The first clash with Xiao Yan

His delicate face was as dark as ink, and fierce killing intent spilled from him as he fixed his gaze on Su Tian.

Xiao Yan had never expected that the man before him was the one who had secretly stolen his Green Lotus Base.

"You're human?"

After they stared at each other in silence for a moment, Xiao Yan was the first to speak. His brows knitted slightly, a shadow clouding his eyes as he spoke in a low voice.

"I never expected to find another human here in the Snake-People Tribe's Temple City. Just who are you?"

"Me?"

Su Tian blinked and grinned, though inwardly he remained alert to Xiao Yan's every movement. Scratching his head, he chuckled. "Who I am isn't important. What matters is that I know who you are-and I also know what you're here for."

Boom...

The instant Su Tian finished speaking, a sharp aura erupted from Xiao Yan. An icy threat flickered in his eyes, and a barely perceptible ripple crossed his seemingly calm face.

Clearly, Su Tian's words had stirred up a violent storm in Xiao Yan's heart.

To Xiao Yan, everything about Su Tian seemed bizarre.

Not only had he secretly snatched the Green Lotus Base from Xiao Yan's Storage Ring without him noticing, but he was also utterly unruffled, claiming to know his name and the purpose of his journey.

This left Xiao Yan filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

"I'll ask you one more time. Just who are you?"

"All right, let me introduce myself first. My name is Su Tian. Just an ordinary handsome fellow."

Su Tian paid no heed to the threat in Xiao Yan's words. He rubbed his nose, a warm smile spreading across his handsome face as he spoke lightly.

"As for you-Jia Ma Empire, Wutan City, Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan!"

"I haven't gotten anything wrong, have I?"

Boom...

The instant Su Tian finished, Xiao Yan's expression changed. He could no longer suppress the fierce killing intent within him. His aura erupted, and a dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes.

"You said your name is Su Tian? I've never seen you before, and I don't know you. So why do you know so much about me? Who exactly are you? What are you plotting against my Xiao Clan?"

As he looked at Su Tian, Xiao Yan's heart brimmed with questions.

Xiao Yan was certain that they were complete strangers whose paths had never crossed.

Even his identity was something almost no one could know in such detail, apart from his two older brothers in Stone Desert City and the members of their mercenary group.

And from what Xiao Yan knew of his brothers, they would never allow anyone in their mercenary group to leak even the slightest information about him.

At this thought, Xiao Yan slowly narrowed his eyes. A dangerous, icy gleam surfaced in them, and his heart filled with wariness toward Su Tian.

Teacher, have you noticed anything strange about him?

Xiao Yan kept his eyes fixed on Su Tian while communicating inwardly with Yao Lao.

After a brief silence, Yao Lao's grave voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind. "I already examined him carefully just now, but I didn't detect anything unusual."

"He has the strength of a One-Star Great Dou Master, and his Soul Power isn't weak. Unless my senses are mistaken, he should also be an Alchemist, though his rank doesn't seem particularly high."

* A One-Star Great Dou Master...*

Hearing Yao Lao's answer, Xiao Yan nodded inwardly. That was more or less what he had sensed himself.

As far as Xiao Yan was concerned, Su Tian's strength did not make him unbeatable.

Yet everything Su Tian had done struck Xiao Yan as deeply strange, whether it was the inexplicable disappearance of the Green Lotus Base or his intimate knowledge of Xiao Yan.

"Strange. Although I can see through his aura, I keep feeling as though a veil of mist surrounds him, preventing me from looking any deeper."

Hidden inside the ring on Xiao Yan's hand, Yao Lao frowned deeply as he carefully sensed the aura emanating from Su Tian. After pondering briefly, he spoke with a hint of gravity.

The fact that even Yao Lao could not see through Su Tian completely had already made Xiao Yan profoundly wary of him.

Su Tian? I've never heard of such a mysterious figure, yet he actually knows my identity. This man must be plotting something far-reaching!

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. In his heart, he had clearly already classified Su Tian as an enemy.

After all, the Green Lotus Base Xiao Yan had lost was now in Su Tian's hands, and it was indispensable if he wanted to subdue the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Without the Green Lotus Base's help, even Yao Lao dared not guarantee that he could help Xiao Yan subdue the Green Lotus Core Flame.

