Inside the room.
Separated by a table, Lin Xiu and Xiao Yan sat facing each other. Xiao Yan took the initiative to pick up the teapot on the table, first pouring a cup for Lin Xiu and then one for herself.
"Junior Brother, just say what you have to say. We are all students of the Academy. As long as it's not too difficult, it's no problem to lend a hand."
Lin Xiu smiled faintly, and after speaking, he raised his teacup.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan, who had originally prepared some words, found them somewhat unnecessary and directly said, "Senior Brother, is Han Feng's Heavenly Flame in your hands?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan saw Lin Xiu pause with the teacup at his lips and glance at him.
Immediately, Xiao Yan felt a pang of anxiety, becoming restless and somewhat nervous.
Was I too direct?
The Heavenly Flame is an extremely rare treasure, not only greatly assisting Alchemists but also aiding in the enhancement of combat strength.
Who wouldn't want to claim the Heavenly Flame for themselves?
Lin Xiu put down the teacup. "That's right, the Sea Heart Flame is indeed with me."
"Senior Brother..."
Xiao Yan's eyes sparkled, but as soon as he started speaking, Lin Xiu interrupted him.
"I can't give it to you because..."
Lin Xiu's gaze shifted from Xiao Yan's face to the palm of his outstretched right hand.
Whoosh!
With a soft sound, a wisp of Blue Flame appeared.
"I've already refined it. It helps me in battle and is indeed very handy to use."
Watching the somewhat dazed Xiao Yan, Lin Xiu's lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"This... Am I dreaming? Senior Brother, even without using pills, the Heavenly Flame can't be directly stored in the Dantian. Did you manage to acquire the Acceptance Soul?"
Coming to his senses, Xiao Yan found it hard to accept this reality.
When he previously refined the Green Lotus Core Flame, he made extensive preparations and only barely succeeded by relying on his teacher's extra Acceptance Soul.
Even so, he went through a lot of hardships.
In contrast, Senior Brother easily obtained the fifteenth-ranked Sea Heart Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking?
Is there really such a big gap between people?
"Oh, the Acceptance Soul you're talking about is indeed quite rare. However, when I obtained Han Feng's Spatial Ring, I found that there was just a bit left, which seemed to be from his previous refinement of the Sea Heart Flame."
Lin Xiu was telling the whole truth.
Although possessing the Flame Soul Separation Technique can suppress the Heavenly Flame, both the Sea Heart Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame are powerful Heavenly Flames with unpredictable might.
He didn't dare to place both entirely within the Fire Spirit.
If they were to conflict and mutate, he might end up following in Yao Tian Huo's footsteps.
Originally, Lin Xiu planned to spend a fortune in the Black-Corner Region to buy a Acceptance Soul, but later discovered that Han Feng's Nether Sea Spatial Ring already contained some.
Lin Xiu unhesitatingly used the Acceptance Soul to create a dedicated area within his Dantian for storing the Heavenly Flame.
With the Sea Heart Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame, he not only successfully cultivated the Flame Mantra but also elevated the Qi Method to Black Rank High Level.
By using Attribute Points to enhance it, Lin Xiu obtained the complete Flame Mantra, although the Qi Method level still required absorbing Heavenly Flames to improve further.
His current understanding of the Flame Mantra is even stronger than Xiao Yan's.
...
"Huh, they're coming out."
"Why does Junior Brother Xiao Yan look so dazed? He seems like he's taken a huge blow."
In the courtyard, a few people turned their eyes toward the opening door.
When they saw Xiao Yan walk out in a daze, they were momentarily stunned.
Xiao Yan didn't greet them and left straight away.
Lin Xiu, who followed behind, responded to their inquiries by saying that Xiao Yan had tried to exchange something with him but failed.
Du Chaoping and the others weren't surprised at all.
In the entire inner courtyard, Lin Xiu is considered a treasure among treasures.
As long as it doesn't violate the rules, he can get whatever he wants by asking for it.
Xiao Yan trying to exchange something with Lin Xiu? What a joke.
Elsewhere.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yan heard a hesitant call.
