Gazing at the aged figure descending from the deep cavern, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but smile and said in a clear voice, “Why has Grand Elder come down here today?” Hearing Xiao Yan’s voice, the old figure slowly hovered mid-air, cast a glance at Xiao Yan, who was bare-chested, and said with a hint of irritation, “You rascal, you’ve been down here for such a long time. I thought you’d run into some trouble… Zi Yan and those others have been urging to come down every day. This place is so dangerous; how could I possibly agree? So I had to come down myself.” Hearing this, Xiao Yan chuckled lightly, discreetly tucking the snow-white Storage Ring, which contained the Heavenly Fire Venerable, into his sleeve. The matter of the Heavenly Fire Venerable was still best kept under wraps. If others knew, it could be more harmful than beneficial. Although Xiao Yan trusted Grand Elder Su Qian, it involved a former Dou Zun, so it was better to keep it known to as few people as possible.
Grand Elder Su Qian naturally did not notice these small actions. He stepped on the air and halted outside the cave, his eyes scanning over Xiao Yan and sensing the slight change in the latter’s aura. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Have you broken through again?”
Xiao Yan nodded with a smile. “Just before Grand Elder arrived, I managed to break through…”
“Tsk tsk, you, boy… Such cultivation speed is truly too monstrous. When I was at the Battle Emperor level, my fastest breakthrough took about a year… But compared to you, it’s really embarrassing.”
Su Qian shook his head helplessly. The cultivation speed of this person was indeed a bit of a blow. Xiao Yan scratched his head and chuckled, without mentioning anything to Grand Elder Su Qian about the Flame Lizard Man and the Fire Pearl beneath the lava. It was best that the place remained unexplored after he left. After all, at the end of the magma world, there was a secret that Xiao Yan kept etched in his heart. The revelation of that secret might cause the entire Dou Qi Continent to tremble—a secret left by a Battle King was enough to make anyone envious and go crazy!
Xiao Yan casually put on a robe and then, with a flip of his hand, brought out the Fire Gathering Pot. He smiled mysteriously at Su Qian and said, “Grand Elder, look at what this is…”
“Haha, what’s this? Did you store the Heart Flame inside it?”
Seeing this, Su Qian smiled and then casually took the Fire Gathering Pot, giving it a brief glance. A moment later, when he felt the sudden rise of the Heart Flame within his body, his face instantly stiffened. With his current strength, an ordinary Heart Flame couldn’t possibly stir up the Heart Flame within him. “This… This is…”
The stiffness on his face lasted for a moment. Then, remembering something, Su Qian’s eyes instantly filled with disbelief. He stared blankly at Xiao Yan. After a while, he suddenly frowned and said solemnly, “Did you inject the Falling Heart Flame into it?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded with a chuckle and said, “Indeed, it’s the real Falling Heart Flame…”
“You… Sigh, why are you so rash? I already said that if the Falling Heart Flame wasn’t in the Inner Academy, it would save us a lot of trouble. Now that you’ve tamed it, returning it could seriously harm you. Who knows, you might even remain at this level forever. How will you fight the Soul Palace in the future?”
Su Qian gritted his teeth, sounding like he really wanted to knock some sense into a blockhead. Seeing Grand Elder Su Qian’s demeanor, Xiao Yan was taken aback, then suddenly realized that he had thought Xiao Yan had separated the Falling Heart Flame from his body. Noticing this, he couldn’t help but smile, feeling a warm sensation in his heart. “Grand Elder, you’re mistaken. This is indeed the Falling Heart Flame, but it’s not the one from before. Otherwise, its power wouldn’t be so weak,” Xiao Yan shook his head and smiled lightly.
“Not the Falling Heart Flame from before?”
Upon hearing this, Su Qian was stunned, and then came back to his senses. The Falling Heart Flame in the Fire Gathering Pot seemed to be much weaker than the previous one. Holding the Fire Gathering Pot with both hands, after a minute or so, Su Qian seemed to have an idea. His eyes filled with uncontrollable joy as he exclaimed in surprise, “Are you saying… You found another Falling Heart Flame?”
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. “This Falling Heart Flame was also found in the magma world. However, it’s still in its infant stage. But as long as the Elders in the Inner Academy, who practice fire-attributed techniques, continuously infuse it with Dou Qi, the Heart Flame it provides can make the Blazing Sky Fire Tower function again. Perhaps, in the future, given enough time, this Fallen Heart Flame can regain its wisdom. At that point, after being nurtured by the Inner Academy, it won’t reject the Inner Academy anymore. So, perhaps the Blazing Sky Fire Tower can be permanently reactivated…”
Listening to Xiao Yan’s soft words, the joy on Su Qian’s face grew more pronounced. Evidently, he was thrilled to see the Blazing Sky Fire Tower revived.
