Word Count: 3,369 Words
******
'A Red Fire Crystal Card! Who is this person!'
Han Yue was greatly surprised when she saw Xiao Yan take out a red Fire Crystal Card. She began to size him up, speculating about his true identity.
Obtaining a Red Fire Crystal Card didn't necessarily require high strength; as long as one had 600 days' worth of Fire Energy, one could exchange for it. Moreover, Fire Energy was something that could be traded, meaning that as long as one possessed precious medicinal pills, treasures, or even Qi Methods, one could exchange them for a large amount of Fire Energy.
"Hehe, if I'm not mistaken, you must be Xiao Yan, right?" Elder Liu, who had just been at the entrance, walked over upon hearing their conversation and said with a smile.
He couldn't help but look Xiao Yan up and down. Although he wasn't entirely certain at first, after seeing Xiao Yan take out the Red Fire Crystal Card, he was now one hundred percent sure.
It should be noted that shortly after Xiao Yan entered the Inner Academy, First Elder Su Qian, who was in charge of the Inner Academy, had informed all the elders of Xiao Yan's situation.
In particular, the various elders overseeing the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower were specifically told about Xiao Yan's circumstances. After all, Xiao Yan possessed a Heavenly Flame, and they were concerned that the Heavenly Flame within him might produce some kind of reaction with the Fallen Heart Flame.
Xiao Yan smiled, cupped his hands, and said, "Student Xiao Yan pays his respects to Elder Liu."
Elder Liu nodded amicably at Xiao Yan, then turned to the silver-robed young lady and asked with a smile, "Yue girl, which floor are you planning to cultivate on this time?"
The silver-robed young lady hesitated slightly before replying, "The sixth floor."
"The sixth floor?!" Her reply immediately caused waves of astonished exclamations among the surrounding crowd. "That's a place only accessible to those who have reached the strength of a 6-star Dou Spirit. Has Senior Sister Han Yue already reached that stage?"
"Eh?" Elder Liu was also somewhat surprised by Han Yue's answer. His eyes, containing a hidden gleam, slowly swept over her. After a moment, he sighed, "It seems that in a few years, you girl will be qualified to compete for an elder's position in the Inner Academy. Such cultivation talent and speed are truly astounding."
"It's all thanks to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. If I were cultivating on my own, I'm afraid I would have just barely reached the Dou Spirit realm by now," Han Yue shook her head.
Elder Liu looked at Xiao Yan and asked, "What about you, little fellow? Which floor are you planning to go to?"
Xiao Yan furrowed his brows in thought for a moment before saying, "I'll also go to the sixth floor."
?!
Elder Liu's eyes flashed, revealing a look of interest. Beside him, Han Yue's delicate eyebrows knitted slightly as she glanced at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan quickly waved his hands with a bitter smile and said, "Senior Sister, please don't misunderstand. I already have someone in my heart. Going to the sixth floor is purely because I believe I can cultivate there, not because I'm following you."
Elder Liu smiled. He knew Xiao Yan's strength and background. Given Xiao Yan's abilities and possession of a Heavenly Flame, entering the sixth floor was indeed reasonable.
Generally speaking, a 2-star Dou Spirit would find the fifth floor most suitable, but for Xiao Yan, who possessed a Heavenly Flame, the sixth floor was actually more appropriate.
"If it were someone else, even with the strength of a 6-star Dou Spirit, I wouldn't allow a freshman to enter the sixth floor. But for you kid, it's acceptable." Elder Liu didn't say much more and agreed to Xiao Yan's request.
Even the always elegant and aloof Han Yue showed a hint of shock in her beautiful eyes when she heard Elder Liu confirm that Xiao Yan was a freshman.
A freshman?! A freshman who just arrived is entering the sixth floor!!
"He—he's a freshman?!"
"Impossible! How could a freshman enter the sixth floor and even possess a Red Fire Crystal Card?!"
The surrounding senior students, who were also planning to go to the next floor, immediately began whispering among themselves. Many students in the academy were focused on their own cultivation and hadn't heard of Xiao Yan's 'glorious deeds.'
Elder Liu saw more and more people gathering. He waved at Xiao Yan and said, "I'll show you around the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower first, then we'll head to the sixth floor."
"Then I'll have to trouble Elder Liu," Xiao Yan cupped his hands and nodded slightly. His etiquette and manners were impeccable, a clear indication that he was the young master of a clan.
