Chapter 144: A Powder Keg
In the Inner Academy, in a quiet courtyard.
The Outer Academy Dean, Hu Qian, was having tea with the Inner Academy Grand Elder, Su Qian. Seeing the calm demeanor of the old man in front of him, Hu Qian couldn't help but ask, "You're just going to leave him in the Inner Academy? Honestly, I think this kid is worth cultivating. A Dou Wang under eighteen, and a Five-Rank Alchemist, he'll definitely grow into a powerful individual in the future."
"But his background and origins are quite complicated. It's not a good thing for Jia Nan Academy to get too involved with him. This way, I think it's fine."
Su Qian took a sip of fragrant tea, his gaze slightly lowered, and spoke with a hint of seriousness, "The more we learn about those families, the more we realize their pride and dominance. That pride is impossible to fake. Take this kid, for example. Though it's our first meeting and he seems 'down and out,' drifting here, even in the presence of a Dou Zong expert like me, he didn't show any signs of fear."
"The calmness and serenity he exudes seem to speak of his own confidence."
"Most young people would panic when facing a true Dou Zong expert. Yet he remains so composed and at ease?!"
"Not rejecting or engaging in deep conversation… it means no responsibility for either party. You're quite clever, old man. This way, neither side is offended, but it seems like we can't exactly befriend this little monster either," Hu Qian said with some regret. He had a very good opinion of Yao Yan, as his talent was truly terrifying, something rarely seen.
"He's already a Five-Star Dou Wang. Jia Nan Academy has little left to offer him…" Su Qian spoke softly, his eyes revealing some melancholy. Over the years, he had seen many young geniuses leave once they reached the Dou Wang level, to venture into the outside world. Some had made names for themselves in the Central Plains, while others disappeared without a trace.
One generation after another…
"That's true," Hu Qian said after a pause, then sighed lightly.
Jia Nan Academy nurtures its students from the Dou Shi level, spending three to five years to bring them up to the Great Dou Master level. Those with extraordinary talent then move to the Inner Academy for deeper study, gaining the privilege of entering the Tian Fen Refining Qi Tower to maintain their fast cultivation pace.
However, this cultivation speed slows greatly once they reach the Dou Wang level.
Whether it's the energy of heaven and earth or cultivation resources, Jia Nan Academy cannot offer enough to attract those above the Dou Wang level, so naturally, it can't keep them around. Yao Yan, who came on his own initiative, was the first in many years.
"If it weren't for you saying he has the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire, I would even suspect that he's here for the Fallen Heart Flame," Su Qian said, his tone tinged with suspicion.
Su Qian remained wary of this outsider.
Hu Qian couldn't help but laugh, "You're overthinking it. Even if he has such intentions, it's useless. That place has a seal left by the Dean. With his strength, he can't break it."
The Dean was a Dou Zun level expert, and the formidable spatial seal would be incredibly difficult for a Dou Wang to even get close to, let alone break.
Su Qian nodded and didn't press the issue further. They would learn more after interacting with him for a while. No one could hide their true nature forever. If Yao Yan remained this well-behaved, Jia Nan Academy wouldn't mind adding a gifted teacher.
"By the way, where's that little girl you brought back recently?" Hu Qian suddenly asked, somewhat puzzled.
Upon hearing his old friend's question, Su Qian's expression changed to one of heartache, and he helplessly replied, "She went to the mountains."
"You let her go?!" Hu Qian was surprised and asked in disbelief. When he had seen the little girl, she looked no older than five or six, obviously a magical beast cub. Su Qian had actually allowed her to go alone into the beast-infested mountains.
Su Qian let out a bitter laugh. "That little girl doesn't even know what kind of magical beast she is, but her body is shockingly tough. Ordinary third or fourth-tier magical beasts are no match for her. She's even dared to touch fifth-tier beasts. I was worried at first, but now I don't really keep an eye on her... there's no point. She has an enormous appetite."
He didn't mention that if he kept feeding her, he might not be able to afford it anymore.
The treasures she devoured, which would normally cause human bodies to explode, she ate like candy, her mouth like an endless pit, devouring anything that came her way as if starving for years.
"She's that extreme?!" Hu Qian was astonished. Magical beasts are different from humans. Humans need to cultivate, while magical beasts mostly rely on bloodline inheritance or evolution. Powerful bloodlines show their strength early in life, with attributes like strength, defense, and recovery being basic measures of their potential.
"She's very special," Su Qian nodded solemnly. "I even suspect her parents are eighth-tier magical beasts... I didn't keep her in the Inner Academy because of this. Also, I've discovered she can use spatial power, which might be related to her racial heritage."
Spatial power?! Hu Qian was shocked. Spatial power was a force only Dou Zong experts or seventh-tier magical beasts could wield. He had never heard of a magical beast cub using spatial power.
"This is quite the treasure!" Hu Qian couldn't help but laugh.
"She is indeed a treasure... but she eats too much," Su Qian said with a mix of amusement and frustration. The resources required to raise such a gifted magical beast cub were immense. After months of trying to care for her, he was nearing the limit. This was why he had sent her off to the mountains.
"Stop complaining. Just think of her as a daughter. I'm going back to see my granddaughter, so I'll leave now."
Hu Qian smiled, stood up, and left with an arrogant step, all while Su Qian silently watched him go.
…
Meanwhile, Xiong Zhuang had been thoroughly subdued by Yao Yan. Faced with a teacher far stronger than himself, he knew when to submit.
As the saying goes, "A person who knows their limits is a true hero!"
