Xiao Yan’s face was cold as he held the azure and purple fire lotus in his hand, ruthlessly smashing it towards Lei Na, who was wearing a look of shock and terror. The ferocity in his action left no room for mercy.
“Stop!”
However, just as the fire lotus was two feet away from Lei Na, an old, stern voice suddenly echoed from afar. The strength of the Dou Qi contained in the shout caused the eardrums of the surrounding students to ache sharply.
Upon hearing the shout, Xiao Yan’s face changed slightly. He quickly stopped his thoughts and forcefully halted his hand mid-air. Even so, the intense heat from the fire lotus instantly turned Lei Na’s hair into ashes.
“Chi!”
The moment Xiao Yan’s hand stopped, an extremely powerful gust of wind swept through the air, but instead of targeting Xiao Yan, it struck Lei Na’s body heavily. In that instant, under the fierce attack, Lei Na’s body was like a kite with a broken string, tumbling through the air before crashing heavily against the wall. He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the black floor a dark red.
As Lei Na was blasted away, Xiao Yan lost his target and could only slowly straighten up. He held the azure and purple fire lotus, about the size of his palm, as he and the other onlookers turned their gazes towards the source of the voice.
At the end of the well-lit passage, several figures flashed by. Leading them was an elder, moving with incredible speed. In just a few flashes, he appeared at the scene of the incident.
“Elder He? How did he get involved?”
The appearance of the slightly hunched elder made the onlookers’ faces change, and they involuntarily cried out in surprise. These tower elders held a very high status within the inner court, and they usually wouldn’t involve themselves in such student disputes. To see the most senior supervisor of the third floor appear today was quite a shock.
Shortly after the elder arrived, four or five more figures followed closely. These were all instructors from the tower, who had rushed over upon sensing the terrifying energy fluctuations.
“What are you doing?!” The hunched elder, with a sharp gaze, swept around the area and roared coldly.
Hearing the elder’s rebuke, the surrounding students clamped their mouths shut. These elders’ authority in the inner court was inviolable; offending them would bring dire consequences.
“Elder He, why did you get involved? This is just a regular sparring match,” a sweet, young voice broke the silence. It was Liu Fei, who had hurried forward, smiling at Elder He.
“Regular sparring? Hmph, if I came any later, someone might have died!” Elder He growled, fixing his gaze on Xiao Yan. When his eyes fell on the azure and purple fire lotus in Xiao Yan’s hand, his pupils constricted. He could feel the terrifying energy within the fire lotus.
“Little fellow, can you first neutralize the fire lotus in your hand? I will handle this matter fairly.”
Taking a step towards Xiao Yan, Elder He paused. He could handle any sudden situation within this range.
“As you command, Elder.”
Xiao Yan hesitated slightly but then nodded. He was well aware of the power these elders held within the inner court and didn’t want to offend them.
He slowly covered the hovering azure and purple fire lotus with his right hand, and his soul force surged out, seeping into it and separating the tightly bound flame energy. With his growing strength, Xiao Yan’s control over the Furious Buddha Fire Lotus had become increasingly refined. Previously, he struggled to even fuse the flames, but now he could wield it with ease.
As the soul force infiltrated, the azure and purple fire lotus began to fluctuate violently. Seeing this, Elder He’s face grew tense, his dry, eagle-like hands curling slightly, with latent, sharp Dou Qi ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. After some violent fluctuations, the azure and purple fire lotus gradually became fainter and eventually vanished from Xiao Yan’s hand.
Seeing the terrifying fire lotus disappear, Elder He let out a sigh of relief, and his tensed body relaxed.
“Little fellow, you’re Xiao Yan, right?”
After a moment, Elder He looked Xiao Yan up and down, his eyes flashing with surprise as he recalled the frightening fire lotus. “Your name is Xiao Yan, yes?”
Xiao Yan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Elder He to know his name. He quickly nodded, “Yes, Elder He, I am Xiao Yan.”
“Ha-ha,” Elder He smiled and nodded. His cold expression softened as he asked, “What happened here?”
“Elder He, you know that this practice room is often used by Phoebe. Today, this person took it over. Lei Na was just trying to stand up for her, but he didn’t expect this person to be so ruthless. If not for your intervention, Lei Na might have died here.”
