To Xiang Yan's surprise, he actually accepted the wager—even Gao Dan couldn't help but be momentarily stunned, a cold smile gradually spreading across his face. "Indeed, you have the courage!" Gao Dan chuckled, either in admiration or scorn, then turned to the gray-robed elder and bowed respectfully, "Master Ku, I shall take charge of this matter." Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder nodded calmly, though a subtle sense of relief washed over him. The clear, composed gaze of Xiao Yixian always made him feel uneasy. While he had heard of the "Harsh Toxic Body" before, he had never seen one at the level of Dou Zun—this was the first time. "Everyone, step back," Gao Dan said, turning to the group behind him and waving his hand. The others promptly moved aside, clearing a space in the courtyard. "Master Xiao, you truly intend to compete against him in the fire game?" Ye Zong saw the scene, hesitated slightly, and couldn't help but whisper softly. Cao Dan's reputation for handling fire was truly formidable—though Xiao Yan himself was a seventh-rank alchemist, if it came down to pure fire manipulation, the situation would indeed be quite perilous. Xiao Yan nodded slightly. If he could manage to send these people away with the least amount of effort, that would naturally be ideal. "Well, since Master Xiao insists, then I suppose we'll follow you," Ye Zong said, with a sigh, as he found himself unable to convince Xiao Yan otherwise. He then added, "The pale black flame in Cao Dan's hands is an exceptionally powerful type of beast fire. It was painstakingly extracted from the body of a eighth-rank beast by the Cao family, after countless efforts. Though it may not match the strength of the rare heterofire, it's still extremely difficult to overcome for ordinary flames." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan didn't find it particularly surprising—when the pale black flame first appeared, he had already sensed its considerable strength. After reminding Xiao Yan, Ye Zhong also waved his hand, and everyone gradually stepped back, creating a sufficiently spacious area for the two of them. As the crowd retreated, Cao Dan's smile grew more vibrant. He took a slow step forward, flicked his finger, and the pale black flames on his palm surged violently, swirling rapidly above his head before coalescing into a massive black eagle. The flames danced around the creature, casting a solemn and eerie atmosphere. "This flame is called the Heaven-Shadow Demon Fire, drawn from the body of the Eight-Stage Beast, the Heaven-Shadow Three-Headed Lion..." The great black eagle circled above Cao Dan's head, emitting sharp cries. As he spoke, a sense of pride shone in his eyes. Though this Heaven-Shadow Demon Fire couldn't quite match the extraordinary flames of the rare fires, its power was still quite impressive. In fact, the Cao family had truly invested considerable effort to obtain this flame. His gaze settled on the black giant eagle, and Xiao Yan nodded slightly. The eagle's arrogance was well-earned—few alchemists could command flames with such mastery. Yet, it was unfortunate, for flame manipulation had always been Xiao Yan's strength, especially after mastering the "Flame Sovereign Technique." Now, with his refined control, he had reached a level of mastery that even the senior alchemist, Yao Lao, would surely praise. Gao Dan had believed he had secured a strong advantage with his bet, only to find that this very skill—flame manipulation—was precisely where Xiao Yan excelled. This azure flame, naturally, was merely the Azure Lotus's inner earth fire—compared to handling fire, Xiao Yan was far more adept at mastering the Azure Lotus's inner earth fire. As soon as the azure fire wolf appeared, the temperature of the entire realm began to rise gradually. Gao Dan's eyes narrowed instantly, his gaze greedily fixed on the fire wolf, exclaiming, "Indeed, it is a rare fire—rumors have been confirmed. This young man truly possesses a unique fire!" "However, merely having a rare fire isn't enough—mere strength of flame doesn't guarantee victory!" Gao Dan licked his lips, a quiet sneer forming in his mind. He swiftly pointed his finger at the azure fire wolf atop Xiao Yan's head. Immediately, the black fire eagle released a resonant cry, soaring through the sky before slicing through the space with a sudden burst, darting lightning-fast toward the fire wolf! "Aaaah!" Faced with the fire hawk's charge, the azure fire wolf roared loudly, its back rippling as a pair of fiery wings extended forth. With a gentle flap, the wings opened wide, revealing a formidable, gaping maw that slammed into the fire hawk with force. As flames surged in all directions, the two creatures crashed together, biting and tearing furiously, their bodies' flames relentlessly seeping into each other's cores, devouring everything without mercy. Watching the two fire beasts devour each other with frenzied intensity, the people below were left marveling. While they had seen