That meant the difficulty of subduing the Green Lotus Core Flame would increase a hundredfold.

Even the slightest carelessness might leave him buried in its flames.

"The Green Lotus Core Flame will be mine!"

Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, recalling his Three-Year Agreement with Nalan Yanran. His dark expression settled into calm once more, and he looked impassively at Su Tian.

"Whatever I've lost, I'll take back with my own hands. That goes for the Three-Year Agreement, the Green Lotus Base, and the Green Lotus Core Flame!"

Boom...

As Xiao Yan's words fell, an even stronger, scorching aura erupted from his body, seemingly dispersing some of the chill in the air.

"Although I don't know how you took the Green Lotus Base from me, no one can take what belongs to me without my permission!"

Xiao Yan looked calmly at Su Tian, his lips curving into a confident smile as he spoke slowly.

At the same time, he began walking toward Su Tian.

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

With Xiao Yan's first step, the Dou Qi within him surged out. In the blink of an eye, a layer of purplish-red Dou Qi Armor enveloped his body.

Seeing the Dou Qi Armor appear around Xiao Yan, Su Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, and a burning desire to fight welled up within him.

"So you want to fight?"

Faced with Xiao Yan's sharp aura rushing toward him, Su Tian showed not the slightest fear. A bright gleam shone in his eyes.

Xiao Yan.

This young man, who would one day become the Flame Emperor, was finally about to clash with Su Tian for the first time.

Su Tian knew perfectly well that Xiao Yan had already absorbed the Purple Flame refined from the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and that his Flame Mantra had undergone an upgrade, reaching Yellow Tier Mid Grade.

But the Flame Mantra Su Tian cultivated was still at Yellow Tier Low Grade.

Moreover, Su Tian had yet to absorb any Heavenly Flames. The flames he released in battle were all converted from his Dou Qi.

Compared with Xiao Yan's Purple Flame, they were clearly a little weaker.

However, Su Tian was now a One-Star Great Dou Master.

Xiao Yan, meanwhile, was a two-star Dou Shi.

Even if Xiao Yan could fight above his level and defeat the One-Star Great Dou Master who led the Sand Mercenary Group, he might not be able to defeat Su Tian.

After all, the Dou Technique Su Tian cultivated was also an Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique.

In terms of power, it was no weaker than Xiao Yan's.

Their respective strengths and weaknesses offset one another. Who would be left standing at the end remained unknown.

"I do feel a little sorry for taking your Green Lotus Base, but I'm determined to get the Green Lotus Core Flame too!"

Su Tian smiled faintly, confidence likewise radiating from him.

Even facing Xiao Yan, Su Tian felt not the slightest fear. Instead, he wanted to experience firsthand how much of the future Flame Emperor's might had already taken shape.

"I understand. You won't give up the Green Lotus Core Flame easily. Since that's the case, let's each rely on our own ability!"

Boom!

As soon as Su Tian finished speaking, a powerful aura erupted from his body. As it surged outward, it suppressed Xiao Yan's aura somewhat.

Clearly, when it came to cultivation alone, Su Tian still held a certain advantage.

Although his cultivation method might have been one grade below Xiao Yan's, the gap between their cultivation levels made up for it.

"Good!"

Hearing Su Tian's spirited words, Xiao Yan gave him a long look. For some inexplicable reason, his killing intent diminished slightly, and an equally fiery desire to fight rose within him.

Just then, Yao Lao's voice quietly sounded in Xiao Yan's mind.

"Xiao Yan, you must end this battle quickly. Queen Medusa has already begun absorbing the Heavenly Flame to prepare for her evolution. Who knows how much longer Gu He's people can hold out? Once they or the Snake-People Tribe have their hands free and reach this place, seizing the Heavenly Flame won't be so simple!"

Teacher, don't worry. I know what I'm doing.

Xiao Yan nodded silently, watching Su Tian a short distance away as he replied softly in his mind.

He had no intention of fighting Su Tian to the death. He only wanted to reclaim the Green Lotus Base as quickly as possible, swiftly subdue the Green Lotus Core Flame, and then hurry away from this place.

Bang!

