Before Xiao Yan had even finished speaking, he pushed off the ground and shot forward. Tang Huohuo, however, did not choose to meet him head-on, instead standing in place and assuming a defensive stance.
Once the two exchanged blows again, Xiao Yan clearly felt how different Tang Huohuo was from before. Her increased cultivation had given her speed, strength, and Dou Qi far beyond what she had displayed earlier. Letting Xiao Yan attack now was merely because she did not wish to take advantage of him; she wanted him to see the gap between them for himself.
Even so, Xiao Yan could only barely withstand her few simple counterattacks. Tang Huohuo was not an alchemist like Cao Ying, unfamiliar with combat. Xiao Yan's skill was still insufficient to bridge the gap in cultivation between himself and Tang Huohuo.
After knocking Xiao Yan back once more, Tang Huohuo stopped holding back. She could see that Xiao Yan was not someone who would admit defeat on his own. Secret techniques that raised one's strength usually had time limits, and the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame was no exception.
So she chose to defeat Xiao Yan herself.
She did not even need to use a Dou Technique. A fist and a palm strike sent Xiao Yan stumbling back several steps, while the skin beneath his clothes had already become red and swollen.
Faced with Tang Huohuo's suddenly intensified assault, Xiao Yan found himself stretched thin, struggling to keep up.
His cultivation was being completely crushed, their techniques were evenly matched, and even the quality of her Dou Qi was comparable to his. That meant Tang Huohuo's cultivation method was of no low grade either.
Xiao Yan needed to break the deadlock...
Suppressed to such a degree, Xiao Yan secretly gathered Dou Qi