"Yiwa... give it to me." Little Yi clutched the bead tightly, her face glistening with drool, as if she were about to spill some out. She had been eyeing it since the very beginning, but ever since Xuanyin had been studying it, she couldn't make head nor tail of it. Now, seeing that Xuanyin finally seemed ready to give up, she immediately sprang into action. Watching her like this, Xuanyin was momentarily stunned. Little Yi's intelligence had grown significantly—she could now speak in her own simple, youthful voice—and yet, such an active, eager request was something Xuanyin had never witnessed before. "This thing isn't really useful if we keep it..." Xuanyin furrowed his brow. Though the bead contained a power of absorption, it didn't distinguish between friend and foe. Most importantly, it consumed the very vitality of its host—anyone who kept it inside would likely grow older and weaker over time. Xiao Yi shook her head, and then a cascade of pink flame surged from within her, fully enveloping the black beads before seamlessly integrating them into her body. Seeing Xiao Yi's urgent demeanor, Xiao Yan hesitated slightly but did not intervene. Though Xiao Yi was only a Fire Spirit, she was remarkably sensitive to danger—had the black beads been harmful to her, she would surely have shown signs of distress. Under Xiao Yan's watch, the beads rapidly dissolved and fully merged into Xiao Yi's body. At the very moment they vanished, a faint streak of black flame suddenly erupted from within her and swiftly surged toward her head. With their minds attuned, Xiao Yan naturally sensed the changes within Xiao Yi and his expression immediately shifted. "Pfft!" The sudden turn of events left Xiao Yi calm and composed. Threads of delicate pink flame swiftly coalesced into a network of fire, ensnaring the black flame within. Then, the fire network contracted suddenly, compressing the black flame until it shattered into a scattered array of black luminous points. A final sweep of flame absorbed these points, integrating them seamlessly into Xiao Yi's body. "Ssshh!" As the black points merged with her, subtle black patterns began to emerge on the pink lotus-shaped flame mark on her forehead, giving it a slightly eerie appearance. "Eeep!" Upon fully absorbing the black points, Xiao Yi suddenly extended her small hand and reached out toward the empty space before her. Instantly, an invisible vortex formed, drawing energy from the surrounding world rapidly toward her palm. In mere moments, this energy solidified into a vibrant, multicolored crystal, which she then swallowed whole. Xiao Yan stared in utter astonishment at this scene. He clearly felt that, after the weathered crystalline blocks of energy entered Xiao Yi's body, they were rapidly broken down into their most fundamental energy molecules and completely absorbed by her. What struck him most was that, upon absorbing these energy blocks, he suddenly sensed streams of pure, unaccounted-for energy appearing within her body—without any apparent cause. "This...," Xiao Yan said, utterly bewildered. After a moment of mental focus, he gradually refined these pure energies, integrating them into his body as combat energy. "These energies are being fed back to me by this little one," Xiao Yan said, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yi. These energies—originally incapable of being absorbed by him—had transformed into pure energy after passing through Xiao Yi's body, and now returned a portion of that refined energy to him. "Iwa...," Yi proudly rocked her little head. After absorbing those energy crystals, the pink flames on her body seemed slightly brighter, and Xuanyin also subtly noticed that the current Yi appeared a bit stronger than before. "This little one... can actually cultivate?" A thought flashed through Xuanyin's mind. The power of absorption seemed to enable Yi to draw energy from the天地 around her, just like human masters, steadily enhancing herself. If that were true, then Yi would only grow stronger over time, and since Xuanyin's body, spirit, and soul were deeply connected to hers, he too would grow stronger as she did. In that case, Xuanyin would have effectively gained a free, tireless, and always willing laborer—indeed, one who never complained or showed signs of fatigue. "It seems our accidental efforts have actually yielded a rather good result..." Xiao Yan ran a hand over his chin. Though he had no experience in refining the fire of the Void-Eating Flame Master, he could only proceed haphazardly. Fortunately, Xiao Yi's unique constitution allowed her to fully withstand this very ability, which was originally exclusive to the Void-Eating Flame. "Heh, it seems this time, once again, you've managed to come up with some rather unusual things..." As Xiao Yan was slightly pleased with his recent achievements, a familiar, warm, and slightly elderly voice suddenly broke in. He looked up and saw the old doctor descending gracefully from the sky, landing gently on the lake's surface. Xiao Yan smiled and asked, "Has there been any issue within the Alliance? Has the Soul Palace made any recent movements?" "Um, everything's going well. As for the Spirit Palace—some of the branch palaces we've been monitoring have recently received word that they've evacuated their personnel. Perhaps they're worried we'll strike again and destroy those branches." The Elder of the Medicine Sect stroked his beard and smiled. "Evacuated?