The sight of Hai Bo’Dong furiously agitated above in the skies, stirred surprise in Xiao Yan’s eyes. For a while he watched, then laughed faintly, shaking his head in helpless amusement. Holding up both hands with twin flames dancing in his palms, he shouted upward, “Elder Hai, with how I stand now, I certainly can’t reproduce the explosion like that day… This is an improved version of the Buddha’s Wrath Lotus; it won’t spiral out of control again.”
Hai Bo’Dong’s eyes followed Xiao Yan’s left hand—the twisting purple flame within it. Only now did he realize—the purple flame before him no longer carried the qualities of an Emperor Flame. Its infernal heat was undeniable, yet it was clearly inferior to the blazing, ghostly white blaze Xiao Yan had commanded that day. *What tricks is this young devil hiding? Before it had been azure. Later came the ivory flame, and now even purplish, he remains inscrutably unpredictable.* A wave of inner lament surged within him. But still, shaking off his doubts, Hai Bo’Dong growled with gritted teeth, “Crazier devil, be damned! I don’t care if you really improved it! Play with this madness by yourself—I refuse to risk my life just like last time!”
Without another word, Hai Bo’Dong spread wide the pair of ice wings that extended behind him, and amidst the frozen stares of spectators, surged high into the sky. Only when his shrinking figure became a black speck, did he stop. The former Ice Emperor’s recent trauma still lingered—he feared once again experiencing Xiao Yan’s wrath, or rather, he feared the explosion itself.
Shrugging helplessly at Hai Bo’Dong’s caution from afar, Xiao Yan shifted his gaze downward. He caught sight of Xiao Din and Xiao Li watching closely with curious glances. “Well,” Xiao Yan said with a smirk, “the old man’s kind of timid.”
*Coughh.* A stiffened murmur echoed among the elders—though Hai Bo’Dong’s seniority carried weight, his mastery ranked somewhere terrifying—undoubtedly, the strength of a Sky Sovereign or greater! Considering how even *he* feared so greatly, the others could scarcely mask their own growing anxiety. They shared brief exchanged glances before cautiously stepping in.
“Little Flames,” Xiao Din half-smiled stiffly, “what are you attempting to test, anyway?”
“Oh nothin’ too important.” Xiao Yan scratched his head, adding lightly with deliberate indifference, “Just messing around trying some new stuff. I mean, previously, I kinda did explode us both a little by mistake… and it made poor Hai Bo’Dong here all scared for life.”
“…”
That single sentence hung heavily, making a bead of cold sweat trace itself silently upon their brows. True, the exact power level of Hai Bo’Dong still remained vague to them, but even if just judged by his manifestation as a winged warrior of the heavens—it certainly had to lie no lower than the Sky Dominion King level! To even scare *a figure of such terrifying might* meant Xiao Yan had forged some apocalyptic madness. As their gazes flitted instinctively toward that little distant dot hovering above, both elders edged carefully backward a few cautious steps.
“Yun’nu,” Xiao Din finally ventured, nodding nervously while still speaking loudly, “how about we just back… back up… give young Flares here enough breathing space!”
And on cue the others instantly scattered backward like a single wave to the border of the field. A few moments prior, this training ground buzzed with eager spectators. Now—utter abandonment reigned.
As Xiao Yan gazed across emptiness left by fearful haste and chuckled, he faced Roeb—a figure frozen stone pale beside him.
“Ah… Master Xiao,” Roeb trembled, sweat dripping, voice barely more audible than a whisper, “l-let others handle it, won’t y-ye just… find s-someone else?”
What terrifying strength did Hai Bo’Dong command? That very being stood as the peerless Ice Ruler over all Gammer’s Dominion! And even an imperial grand figure such as he had lost composure and escaped skyward as though death chased him! It made Roeb’s soul flinch and wonder silently—*was this some retaliation over something I did to displea—displease Xiao Yan…*
“Mister Roeb, relax—it’s nothing like last time at all.” Calmer and smiling gently for reassurance, Xiao Yan tried. “With your cultivation, it will be absolutely safe…”
Roeb could only silently groaned at Fate’s cruel whims that chose him—*why me…*.
