Xiao Yan's hand seal was clumsy and slow, like that of a beginner. Yet as he formed it, the vast soul energy swirling around him surged rapidly, gathering with undeniable momentum. Inevitably, a formless soul palm seal began to take shape at the center of his palm—though this seal appeared slightly more ethereal than that formed by Cao Ying. Cao Ying stared at Xiao Yan's hesitant hand seal, her eyes wide with astonishment. She had never imagined that in just an instant, Xiao Yan could fully memorize her hand seal. Even more astonishing was the fact that not only could he remember its intricate variations, but he could actually manifest it in practice! Back then, when Cao Ying first encountered this spirit technique, it took her a long time to gradually grasp the coordination between her soul energy and the seal imprint. But now… Xiao Yan had accomplished it just a few minutes later. Such a feat—something even the one often hailed as a prodigy couldn't help but find astonishing. Of course, this didn't mean that Xiao Yan's talent surpassed Cao Ying's. After all, Xiao Yan had refined her soul energy techniques to a masterful level over the years, and Cao Ying's spirit hand seal wasn't exactly a highly advanced technique. Thus, it was quite understandable that Xiao Yan, through natural progression, had picked up the essential nuances of this seal. What truly impressed Cao Ying was the solid foundation Xiao Yan had built—his fundamental execution was already so strong that, given the right opportunity, he could master the technique far more easily than most. These details, however, were precisely what Cao Ying had never realized, which is why she was so profoundly struck by what she witnessed. … A vast soul storm rapidly expanded within Xiao Yan's eyes. As the soul pressure drew nearer, the initially awkward, rapidly shifting hand seals of Xiao Yan gradually grew smoother, and the movements of his fingertips began to flow with a natural, seamless grace. Fixing his gaze firmly on the surging soul storm, Xiao Yan's hand seals suddenly stabilized within an instant. Then, a deep, resonant roar burst forth from his throat! "Ho!" The roar echoed like thunder. With his palm maintaining that peculiar hand seal, Xiao Yan forcefully pushed it forward. The sharp gust of wind instantly sharpened and resonated throughout the hall. The intangible palm seal carried forth a sweeping wave of soul energy, directly colliding with the soul storm amid the tense gazes of all present. "Boom!" The two collided, sending a deep, resonant boom that echoed throughout the hall, and many felt a sharp pain surge through their souls at that moment... "Hush-hush-hush!" An intangible ripple of souls surged outward from the point of impact, shaking the broad plaza stones so thoroughly that they were instantly pulverized into fine dust. As the dust drifted, visibility within the hall diminished noticeably. The raging storm of souls gradually subsided after nearly a minute, only then allowing the disheveled figures on the gallery to rise. Immediately, their gazes turned toward the plaza, now utterly ruined. On the plaza, the dust gradually settled, and the scene within it once again came into view for the people inside the hall. Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a stone slab barely one meter long and wide. In front of him, several deep, bottomless pits had formed. His sleeves were now completely torn, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance. At a distance of about fifteen zhang from Xiao Yan, Cao Ying's floor within a three-zhang radius remained undisturbed, and even her clothing on her body remained neat and tidy. Yet she now wore a serious expression, her eyes fixed steadily on Xiao Yan without blinking. Seeing the two of them like this, it was clearly evident that Xiao Yan was slightly at a disadvantage. The Sheng Elder, who had already retreated far away earlier, only exhaled a sigh of relief upon witnessing the conclusion of their duel, then gracefully drifted forward, glanced around, and shook his head with a wry smile—these two truly were destruction-obsessed. "Xiao Yan is no ordinary person. Among the younger generation of the Cao family, aside from Cao Ying, I can't think of anyone who could truly challenge him..." Cao Xiu said calmly. "This is only an initial encounter. If they meet again at the True Dan Assembly, Xiao Yan might not even be able to defeat Cao Ying." Hearing Cao Xiu's words, Cao Dan's face grew increasingly grim. He had faced Xiao Yan before. Though Xiao Yan had been strong back then, he certainly hadn't reached the level he has now. Clearly, in just a few months, Xiao Yan had been making rapid progress—progress so swift that it was truly astonishing. Silence within the hall persisted for a moment before being broken by a series of soft, murmured exclamations. It had been the first time in years that they had seen Cao Ying concede to a peer. Cao Ying's reputation in Dan Domain was truly formidable—her title of "Fierce Female Spirit" was earned through unmatched prowess, and few in the domain could rival her. The seat of the Ye family, occupied by Ye Zhong and Xin Lan, was filled with awe and excitement, stirred by Xiao Yan's outstanding performance. This assessment had delivered a level of perfection that even they found hard to believe—achieving first place in all three categories. Such a feat had likely only been reached by the Ye family during its peak years. "...Ms. Cao, thank you for your generosity. If you'd like to deliver one more palm strike, I might just no longer be able to withstand it." On the field, Xiao Yan casually tore off a piece of torn fabric from his sleeve and then bowed gracefully, smiling warmly. "You're aiming to master my Spirit Palm Seal, aren't you?" Gazing at Xiao Yan's composed demeanor, Ms. Cao raised an eyebrow, speaking with a mixture of amusement and sincerity. Hearing her straightforward words, Xiao Yan felt a touch of embarrassment. While acquiring the Spirit Palm Seal wasn't particularly difficult—perhaps not even among the more advanced Spirit Techniques—it was, for someone like him who had never trained in Spirit Techniques, truly a treasure beyond measure. Seeing Xiao Yan's awkward expression, Cao Ying smiled softly, then gracefully stepped close to him. Her sparkling eyes fixed on his face, with a sly smile, she said, "If Master Xiao Yan is free, perhaps we could meet again privately. I do have a few spirit techniques—just see if you're able to steal them without being noticed..." A gentle fragrance drifted toward him. As Xiao Yan gazed at the alluring face now so close, his heart stirred with warmth, yet a sense of alertness also rose within him. He maintained a composed demeanor, smiling gently and saying, "If I have time, I'll certainly chat with Miss Cao at length." Though this encounter had been a fortunate victory for him, Xiao Yan knew well that for a lady of Cao Ying's caliber, it was merely a warm-up. After this bout, he was certain that Cao Ying was no ordinary figure—she would undoubtedly be one of the top three contenders at this gathering of cultivators! Because he could sense that, from beginning to end, Cao Ying had never truly given her full effort! This time, he managed to secretly learn Cao Ying's spirit hand seal purely by luck. Moreover, Cao Ying certainly wouldn't genuinely share the spirit techniques she had cultivated with him as she claimed—having this experience as a precedent, she would surely prevent such occurrences from repeating in future encounters with Xiao Yan. Any further attempts at secretly learning from her would merely remain mere thoughts in her mind. Based on Xiao Yan's assessment, this female demon likely felt a bit displeased with her recent underperformance and simply wanted an opportunity to regain the upper hand. Seeing Xiao Yan's somewhat ambiguous response, Cao Ying didn't mind at all. Through this interaction, she now had a better understanding of Xiao Yan's stubborn, unyielding nature—she knew that the man before her wouldn't easily fall to her charm the way other men often did. Yet… isn't it precisely such situations that make things interesting, after all? "The Dan Festival is approaching. I hope to meet you there. I know... you, too, once held back." Gazing deeply at Xiao Yan, Cao Yin lifted a subtle, ethereal curve at his lips, then turned directly, walking toward the outer hall, leaving Xiao Yan with a languid and regal silhouette.