“Never would I have thought that there was another Falling Heart Flame in the magma world. Even the former Principal didn’t discover it…”
First, Su Qian sighed and shook his head, then, holding the Fire Gathering Pot like a treasure, he said to Xiao Yan with a broad smile, “Thank you, young man. You took away a wild adult Flame, but you returned to the Inner Academy a compliant infant Flame. This clears everything. So, you don’t need to feel guilty anymore.”
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. This way, he could truly feel at ease. He also had deep feelings for the Inner Academy. The Blazing Sky Fire Tower was very important to the Inner Academy, and it was because of him that it lost its function. Being able to make up for it now made him very happy.
“Ah, with this, even if the Principal comes to investigate, we finally have something to show. Sealing the Falling Heart Flame took a lot of effort, and the construction of the Blazing Sky Fire Tower was his idea. If he returns and sees it ineffective, I’d likely be scolded…” Su Qian sighed, then chuckled as he stroked the Fire Gathering Pot.
Looking at Su Qian, who seemed to have just laid down a significant burden, Xiao Yan felt a bit ashamed. The Grand Elder always claimed it was no big deal, but he was actually quite concerned. Thinking about it, the Blazing Sky Fire Tower was so crucial. If it were to suddenly stop working, anyone would feel despondent.
“Haha, let’s not dwell on this.” Seeing the thoughts in Xiao Yan’s mind, Su Qian quickly waved his hand and laughed, “This time, I came here to check if you were okay, and also to tell you that we have information about Han Feng.”
“Han Feng?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s face froze, and the smile on his face immediately faded, his eyes flashing with a hint of coldness. That guy, after causing a commotion, had slipped away. Xiao Yan had always resented him. After all, he had stayed in the Soul Palace for some time, and might know where his teacher was held. Moreover, even if he didn’t know, Xiao Yan had to personally kill this betrayer. Otherwise, how could he face Teacher Ya Lao?
“That guy disappeared after he escaped, making it difficult for us to track him. But a few days ago, the Xiao Sect unexpectedly reported that he had appeared in the Demon Flame Valley…”
“The Demon Flame Valley?”
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, and he sneered, “It seems he wants to take over everything left behind by that dead demon ghost…”
“Right, Han Feng is ambitious and has always been deeply involved in the Black-Corner Region. He has a considerable network here. Given enough time, he will become a powerful figure. With his identity as an Alchemist, it’s not hard for him to achieve that,” Su Qian said with a nod.
“This time, he secretly reorganized the Demon Flame Valley, and it went unnoticed. If not for the Xiao Sect’s luck, we might not have gotten this intelligence.”
Xiao Yan nodded, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. At least that guy didn’t hide in the depths of the mountains. As long as he was in the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Yan was confident he could catch this straggler.
“What do you plan to do?”
Su Qian glanced at Xiao Yan and asked.
“We can’t let this guy go. Otherwise, he’ll be a big problem in the future,” Xiao Yan said softly, his fists clenching tightly. “Gather people. This time, we can’t let him escape. I need to get some information from him.”
Su Qian smiled and nodded. “With our strength, capturing him is not impossible… When do you plan to leave?”
Xiao Yan gestured towards the cave, and a black shadow with a crisp hum shot out, transforming into a heavy ruler and landing in his hand. He flipped the ruler to rest on his back, and a cold smile spread across his lips. “Now!”
As soon as he spoke, Xiao Yan’s shoulders shuddered, and a pair of splendid bone wings unfurled from his back. The wings flapped, and a faint thunderclap echoed in the silent magma world. Xiao Yan’s figure turned into a blur, shooting straight towards the mouth of the deep cave!
Looking at Xiao Yan’s back, brimming with murderous intent, Su Qian couldn’t help but stroke his beard and muttered, “Poor Han Feng. Once a major figure in the Black-Corner Region, he had the bad luck to cross paths with Xiao Yan. It seems Pharmacist Elder’s judgment is getting keener and keener…”
After saying this, Su Qian chuckled with schadenfreude and then stepped into the air, following closely behind Xiao Yan, his figure moving like a bolt of lightning. This time, perhaps this battle between schoolmates was about to reach its end!
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