"Leader?"
Lifting his head, Xiao Yan looked closely and found that he had unknowingly walked to the Pan's Gate base, where a young man at the entrance was staring at him.
"It's me. How has Pan's Gate been these days while I was away?"
He smiled faintly and nodded gently.
"Is it really you?! Leader! The leader is back!"
Upon receiving a response, the young man became extremely excited, his high-pitched shout waking up everyone in the courtyard behind him.
One by one, figures emerged. When they saw Xiao Yan outside the gate, they were instantly moved to tears.
A young man squeezed through the crowd, initially stunned, then quickly stepped forward and gave Xiao Yan a heavy hug.
"It's good to have you back. I heard someone say they saw you at the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower before, and I wondered if it was an illusion."
Wu Hao grabbed Xiao Yan's shoulders, his expression full of emotion.
"How is Pan's Gate doing?"
Xiao Yan asked with a smile, his gaze passing over Wu Hao to see many familiar faces.
He even saw Xiao Yu, Xiao Mei, Xiao Ning, and others at the back of the crowd.
In over a year, they had finally become strong enough to enter the inner courtyard.
Everyone happily returned to the courtyard.
After learning about the situation, Xiao Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Previously, he had stepped forward to help the Academy deal with the Fallen Heart Flame. Although he was ultimately swept to the bottom of the tower, the Academy had taken good care of Pan's Gate.
There was no situation where Pan's Gate was leaderless and other forces came to invade.
During this time, under the leadership of Hu Jia and Wu Hao, Pan's Gate had also grown stronger.
"By the way, you should be very grateful to Elder Lin Xiu."
Wu Hao looked at Xiao Yan, who was sitting in the main seat.
Xiao Yan was about to drink water and paused, holding the cup, looking at Hu Jia with confusion.
How did this involve Senior Brother Lin Xiu again?
"Previously, Hu Jia was injured by the White Gang, and Elder Lin helped to stand up for her. At that time, he said he had promised Headmaster Hu Gan to take care of Hu Jia. Later, after the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower incident ended, Elder Lin was promoted to elder due to his merits. Many people were wary of Hu Jia's relationship with Elder Lin and didn't dare to cause trouble for Pan's Gate."
After Wu Hao finished explaining, a sigh escaped his lips, and his expression turned complicated.
Time had passed, and those who once fought alongside him had now ascended to the rank of Dou Emperor and become Academy elders.
Although he hadn't slacked in his cultivation, the gap between them had only widened.
What began as a small gap had turned into a vast chasm.
Upon mentioning Lin Xiu, aside from Wu Hao's complicated expression, Xiao Yu, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Ning also looked similarly conflicted.
Especially Xiao Mei, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly glared in Xiao Yu's direction, said nothing, and got up to leave.
"I just visited Elder Lin's place. I didn't know about this before, but I'll go back to thank him specifically next time."
After a long silence, Xiao Yan nodded.
They then discussed some matters regarding Pan's Gate. Afterward, Wu Hao, Hu Jia, and the others got up and left.
In the room, only Xiao Yu, Xiao Ning, and Xiao Yan remained.
"Sister, how has the Xiao Family been during my absence?"
Xiao Yan's speech was somewhat slow, and he seemed a bit heavy-hearted when mentioning the Xiao Family.
"Not particularly well."
Xiao Yu, who had been in contact with Xiao Li, was aware of the Xiao Family's situation. Her expression turned somber. "The Misty Cloud Sect has been targeting the Xiao Family continuously."
"Even though the Miteer Family has been helping us, you know the status of the Misty Cloud Sect in the Jia Ma Empire. The Miteer Family is completely outmatched."
"Misty Cloud Sect!"
The armrest of the chair turned to powder as Xiao Yan clenched his fingers, squeezing out those three words through gritted teeth.
"Don't get too agitated. That was the situation before. A year ago, for some reason, the Misty Cloud Sect launched an offensive against the Snake People Tribe, which has reduced the pressure on the Xiao Family significantly."
Seeing Xiao Yan's reaction, Xiao Yu quickly added.
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