Hearing Elder He’s inquiry, Liu Fei stepped forward, her pretty face tinged with a hint of grievance. She had a few encounters with Elder He due to her frequent training in the third floor. Because of her beauty, Elder He was always gentle with her. She hoped he would punish Xiao Yan.
If it were anyone else, Elder He might have scolded the man for not yielding to a woman. But today, the culprit was Xiao Yan, a student whom the Grand Elder had specifically instructed them to take care of. Thus, Liu Fei’s hopes were dashed.
Indeed, upon hearing Liu Fei’s complaint, Elder He merely raised an eyebrow and ignored her. He turned to Xiao Yan and said, “Xiao Yan, tell me what happened.”
Seeing that Elder He ignored her, Liu Fei was taken aback and reluctantly stepped back. She knew the strength of these elders. If it were her cousin, he might have given her some face, but with her current strength and cultivation talent, it was better to save herself the embarrassment.
Xiao Yan shot a cold, unhidden smirk at Liu Fei, who was quick to accuse. He then bowed to Elder He and recounted the events without exaggeration, as there were many witnesses present.
As Xiao Yan spoke, Elder He’s expression grew slightly grim. He turned his head and gave a cold glance at Lei Na, who was crawling up from the corner. Under his gaze, Lei Na’s face paled.
Liu Fei, who was nearby, heard Xiao Yan implicate her, and her pretty face turned sour again.
“Lei Na, as a senior, you failed to follow the rules of the tower. You will be punished with thirty days of ‘fire energy.’ Pay it within three days, or you will be banned from entering the Heavenly Flame Tower for a month.”
After Xiao Yan finished recounting the events, Elder He nodded slightly and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, turned to Lei Na and issued the punishment.
Hearing the penalty, the surrounding students were stunned. They cast sympathetic glances at the pale-faced Lei Na. This guy was going to suffer a heavy loss.
“Liu Fei, though not the main culprit, you incited him. You will be punished with ten days of ‘fire energy.’ Pay it within three days, or you will face the same ban,” Elder He continued, turning his cold gaze to Liu Fei.
Liu Fei was stunned. She didn’t expect Elder He to punish her as well.
“Xiao Yan, though there was a reason, your actions were too harsh. You will be punished with five days of ‘fire energy’ as a warning.”
Elder He’s gaze finally turned to Xiao Yan, delivering the light punishment.
Hearing the lenient sentence, the onlookers were shocked. They exchanged glances, realizing something and remained silent. In a serious sparring match, a severe punishment, sometimes a month-long ban from the Heavenly Flame Tower, was usual. Comparatively, Xiao Yan’s five-day ‘fire energy’ penalty was minimal.
They hadn’t realized that Xiao Yan had such strong backing. Liu Fei and Lei Na had truly hit a wall.
“Elder He, isn’t your judgment on Xiao Yan too lenient? He almost killed someone in a sparring match! He should be banned from the Heavenly Flame Tower!” Liu Fei’s face was iron gray, her voice shrill.
“If you disagree with the judgment, you can seek the Grand Elder or the Dean…”
Elder He glanced at Liu Fei and said coolly.
Fuming, Liu Fei thought about how rarely the Grand Elder appeared and how she had never seen the mysterious Dean since entering the inner court, let alone seeking justice from him.
“Alright, this matter is settled. If anyone breaks the rules again, I will not be lenient.”
Elder He’s gaze swept over the crowd, and everyone quickly lowered their heads in agreement.
He glanced at Xiao Yan and then turned to leave.
“Little fellow, next time, don’t go all out in a sparring match. Establishing your dominance is good, but don’t overdo it…”
As Elder He left, Xiao Yan bent to bow, but a low, ancient voice lingered in his ear. Xiao Yan was taken aback but then nodded silently.
With Elder He’s departure, the area fell into an awkward silence. The onlookers’ eyes held a newfound respect for Xiao Yan, not because of Elder He’s favoritism, but because of the terrifying fire lotus Xiao Yan had displayed. Anyone could see that if Xiao Yan hadn’t stopped, and Elder He hadn’t intervened, Lei Na would be a corpse.
Ignoring the gazes, Xiao Yan turned and headed back to the practice room. Passing by Liu Fei, he paused and said coolly, “I didn’t hit you because you’re a woman. If you were a man, your fate would be no better than Lei Na’s.”
With that, Xiao Yan brushed his sleeve and walked into the practice room, leaving Liu Fei grinding her teeth, her face a mask of rage.
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