Feng Zhen arrived, bringing several disciples of his sect. Someone, puzzled, asked, "Master, why did Zhang Yan lose so easily?"

Feng Zhen smiled faintly and did not rush to explain but instead gestured towards Mo Daoist and said, "You often want to seek advice from Uncle Mo. Now that Uncle Mo is standing here, why not ask him?"

Mo Daoist let out a hearty laugh and, without any modesty, pointed forward and said loudly, "Let me tell you! The 'Stove Dragon Manifestation Seed' was created by your grandmaster. When unleashed, it truly overwhelms everything like a rolling tide. If the opponent's cultivation is slightly inferior, they will suffer severe injuries. If Zhang Yan had managed to use sword escape techniques in time to evade and endured a few initial exchanges, then once Brother Tu's strength began to wane, he could have at least preserved a stalemate. But look, Zhang Yan is surrounded by numerous flying stones obstructing his path, unable to escape. He is effectively trapped in a desperate situation. How can he withstand your Brother Tu's offensive? Hence, it is certain that he will lose this battle!"

The disciples under Feng Zhen who heard this explanation suddenly came to an epiphany, as if clouds had parted to reveal the sun. They exclaimed one after another, "Listening to Uncle Mo's guidance feels like gaining years of cultivation experience!"

Meanwhile, Dai Xin, who had been intently watching the battle unfold, initially hoped for a thrilling display of swordsmanship. However, seeing Zhang Yan seemingly powerless to counterattack, a hint of disappointment appeared on his face. He snorted and said, "Arrogant and prideful – this is the end he meets! But unfortunately, I won't have the chance to test my blade against his. How pity, how lamentable!"

The surrounding disciples were also mostly pessimistic about Zhang Yan's chances. Those belonging to the same lineage as him watched with tension and anxiety, while disciples from noble families showed gleeful anticipation, merely waiting for the moment of his defeat.

The fiery light, like earth fire erupting, was ferocious but fleeting. After a short while, as the smoke and dust began to clear, someone pointed forward and shouted, "Look!"

There stood Zhang Yan, his robe sleeves fluttering, poised and standing in the void. A faint smile played on his face, as if strolling leisurely through a garden. In front of him, strands of white mist as light as smoke floated, resembling auspicious clouds, blocking his way and transforming into countless shapes. No matter how the fierce crimson flames surged and attacked, they remained steadfast and unmoving.

The disciples from Mingcang Sect stationed outside the island widened their eyes in shock. Just a single strand of mist could fend off such a powerful assault—it was evident what this signified.

The mist lifted, clouds soared, and smoke transformed into flying clouds. Even Hua Dan could not achieve this!

After a brief silence, a deafening uproar exploded as astonished exclamations surged like tides. Among Zhang Yan's disciples, someone became so excited that they danced and shouted, "Elixir Evil—it's the Elixir Evil! Brother Zhang has already formed his golden elixir!"

Feng Ming stared for a few moments, then froze in place. After a while, he suddenly broke into loud, hearty laughter and said, "Brother Zhang, you truly are remarkable! As your junior, I've fallen behind you yet again!"

Feng Zhen's grip cracked the wooden railing in his hand, a mix of shock and anger flashing across his face. He exclaimed, "Zhang Yan… He… He successfully formed his elixir? How is this possible? How is this possible?"

Mo Daoist's face twitched repeatedly. Feeling the furtive and awkward glances around him, his cheeks flushed, and he was overwhelmed with shame and anger.

Moments ago, he had made his assertion too prematurely, creating an embarrassing spectacle for himself before Feng Zhen's disciples. Losing all face, he let out a muffled grunt, swept his sleeve, and left in haste, ignoring Feng Zhen's frantic calls behind him as he transformed into a cloud of smoke and disappeared.

The cultivators from the Six Rivers and Four Islands, who had been watching excitedly in anticipation of Zhang Yan's defeat, dreaming of regaining their honor, were now struck hard by the results. Their faces turned sour; they exchanged looks but remained silent, unable to find words.