"Hehe, no need to be so polite."
Within the circular space of the tower, cultivation rooms of varying sizes were arranged. As they walked slowly from east to south, Xiao Yan noticed that all the high-grade cultivation rooms seemed to be located near the center of the tower. Around them were the middle-grade cultivation rooms, and further out were the low-grade ones.
"In this Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, these high-, middle-, and low-grade cultivation rooms generally need to be obtained through your own strength. The stronger you are, the better cultivation conditions you can secure. Those with weaker strength can only cultivate in the outermost low-grade cultivation rooms," Elder Liu casually explained to Xiao Yan while pointing at a cultivation room labeled as high-grade.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Suddenly, his steps paused. Following his line of sight ahead, it could be seen that they had already walked to the central area of the tower.
"This is...?"
Somewhat stunned, he gazed at the bottomless black hole that appeared before him. He slowly walked forward two steps, came to the edge of the hole, and cautiously looked down. The pitch-black darkness extended as far as the eye could see. That kind of eerie darkness with almost no light made his head feel a bit dizzy.
This black hole seemed to run through the entire Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. If not for the tower's spire covering it, this deep, dark abyss might have been visible from the sky at a glance.
Carefully sensing within this pitch-black deep hole, one could feel that the air here was much hotter than elsewhere. That feeling... it was as if something at the bottom of the deep hole was continuously emitting heat, supplying the entire Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Xiao Yan extended his palm and grasped at the scorching air. Something within his body suddenly throbbed violently.
'Could it be that down below is...!'
His throat moved slightly as he stretched his head a little forward, his eyes fixed intently on the deep darkness. After a moment, a wisp of black flame flashed in his pupils.
As the black flame surged into his eyes, the endless dark space below suddenly began to distort slightly. Following that, these distorted spaces, like colorless pythons, climbed upward toward the hole's entrance at an extremely terrifying speed.
"Xiao Yan, step back!"
Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength was even stronger than Elder Liu's. Before the latter could take action to save him, he had already taken a quick step back, pulling away from the edge.
In the next second, a massive transparent python emerged from the black hole, staring fixedly at him.
'Fallen Heart Flame!' Xiao Yan's heart trembled!
Meow! A voice suddenly sounded in his mind. Mao Wu confirmed his thoughts. Moreover, this was not just an ordinary Heavenly Flame but one that had already gained intelligence—just like Mao Wu!
'It sensed the Heavenly Flame within me, so it came up to take a look?' Xiao Yan roughly understood. There was a strange, perhaps antagonistic relationship between Heavenly Flames.
This Fallen Heart Flame had already gained intelligence. It sensed his presence and awoke from its slumber.
In the next moment, an extremely terrifying and ancient aura slowly emerged from the black hole, finally bursting out of the seemingly endless deep darkness like lightning tearing through the night.
The empty space about two meters above the entrance had already become extremely distorted. That was a spatial seal personally set up by a Dou Venerate, intended to confine the Fallen Heart Flame!
After frantically struggling for a while, the colorless Fire Python finally became somewhat exhausted. It let out a hiss filled with rage, then, as the space continued to distort, the Fire Python once again became formless and drilled back into the dark depths of the hole.
Feeling the surrounding temperature decrease, Elder Liu finally let out a long breath and muttered, "That was close. But why did this thing suddenly awaken?"
Then Elder Liu glanced at Xiao Yan, seemingly guessing the reason.
Xiao Yan coughed a couple of times and said, "Elder Liu, you wouldn't plan to deprive a student of the right to cultivate in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower over such a minor incident, would you?"
Elder Liu's eyelids twitched, showing a helpless expression. Indeed, possessing a Heavenly Flame was Xiao Yan's own ability; there was no reason to prevent him from entering the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
"Sigh, I'll inform the First Elder. Please wait here for a moment."
Elder Liu walked into a nearby cultivation room used by elders. Han Yue's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise and doubt. She looked at Xiao Yan and asked, "The disturbance this time was because of you?"
"This time?"
"Such disturbances occur every once in a while. We're used to it."
A glint of joy flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes as he thought to himself, 'Could it be that I'm really this lucky? Is the Fallen Heart Flame about to break free from its seal!'
'But if this seal can still hold for several more years or even a decade, wouldn't that mean I'd have to wait in the Inner Academy for ten years?'