countless battles of qi energy, such a direct confrontation relying solely on flame was quite rare. In the sky, the two fire beasts moved with exceptional agility, leaping and swirling between each other's attacks—so swift that even seasoned warriors found themselves unable to keep up. The audience clearly understood this was a testament to their mastery over flame. If the control were less refined, not only would they struggle to maintain the form of the fire beasts, but they would likely exhaust their very soul energies just to sustain the flame itself. Amidst the fierce combat, clusters of flame continually drifted out from the beasts' clashes and then slowly faded away. Xiao Yan stood with both hands behind his back, his gaze fixed upon the combat unfolding in the sky. His mastery over the fire beast was merely a matter of thought—this contest was truly a test of the strength of his soul energy. "Hey, having a unique fire—what's so special about that? Can it really stop me from wielding two flames?" As blood dripped into the flame, the vivid crimson fire surged with intense vibrations, then under Cao Dan's control, transformed into a blood-red hound with cold, piercing eyes. With a single paw strike into the air, it charged straight toward the battlefield above, joining the black hawk in relentlessly biting at the fire wolf, tearing away the wolf's surface flames one by one. To the astonishment of the courtyard, a wave of murmurs rose up immediately. The Cao family members erupted into cheers, while the Ye family, on the other hand, remained quiet and puzzled—unaware that, while mastering one type of flame, Cao Dan could simultaneously control other flames as well. After all, each type of flame required a significant investment of soul energy, and controlling two flames demanded substantial consumption. Moreover, due to the need to juggle between multiple flame types, few alchemists possessed the ability to manage several flames at once. It thus appeared that Ye Zhong's assessment of Cao Dan's exceptional flame control talent was indeed well-founded. Xiao Yan also furrowed his brows at this scene, then calmly said, "Just two kinds of beast flames..." As soon as the words left his lips, the fire wolf under his mental control swiftly darted and evaded, its fierce jaws delivering relentless bites to the dark figure and the hound. For a moment, it was chaos—roosts flying, flames scattering. Seeing that Xiao Yan's fire beast did not quickly falter, Ye Zhong and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, it was no ordinary flame—had it been any other, it likely would have been devoured and torn apart by the two fire beasts. Observing the determined resilience of the fire wolf formed by the unique flames, Cao Dan's brow also furrowed. A glint of determination flashed in his eyes, and with a hand gesture, two jade vases appeared before him. As he lifted the lids, two flames—one gray and one purple—rose up in a surge. As soon as those two flames appeared, even Ye Zhong from the Ye family grew pale. He hadn't expected Gao Dan to have already mastered the ability to simultaneously control four different types of flames—a feat he himself believed he could never achieve. "Hmph! Compared to me, you're just playing with fire. Without your unique flame, you'd never even be a match for me!" Gao Dan sneered, adding two more drops of blood into the two flames, which then transformed into fiery beasts, surging upward and encircling the blue-colored fire wolf. Under the relentless assault of the four fire beasts, even though the wolf was formed by the unique flame, it began to struggle against the fierce onslaught. Controlling four flames indeed proved immensely powerful—but it was clearly now the limit of Gao Dan's capabilities, evident from the pallor on his face. Xiao Yan, fire isn't just about quality—it also matters in quantity. From now on, when facing opponents, you must remember that! Staring at the fire wolf retreating step by step, Cao Dan's smile grew ever more radiant, and with a glance toward Xiao Yan, he couldn't help but boast with a pleased smile. Xiao Yan merely glanced at him calmly before smiling gently, "Thank you, Mr. Cao, for the reminder. Then, let us go for quantity rather than quality..." As he spoke, he flicked his fingers, and ten jade vases materialized, then burst with a loud 'pop.' With the ten vases exploding, ten flames of varying hues rose slowly, drawing a wave of stunned silence. They then writhed and solidified into ten fierce, menacing fire beasts. These flames were all beast-fire—originally used to nourish Xiao Yan's Hua Sheng Fire. After the acquisition of the Earth Core Pearl, however, the beast-fire had lost its purpose. Now, it seemed, they were finally put to good use. Xiao Yan watched Cao Dan's face, now utterly still with astonishment, a hint of amusement playing at the corner of his lips. "Mastering just four types of flame—yet you dare step out and challenge someone on the art of fire manipulation?"