Lin Yue's expression became complicated, and after a brief hesitation, he slowly stepped back.
The warning he had intended to give remained unspoken. Instead, a trace of pity appeared in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Li.
Because he understood clearly that from this moment on, Zhou Li had already stepped onto a path with no good outcome.
If Zhou Li won, he would be humiliating the disciple of the Fifth Elder, which would inevitably draw the wrath of that terrifying figure.
His current backing, though strong, would be insignificant in front of such an existence.
On the other hand, if he lost, he would lose face in front of so many disciples, and worse, he had already provoked Xiao Feng.
Either way, there was no favorable ending waiting for him.
Unfortunately, Zhou Li was completely unaware of this.
Seeing Lin Yue fall silent, Zhou Li let out a cold laugh, assuming that he had nothing more to say.
"What? Regretting it already?" Zhou Li said mockingly as he looked at Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng, however, remained calm from beginning to end. There was no visible fluctuation in his expression, as if the situation in front of him did not trouble him in the slightest.
"I accept," he said plainly.
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly across the area.
The moment those words fell, the crowd erupted once again. Excited murmurs spread rapidly as more and more disciples began moving toward the direction of the Flame Spirit Arena.
Clearly, no one wanted to miss such a confrontation.
Zhou Li's smile widened, satisfaction flashing across his face as he turned around without another word and began walking toward the arena.
The core disciple beside him followed closely, occasionally glancing back at Xiao Feng with a thoughtful expression.
Lin Yue remained standing beside Xiao Feng for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed. He let out a quiet sigh before speaking in a low voice.
"You really didn't need to agree so quickly."
Xiao Feng simply smiled faintly, his expression calm and composed.
"I know what I'm doing," he replied.
Hearing this, Lin Yue shook his head slightly, the trace of pity in his eyes becoming even more evident.
"No matter who wins or loses," he murmured, "he won't have a good ending."
With that, Xiao Feng stepped forward and walked toward the Flame Spirit Arena as well, his pace steady and unhurried. While the crowd surged ahead like a tide, eagerly anticipating the clash that was about to unfold.
The moment Xiao Feng stepped into the Flame Spirit Arena, the atmosphere around him subtly changed.
The arena itself was vast, circular, and slightly elevated from the surrounding ground.
Ancient patterns were carved across its surface, forming intricate flame-guiding formations that faintly glowed under the sunlight.
These formations weren't merely decorative. T
hey were designed to stabilize and amplify fire-based techniques, ensuring that battles of flames could be carried out without completely destroying the surroundings.
Around the platform, disciples gathered rapidly.
Among them were outer disciples, inner disciples and even a few core disciples. It seems that the word had already spread.
A confrontation between alchemists, especially within the Flame Spirit Arena, was not happens daily. It was never something ordinary.
Instead of fists and blades, it was a clash of control, precision, and understanding. And often, far more humiliating to lose.
Zhou Li was already standing at the center of the platform.
His posture was upright, hands clasped behind his back, chin slightly raised. The faint curve of arrogance at the corner of his lips made it clear—he had been waiting.
The moment Xiao Feng stepped onto the platform, countless gazes locked onto him.
Some of them were curious, while some had a mocking smile on their face, likely waiting someone to lose his face.
But one thing is common, that was all of their faces filled with anticipation.
Zhou Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Xiao Feng approaching.
"You actually came."
His voice wasn't loud, yet under the quiet tension of the arena, it spread clearly into the ears of everyone present.
"I thought you might run away after thinking it through."
Xiao Feng stopped a few meters away from him, his expression calm, almost indifferent.
"If I agreed, then I naturally wouldn't waste time."
Zhou Li let out a soft chuckle, though there was no warmth in it.
"Good. You saves me the trouble of finding you later."
His gaze sharpened, turning cold.
"Today, I'll make sure you understand something clearly that there were always someone, you can't afford to provoke."
A faint ripple suddenly spread from his body.
Boom—
An invisible pressure burst outward.
The surrounding air seemed to sink slightly as a powerful aura erupted from Zhou Li's body without restraint.
The expressions of several disciples instantly changed.
"Such pressure…!"
"This aura… it's—"
"Eighth Stage of Spirit Condensing Realm!"
