The flame was barely larger than a soybean. It flickered in midair, appearing so frail that a single gust of wind might extinguish it.

Frantically drawing out the True Qi within his body, Tang Yan channeled it endlessly into the flame. Under his strained efforts, the bean-sized fire finally grew a fraction larger.

Yun Zhonghe stared at the flame with some astonishment. Though he did not know what it was, a bone-deep fear bloomed within him the moment he laid eyes on it.

Fortunately, the flame was far too small to pose a significant threat to him.

"If this is all the strength you have, then die!" With a cold sneer, the green mountain that had taken shape before Yun Zhonghe slammed fiercely toward Tang Yan.

The surrounding air grew increasingly heavy. The oppressive pressure made it difficult for everyone nearby to even breathe.

The might of an Earth Rank skill was truly extraordinary!

"Burn, damn it!" Sensing the fatal threat, Tang Yan roared inwardly, preparing to expend his vital essence to fuel the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame.

At this hair's breadth of a moment, a strange expression suddenly appeared on Tang Yan's face.

The long-silent Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron seemed to sense Tang Yan's predicament. A stream of pure Spiritual Qi flowed directly from within the cauldron into the azure flame.

Tang Yan had long experienced the wonders of the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.

What surprised him was not this sudden influx of Spiritual Qi, but the distinct feeling the cauldron gave him.

The Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron seemed extremely reluctant to share its Spiritual Qi with him!

It was even showing clear disdain for his meager strength!

This feeling was so utterly real that Tang Yan felt a moment of daze.

Had this broken cauldron gained a spirit?

Tang Yan had no time to ponder it. Before his eyes, the flame swallowed the sudden fuel and rapidly swelled in size.

Though it remained small compared to the looming green mountain, its deep, profound azure hue struck a chilling terror into the hearts of anyone who looked upon it.

Just as the flame truly took shape, Yun Zhonghe's attack crashed down.

Sizzle!

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the vast, verdant mountain image was actually ignited and devoured by that unremarkable azure flame!

In an instant, the terrifying attack that had threatened to suffocate them all dissipated without a trace.

The flame had merely shrunk a fraction in size. Its momentum entirely undiminished, it slammed fiercely toward Yun Zhonghe.

"What is that?" Everyone, including the high-ranking elders of the Azure Dragon Academy, stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the scene before them.

Boom!

Yun Zhonghe's body was struck as if by an actual mountain, hurtling violently backward.

The crowd quickly locked their eyes on Yun Zhonghe, only to be shocked by what they found. His entire body was charred black, emitting the faint aroma of roasted meat.

A simultaneous chill ran down everyone's spine.

What... what kind of power was this?

Tang Yan struggled to his feet. Swaying unsteadily, he walked over to Yun Zhonghe and thoroughly stripped him of all his treasures.

Within the affairs hall, the gathered elders were still reeling from the power Tang Yan had just displayed. But upon seeing him so seamlessly lead away the sheep in passing, their facial muscles twitched uncontrollably. Just how many times had he practiced this to reach such terrifying proficiency?

"I'll ask you this once: who gave you the idea to kidnap my brothers? I will count to three. If you don't speak, I won't mind slitting your throat." Tang Yan raised the Unblemished Sword in his hand.

"One!"

Feeling the overwhelming killing intent radiating from Tang Yan, Yun Zhonghe did not doubt the truth of his words for a second. He sighed heavily. "Li Kuanglan."

Tang Yan nodded. "Congratulations on saving your own life. But you shouldn't have kidnapped my friends, and you certainly shouldn't have used them to threaten me. Now, order your men to return everything they took from them.

Every last bit of your people's Star Value will be handed over as compensation for my brothers.

I'll count to three. If anyone disobeys, I don't mind crippling your Dantian."

With that, Tang Yan tossed his Star Token into the air, letting it fall directly in front of the Immortal Sword Gang members.

"Do as he says!" Yun Zhonghe barked in a low voice.

It had to be said, Yun Zhonghe still held considerable prestige in the hearts of his men. Many immediately complied, and in a short time, the Star Value on Tang Yan's Star Token surged continuously.

The high-ranking elders of the Azure Dragon Academy, who had been closely monitoring the situation, had no doubt that Tang Yan's current Star Value had securely placed him at first among all the new disciples.

However, a few of the more capable individuals found their eyes flickering with ulterior motives. If Tang Yan crippled Yun Zhonghe's Dantian, what did they have to fear from him anymore?

A small group exchanged brief looks and, entirely disregarding Yun Zhonghe's life or death, quickly turned and fled into the distance.

"Bastards!" Seeing the deserters, many members of the Immortal Sword Gang cursed furiously.

At the same time, regret flashed in the eyes of many others. If they had known, they would have fled right along with them.

"These are your brothers?" Tang Yan curled his lip in disdain. Leaving Yun Zhonghe's Dantian intact, he pocketed his Star Token and shifted his gaze to Yu Juechen.

Having activated his clan's secret art, Yu Juechen's combat prowess had risen to an entirely new level. Beneath his sky-blotting barrage of palm strikes, Bai Yu had already taken several heavy blows.

Boom!

Finally, Yu Juechen seized an opening. With a fierce roar, he channeled a surging wave of True Qi and slammed his palm squarely into Bai Yu's chest.

Bai Yu's body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the dirt.

"Not bad. Much stronger than before," Tang Yan clapped in admiration.

As the fighter in question, Yu Juechen knew full well that if Tang Yan hadn't helped untie the knot in his heart, defeating Bai Yu today would have required far more effort.

"What are you staring blankly for? Go collect your spoils of war." Seeing Yu Juechen just standing there dumbfounded, Tang Yan felt a sharp sense of exasperation.

"What... what spoils?" Yu Juechen asked in confusion.

"Look at my Star Value. Isn't it higher than before? And this is a Storage Ring I just confiscated from that guy over there. It has over a thousand Beast Cores, more than a hundred Pills, and various medicinal herbs..." Tang Yan hinted repeatedly.

Being quite sharp-witted, Yu Juechen instantly understood. This guy wanted him to go rob Bai Yu of his belongings!

But as the esteemed young master of the Rakshasa Sect, how could he stoop to such a shameless, underhanded act?

Yu Juechen's heart was torn with hesitation. Yet, Tang Yan's suggestion... was undeniably tempting.

"What? Still worried about your status as some young master?

That guy dared to attack you, clearly showing no respect for you at all. This is an outright insult to the dignity of the Rakshasa Sect's young master!

Besides, you served as his sparring partner for free, and now you aren't getting a single bit of compensation. Does that make sense?

If that gets out, anyone who needs a sparring partner will just come find you for a fight, since it's free!

If you don't set the rules today, trouble will just keep knocking on your door!" Tang Yan stood to the side, continuously stripping away Yu Juechen's psychological burdens.

"Even when two nations go to war, the victor still claims the spoils. This sort of thing isn't against morality, nor does it violate the laws of heaven.

You don't even have Pills for your own cultivation right now. Are you really not planning to restock your resources? If you don't want them, I'll go take them myself!" Tang Yan made as if to walk over.

Just this once!

Under Tang Yan's relentless temptation, Yu Juechen's honest and upright nature finally completely crumbled. Taking a wide stride, he marched directly toward Bai Yu!