The bone wings gently flapped, instantly producing a faint rumble and the sound of a fierce wind howling in the room. After sensing the energy contained within these bone wings, Xiao Yan was finally satisfied and slowly retracted them. Under a subtle glow, the bone wings rapidly shrank, eventually transforming into two beams of light that once again shot back into Xiao Yan’s body, disappearing without a trace.
With the bone wings back inside his body, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but smile slightly. The Golden Goose Sect had not become a dominant force in their empire purely by luck; the so-called Heavenly Goose Nine-line Wings were indeed quite mysterious. Their escape skills were top-notch. If it weren’t for that Medusa catching Luo Yan Tian in the act of cavorting with a woman that day, it would have been much harder to kill him.
Now, having successfully forged these bone wings, Xiao Yan had gained some additional security. Even if he encountered some formidable opponents in the future, he might not be able to defeat them, but at least he could still run. With his current speed and these bone wings, he could even match some exceedingly powerful Battle Sect-level experts.
Drawing the bone wings back into his body, Xiao Yan exhaled lightly and then walked slowly toward the door, pushing it open with a creak.
“Creak…”
As the door slowly opened, warm and dazzling sunlight poured in like mercury, causing Xiao Yan to instinctively squint his eyes. After a moment, he gradually adjusted and stepped out of the room.
“Finally, you’re out…”
Just as Xiao Yan left the room, a soft female voice came from the small courtyard in front of the house. Lifting his head, he saw an elegant white figure sitting gracefully beside a stone table—none other than Little Healer Immortal.
Xiao Yan smiled and walked into the courtyard, sitting down beside Little Healer Immortal. “Are you getting used to this Inner College?”
“Yes,” Little Healer Immortal nodded with a smile, her voice gentle. “I’ve never experienced this kind of atmosphere before. It’s very likable.”
Hearing the unexplained sadness in Little Healer Immortal’s words, Xiao Yan fell silent. He knew that she had led a difficult life since childhood, walking alone to where she was now, isolated and lonely. If she had been able to spend some time in the Gan Nan Academy during her youth, perhaps she wouldn’t be so reclusive. But unfortunately, her Cursed Poison Body had forced her to live in solitude her entire life.
“How is your Cursed Poison Body doing lately?” Sensing that the mood wasn’t right, Xiao Yan coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject with a laugh.
“It’s fine, I can just barely suppress it. But according to estimates, it will only last about another year. If I can’t completely control it by then, perhaps… it will fully erupt,” Little Healer Immortal said with a smile, her spirit undeterred.
“A year, huh…” Murmuring gravely, Xiao Yan nodded, his voice low. “Don’t worry, I already have the Bodhi Incarnation Saliva in my hands. As long as I can get the last demon core, I’ll be able to control your Cursed Poison Body. After that, you won’t have to worry about accidentally harming anyone around you anymore.”
“Yes… I believe you,” Little Healer Immortal said softly. Then, as if remembering something, she added, “Oh, Great Elder Su Qian said that if you came out, you should go find him in the Elders’ meeting room. They are discussing how to permanently solve the issue with the Heaven Burning Flame Tower.”
Smiling, Xiao Yan nodded, waving to Little Healer Immortal. “Let’s go together…”
With that, he stood up first and headed out of the courtyard, making his way toward the Elders’ meeting room. After a moment of hesitation, Little Healer Immortal followed.
…
“Creak…”
The heavy door of the assembly hall slowly pushed open, and two figures walked in. The elders in the hall, seeing this, quickly stood up and greeted them with smiles.
“Hehe, we’ve been waiting for you for two days…” Su Qian looked at Xiao Yan, who had bowed to the other Inner College elders, and stroked his beard with a smile.
“Apologies, something came up at the last minute,” Xiao Yan replied with a slight apologetic smile. Leading Little Healer Immortal to a spot, he sat down and smiled at Su Qian, “Great Elder, when do you plan to replenish the Heart Flame in the Heaven Burning Flame Tower? Just say the word, and I, Xiao Yan, will give it my all.”
