Time flies like an arrow, and seasons change with the blink of an eye. Unbeknownst to many, a full year had passed since the earth-shaking battle that transpired in the Inner Academy. A year was enough to restore the once-ruined Inner Academy to its former glory. In that time, old students graduated, and new ones arrived. The entire academy was still brimming with vitality, as countless new students sweated profusely, striving for the honor of the Strong Ranking.
As time slipped through their fingers, some would occasionally cast their gaze towards the towering Flame Refining Pagoda in one corner of the Inner Academy, recalling the memory of that colossal battle that seemed buried deep within their minds. They would also recall the young man who fought like a deity but ultimately fell. The sighs that followed were often filled with wistfulness. If that young man were still alive, he would have undoubtedly become one of the strongest within the academy, second only to Elder Su Qian…
A whole year! The red of the lute, the green of the banana. During this year, perhaps to boost competitiveness, the speed at which the Inner Academy admitted new students increased significantly. As a result, the spirit and vitality of the Inner Academy grew stronger, and along with it, various small factions emerged like spring shoots after rain, one after another.
The Inner Academy was never short of geniuses. In just this brief year, numerous new forces rose to prominence, entering the ranks of the top factions. New entrants easily became arrogant, especially after achieving some success. However, no matter how audacious these new powers might be, they all lacked the courage to challenge a colossal force that had grown into a behemoth over the past two years.
Even though they knew this faction had only been established for about two years, its formidable strength already surpassed the rest of the Inner Academy. This kind of dominance, even the elders of the Inner Academy, couldn’t help but respect, albeit not without a hint of surprise. And the name of this force was… ‘Ganmen’!
Its founder was the young man who once saved the entire Inner Academy. His name, Xiao Yan, was still quite familiar on everyone’s lips…
…
As time flowed in the colorful and vibrant world outside, deep within the underground sea of magma, time seemed to freeze. In this lifeless place, no one paid much attention to its passage. Yet, there seemed to be an exception…
In the depths of the magma, a large, slightly white flame drifted leisurely. The whiteness, in this predominantly crimson world, appeared particularly dazzling. As you focused, you could see that within the white flame, there were two naked figures, both completely still, almost like corpses.
In the magma world, where time had no meaning, the flame drifted aimlessly until it achieved its goal. Although it sensed the difficulty of its target, it had the utmost patience. One year, in its long life, was merely a fleeting moment…
Here, in a space of utter darkness, the obscurity was absolute, devoid of any light. A chaotic consciousness wandered aimlessly, like a dreamer, with no beginning or end…
This wandering in the darkness lasted for who knows how long, perhaps a year, perhaps decades, no one was sure. But at one distant moment, a faint green light suddenly appeared in the dark world. Guided by this light, the drifting and muddled consciousness slowly approached, like willow fluff drawn by the wind…
When the chaotic consciousness neared the green light, it realized that it was a cluster of flickering, green flames. The flames, though not large, emitted a soul-soothing warmth. Under this warm glow, the disoriented consciousness slowly regained its clarity, and a flood of memories rushed back, allowing the consciousness to finally reclaim its original self…
“Am I… alive?” An extremely faint whisper echoed in the dark void, and suddenly, the entire dark world rippled violently. Several beams of light pierced the darkness, illuminating the consciousness, causing him to slowly open his eyes.
In the drifting flames, the young man, who lay as if dead, suddenly trembled, and his tightly closed eyes snapped open! What he saw was the same redness imprinted in his memory, and the ever-dreaded flame. However, the recently awakened figure, a bit dazed, gazed down at his own body—white, fit, and unscathed. Slowly, he clenched his five unfamiliar fingers, and a never-before-felt, enriching force surged within him!
The black-as-ink eyes slowly cleared, and the bare-chested young man, without entering a state of cultivation, instantly perceived everything within his body. The veins, which had once twisted and withered before he lost consciousness, now shone like clear, crystalline pipes, emitting a faint glow. He could feel clearly that the current state of his veins, compared to before, had undergone a transformative leap in resilience and capacity!
His consciousness swept through every part of his body, finding no weakness. Instead, his body was now drastically different from when he lost consciousness! Even, he thought, the sheer combat power of this flesh alone might be even more formidable and terrifying than using his Dou Qi!
Ah, Dou Qi! A thought struck, and his consciousness instantly entered the vortex. Staring at the empty vortex, he froze.
