CHAPTER 462: CHAPTER 305: AFTER ALL, A MASTER_2

Watching the rapidly approaching man, Yan Xiaobao did not panic. Unlike the King Ranking Experts, he was fully aware of his own lack of strength. Thus, he activated Velocity Flow, creating a clone and dodging to the side.

The King did not realize the figure before him was a clone. In a full-power swing, he cleaved the clone in half.

He did not laugh loudly and proudly as many had expected. Instead, feeling the lack of resistance, he became solemn and austere.

This King-level expert had killed many before and was well-acquainted with the sensations of cutting a human. Yet, no resistance could be felt this time. His brows furrowed as he realized the young man had escaped his range, leaving a copy behind. Facing an opponent capable of moving so swiftly, whose actions he couldn’t even perceive, was something he had to respect.

However, such respect would never make him relent. On the contrary, he turned around, directing himself toward the corner of the stage where Yan Xiaobao had retreated.

The giant wasn’t the sole person deeply astonished by Yan Xiaobao’s movement techniques; all those knowledgeable about martial arts were stunned to see a Master evade the full-force strike of a King-level expert. This feat required far more than ordinary skill.

Though his agility amazed the audience and his opponent alike, it didn’t change the fact that winning required much more than just evading blows—a fact Yan Xiaobao understood better than anyone.

The flames Yan Xiaobao had conjured earlier did little beyond lightly scorching his opponent’s skin. With a grim expression, Yan Xiaobao generated another flame, keeping as far from his opponent as possible.

"Well, let’s see if this works," he murmured. A tremor rippled through his body as he merged a drop of Lan Feng’s spiritual energy into his own. Though only a small amount, the energy drop carried elemental affinity. The red flame in the young man’s hand rapidly shifted colors—from red to white, and then to blue.

Seeing the blue flame in Yan Xiaobao’s hand, everyone was shaken; both the members of the Demon Dance Family and the Mercenary Guild chose to support Yan Xiaobao.

Witnessing the blue flame, everyone understood this wasn’t an ordinary fire, nor was it a mere basic flame.

Historically, flames were ranked by their colors. Red denoted natural fire, orange was stronger than red, white was an even greater tier, but blue flames were pure manifestations of elemental affinity—fire that was fire itself.

Few knew much about such flames. As the audience cheered for Yan Xiaobao due to the flame’s beautiful and unusual color, the head of the Demon Dance Family narrowed his eyes. A cold atmosphere enveloped him as he shot his young son a resentful look.

"Why would you insult someone so talented? At least he’s not strong, or we’d be in serious trouble. How many times have I told you never to judge people by appearances?!" The family leader cursed his son in a low voice while watching the battle unfold. The blue flame made him uneasy, but so long as this was the boy’s trump card, things shouldn’t be too dire.

The Demon Dance Family wasn’t alone in their shock. Opposite them, Xu Biao was astounded by the blue flame Yan Xiaobao displayed before everyone. The boy’s blue eyes matched the hue of the flames.

Realizing the significance of the flame, the Guild Master finally understood that things were not as they seemed, and Yan Xiaobao was far more intriguing than he had expected. If he could conceal the power of this blue flame, there was no telling what other secrets he could keep.

The Demon Dance Family hoped the blue flame would be Yan Xiaobao’s last line of survival, but Xu Biao and the Mercenary Guild only wished it marked the beginning of something greater.

Ignoring both sides, Yan Xiaobao increased the flame’s size before him, then, as before, hurled it at the giant rushing toward him.

Yan Xiaobao fixed his gaze on his opponent. This time, however, the giant chose not to touch the fire directly but instead stamped on the ground, managing to sidestep out of the blue flame’s path.

Seeing the giant successfully evade the blue flame, a satisfied grin spread across his face. Once again, he stomped heavily on the ground, propelling himself forward with his legs as he shot toward the young man ahead of him.

Wu Wei’s golden radiance exploded from within once more, forming a halberd-like shape, slicing toward the bewildered boy in a crescent arc.

Again, Yan Xiaobao appeared to be sliced in half. However, just like before, it was merely a clone. A sudden sense of peril surged in the giant’s heart as the young man appeared right behind him, holding two blue flames in his hands.

As a King-ranking giant expert, his halberd abruptly shifted mid-swing. The edge suddenly redirected itself toward Yan Xiaobao.

A deafening explosion echoed. The stage’s floor disintegrated into sand. The sand was flung outward, obscuring everyone’s view.

Only after a while could the figures of the two combatants still standing on the stage be seen. Neither of them moved.

"Too shallow, huh?" Yan Xiaobao remarked with a grin. His body had been sliced open, and blood dripped from his wounds onto the ground.

The opponent did not reply. He didn’t react at all for one simple reason—his right arm, the one wielding the martial power halberd, was burned black. The scorching stench of charred flesh wafted into the audience, causing a few to turn pale.

Although the wound looked grim, losing control of his right arm wasn’t as disastrous as it seemed. Yet this development left Yan Xiaobao in a perilous spot.

As Yan Xiaobao was about to curse his luck, a green tint suddenly emerged around the wounds on his body. This green pearl seemed to harbor a will to mend its residence, filling Yan Xiaobao with renewed hope.

"Looks like I truly have no choice," he murmured while noticing the pitiful expression on his opponent’s face. The wound he had suffered rapidly healed, once again shocking the audience and the two opposing factions.

The green tint was a major surprise to the Demon Dance Family. The leader’s eyes narrowed once more, and his mood grew heavier as he observed these unfolding events.

"A cultivator with affinity for both wood and fire elements. Wood and fire!" he spat at his son. "He could become an alchemist. Perhaps he already is one. Yet you had to go and insult him!

"At this point, we cannot afford to lose to him," the family head continued. "If we do, every powerful family will strive to gain his favor, leaving us to be trampled beneath their feet!"

Upon hearing this, the young leader of the Demon Dance Family trembled slightly, imagining how much his world would change if his association with an esteemed family were severed.

While the Demon Dance Family reeled in shock, they were not the most astounded. That honor fell to Xu Biao. The Guild Master had seen Yan Xiaobao use both fire and earth previously and knew firsthand the young man’s affinity was with these two elements. How, then, could he suddenly wield the wood element?

As the two factions remained preoccupied with their astonishment over his elemental affinity, Yan Xiaobao did not revel in the sensation of his healed wounds. Instead, he shut his eyes briefly, focusing intently. His consciousness reached out to the phoenix within his Dantian Cave, pulling threads to bind the two forces together. For the first time ever, golden energy seeped down these threads, infiltrating Yan Xiaobao’s consciousness, then coursing throughout his entire body in waves of power unlike anything he had ever experienced.

When he opened his eyes, the inner blue glow transformed into a brilliant gold radiance. Both his body and the surrounding green tint were overtaken by this golden aura, which was so abundant that it began leaking from his very being.

Unlike the King-level expert before him, Yan Xiaobao lacked an Upper Dantian. Instead, the golden energy from Lan Feng poured outward, allowing him to wield it at will.

Soon, a massive golden hand materialized in the air. It was one of the few visible attacks Yan Xiaobao could create, and replicating it in an instant caused Xu Biao’s eyes to widen in disbelief.

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