A stream of blood erupted from his mouth, and the old Mu-Gu elder staggered back two steps before steadying himself, his eyes full of venomous rage, fixed upon Xiao Yan, his expression terrifyingly fierce. As a figure of considerable stature, even within Zhongzhou, the old Mu-Gu elder was renowned and respected. Yet now, at the hands of this young upstart, he had been severely weakened—how could he easily swallow this indignity? Despite the fury boiling within him, he had to suppress his killing intent. He understood that his very presence had already made him a thorn in the side of Xuankongzi and the others. They had not yet moved against him simply because they lacked a pretext; but should he dare to take even the slightest action out of bounds, Xuankongzi would surely respond with decisive force and eliminate him completely here and now. Thus, at this very moment, he had to crush his teeth and swallow his anger whole. "Xiao Yan, don't be overconfident—the Dan Assembly hasn't been fully concluded yet. Trying to withstand this Five-Color Dan Thunder with your current strength? That's sheer fantasy!" However, the Mu Gu elder was also a deeply strategic individual. After suppressing his anger, he suddenly glanced at the vast Five-Color Thunder Cloud hovering in the sky and coldly exclaimed. Receiving the Dan Thunder also counts as one of the trials of the Dan Assembly. The Eight-Pin Dan is so powerful that it awakens the forces of heaven and earth, aiming to destroy it. If the alchemist fails to protect the Dan, the Dan will be ruined. Thus, successfully withstanding the Dan Thunder and preserving the Dan itself constitutes a final, critical test. Dan Lei, growing stronger with the enhancement of the pill's quality—such vibrant, five-colored thunder clouds were no mere spectacle even for ordinary Dou Zun-level masters. In Master Mu Gu's eyes, Xiao Yan, though only at Dou Zong level, would find it no easy task to withstand the Dan Lei, even with all his tactics. Should he happen to have his pill destroyed upon receiving the attack, not only would he lose his title as champion, but also be disqualified from the competition altogether, since without the pill, how could he even participate? As for whether they could withstand the Dan Lei, few people expressed much concern. During ordinary alchemy processes, alchemists could gather numerous assistants to jointly defend against the Dan Lei, since their strength lay not in combat but in producing high-tier elixirs—thus, countless powerful individuals would naturally come forward to protect them, making it entirely unnecessary to worry about finding helpers. Yet, despite this, the tradition of enduring the Dan Lei had been in place for the alchemist's entire career, and even if it didn't perfectly align with reality, there was no choice but to abide by it. "Still, he won't give up," Gao Ying murmured, her brow slightly furrowed. Though she had confidence in Xiao Yan, the five-colored thundercloud's power was truly formidable. The five-colored Dan Lei was no easy companion—should anything go wrong at this critical moment, a collapse was by no means impossible. Amidst all those concerned glances, Xiao Yan, as the one directly involved, merely smiled, lifting his head to gaze at the five-colored pill thunder hovering in the sky. The warmth of his smile grew even more vivid—this was truly a complete tonic for a terrestrial spirit puppet. If it weren't for earth spirit puppets capable of absorbing lightning power, Xiao Yan would surely have been quite troubled today. Unfortunately... A light laugh escaped Xiao Yan's lips. With a gentle lift of his hand, the glow on his finger's jade bracelet flickered briefly, and suddenly, a brilliant silver figure materialized before him. Currently, the earth spirit puppet had been severely battered during its defense against Mu Guo Elder's deadly assault in the Dan Realm. Its chest was deeply indented, and the skin—harder than refined steel—had been torn away in large sections, revealing the silvery, dry flesh beneath. Xiao Yan's sudden action immediately drew the attention of many onlookers. Yet when they saw him summon a puppet that seemed on the verge of being completely scrapped, their expectations waned. Could he really expect this nearly ruined puppet to withstand the terrifying Five-Color Dan Lightning? The Mu-Gu elder also paused, slightly stunned, upon seeing the earth spirit puppet summoned by Xiao Yan. Though he was not unfamiliar with this kind of creature, in the Dan Realm, had it not been for this puppet's resistance, he would have already slain Cao Ying