Gazing at Xiao Yan, whose blood had been wiped from the corner of his mouth yet whose body remained as straight as a spear, exuding an unmistakable sharpness throughout his frame, the disciples of Fenyan Valley around the open space all quietly admired, never having expected that Xiao Yan could withstand Wu Chen's fierce attacks for so long. In the air, Wu Chen's figure also descended lightly, his foot striking the ground with force, releasing a powerful surge of dark energy. Instantly, the solid stone slab beneath him turned into a fine powder. With a gentle sweep of his robe, Wu Chen narrowed his eyes, gazing toward Xiao Yan a few paces away, and said softly, "A solid technique—strong in power. If our strength levels weren't so vastly different, I'd have to admit that even I might not have dared to meet this attack head-on." At Wu Chen's words, Xiao Yan's mind flashed a quiet scorn, yet the seriousness on his face deepened. Though he didn't particularly care for Wu Chen, the latter was a star-ranked cultivator of the eighth rank. If he didn't take him seriously, he simply wouldn't last ten rounds. Moreover, here, he couldn't even deploy his Heavenly Fire Triple Transformation—otherwise, Wu Chen would surely use it as another point of argument. In that case, whatever he said would likely fall on deaf ears. "The Tian-Gang Shattered Stone Steps of this old fellow are incredibly powerful in their burst, though still not quite as agile as the Three-Thousand-Thunder Steps. He'll need to give it his all for a few more rounds—seems he'll have to push himself to the limit..." Xiao Yan's expression grew increasingly serious, his vast green aura overflowing throughout his body, enveloping him like flames, radiating waves of intense, vibrant heat from within. "But if you're relying solely on these abilities, you might not last through the next few rounds..." Wu Chen smiled, a subtle sense of pride hidden in his eyes. With a firm grasp of his hands, the flames danced around his palms, and as he clenched them tightly, even the surrounding space subtly warped. As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chen stomped his foot again, causing a stone slab to explode in a thunderous sound. With a low sonic boom, he shot forward, appearing in front of Xiao Yan just in a single blink—over a hundred meters away. In the depths of his black eyes, red shadows flickered forward, causing Xiao Yan's face to pale. Almost instinctively, he unleashed the "Three Thousand Thunder Waves," and hurriedly stepped back. Crack! As he retreated, the red shadows materialized suddenly, seizing his sleeve with a firm grasp. A surge of fiery light rolled through, tearing the sleeve right off, leaving delicate streaks of blood behind. Xiao Yan stumbled back, his expression solemn. He glanced at the now bare arm, where five deep crimson streaks had just appeared—each now tinged with dark, scorched marks, clearly the result of Wu Chen's pure yang hands. "Your reaction is quite good," Wu Chen said, casually tossing aside the sleeve fragments from his palm. He glanced at Xiao Yan, who was retreating swiftly, and offered a quiet smile. "Though next time, you won't have such good fortune." Xiao Yan's expression was slightly gloomy. The gap between an Eight-Star Doctrine Master and a One-Star Doctrine Master was indeed significant; had it not been for the effect of the Three-Thousand-Thunder Surge, he would have been defeated by Wu Chen long ago. Yet compared to when he first encountered Fei Tian, where he had only managed to escape, this situation was vastly better. Though currently somewhat disheveled, Xiao Yan still had the ability to maneuver and respond. "If we don't unleash the Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus, it will be difficult to sustain this pace..." As he retreated, the light in his eyes flashed rapidly. "This time, let's settle this completely..." Wu Chen gazed calmly at Xiao Yan as he retreated, and then finally raised his steps, bringing them down with a resounding impact! At the very instant Wu Chen's foot touched the ground, Xiao Yan's retreating form also suddenly halted, his foot slamming down with such force that it shattered the hard stone planks into powder. A sweep of his sleeve sent the dust swirling outward, blurring the vision of onlookers. Though the dust had spread, Wu Chen remained undeterred. With a cold laugh at what he deemed a mere petty trick, he surged forward with a sharp exhalation. This palm strike was solid, its powerful force directly propelling Xiao Yan flying outward. Amidst the surrounding gasps of astonishment, he landed heavily on the ground some hundred meters away, causing a series of cracks—each as wide as a human arm—to radiate from