Between heaven and earth, everything is dry and scorching, as if all the moisture in this space had been evaporated in an instant. The entire mountain appears weary and weak under this intense heat, its once vibrant green hue now noticeably faded. Yet, no one pays attention to these changes in the heavens and earth. Everyone's gaze is fixed on the massive cauldron at the volcano's crater. Under the collective attention of these many eyes, a slender figure sits in meditation before the cauldron, manipulating the temperature of the realm with the shifting of his hand seals—causing it to rise and fall dramatically, making it difficult for ordinary people to endure such fluctuating heat. Elder Zhu Li hovers in the sky, arms resting behind him, eyes tightly focused on the cauldron, his expression grave. "Zhu Li, do you truly believe he can refine the Dragon-Phoenix crystal layers?" Suddenly, an elderly voice resonated behind him. Cui Li, the senior elder, slightly turned his head and saw an elderly man with hair of black and white standing behind him. Dressed in a sturdy robe, the man remained silent and composed, his expression notably stern. "He has earned his place as champion of the Dan Assembly—there must be something to his merit. Though young, from the interactions over the past two days, he has shown remarkable experience and determination, quite unlike many of his peers." Cui Li's gaze shifted to the slender figure standing before the massive cauldron. "You must understand what Purple Yan signifies for us, the Dong Long Island..." The silent, composed elder paused before speaking. "Master Qi You, there's no need to hesitate. While there are indeed several fire powers ranked among the top ten across the continent, not to mention Master Xiao Yan himself, our current situation with the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon makes it impractical to invite those others." "Zhú Lí Elder shook his head gently and said, 'Moreover, before she fell unconscious, Zǐ Yán had specifically requested that Xiāo Yīn come to assist her. Though this young girl is still quite young, she never takes her own life lightly. The fact that she made such a request suggests she has immense confidence in Xiāo Yīn...' 'I hope so. Zǐ Yán is the only one among the current Tú Xū Ancient Dragon Clan who still retains the complete royal lineage. Should anything go wrong with her, the Tú Xū Ancient Dragon Clan may never again achieve complete unification." The elder known as Qi You nodded slightly, saying, "Moreover, now both the Senior Elder and the Second Senior Elder have entered their final stages of meditation—no one knows when they'll emerge. Without these two, our Dong Long Island's standing among the four islands may not be particularly strong." Zhu Li sighed lightly, adding, "It's already too late to dwell on these matters now. We should simply focus on patiently awaiting the completion of the transformation process. Meanwhile, our vigilance must remain at the highest level. Should the other three islands receive any news, we can't be certain they won't send strong representatives to investigate. The island masters of those three islands are all ambitious—none would allow a genuine royal bloodline to emerge. Otherwise, under the weight of that royal lineage's presence, even if they manage to contain it, the rest of their people would inevitably rally under its influence and achieve a complete reunification once again." "Hmm." Qi You nodded silently, then gazed deeply once more at Xiao Yan who sat in meditation before the massive tripod. With a subtle movement, he slowly faded away. At the same time, several subtle yet powerful presences around him also vanished. Upon seeing Qi You vanish, Zhu Li turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan and softly said, "Xiao Yan, the future of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan now rests entirely in your hands..." The fire dragon's body, now transformed into a deep violet hue, had noticeably shrunk in size, yet the temperature of the flames within it surged dramatically—so intense that even members of the more ethereal ancient dragon clans grew slightly pale. "Shh!" A continuous stream of deep violet flame erupted from the dragon's massive maw, adhering firmly to the dragon-phoenix crystal layer on Zǐ Yán's body. Upon contact, the two elements emitted sharp hissing sounds. Under the intense impact, the previously impenetrable energy crystal layer, finally, in the midst of widespread astonishment, subtly revealed a single droplet of purple-golden liquid. "The dragon-phoenix crystal layer is melting!" Though the droplet was minuscule, it escaped the sharp, seasoned eyes of the many powerful figures, who