanged a look of cold contempt, their eyes filled with mocking disbelief—exactly as if they had already seen Xiao Yan’s awkward predicament moments later. Yet the scene they had anticipated did not unfold as they had expected. As their cold expressions had just begun to form, they suddenly froze, their eyes widening in astonishment across the hall. Within the silver flame, the nine fiery dragons, just as they surged forward with fierce momentum into the midst of the emerald fire lotus, suddenly halted. And then, what astonished everyone was revealed: the dragons, previously so majestic and imposing, now seemed to have encountered something terrifying, and in a flash, darted backward as if struck by fear! At that very moment, Tang Zhen's expression grew steadily more serious. The flame that was so formidable even the Nine Dragon Thunder罡Fire feared was rare in this world, and now he was certain that the jade-green flame summoned by Xiao Yan was indeed a unique kind of heteroflame. "The flame appears jade-green. On the Heteroflame List, no flame matches this hue exactly. The only one resembling it is the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame ranked nineteenth, but even that is far less vibrant in color. Moreover, even if it truly were the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame, it wouldn't command such profound reverence from the Nine Dragon Thunder罡Fire. This young man seems no ordinary person..." Tang Zhen murmured to himself, never having imagined that the young man before him possessed such a rare heteroflame. At this thought, the woman in red couldn't help but feel a sudden urge to act—had the setting not been so unfavorable, she would have stepped forward immediately to challenge Xiao Yan. This wasn't the first time she'd done something like this, and for someone of her gender, her competitiveness was truly remarkable, even leaving Tang Zhen utterly at a loss. The two Dan Tower guest senior elders inside the hall also displayed a look of growing astonishment—given their experience, they could already intuitively sense what that emerald flame was. "It's surprising... this young man, who appears so youthful, possesses a unique fire—imagine how many alchemists would be captivated if this were to become known." As he thought this, the two exchanged glances, subtly scanning the hall. Indeed, several attendees now displayed clear signs of eager anticipation. These individuals were all well-known figures within the Central Region. The fact that even they were so eager underscored just how compelling the unique fire was to alchemists. Congratulations to Xiao Yanjiao, now with your arrival, I can truly say we have gathered a sufficient number of people." Tang Zhen gently stroked his beard, laughed heartily, and then turned his gaze toward the Elder Chi-Huo, saying, "Chi-Huo, as always, you've done an admirable job—managing to find such a promising young talent as Xiao Yanjiao." Upon hearing this, Elder Chi-Huo's face brightened with a smile and respectfully replied, "It's merely good fortune; to have encountered Xiao Yanjiao is truly a stroke of luck for me." However, upon hearing Tang Zhen's words, several of the master pharmacologists in the hall appeared somewhat uneasy, especially the Master Mo who had previously mocked Xiao Xin. His face now looked as though he had swallowed a fly—something entirely unexpected, and something he could not comprehend at all. After all, how could a young man of Xiao Xin's age possibly possess such a rare Fire of the Strange Origin? "It's nothing special—just relying on the advantage of the Strange Fire," Master Mo managed, his lips twitching, still stubbornly maintaining his cold, dismissive tone. Regarding this exceedingly irksome old man, Xiao Yan was utterly indifferent, glancing at him briefly before turning away and completely ignoring him. Tang Zhen smiled, and with his keen eye, he clearly recognized that the young man named Yan Xiao was undoubtedly highly skilled—perhaps only a few among the present guests could rival him in the art of herbal medicine. "Rest assured, during the preparation of the pills, we will have everyone present to observe," Tang Zhen said. Upon hearing this, Master Mo's expression grew even more scornful, and he turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan, saying calmly, "Though you possess the extraordinary fire, if your skill falls short, it will only serve to worsen matters. Should you inadvertently damage the rare herbs and ingredients that Tang Master has carefully prepared, you will certainly be unable to compensate." "Thank you for the reminder," Xiao Yan smiled gently. "Master Mo, please stay by and observe. The task of assisting Tang Master in preparing the pills will be handled by me and Master Huan." Xiao Yan's subtly sarcastic words immediately caused Master Mo to freeze, his facial muscles twitching continuously, his hands gripping the teacup trembling incessantly—it was clear he was deeply offended. "Pfft." The red-robed woman, seeing Xiao Yan's single remark drive Master Mo to such a state, couldn't help but chuckle, though she quickly suppressed the sound under Tang Zhen's stern gaze. "Ah, let's all drop this debate," Tang Zhen waved a hand, smiling lightly. "While the herbs for preparing the pills are indeed precious, with our Burned-Inn Valley's capabilities, we can certainly gather them. Therefore, when assisting me in the pill-making process, you won't need to feel any psychological pressure at all..." "Moreover, this batch of pills isn't a simple task. So, I'd like to make my expectations clear upfront: as long as both of you help me successfully complete the pills, your compensation will certainly be satisfactory—ah, of course, if there's anything you'd like from me, just let me know." Hearing Tang Zhen's words, Xiao Yan's heart stirred instantly, and he bowed with a smile, saying, "I wonder if the compensation includes any of Fengyan Valley's techniques or battle skills?" Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen was momentarily taken aback, glanced at Xiao Yan with a thoughtful expression, and smiled, "As long as it's not one of our Valley's closely guarded secrets, everything else is included. I'd like to know, which one would Rock Xiao have a particular interest in?"