Dai Xin's eyelids twitched, and his fingers trembled slightly. He had spent over twenty years cultivating rigorously and believed that, at the very least, he'd be able to fight Zhang Yan evenly. Yet, he had never imagined that Zhang Yan would be the first to climb the Heavenly Ladder. Over the years, due to his focus on mastering the Flying Sword Skill, his progress in cultivation had not been substantial.

On the path of cultivation, falling behind one step often meant lagging step after step. It could already be predicted that the gap between Zhang Yan and him would only grow wider in the future, and the chance to catch up seemed almost impossible. For a time, his chest was full of gloom and despair, and he sighed deeply, shaking his sleeves as he departed in frustration.

Tu Xuan, seeing the fog rising and swirling into the void, was stunned and shaken. He had calculated everything meticulously but had not foreseen that Zhang Yan had already completed his pill refinement and achieved Golden Core status. Suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his abdomen, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The flaming momentum he displayed earlier fell abruptly like a dying star, dissipating into nothingness.

Realizing the inevitability of failure, he opened his mouth to surrender.

Zhang Yan, however, would not grant him this chance. With a thunderous shout, his voice surged with unparalleled force, drowning out Tu Xuan's words.

Then, with a sweep of his grand sleeves, he stirred up clouds of dust and streams of white mist that brushed aside the remaining flames. He shook his shoulders, and suddenly, a massive, golden-yellow hand burst forth from above, its five fingers spread wide, descending like a mountain from the sky.

"Xuanhuang Dragon Capturing Hand?"

Tu Xuan thought Zhang Yan intended to kill him right then and there, disguising the act as an "accidental" mishap. The thought filled him with terror, causing his very soul to tremble. He shouted in desperation, forcing out a faint glimmer of True Light to envelop himself as he fled frantically.

However, the massive hand followed swiftly, and as he moved a bit further, the hand grew larger. Although he escaped dozens of meters, he still could not shake it off. Seeing the hand descending lower and lower, pure panic gripped him. He darted his gaze around, searching madly for an escape route. But this area had originally been chosen by him to obstruct flying escape techniques—where could he find a way out in his frantic haste?

In this critical moment, his eyes suddenly locked onto several nearby flying stones, now riddled with holes, far from as sturdy as before. Watching this, his spirits revived, and a surge of ecstasy rose in his heart.

He muttered to himself, "Heaven itself helps me!"

Grabbing a flying cone, he rushed to attack the flying stones.

Earlier, the stones had been eroded by his True Light, leaving them fragile enough to be pierced with a light touch. If he broke through and crossed to the other side, he would escape calamity. Surely Zhang Yan wouldn't risk violating the sect's rules by pursuing him and possibly killing a fellow disciple, right?

This motion did not escape Zhang Yan's notice. Seeing through Tu Xuan's intentions, Zhang Yan smirked faintly. Pinching a delicate spell within his sleeve, he sent out a nearly imperceptible golden light that stealthily entered the flying stones.

It was a flash of Earth True Light, as heavy as a mountain and solidifying the stones as hard as steel. Once it collided with the stones, it instantly strengthened them to the hardness of gold and diamond.

Tu Xuan originally planned to pierce the stones with his flying cone, clear the wall, and pass through it seamlessly. Thus, after launching the cone, he didn't even check its result, eager to leap through immediately. The chain of events unfolded fluidly, naturally. However, as he charged forward, he saw the stones remained utterly unmoved, still as firm and intact as before. His face changed to one of horrified disbelief. By now, his momentum was fully in motion, and his powerful inertia was impossible to counteract. A loud thud echoed as his skull cracked open against the solid wall, and he died instantly.

Zhang Yan let out a faint sigh, folding his sleeves behind his back. He said, "I did not expect Brother Tu to be so headstrong. A mere spar between fellow disciples, yet you chose to end your life over a single defeat?"

…

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