the hard floor upon impact. On the steps, several elders from Burned Flame Valley had their expressions subtly altered, and Tang Huo'er's hands were directly pressed to her lips, surprised that Xiao Yan had revealed such a significant flaw to Wu Chen... As Xiao Yan's body landed on the ground, he staggered, attempting to rise, yet Wu Chen frowned, moved swiftly, and appeared beside him, seizing Xiao Yan's neck and lifting him gently. He then said calmly, "Submit. If I wished to kill you, you would already be dead by now." Held by Wu Chen's grip, Xiao Yan's feet bounced slightly, yet a strange smile appeared on his pale face. With a hoarse voice, he said, "It's the ninth round..." Hearing this, Wu Chen was momentarily stunned. Before he could recover, Xiao Yan, still held at his neck, suddenly burst into a loud crack and then vanished silently. This unexpected development left most of the audience stunned, even Wu Chen himself, who paused for a moment before suddenly regaining his composure and sharply turning his gaze toward the spot where Xiao Yan had once stood. Now, the dust there had gradually lightened, and from within, a figure emerged slowly, stepping forward. Soon, the "Spirit body?" Lü Chen's expression gradually darkened, and after a moment, the four words finally emerged from between his teeth. Seeing Lü Chen's somber demeanor, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile—this old man had finally been outwitted, caught off guard with a spirit body, and had been thoroughly beaten. Tang Zhen, standing on the steps, slowly nodded, his eyes filled with admiration. At this crucial moment, Xiao Yan had managed to use such a tactic to draw Lü Chen away—had the spirit body been any stronger, it might have easily gone through the ten rounds unscathed. Tang Huo'er, beside him, exhaled a long breath of relief and then smiled lightly, saying, "Xiao Yan truly is clever." On the field, Lü Chen stared at the smiling Xiao Yan with a grave expression. After a pause, he took a deep breath and slowly said, "I must admit I've underestimated you. Yet you needn't be so pleased—there's still one final round left. This time, I will not hold back a single hand!" As soon as the words fell, a sharp intensity flashed in Wu Chen's eyes, clearly indicating that his pride had been severely wounded by his recent defeat at Xiao Yin's hands. At that moment, the brilliant crimson glow surged forth from within him like flames, flowing continuously—until even his once-white hair transformed instantly into a vibrant red, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle that seemed as though the God of Fire had descended. The elders on the platform, including Tang Zhen, exchanged subtle expressions of surprise. Everyone knew that Wu Chen had now truly taken his performance seriously; yet, to display such powerful techniques against a junior disciple in this setting was indeed rather unkind—almost disrespectful. "This old man is getting more and more unbearable," Tang Zhen murmured, his voice laced with unmistakable anger. This time, the master of Burned Flame Valley had truly lost his temper. To the side, the second elder, Zhang, opened his mouth, but under the terrifying pressure radiating from Tang Zhen, he could only close it again. He hadn't expected that Wu Chen would be pushed to such a pass by Xiao Yan. Though Wu Chen hadn't felt Tang Zhen's fury, he himself was now filled with rage—how could it be that, with his own strength, he had been outmatched by Xiao Yan? This was something he found hard to accept, especially in front of so many people. Under the vast and powerful flame cultivation energy, the very heavens and earth around Wu Chen grew turbulent. In an instant, he forcefully stomped his feet, and cracks as thick as arms burst outward from the point of his feet, spreading rapidly in all directions. Then, with a sudden point of his toes— "Boom!" A brilliant voice resonated, and Wu Chen's body transformed into a streak of fiery light, shooting forth like a lightning bolt. Within less than a breath, he appeared directly above Xiao Yan. The once-weathered face now bore a faint, fierce intensity. "Too-Yi Fire-Loft Palm!" The massive palm was now enveloped in blinding crimson light, radiating an overwhelming force, and surged downward with fury toward Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan lifted his head, his eyes filled with blazing red hues. A cold, composed smile gradually spread across his face. He raised his hand, the sleeve sweeping across the air—then, suddenly, a stunning, three-colored lotus of flame materialized before everyone's eyes. At the very moment the three-colored lotus appeared, Tang Zhen, standing on the steps, instantly turned pale.