“No rush…” Su Qian waved his hand and spoke slowly. “Normally, replenishing the Heart Flame would only let the Heaven Burning Flame Tower function for another two or three years at most. But you, young man, are going to be far away in the Central Plains in the future. You can’t just come and go whenever you want, so we need a long-term solution this time.”
Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan was naturally very willing if it could be done. After all, he knew he couldn’t come back to the Inner College every few years. If the Fallen Heart Flame lost its effect again, who would replenish it?
“What solution does Great Elder have?” Xiao Yan asked, frowning slightly.
“There is a solution, but it will require some effort from you…” Su Qian nodded with a smile, then lightly tapped his Storage Ring. A strange, transparent glass-like object appeared on the table. He pointed to it and said, “This was made by an old elder who guards the archives of the Gan Nan Academy. He calls it the ‘Fire Gathering Pot.’ As long as you can inject a trace of the true essence of the Fallen Heart Flame, and then continuously input Dou Qi into it, it will activate and produce a constant stream of heart fire. Of course, the effect of this heart fire is not as strong as the original Fallen Heart Flame, but it still has some beneficial effects for cultivation.”
“But extracting a trace of the true essence of the Fallen Heart Flame will cause you considerable harm. It will take some time to recover, as it is the true essence of the heart flame, not just the heart fire created from the essence of the flame…”
After hearing Su Qian’s explanation, Xiao Yan observed the strange crystal object with interest. His expression grew a bit odd. Except for the long funnel on top, it didn’t look like a pot at all. He couldn’t understand why the elder would call it a pot.
“The Fallen Heart Flame originally belonged to the Inner College. Landing in my hands has already caused many inconveniences for the Inner College. This small matter is my duty, without question,” Xiao Yan said earnestly, bowing to Su Qian.
“Hehe, rare treasures of the world are fated to be found by those who are worthy. Our Inner College had the Fallen Heart Flame sealed for so many years, yet no one could tame it. That you were able to obtain it is due to both your fate and your abilities. There’s no need to feel guilty. And if it weren’t for you, our Inner College might have already faced a major disaster,” Su Qian laughed, then flicked his sleeve, sending the so-called “Fire Gathering Pot” to Xiao Yan with a wave. “Take it for now. When you have free time, we can deal with it then. It’s not urgent.”
Xiao Yan, not hesitating, put the “Fire Gathering Pot” into his Storage Ring. Being able to permanently solve the issue with the Heaven Burning Flame Tower of the Inner College would be a huge relief for him, sparing him from constant worry and potential disturbances to his cultivation.
“Hehe, for now, take your friend to tour the Gan Nan Academy. If you need anything, just let us know. We welcome any outsiders who are strong, especially those from the Black Corner Domain,” Su Qian said, turning to Little Healer Immortal with a smile.
“Thank you, Great Elder,” Little Healer Immortal hesitated for a moment and then nodded with a smile. Although she was by nature a quiet person who didn’t socialize much, she felt no particular caution towards Su Qian, given his close relationship with Xiao Yan.
Su Qian stroked his beard and smiled. He did indeed want to befriend Little Healer Immortal. Such a young Battle Sect was a rare find. Knowing such a promising individual would surely be beneficial for the Gan Nan Academy in the future, even though he was aware that her positive demeanor was mostly due to Xiao Yan’s presence.
With the matter settled, the tense atmosphere in the hall eased. Many of the elders in the Inner College were old acquaintances of Xiao Yan, and they naturally exchanged pleasantries. Moreover, due to Xiao Yan’s status as a high-level Alchemist, many of the elders showed great warmth toward him, almost to the point of being overwhelming. Alchemists were truly a highly valued profession.
The amiable conversation in the hall continued for about half an hour. Just as Xiao Yan was about to excuse himself, the tightly closed door suddenly burst open, and a stern-faced Xiao Li rushed in.
Seeing Xiao Li’s grim expression, everyone in the hall was taken aback. Su Qian frowned and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Li’s gaze swept around the room, pausing on Xiao Yan and Su Qian. After a brief hesitation, he spoke in a solemn tone, “According to the information I received, there seems to be a lot of activity in the Demon Flame Valley. It seems that Han Feng, that bastard, has actually summoned the Earth Demon Old Ghoul.”
These words caused the faces of everyone in the hall to change abruptly.
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