immediately exchanged quiet, breathless exclamations of surprise. "Heh…" Elder Zhú Lí also quietly exhaled a breath at this moment, his clenched fist in his sleeve slowly uncurling. Though this was merely the first step, it already clearly demonstrated that Xiao Yan's unique flame could truly melt the Dragon-Phoenix crystal layers—this promising beginning was most encouraging. As long as Xiao Yan could persist, eventually all the Dragon-Phoenix crystal layers would be completely dissolved. Of course, Elder Zhú Lí understood that fully melting the Dragon-Phoenix crystal layers would require a considerable amount of time. One couldn't expect immediate success—like eating a meal, one had to take it bite by bite. With such a strong start, all that remained was to remain patient and simply wait for the complete dissolution of the crystal layers! Over these ten days, Xiao Yan had not rested a single moment, and his Qi had been nearly depleted twice midway. Yet in both instances, he had not drawn upon the ancient dragon's refined blood bestowed by Master Zhuo Li, but instead relied solely on the evolved, near-heaven-tier technique, Burned Decree, to forcibly absorb energy from the surrounding world. Though the rate of absorption and consumption was somewhat disproportionate, Xiao Yan managed to sustain himself through various restorative pills. For ten consecutive days, his internal Qi flowed without a single pause—such perseverance even earned the admiration of some members of the ancient, ethereal dragon lineage. However, such a method could not endure indefinitely. By the fifteenth day, Xiao Yan finally could no longer bear the relentless strain, and thus retrieved the ancient dragon's refined blood from Master Zhu Li, drawing out a single drop to swallow. Boom! "With the ancient dragon's essence flowing into his body, the golden glow instantly burst forth from every inch of Xiao Yan's skin. A vast surge of energy swept through his body like a storm, revitalizing the previously depleted meridians, which were swiftly replenished with a steady flow of combat qi. Amidst this energy storm, Xiao Yan also sensed an unusual tingling and itching spreading through his bones, muscles, and meridians—under this sensation, as if each of these components were gradually becoming stronger and more resilient." "This must indeed be the power contained within the ancient dragon's essence—remarkably miraculous." Feeling these internal transformations, Xiao Yan could not help but be filled with awe. This ability was nearly on par with some high-tier herbal medicines—no wonder the mythical ancient dragon was considered one of the foremost beings in the world of beasts. Simply through its essence, it demonstrated such extraordinary efficacy. "Then, let's proceed!" With a slightly tightened grip, the weary smile on Xiao Yan's face appeared as he intently focused on the colossal cauldron within. Inside, the dragon-phoenix crystal layers on Zi Yan's body had nearly vanished entirely—yet this did not mark the end, for within her very body, substantial dragon-phoenix crystal layers still remained. Only after these internal layers were fully assimilated could Zi Yan truly awaken! Alongside this encouraging transformation, a joyful atmosphere has spread throughout the ancient island of Gu Long. At this pace, it won't take long before the dragon-phoenix crystal layers within Zi Yan are completely refined—thus giving rise once again to a true sovereign of the great beast realm! Before the massive tripod, a figure sat cross-legged with hair flowing freely, his gaze passing through the strands, revealing eyes streaked with blood vessels—eyes filled with weariness and an unyielding resilience that stirred deep awe. Around the mountain peaks, numerous eyes watched the slender silhouette with growing respect; over the course of one month, this figure’s astonishing perseverance had won over the naturally proud descendants of the ancient, ethereal dragons. "This young man will surely achieve great things... It is no impossible dream for the Xiao family to see its glory repeated across generations. Xiao Xuan—what good fortune your family has!" Gazing at the figure, who after a month of sleepless nights still managed to master the strange flame with flawless control, Cuo Li slowly ran his hand over his beard. After a pause, he finally sighed, his voice tinged with quiet admiration. As he was about to speak, instructing everyone to be quiet, a sudden thunderous roar cut through the otherwise still space. "Summer Clam! What audacity! You dare to invade my Eastern Dragon Island!" Upon hearing this outburst, Cuo Li's expression immediately darkened, and he slowly raised his gaze toward the empty space beyond.