The crimson flame in Cao Ying's hand entered the Battle Fire Arena and immediately rose to its feet, taking on a humanoid form. Its movements even carried a hint of sentience.
"This is... the Innate Beast Fire of an Eighth-Tier Demonic Beast, the Blood Demon Ape?" Xiao Yan nodded inwardly. The Blood Demon Ape Fire served as the core flame for fusing into the Blood Demon Flame.
As expected, the Cao Clan would now spare no effort to collect Beast Fire Sources for Cao Ying, ultimately condensing them into the Blood Demon Flame, a flame comparable to that of a Ninth-Tier Demonic Beast.
This flame possessed immense power, ranking just below the Myriad Beasts Spirit Fire among Beast Fires.
However, for now, the Blood Demon Ape Fire remained an Eighth-Tier flame, offering no advantage over Xiao Yan's Azure Lion Demon Flame.
With a thought, Xiao Yan rapidly condensed a massive amount of azure flame within the arena, forming a majestic azure lion with twin wings.
"The Azure Lion Demon Flame of the Eighth-Tier Azure Winged Heavenly Demon Lion," Dan Yangzi and the Cao Clan Patriarch exchanged glances from their elevated seats, surprised but not overly so.
As Yaochen's disciple, possessing an Eighth-Tier Demonic Beast's Beast Fire was perfectly normal. Their only surprise stemmed from the rarity of the Azure Winged Heavenly Demon Lion itself.
"Blood Demon Ape Fire, tear that lion apart!" Cao Ying formed hand seals. The humanoid flame suddenly swelled, transforming into a colossal Demonic Flame Ape.
"Aow!" The Demonic Flame Ape pounded its chest and stomped the ground, charging toward the Azure Lion.
"Child's play!" Xiao Yan snapped his fingers, commanding the Azure Lion Demon Flame to engage the Demonic Flame Ape in a fierce battle.
The two flame-formed Demonic Beasts tore at each other relentlessly. Cao Ying's initial arrogance gradually gave way to a serious expression, while Xiao Yan remained calm, a faint hint of confidence flickering across his face.
"Hahaha! You've truly piqued my interest! You're the first of my peers to make me struggle in a Battle Fire. What's your name?"
As the pressure mounted, Cao Ying's excitement only grew. It was only then that she realized she didn't know her opponent's name.
"Xiao Yan," he replied calmly, his expression unchanged, as if the Battle Fire held no pressure for him whatsoever.
In truth, it didn't. No matter how gifted Cao Ying might be, she was still just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl.
"If that's all you've got, you might as well give up now," Xiao Yan finally smiled faintly, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
The Azure Lion on the field suddenly intensified its attacks, leaving the Demonic Flame Ape in disarray.
"Is that all I've got?" Cao Ying sneered.
"Xiao Yan, I admit you're strong, but I've never lost a Battle Fire match against anyone my age." With that, a Battle King-level aura erupted from her.
Boom! As her Battle Qi surged, the Blood Demon Ape Fire she controlled suddenly expanded dramatically.
The Demonic Flame Ape, originally just over a person's height, instantly grew to dozens of feet tall!
If not for the ceiling, the Demonic Flame Ape could have continued to swell to hundreds of feet.
"So she's already reached the initial Battle King realm?" Xiao Yan subtly sensed the aura emanating from Cao Ying, estimating it to be around a one or two-star Battle King.
Though she had only recently entered the Battle King realm, she was still under fifteen years old, even younger than him.
Her talent would be considered top-tier even among the ancient seven clans. Judging by her bloodline grade, it was likely an eighth-grade, possibly even ninth-grade, giving her the potential to become a Holy Maiden.
"Truly worthy of being the Cao Clan's Witch! Too bad you're facing me, jie jie!"
A sinister smile crept across Xiao Yan's lips.
This was Cao Ying's peak moment, her proudest hour. By thoroughly defeating her now, he would leave an indelible impression on her heart.
If he played his cards right, winning her over wouldn't be far off.
"Reaching Battle King at your age is truly remarkable," Cao Ying said, her usual confidence wavering slightly as she noticed the smirk on Xiao Yan's lips.
"Too bad you're up against me!" As Xiao Yan's words faded, an aura far surpassing Cao Ying's erupted from him, causing Dan Yangzi and the Cao Clan Patriarch, who had been calmly observing, to pale visibly.