on the spot. Precisely because he had encountered this type of puppet before, when he saw Xiao Yan attempting to rely on it to withstand the Five-Color Dan Lightning, a touch of scorn crept onto his face. How could this puppet, barely able to withstand a single palm strike from him, possibly endure the Five-Color Dan Lightning? According to the elder's assessment, the silver-colored puppet likely ranked around the eighth or ninth level of Star-Combat Sect, which was already a respectable rank—adequate to withstand one or two bursts of Five-Color Dan Lightning, but to rely on it to survive the full onslaught of the lightning was nothing short of absurd. "I think you're simply mistaken and overestimating your assets," the elder shook his head, delivering a mocking smile. While Xiao Yan remained unmoved by his criticism, those who had failed often sought alternative means to vent their frustration—this very behavior, in fact, revealed a certain pathos. Gently caressing the body of the Earth Demon Puppet, though it had suffered considerable damage during the battle against Master Mu Gu, fortunately, it lacked any intelligence or sensation of pain. As long as its body remained intact and not reduced to fine powder, it would forever obey Xiao Yan's commands. "This time, it's all up to you," Xiao Yan said, lightly patting the puppet's body. Then, he lifted his head with a smile, gazing upward at the five-colored thunder clouds roaring with deep, resonant cries, and with a bold, hearty laugh exclaimed, "Come on!" As if responding to Xiao Yan's laughter, the swirling of the five-colored thunder clouds grew increasingly intense, the deep thunder rolling continuously, and magnificent, thick-thighed lightning streaks darting through the cloud layers. A sharp hiss! As the thunderclouds rolled and suddenly contracted, a vibrant five-colored lightning bolt surged forth like a massive serpent from the cloud layer, tearing through the space with a terrifying crackling sound and charging straight toward the stone platform where Xiao Yan stood. "Go!" Seeing the Dan Lei finally launch its assault, Xiao Yan smiled, pointed lightly at the void, and lightly commanded. With the command issued, the ground妖mechanisms that had nearly been destroyed instantly stomped the ground with powerful force, launching skyward. In the midst of everyone's astonishment, they collided directly with the powerful lightning bolt. "Ah..." A wave of sighs rose instantly across the plaza. "Hehe..." The Muge elder chuckled, yet before he could speak, his face suddenly grew stern. He realized that the terrestrial spirit puppet struck by the five-colored thunder not only hadn't cracked but was, in fact, slowly healing—its damaged body gradually repairing itself, the indentation on its chest rising steadily. "Is this puppet absorbing the thunder's power?" Staring at the puppet, now more radiant than ever after being struck by lightning, the elder's eyes narrowed in astonishment. Such a phenomenon—he had never heard of it before! "That's why this man is so confident! He must have this extraordinary puppet. Damn it! If only he had destroyed it completely back in the Dan Realm! Now, if he hadn't acted more decisively then, this very lightning-shielded puppet would have been completely ruined, and Xiao Yan would lose this vital defense!" The elder's expression darkened, his heart filled with regret. Compared to the grave demeanor and regret of Mu Gu elder, Cao Ying and the others now breathed a great sigh of relief. Though they didn't fully understand why this unusual puppet possessed such abilities, they knew for certain that the final trial of the Dan Assembly had been successfully passed—Xiao Yan had now secured his place as the champion of the Dan Assembly. Xuan Kongzi smiled and nodded, now once again returning to his usual calm. With his hands interlaced, he spoke gently, "This time, it's my Dan Tower that owes this young fellow a personal favor." Hearing this, the two beautiful women by his side also smiled and nodded. Had it not been for Xiao Yan's decisive intervention, the championship of this Dan Festival would surely have gone to the old man Mu Gu, and the Dan Tower's reputation would have suffered a severe blow. While they were conversing, Xiao Yan, seated on the stone platform, stared intently at the earth spirit automaton, growing ever more radiant under the successive strikes of five-colored thunderbolts. A warm glow flickered in his dark eyes—curious whether, upon absorbing this five-colored Dan Thunder, the earth spirit automaton could truly evolve into a heavenly spirit automaton.