'I wonder if Mao Wu has a way to open this seal...'
Before long, Elder Liu returned and said, "Xiao Yan, you can enter the sixth floor to cultivate."
After walking with Elder Liu for about five minutes, Xiao Yan finally felt him slow his pace. Looking ahead, he saw a spiral staircase entrance at the corner not far away. It seemed this should be the entrance to the next floor.
"This place uses spatial mirror arrays. Since you're also going to the sixth floor, just follow the Yue girl all the way down, and you'll reach the sixth floor," Elder Liu said as he quickly arrived at the staircase.
Elder Liu reached out, took the badge from his chest, and carefully pressed it into a hidden groove on the wall beside him.
The space in front of them suddenly rippled slightly as the badge was pressed in. In just a few blinks, Xiao Yan noticed that the sense of spatial distortion in front of him had completely disappeared.
'There are traces of a Dou Venerate's methods everywhere here. If I'm not mistaken, this Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower was constructed by a Dou Venerate.'
"Remember, if you can't endure the scorching of the Heart Flame on the sixth floor, find a place to rest for a while," Elder Liu reminded Xiao Yan.
"Hehe, understood. Thank you, Elder Liu." Elder Liu's kind reminder made Xiao Yan smile and nod. He cupped his hands once more, then his figure flashed as he followed behind Han Yue, darting into the spiral staircase corner and disappearing from sight.
Guards were stationed at the entrance to each floor's staircase, their primary purpose being to check Fire Crystal Cards. Only those with the corresponding Fire Crystal Cards could proceed to the next floor.
Stepping into the sixth floor of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he gazed at the spacious and vast interior, which was even more expansive than the previous floors. 'Such an environment and treatment truly befit a place that only the top experts of the Inner Academy are qualified to enter.'
The space on the sixth floor was quite large, but human presence was pitifully scarce. As Xiao Yan swept his gaze around, he saw that in this vast area, only a scant few figures stood scattered about. Compared to the bustling crowds on the upper floors, the difference was like night and day.
"Let's part ways here," Han Yue said coldly.
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Thank you for leading the way, Senior Sister Han."
The moment Xiao Yan stepped into the area, the whispered conversations around suddenly fell silent. Gazes that appeared calm but held concealed sharpness shot out from various directions, finally settling on him. Then, a slight trace of surprise flickered in their eyes as low voices of doubt arose.
"A 2-star Dou Spirit? Since when could someone of this strength enter the sixth floor? Has the Inner Academy lowered its standards?"
Xiao Yan paid no heed to these idle whispers and walked toward the outermost cultivation rooms. On the sixth floor, there were more rooms than people, so each cultivation room was essentially independent. Naturally, the outermost rooms were the least desired.
As he pushed open the door to a room, a faint red glow shone from the doorway. He instinctively squinted his eyes. After a moment, he slowly opened them and took in the scene inside. A hint of amazement grew increasingly intense on his face.
'Tsk tsk, the fire attribute energy here is truly terrifying. It's a pity there are too many impurities. If one were to directly absorb and refine it for cultivation, it would be a major hassle.' Xiao Yan shook his head slightly.
A black stone platform could be seen at the center of the cultivation room. In front of the stone platform was a small groove. Similar to drawing water in a university, one had to insert a Fire Crystal Card to receive the purified Heart Flame suitable for cultivation.
With a beep, six points of Fire Energy were deducted from his Fire Crystal Card. The first floor consumed one point per day, the second floor two points, and so on.
A large cluster of formless Heart Flame rose and lingered near his Qi cyclone with a whoosh. Following the Flame Mantra, Xiao Yan channeled streams of abundant Dou Qi continuously through his meridians and infused them within.
When the Dou Qi reappeared after passing through the Heart Flame, what had been as thick as a thumb now became as thin as a strand of crystalline, transparent hair.
'This condensation speed!'
Xiao Yan's heart trembled. After a Qi Method absorbed external Dou Qi, it needed to be continuously condensed. The higher one's cultivation level, the more exaggerated the degree of condensation required, and naturally, the slower the progress.
This was why Qi Methods were so important. If a Dou Spirit were still using a Huang Class Qi Method, advancing by one star might take ten years. With a Xuan Class, it might take one or two years. But Xiao Yan was using a Di Class Qi Method!