“Where is the Dou Crystal? Where is the Dou Qi?” His face, which had just regained some color, turned deathly pale again. Having experienced life without Dou Qi, he knew all too well how devastating it would be to lose it. Just as he was in a state of trance due to the mysterious disappearance of his Dou Qi, a loud rumble sounded within his body. To his shock, surging waves of powerful Dou Qi abruptly burst forth from various parts of his body and flowed into his translucent veins. As the Dou Qi surged, the veins, like a long-prepared dam, filled with the raging water, pulsing with a silent joyous sound.
“This Dou Qi…” Gazing in amazement at the torrential Dou Qi, he clearly saw that it was directly emanating from his body, not through the vortex as before. Blinking, the young man, regaining his composure, seemed to understand something. He pulled his consciousness out, slowly extended his hand, and then clenched it fiercely!
As his fist closed, the space before him fluctuated, and a strange, fiery energy coalesced, hovering in his palm. His black eyes shimmering with an odd light, he dispersed the energy in his hand, and then, with a slight tremor of his shoulders, his Dou Qi suddenly erupted, following a peculiar route through his veins, and shot out from his back.
“Boom!” A pair of azure fire wings sprang from his back, nearly twelve feet long and curved like a phoenix’s, magnificent and stunning. “Dou Qi Wing…” He turned his head slightly, looking at the expanding azure fire wings. He did not use a flying technique, nor did he employ a secret method, nor did he rely on others’ power. He, alone, had activated the Dou Qi Wing!
His face slightly blank, the azure fire casting a mature, serene glow on his refined features, a faint smile spread across his lips. He knew very well what it meant to create a Dou Qi Wing purely on his own strength—it signified that from now on, he, Xiao Yan, had truly stepped into the ranks of the continent’s strong!
“Teacher, it seems heaven hasn’t forsaken us,” Xiao Yan whispered, stroking the black ring on his finger with a soft smile. Glancing at his fingers, Xiao Yan’s hand suddenly stiffened, and he muttered, “Nalan ring… gone?”
Frowning slightly, Xiao Yan scanned the surroundings, his brow furrowing. With a slight twist of his hand, a forceful suction pulled a pile of objects towards him, hovering before him. Spotting the Black Heavy Scale and a few scrolls, he noticed all the medicine and materials in his Nalan ring had vanished.
“Perhaps my revival is because of this…” Xiao Yan pondered, realizing the Cyan Lotus under his buttocks was also gone. It seemed the disappearance of these items was connected to his resurrection.
Dismissing the matter for now, he turned his gaze elsewhere. There, a beautiful and enchanting woman lay naked, her eyes closed. Above her, the two souls—one snake, one human—were almost fused. It seemed she would soon fully integrate and take over this body.
“Seems like the soul fusion is dominated by the Queen Medusa. But they are originally one—the Heaven Swallowing Serpent was born because of her, and she lives because of it.” Looking at the smoothly fusing Queen Medusa, Xiao Yan hesitated, then decided against interrupting. Though she was mercurial, she might prove helpful in the future. With Yaolao in a deep slumber, Xiao Yan once feared her, but now, with his sudden surge in power, he could protect himself. Even Queen Medusa, formidable as she was, could no longer kill him as easily as an ant.
This was the difference between a Dou King and a Dou Spirit. Only by reaching the Dou King level could one be called a true strong. Below the Dou King, all were ants, and this was no lie!
As Xiao Yan pondered, the Falling Heart Flame suddenly trembled, and a pair of ghostly green lights floated out. When the green lights hit the revived and lively Xiao Yan, a furious, sharp cry echoed. The green light intensified, and a fierce heart flame appeared in Xiao Yan’s heart, wreaking havoc.
When the heart flame reappeared, Xiao Yan’s face changed slightly. Having nearly died from it before, he was extremely wary. But as he hurried to suppress it, he found, to his surprise, that the intense heat caused no damage or pain, only a warm, comforting sensation. Ruffling his newly grown black hair, Xiao Yan looked bewildered: “Did I get used to being burned?”
Yaolao was in deep slumber, so no one answered. But since the heart flame no longer had a significant effect, it was time to settle the score. Slowly, Xiao Yan raised his head, his eyes fixed on the glowing green dots. A sinister smile spread across his lips, widening rapidly…
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