Xiong Zhuang, clearly a prime example of this, was now obediently serving Yao Yan, introducing him to the Tian Fen Refining Qi Tower. "Teacher, this is your first time here, so you should be careful. Once you enter, an invisible flame will appear in your body. It helps us refine our Dou Qi and increases our cultivation speed, but it can be painful the first time."
Yao Yan understood that Xiong Zhuang's warning was well-intentioned. The first time in the Tian Fen Refining Qi Tower, the heart fire could burn the cultivator, especially the Fallen Heart Flame, which was far from benign. Even a small amount of heart fire could cause serious injury to a Great Dou Master, and if one wasn't careful, even a Dou Ling would be in danger.
"Thanks for the reminder."
Yao Yan smiled and walked in with Xiong Zhuang.
Xiong Zhuang, though not as well-meaning as he appeared, kept quiet. He knew that even if he didn't warn Yao Yan, nothing would happen, but if the teacher got hurt in the tower and blamed him, that would be a problem.
A smart person knew how to handle this situation.
As Yao Yan entered the tower, the light dimmed in front of him. He stepped onto solid stone, and a wave of heat rose from within him. The temperature instantly ignited his Dou Qi, and invisible flames appeared around his limbs, radiating intense heat, causing the air around him to mist up.
Xiong Zhuang also felt it but suppressed it with his Dou Qi. He didn't start cultivating just yet. When he looked at Yao Yan, he noticed that the strange aura around Yao Yan had dissipated, and in his palm, there was an invisible fire.
"What?!" Xiong Zhuang was stunned. This scene was beyond his understanding. He had seen people defend against it with Dou Qi, and he had seen others meditating, but he had never seen someone pull the flame out of their body.
How powerful was this teacher?!
A Dou Wang or a Dou Huang? He couldn't be a Dou Zong, could he?
This was terrifying!
"Interesting~"
Yao Yan didn't resist. He was intrigued by the heart fire inside his body. He even used the Burning Decision to refine it. Now that he had fused with the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a humanoid heavenly flame. This heart fire was his cultivation material.
Unlike others who borrowed heart fire for cultivation, he completely used it as a resource for his cultivation, devouring all the energy in this flame.
"Teacher... what's your strength?"
Xiong Zhuang, with a silly grin, asked out of curiosity.
"Five-Star Dou Wang."
Yao Yan answered casually, dissipating the flame in his palm. The amount of heart fire was too small to help him significantly, and with his Dou Qi base being so vast, this little fire would take forever to refine.
He looked at Xiong Zhuang and asked, "There should be cultivation rooms here, right?"
"Of course, teacher, this way please!"
Xiong Zhuang's attitude became even more humble as he respectfully led Yao Yan to Room 12. This was where he usually cultivated. After many years of effort, he had finally earned this place, though it was only after the previous senior left that he got it.
The Tian Fen Refining Qi Tower's first floor had nearly a hundred cultivation rooms, divided into lower-level and higher-level rooms. The results varied, and there were different requirements for each, including fire energy points.
But soon, Yao Yan stopped. They had reached the center of the first floor.
There was a bottomless black hole in the center, resembling a deep abyss, nearly penetrating the entire Tian Fen Refining Qi Tower. If it weren't for the tower's top covering it, one might see it from above.
Upon sensing it carefully, one could feel the temperature here was far hotter than anywhere else, as if something was continuously emitting heat.
"Fallen Heart Flame…"
Yao Yan's eyes flashed, and a streak of eerie green flame flickered in his gaze. As his eyes became covered by the flame, an invisible soul force explored deep into the black hole. He intended to probe the Fallen Heart Flame and see how much it had grown.
But soon, Yao Yan realized that he didn't need to probe at all. The Fallen Heart Flame was already coiled around the spatial seal, emitting enough heat to distort space and burn the surrounding space seals.
The spatial seal left by Mang Tian Chi was indeed formidable, but it couldn't withstand the constant burning from a heavenly flame. Maybe in one or two years, there would be no noticeable change, but after decades, even hundreds of years, the so-called spatial seal had now been burned into a crack.
"Hiss~"
It seemed to sense the probing, and the invisible fire serpent coiled around the spatial seal opened its violent eyes and let out a roar. The surrounding temperature surged wildly, even causing Yao Yan's soul force to dissipate into nothingness, unable to get any closer.
As expected of the Fallen Heart Flame… Yao Yan sighed internally. When it came to attacking soul force, the Fallen Heart Flame was undoubtedly superior to the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire.
"Do you want freedom?"
Yao Yan asked, sending a voice transmission through his soul force.
However, he clearly overestimated the Fallen Heart Flame's intelligence. It had no capacity for thought, only a violent desire for destruction. Unlike Ling Er's gentle spirit, this destructive aura was pure, and as soon as it detected Yao Yan's presence, it charged straight toward his soul force.
Yao Yan, somewhat helpless, condensed his soul force into a palm print and slapped it fiercely.
"Hiss!"
The invisible fire serpent, born from the Fallen Heart Flame, let out a screech as it was violently knocked back. It could not resist Yao Yan's powerful soul force.
It was only around the level of a seven or eight-star Dou Huang… Yao Yan quickly judged the true strength of the Fallen Heart Flame's body. Without the advantage of the environment, its combat ability was at best comparable to a peak Dou Huang expert. However, as a heavenly flame born of the world, its battle power was not just about its body.
The entire Tian Fen Refining Qi Tower was filled with the heart fire, which supported it.
In other words.
The entire Tian Fen Refining Qi Tower was a powder keg, and the Fallen Heart Flame was continuously accumulating power, until it eventually blew the whole powder keg apart!
(END CHAPTER)
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