Across from him, Su Tian's gaze sharpened. Without further hesitation, he stamped hard against the ground and decisively shot toward Xiao Yan.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan gave a cold snort. His delicate face remained completely calm, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. With a turn of his right hand, he drew the Heavy Xuan Ruler from his back and gripped it tightly.

"Just what I wanted!"

With a low shout, Xiao Yan gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his right hand and swept it through an oppressively powerful arc.

Then a fierce shout rang out in Xiao Yan's mind: Burst Step!

A surge of Dou Qi instantly gathered around Xiao Yan's feet. His body shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight at the approaching Su Tian.

Seeing Xiao Yan rush toward him, Su Tian accelerated even further.

In an instant, a series of blurred afterimages trailed behind Su Tian.

"Take this!"

Xiao Yan's lips curved, and a fierce shout suddenly rang out.

The next instant, Xiao Yan raised the Heavy Xuan Ruler overhead and brought it crashing down toward Su Tian's head.

Xiao Yan clearly held nothing back in this strike. He knew that if Su Tian, with the strength of a One-Star Great Dou Master, could not withstand his attack, then he did not deserve to be called his opponent.

As Su Tian watched the ruler approach, the confidence on his handsome face did not fade in the slightest.

"Let's see just what's so strange about this so-called Heavy Xuan Ruler!"

Facing Xiao Yan's attack, Su Tian threw his head back and laughed. His right hand abruptly clenched into a fist, and a thick surge of Dou Qi instantly gathered around it.

Boom...

In an instant, Su Tian's fist slammed fearlessly into the descending Heavy Xuan Ruler. A deep, muffled impact rang out, and a hazy ripple of force rapidly spread outward.

Clang!

The moment Su Tian's right fist touched the Heavy Xuan Ruler, his expression shifted slightly. Narrowing his eyes, he gave the ruler held in Xiao Yan's two hands a long look.

"As expected of the Heavy Xuan Ruler. It really does conceal something strange!"

Su Tian had long known that the Heavy Xuan Ruler possessed the peculiar ability to suppress the circulation of Dou Qi and was extraordinarily heavy. Thus, he had already prepared himself before meeting this blow.

Yet only after actually coming into contact with the Heavy Xuan Ruler did Su Tian realize that it was far stranger than he had imagined.

The instant it touched the Heavy Xuan Ruler, his previously surging Dou Qi slowed to a turtle's crawl, causing him intense discomfort.

Fortunately, Su Tian was prepared and immediately broke contact.

As a result, Xiao Yan's strike did not throw Su Tian into much disarray. Su Tian thrust his right fist upward, and Xiao Yan followed the force, gripping the Heavy Xuan Ruler as he retreated a small step.

Su Tian likewise stepped back.

Their first clash had actually ended in a draw.

Something's wrong. There's something strange about him. Why do I feel as though Su Tian knows the Heavy Xuan Ruler's secret? When we made contact just now, he seemed prepared, so it didn't suppress him much!

Seeing Su Tian's unperturbed expression, Xiao Yan knitted his brows tightly and thought to himself.

Yao Lao had also been observing their exchange.

"This little fellow seems to have quite a few secrets. Unless someone experiences the Heavy Xuan Ruler's peculiar effects firsthand, they can't detect anything unusual about it."

"But from that exchange just now, I had the same feeling. He seemed to know the Heavy Xuan Ruler's secret already, which is why he showed no surprise when he received its attack."

Yao Lao studied Su Tian intently, speculating about his secrets.

Yet no matter how hard Yao Lao pondered, he would probably never imagine that Su Tian was not from the Dou Qi Continent, but instead hailed from the same world as Xiao Yan.

And he was someone from that world who knew Xiao Yan exceedingly well!

"Not bad. If I didn't know a little about the Heavy Xuan Ruler, I really would have suffered quite a hidden setback from that blow!"

Naturally, Su Tian knew nothing of Xiao Yan's and Yao Lao's thoughts. He merely shook out his right hand, which had gone slightly numb from the Heavy Xuan Ruler's impact, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth as he spoke lightly.

"You actually know about the Heavy Xuan Ruler!"

Hearing Su Tian's words, Xiao Yan felt as though raging winds and towering waves had once again risen in his heart. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he stared fixedly at Su Tian and spoke in a low voice.