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly. For some reason, he always sensed that the Spirit Palace's recent actions had been unusual. After suffering such a major setback at the hands of the Heavenly Treasury Alliance, one would expect them to push back, given their usual tenacity. "Do you feel something's off?" Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, the Elder smiled and then sighed, "I've actually mentioned before that the Spirit Palace must have a long-term strategy. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been gathering souls for so many years. Though I don't yet know what that strategy is, if it comes to fruition, it might not be good news for us." Xiao Yan also nodded. The Huan Palace's recent confrontation ended in defeat, severely damaging its prestige. Within the Huan lineage, there has been no significant movement at all, leaving everyone puzzled about the mysterious race's true intentions. "I'll send spies to investigate this matter specifically, hoping to gather some intelligence..." Xiao Yan nodded silently, yet felt a sense of pressure within. Though his current strength now reached the rank of Five-Star Soul Saint, he had still failed to rescue his father from the Hu Clan. He had never intended to confront the Hu Clan head-on—not out of fear, but because the current state of the Xiao Clan demanded absolute reliability. As soon as he encountered any setback, no one would be able to save his father, let alone restore the glory of the Xiao Clan. Therefore, without absolute confidence, such a major risk must not be taken. "Five-Star Soul Saint... still not enough..." Xiao Yan's gaze flickered slightly. This level of strength indeed made him fearless against the Hu Palace, yet the Hu Palace was merely an external force of the Hu Clan. His true adversary was the most enigmatic and formidable entity on the Continent—the Hu Clan itself! A Five-Star Stellar Saint is already a peak-tier powerhouse elsewhere, yet to stand a chance against the Spirit Clan remains insufficient. Even back when Xiao Xuan was a Nine-Star Stellar Saint, he still fell to the Spirit Clan's hands. With only Five-Star status, it's unlikely he could make much of an impact. As such, Xiao Yan's expression grew somewhat gloomy. With his current strength, there were hardly any shortcuts left to rapidly advance. He had secured the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, but the second-ranked Void-Consuming Inferno likely would fall into the Spirit Clan's grasp. As for the number one flame on the Unusual Flame Rank—Xiao Yan smiled faintly, knowing that even the term "divine artifact" would fall short in describing it. To obtain it would be nothing short of a dream. "The Yin Fire might as well be out of reach now..." Xiang Yan sighed softly, a sudden flash of insight striking his mind. With a gentle grasp of his palm, an ancient jade slab appeared before him—its surface adorned with mysterious patterns. At the heart of the jade, a subtle glow shimmered faintly, marking the imprint of his father's soul. This jade—naturally the one both the Ancient Clan and the Spirit Clan had long sought—was now in his hands. Beside him, the Elder of Medicine was momentarily taken aback, gazing at Xiang Yan with a look of surprise as he suddenly produced the Jade of the Emperor Tuo She. Xiang Yan traced the ancient jade with his fingers, slowly gliding his touch over the glowing point. A deep sense of regret surged within him—being a son, yet watching helplessly as his father suffered within the Spirit Clan, this was indeed ungrateful. "Father... I have never forgotten you. As soon as I gain the strength to reach the Spirit Clan, I will go immediately to rescue you!" Xiao Yan bit down on his lower lip, took a deep breath after a moment, and suppressed the turbulent emotions swirling within him. "The Tuosha Ancient Emperor's jade is vital to the Emperor's abode, yet it has been divided into eight fragments. To gather all of them would clearly be impossible." His gaze flickered, and in his mind a scene flashed—of a world submerged in molten rock, where he had first encountered the Heaven-Fire Sovereign. The molten rock world beneath the Ganan Academy's inner courtyard! It was there that Xiao Yan first sensed the jade stirring with unusual activity. Now, recalling it, he felt increasingly doubtful. Deep within that molten world, there existed strange molten creatures, as if guarding something precious. "There might be a better time to explore the depths of the inner courtyard..." Observing Xiao Yan lost in thought, Yao Lao shook his head helplessly, then cleared his throat and handed him a scroll rolled in animal hide. "This is a communication scroll from the Chuanming Clan of the Nine-Deep冥, sent specifically to you. Please take a look." "Chuanming?" Xiao Yan was momentarily startled, took the scroll with slight confusion, and slowly unrolled it. Instantly, red characters appeared before his eyes. "An attack by the Phoenix Clan! Unusual changes are occurring in the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs!" Xiao Yan suddenly stood up, his expression darkened. A powerful aura so intense that it severed the waterfall behind him right in mid-flow. "Color-scale!"