A low wave of shock spread through the crowd.
Even some inner disciples couldn't help but reveal serious expressions.
It was not that his cultivation was somewhat unfathomable, there are more than half of them whose cultivation is higher than him.
But you have to remember that he had only came in Heavenly Dao Sect half an year ago. Still, he could cultivate to this extent within such little time, it shows his extraordinary talent.
Zhou Li stood there, his robes fluttering lightly despite the lack of wind, spiritual energy coiling around him like an invisible flame.
His eyes locked onto Xiao Feng, filled with cold confidence.
"Now," he said slowly, "do you still think you made the right decision?"
Xiao Feng's gaze flickered slightly.
Eighth Stage of Spirit Condensing… as somewhat expected.
Since Zhou Li was able to freely enter the first layer of the Flame Spirit Tower for cultivation, his strength naturally wouldn't be low.
Combined with his alchemist status of second rank alchemist, same rank as him.
Xiao Feng exhaled lightly, his expression remaining unchanged.
In a real fight, he might indeed be at a disadvantage. After all, cultivation level wasn't something that could be completely ignored.
But this wasn't a battle of strength.
This was the Flame Spirit Arena. A place where flames… spoke louder than fists.
And in that aspect—
Xiao Feng's lips curved ever so slightly.
He feared no one.
The system had given him not only flames… but countless refined flame control techniques meant for alchemy. Techniques designed for precision, transformation, and extreme control.
Perhaps not meant for battle, but that didn't mean they couldn't be used for it.
Zhou Li saw that faint smile. For some reason, it irritated him.
"Still pretending to be calm?"
His eyes turned cold as he spoke, "Let's see how long you can keep that expression."
The next moment, he moved.
A hint of pride flashed across his face as he shook his hands, and a deep crimson flame, tinged with streaks of dark gold instantly permeated out, quickly enveloping his hands.
The scorching temperature made his face appear slightly illusory and a faint beast-like roar seemed to echo within the fire.
Zhou Li's lips curled slightly, his voice carrying unmistakable pride.
"A Fourth Rank Beast Flame… Crimson Horned Lion Flame."
The flame flickered violently in his palm, its shape shifting like a living creature, exuding a fierce and oppressive aura.
"No wonder he's so arrogant…"
"To possess such a flame…"
Even some core disciples revealed surprised expressions.
He raised his hand slightly, the beast flame swirling around him like a coiling serpent.
"Now," he said, his voice turning sharp, "kneel and admit defeat. I might let this end quickly."
Silence.
For a brief moment, the entire arena fell quiet.
Looking at the crimson flame surging from Zhou Li's palm, a hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Feng's eyes. This should be a Beast Fire, but his words made a somewhat funny and strange feeling surge in his heart.
Playing with fire?
'Heh, with my current control over flames, even some third rank alchemist couldn't compare to me'
He also shook his right hand, and the dark blue flame floated above his palm.
"Hehe, if you like this way, then let me accompany you."
A chilling, ocean-like aura spread outward, accompanied by a faint dragon like roar from this flame.
His smiling words made entire area fall into pin drop silence.
This moment, Zhou Li who had been smug moments before, was now dumbfounded.
"What's type of beast flame is that!"
"This aura… it's far powerful than Crimson Horned Lion Flame!"
Gazing at the two-colored flames in their hands, the area fell into silence. After a long while, incredulous exclamations finally broke out.
Zhou Li's flame was not unknown for them, as many of them presented here were alchemist, they knew quite a bit about flames. Some of them even seen him using this flame before.
But it couldn't said for Serena Sea Dragon Flame. This flame was far too rare, that's why none of them recognized its origin.
But it didn't stop them from comparing their power. And the final results shocked them, this unknown young man's flame seems far more powerful than Zhou Li's Crimson Horned Lion Flame.
"Hmph… so what if your flame is stronger? In the end—your own ability determines everything!"
Zhou Li's eyes darkened instantly as he also felt his flame was weaker than the opponent's flame.
At the same time, confusion filled in his heart as he thought about Xiao Feng's background. But because he didn't even know his name, and his heart already filled with envy, he didn't thought anymore.
The moment his words fell, he attacked without any hesitation.