A Dou Spirit using a Di Class Qi Method was like driving an F1 race car!
'I originally thought it would take over half a month to advance to a 3-star Dou Spirit. Now, with this Heart Flame assisting in condensing Dou Qi, perhaps it won't even take two days to advance by one star!'
Though Xiao Yan had other plans initially, seeing the cultivation speed with the Heart Flame, how could he resist? He immediately sat cross-legged and pushed the Flame Mantra to its limits!
Cultivators of other attributes would usually absorb a large amount of energy elsewhere before coming here to use the Heart Flame for condensation. But Xiao Yan was of the fire attribute, so he didn't need to go elsewhere. The room was filled with abundant fire attribute energy, and with the Heart Flame's assistance, he didn't have to worry about impurities.
The dense energy in the room now seemed to form a vortex, crazily surging toward Xiao Yan at its center!
The astonishing absorption speed even produced a sound like an engine revving. The clusters of Heart Flame visibly decreased. The Dou Qi that flowed in like streams was refined by the Heart Flame into crystal-clear, hair-thin strands.
Time flew during cultivation. In the blink of an eye, a day had passed. Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. He glanced at the number on his Fire Crystal Card.
'Twelve points of Fire Energy have been consumed. It's been over a day.'
'A Di Class Qi Method paired with the Heart Flame is simply too amazing! If I can refine the Essence Flame of the Fallen Heart Flame and evolve the Flame Mantra to the Tian Class...!'
A hint of boundless greed flashed in his eyes. He didn't dare to imagine such speed! Wouldn't that mean he could leap to the peak of Dou Spirit in less than half a year, and then with a medicinal pill, he could become a Dou King?!
Moreover, the Dou Qi condensed by the Fallen Heart Flame was incomparably pure and solid without any hollowness. It could be said to be the perfect cheat tool!
"Calm down, calm down. The more it's like this, the more I can't be impatient. There are two problems to solve if I want to obtain the Fallen Heart Flame." Xiao Yan forced himself to calm down.
"First, the Fallen Heart Flame is sealed by a Dou Venerate's seal. How to deal with this seal?"
Meow! Space rippled as a small black cat emerged from the void, pointing at itself.
"You mean to cooperate with the Fallen Heart Flame from inside and outside? You tear a gap in the seal, and it might be able to break through on its own?" Xiao Yan asked.
~o(=∩ω∩=)m
Mao Wu nodded, indicating that's exactly the case.
Xiao Yan rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "Borrowing the Fallen Heart Flame's own strength... This is indeed a good method."
"Then there's the second problem. After breaking the seal, how can the Fallen Heart Flame be handled... Although the seal set by a Dou Venerate isn't as strong as the Dou Venerate themselves, the fact that even a Dou Venerate's seal can barely contain it means the Fallen Heart Flame's strength is at least at the Dou Ancestor realm."
"Refining an intelligent Fallen Heart Flame with the strength of a Dou Ancestor—that's a bit difficult."
The Heavenly Flames Xiao Yan had previously refined were all without intelligence. In other words, apart from their extremely high temperature making them difficult to approach, these Heavenly Flames had no offensive power.
But the Fallen Heart Flame was different. Having intelligence meant it was akin to a living being and would attack people!
'Should I ask the Protector from the Hall of Souls for help? Not to mention that hiring a Protector would cost at least thirty to forty thousand Soul Points, which I don't have. Even if I could afford it, bringing someone from the Hall of Souls into Jia Nan Academy wouldn't be helping; it would be outright robbery.'
'Deputy Headmaster Hu Gan is already at the peak of Dou Emperor, and there's also the rumored Dou Ancestor-level First Elder, not to mention those two mysterious Guardians. Could the Black-Corner Region's branch hall overpower Jia Nan Academy?'
Xiao Yan and Mao Wu both sighed. For the moment, neither had a good solution.
Just then! A beam of green light suddenly shot out from Xiao Yan's storage ring. The Green Lotus slowly floated into the air. As it gradually opened, a seven-colored divine light emanated from within.
Dressed in a gorgeous gown, Queen Medusa stood atop the Green Lotus. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly after surveying her surroundings. Looking down at Xiao Yan from above, she coldly said, "When are you going to reconstruct my physical body?"
Xiao Yan's heart surged with immense joy. Isn't this Dou Ancestor-level combat strength arriving just in time?!!