Exiting the tower, Xiao Yan gazed at the lush greenery outside, and felt the warm sunlight pouring down from the sky, an ethereal sense of time passing filled him. He spread his arms wide, and after a long while, he chuckled bitterly; he hadn’t expected that this month-long seclusion would almost make him neurotic. Since the Heavy Xuan Ruler had almost become his trademark, to avoid some trouble, he rarely carried it on his back. Although it diminished the exercise effect somewhat, it did make things easier for Xiao Yan.
Following the road, he wandered for nearly half an hour before arriving at the freshmen area of the Pan Gate. Seeing the guards standing straight at the entrance, he couldn’t help but praise them silently. Just as Xun’er had said, the Pan Gate was changing every day and night. Just these few Pan Gate guards, from the look of their auras, were probably around the peak of the Dou Shi level. Clearly, in the past month, many members of the Pan Gate had been training in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, and the results seemed quite good.
As he slowly approached the gate, the few guards on duty recognized Xiao Yan’s face. After a moment of surprise, their faces lit up with excitement. As he drew near, they bellowed in unison, “Boss!”
The loud voices drew the attention of passersby. Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head at the grinning guards, patted one of them on the shoulder, and then continued walking leisurely into the freshmen area, leaving the surprised and honored guards behind.
“Ha, after nearly a month, it seems Boss’s strength has improved quite a bit. It looks like we will soon have a Dou Ling in our Pan Gate, and then we won’t have to kowtow to anyone,” one of the guards said, smiling widely, as he watched Xiao Yan’s fading figure.
“Who is Boss afraid of now? You’ve all been training in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower recently, haven’t you heard about what happened? One move scared a four-star Dou Ling out of his wits. How many people in the Inner Academy can do that?”
“I’ve heard about that too. Haha, now when other forces hear we’re from the Pan Gate, they don’t look down on us anymore. That’s mostly because of Boss!”
Xiao Yan, of course, couldn’t hear the conversation between the guards. But from the time he entered the freshmen area, the Pan Gate members who occasionally passed by would pause, then quickly step aside, looking at Xiao Yan with a mixture of respect and awe as he walked past, puzzled.
He made his way directly back to the small pavilion. Upon entering, he found not only Huang’er, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao there, but also Lin Yan, unexpectedly in the main hall.
In the hall, Xun’er was the first to notice Xiao Yan entering. However, the most dramatic reaction came from Lin Yan. He leaped from his chair like a rabbit, dashed to Xiao Yan’s side in a flash, grabbed his sleeve, and shouted, “You finally returned, damn it! Your Ice Spirit Pill and Cold Spirit Liquid are all used up. I’ve been waiting for you for three or four days. If you didn’t come back by tomorrow, I was going to go into the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower to find you.”
Xiao Yan yanked his sleeve back, rolled his eyes, and said, “What’s the rush? It’s not like you’ll die if you miss a day or two of detoxification…” Then, ignoring Lin Yan, he walked straight into the hall and sat down. He smiled at Xun’er and the others, “How’s everything? Nothing much happened in the Pan Gate, right? And the White Gang hasn’t been causing any trouble?”
“Uh, in the first few days of your seclusion, some members reported that they encountered troublemakers from the White Gang in the tower. But thanks to your display of power in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, the White Gang isn’t as reckless now. The small provocations have also lessened. It seems your intimidation worked.”
“Moreover, many senior students who are free agents want to join our Pan Gate. After some assessments, the number of Pan Gate members has increased by a quarter compared to before your seclusion. And those senior students are quite strong, mostly at the Great Dou Shi level,” Xun’er said, pouring Xiao Yan a cup of warm tea and smiling.
“Oh?” Xiao Yan was taken aback, then laughed dryly, “I just wanted to ensure no one disturbed me during my seclusion. I didn’t expect it to have such benefits…”
“Heh, it does have some benefits, but the drawbacks are significant too. You turned Leina into a big bald man. Now, whenever he hears your name, he grits his teeth. And you also offended Liu Fei, that woman with more chest than brains. Originally, offending her wasn’t a big deal, but don’t forget who her cousin is—Liu Qing, the Overlord Spear. He’s not a nobody in the Inner Academy. Hehe, if he decides to stand up for Liu Fei, even your Azure Purple Fire Lotus might not be able to match his ‘Mountain Splitting Spear.'”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned, “How strong is Liu Qing?”
“Ask Wu Hao. He’s been hanging around the arena a lot lately, so he should know something about Liu Qing.” Lin Yan slumped back into his chair, annoyed at having to explain.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s gaze, Wu Hao sighed and said, “Liu Qing, the Overlord Spear, is a top expert in the top ten of the ‘Strong List.’ There are very few students in the Inner Academy who can beat him. Also, he’s one of the few who has maintained an eight-match winning streak in the arena. Many people in the Inner Academy hold his name in high regard.”
Sipping his tea, Xiao Yan nodded silently. With Wu Hao’s strength, he still lost more than he won in the arena full of experts. So, he could guess how difficult it was to achieve an eight-match winning streak. This Liu Qing was indeed a formidable opponent.
“But for now, you can rest easy. That guy is busy preparing for the Inner Academy competition, which is held every five years and is due in a few months. He’s been in seclusion nonstop, and even if he comes out of the tower, he’ll be practicing in the arena. So, he won’t bother you until after the competition… Hehe, after that, it’s anyone’s guess.”
“Inner Academy competition?” Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, “What competition is that? Why haven’t we heard about it?”
“This competition isn’t for the likes of you… It’s for the ‘Strong List’ experts. Normal people can only watch from below, so you wouldn’t be eligible to know.”
Lin Yan smirked, “If you can make it into the top ten in this competition, you qualify as a candidate for Elder and can enter the ninth floor of the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower to undergo a Heart Flame Body Forging.”
“Do you know what Heart Flame Body Forging is? Simply put, if you’re not utterly unlucky, it’s like getting a pass to the Dou Wang level. Got it?”
“Pass to the Dou Wang level?” The words struck a chord, and Hu Jia and Wu Hao’s eyes lit up. The Dou Wang level was a nearly impossible threshold for many talented cultivators.
“Heart Flame Origin?” Unlike them, Xiao Yan focused on another term. Origin… Could it be the Fallen Heart Flame?
His hand trembled slightly, spilling some tea. Suppressing his shock, he placed the cup on the table and asked, “What qualifications are needed to enter the ninth floor?”
“Forget about it.” Lin Yan rolled his eyes, “Simply put, students can’t enter the ninth or tenth floors. Only Academy Elders have that privilege. So, those who should have graduated but stay in the Academy are hoping to become Elders. Once they do, they can train on the ninth and tenth floors and quickly touch the barrier of the Battle Emperor level.”
“Battle Emperor… powerful ones…” Xiao Yan let out a breath, exchanged a glance with Wu Hao, and saw the same shock in his eyes. This level was enough to become a major force anywhere on the continent. He hadn’t expected the ambition in the Inner Academy to be so great.
“Only those in the ‘Strong List’ can participate in the competition?” Xiao Yan tapped his fingers on the table and asked softly.
“Yeah, even if the requirements are lowered, do you think new students who just entered the Inner Academy can qualify as candidates for Elder?” Lin Yan’s words were as straightforward as ever, forgetting that the four people in front of him were novices who had only been in the Inner Academy for less than two months.
Shaking his head at this guy’s sharp tongue, Xiao Yan looked up at the ceiling, his eyes flickering. This might… be a chance.
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