But as resignation sank inside, a grim smirk found his face anyway. Resolving with clenched jawline nerves, he erupted his battle energies with force, allowing the thick aura to solidify across his body’s length—a hard-baked golden armoured skin shimmered.
In an instant—as though preparing for an ancient holy war—a powerful Great Warrior’s Battle Coat fully encased him in its protective glory. Even a veteran would hesitate to attack a well-armoured battle spirit… still…
The sight amused Xiao Yan slightly—the man had overestimated greatly! But undetermed, Xiao Yan turned back, gathering blue and violet fireflames into each respective palm. Slowly hands drew together, twin flames inching—until…
…sudden ripples—power shockwaves began churning and echoing, as before. Crackling thunders burst within each clasp he made—though nowhere near as wild as in times past. Even still, layers of defensive spirit qi coated Xiao Yan’s hands with fierce tenacy—clinging tight, holding.
Fully devoted to his focus, he tried recalling the mysterious stillness—the inner balance he’d tapped at last climax of that fateful trial of the Lotus.
Black eyes fix upon where violet and emerald fires fused like lightning dancing.
Far above, observing from his height, Hai Bo’Dong muttered under his breath,
“Energy ripples this round appear notably weaker, perhaps this devil did actually succeed… Though still a single control misfire means destruction waits…”
“God… What’s with the mad genius always fiddling around making stuff no one else dares touch?”
He snorted. Secretly, envy stirred in the ice emperor’s heart. Decades ago he once saw another wielder of Emperor Flame deep within Yundian Kingdom—but that master handled the Emperor Flame like some divine ancestral heirloom—not as Xiao Yan recklessly fused, twisted!
Below—back at work, with a gaze locked tight upon fireball form coalescing—Xiao Yan exhaled and flicked his slender fingers precisely. For the very first time while wholly awake, controlling an explosion directly with his own hands—it revealed just how immense the required output was of Infernally Aligned Battle Qi—fifteen precise touches had drained Xiao Yan almost halfway. Yet it was now time…
Summoning memories from long ago, his gaze—tinted with violet-embrace, locked tight again. The moments ticked by… when fingers suspended…
And—*boom!* With forceful summoning, the threads of spirit threads surged from his soul into the heart of inferno. In an instant—they pierced the storm!
The chaotic fury quelled. Wild fire quietened—within mere breath intervals, the once lashing bristles settled to a peaceful hush.
Breathing slightly more at peace, Xiao Yan lifted the calmed violet-fire hybrid upon his open palm. Mind inward, that spiritual awareness within slowly coaxed new shapes and new wonders from what had begun as little more than flickering destruction.
The flame obeyed!
Ball-shifting—shrank fast—until half-head size!
Minutes drifted…
And suddenly—*voila!* Emerging from swirling violet-emeraldance—shaping—taking true Lotus-form with divine grace! The final transformation had completed!
A single exquisite violet-flame lily hovered gently above Xiao Yan’s cupped hand—the *Lotus*. Sky above, Hai Bo’Dong blinked once. Then said, in tone of awe,
“Increasingly more in control… if back then he could’ve controlled it even *half* this precisely—eight-winged Emperor black cobra-phantom would’ve ended shattered by his hand… If some day his flame-fusing deepens, alongside the skill like tonight’s—perhaps within the Rulers—only a very few utterly insane beings might survive!”
Beneath the clouds where this was whispered to empty air, back within the training court’s emptiness, Xiao Yan cradled the lily. He turned, smiling at armored Roeb. His fingers gently flick his fingers—the lotus soared—a streak of lightning shot with speed! Straight for a target still bracing, still fearing.
Silent moments.
Then hand struck—a sudden grasp!
**BOOM**!
The *Lotusi Explosion* roared!
Debris rained! Earth cracked. The whole arena quivered!
Above the scene, Hai Bo’Dong gently shut his eyes.
“… Flawless mastery…”
In that solemn silence, he whispered—feeling once—and for the first time since meeting Flare Xiao Yan, the *real* terror that this lotus represented.
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