The black tower was deeply buried underground, with only part of its tip and a pitch-black entrance visible. Gu Fei's gaze fell on the tip of the tower.
He could clearly see the air around the tower subtly trembling, with the space appearing slightly distorted and wrinkled.
"It seems that this seal was set up by Senior Mang Tian Chi when he left," Gu Fei murmured to himself.
Although he knew that Mang Tian Chi's current cultivation might have reached the level of a Half-Saint, the Mang Tian Chi who set up this seal years ago was likely just an ordinary Dou Venerate.
A seal left by an ordinary Dou Venerate, while once strong, had weakened over time. If the seal hadn't weakened, the Fallen Heart Flame wouldn't have broken out of the tower years later in the original story.
With Gu Fei's current peak Dou Ancestor strength, breaking this seal wouldn't be difficult.
At this moment, due to Gu Fei's arrival, the surrounding students stood in place, their gazes filled with shock, confusion, and uncertainty.
Inner Academy Student feels shock, Emotion Points +1
Inner Academy Student feels confusion, Emotion Points +1
The shock was due to Gu Fei's overly young appearance, combined with the unusually respectful attitude of Elder Su Qian, and the massive magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King, behind him.
The Lion King retracted its wings, towering over the students, its humanoid eyes observing these so-called "geniuses" of the North-Western Region, causing a wave of awe.
Some students were puzzled, wondering why, when many were cultivating in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, Elder Su Qian would bring a stranger here.
Gu Fei remained motionless, surveying the surrounding inner academy students who were whispering among themselves.
"Elder Su Qian, you should first evacuate the students cultivating in the tower. Otherwise, they might be harmed by the Heart Flame when I take action later," Gu Fei said directly.
Hearing this, Su Qian, though reluctant, pressed his lips together and complied.
In the original story, when Han Feng brought a group of strongmen from the Black-Corner Region to seize the Heavenly Flame, Su Qian and Hu Gan did their best to stop them. Although there was a bloody battle with heavy casualties, they eventually managed to stop Han Feng's group.
That was because Han Feng's group didn't even have a real Dou Ancestor, relying on Gold-Silver twin brothers working together to hold back Su Qian. The gap between the two sides wasn't large.
But with Gu Fei's peak Dou Ancestor strength, it wasn't a matter of numbers defeating him; the Jia Nan Academy people wouldn't dare to resist!
Knowing that everyone would only be sending themselves to their deaths, who would be willing to fight to the end?
"All students, evacuate the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower immediately."
The next moment, many inner academy students who had been diligently refining their Dou Qi with Heart Flame in their closed cultivation rooms simultaneously heard Su Qian's urgent call.
"What's going on?"
On the sixth floor of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, a tall and upright young man stepped out of his cultivation room. Although this young man was only twenty-two years old, the resolute look on his face made him appear mature.
Not far from his cultivation room, another young man, who looked elegant and refined, also had a puzzled expression.
This sixth floor was where the top students of the inner academy's strong ranking cultivated. These two were Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya, both top-ranked students.
"Let's go out and see what's happening!"
Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing walked together, quickly heading outside the tower.
Upon reaching the ground, both Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya's gazes fell on Gu Fei simultaneously.
Gu Fei looked very young, even younger than them by a few years.
However, when Su Qian spoke to him, there was evident respect in his eyes.
Lin Xiuya feels curiosity, Emotion Points +20
Liu Qing feels curiosity, Emotion Points +20
Both Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya were from Central Plains, and in terms of talent and strength, they had always been considered geniuses, the absolute elites among the inner academy students.
Lin Xiuya, without showing any emotion, moved closer to the nearby students, listening to their conversations. His eyes couldn't hide the shock.
"I heard he was brought here by the Grand Elder himself to retrieve the Heavenly Flame!"
"How is that possible? That thing is so important to the inner academy, and this person is so young. Why would the Grand Elder agree to this?"
"Didn't you see that flying magical beast behind him? I was lucky to see it earlier. This senior was flying through the air, and from the Grand Elder's demeanor, it's clear that his strength far surpasses the Grand Elder's…"
Liu Qing feels surprise, Emotion Points +10
Lin Xiuya feels shock, Emotion Points +10
Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya's pupils contracted slightly.
Gu Fei looked so young, yet he already possessed at least Dou Ancestor level strength?
The inner academy's top-ranked students, who were usually proud and aloof, all showed expressions of surprise.
"This person cannot possibly be as young as he appears. Not even the great powers in Central Plains could nurture such a monster," one person thought to himself, unable to believe that such a prodigy could exist in the world.
Gu Fei's gaze slowly swept over the inner academy students before suddenly stopping on a little girl in white who only reached his waist.
The little girl appeared to be only about twelve or thirteen years old, with light purple hair cascading down to her waist. Her cheeks were extremely fair and tender, and her features were delicate like a carved jade doll, making her look very cute.
At that moment, the little girl who had just walked out of the tower was also curiously looking at Gu Fei with her big, black, and sparkling eyes.
Zi Yan feels curiosity, Emotion Points +100
Receiving the emotion value prompt, Gu Fei's eyes lingered for a moment, confirming that this little girl in white was indeed Zi Yan.
"Elder Su Qian, your inner academy even has such a young student, and her cultivation is quite impressive… She's not human, is she?" Gu Fei asked with a smile, clearly referring to Zi Yan.
Su Qian feels shock, Emotion Points +30
Seeing that Gu Fei had recognized Zi Yan's non-human identity at a glance, Su Qian was even more surprised.
"Indeed, she's not human!" Su Qian nodded but didn't elaborate further.
"I sense a familiar aura from her, as if she's from a certain magical beast family. But I wonder why a member of that family would end up in the North-Western Region," Gu Fei said with a slight smile, intentionally hinting.
"Are you saying you know her origins?" Su Qian asked, surprised.
"Yes," Gu Fei nodded.
"If that's the case, that would be wonderful… This little one has always wanted to grow up and understand her origins!" Su Qian smiled faintly, genuinely wishing the best for Zi Yan, hoping she could understand her origins and focus on her cultivation.
"We'll discuss this after I retrieve the Fallen Heart Flame!"
Seeing that the inner academy students had all exited the tower, Gu Fei shook his head, then turned to Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, saying, "You two wait here; I'll be back soon!"
Gu Fei instructed them to stay in place and then cast a protective seal around them before heading inside.