"A Two-Star Dou Huang! How is this possible?!"
A youth barely fifteen years old was already a Dou Huang powerhouse.
"This boy... he possesses the potential of a Dou Sheng!" The two elders exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting mutual shock.
"Impossible! How can you be a Dou Huang?!" Cao Ying's bewitching face turned deathly white.
Among her peers, there were a few with slightly higher Battle Qi cultivation, but they all focused solely on martial arts, and their advantage was minimal—at most, three stars above her.
This was the first time she had encountered someone who had achieved such a high cultivation level while also mastering alchemy. Moreover, this youth's cultivation far surpassed her own.
Even with her exceptional talent, reaching Dou Huang would likely take her until she was seventeen or eighteen.
"Heh heh, little beauty, watch how this young master will handle you!" Xiao Yan smirked wickedly, channeling a surge of Battle Qi into the Azure Lion Demon Flame.
Boom! Unexpectedly, the rapidly expanding flame suddenly exploded.
"Sigh, the flaws of Yellow-Rank Techniques are all too obvious," Xiao Yan thought, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.
The Battle Qi generated by this Yellow-Rank Technique was too unstable to withstand his force, causing him to lose control of the flame, which promptly detonated.
Seeing Xiao Yan's flame explode, Cao Ying swiftly reacted, commanding her Demonic Flame Ape to relentlessly crush the scattered embers.
"Miss Cao, sometimes, concentrated essence is the true treasure," Xiao Yan said, regaining his composure as he finally began forming hand seals.
The azure flames rapidly coalesced, reforming into an Azure Lion. However, this new lion was less than half the size of its predecessor, dwarfed by the massive Demonic Flame Ape to the point where it barely filled the ape's palm.
"Condense a fire spirit!" The crowd gasped. Though smaller, the Azure Lion was now far more solid and imbued with a palpable sentience.
This was a technique typically only possessed by Sixth-Rank Alchemists.
"Azure Lion Heavenly Demon Slash! Swift!" Xiao Yan hissed. The Azure Lion vibrated its two pairs of slender wings, slicing through the Demonic Flame Ape like twin curved blades.
Streaks of azure flame streaked across the arena as the Demonic Flame Ape clawed wildly, unable to grasp the nimble lion. Instead, the ape was left riddled with wounds from the razor-sharp wings.
"Xiao Yan, you're strong, but I will defeat you!" Cao Ying growled, channeling her immense soul power into the Demonic Flame Ape.
However, Xiao Yan's soul power was far deeper, like a pond compared to a vast lake. No matter how hard Cao Ying pushed, Xiao Yan remained effortlessly composed.
"I refuse to believe it!" Cao Ying's beautiful eyes turned bloodshot. Throughout her life, she had never been defeated by someone her age. Today, not only was she being suppressed, but her opponent didn't even seem to be exerting his full strength.
Her hands moved frantically, forming seals, and faint streaks of bloody tears began to seep from her eyes.
"Ying'er, enough!" The Cao Clan Patriarch's expression darkened as he witnessed this.
Cao Ying was about to activate a secret technique. While it would greatly enhance her strength, it would leave severe aftereffects, potentially damaging her foundation.
"Xiao Yan, I will defeat you!"
Ignoring the Cao Clan Patriarch, Cao Ying continued forming hand seals.
"Enough," a calm, youthful voice echoed. The Azure Lion, which had been mercilessly tormenting the Demonic Flame Ape, suddenly froze. With a pop, it dissolved into azure flames that scattered into the air.
Cao Ying froze, her secret technique abruptly interrupted by a surge of Battle Qi.
"Is it worth damaging your foundation for such a trivial competition?"
A gentle voice whispered in her ear. Cao Ying looked up slightly and saw the young man smiling down at her.
In that moment, Cao Ying suddenly felt that this young man was different from the other men she usually encountered.
Unknowingly, Xiao Yan had already left an indelible impression on her heart.
"Let's end the match here for today. We'll compete again in the Pill Tournament in seven days, this time with our alchemy skills."
The white-robed youth's figure faded into the distance along with his voice, leaving behind a bewildered Cao Ying and a dumbfounded crowd.
(End of Chapter)