Chapter 466: The Tremor

In the ancient tower where soft lanterns illuminated the surroundings, a large group of people gathered around Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, both with their eyes tightly shut, whispering and giggling among themselves. “Move aside, move aside, Elder Liu is coming,” a stern voice suddenly boomed from outside the crowd, and a small path was quickly cleared. In the “Heavenly Flame Training Tower,” the elders of each level held the highest status, and offending them here would lead to dire consequences. A misstep, and one might find their progress hampered by underhanded means.

As the crowd parted, an elderly man in simple attire slowly walked in. His smiling gaze swept over the motionless Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, and he chuckled, “What a pair of reckless young ones. On their first entry into the ‘Heavenly Flame Training Tower,’ they didn’t even give prior notice. They are eating this bitter fruit quite unjustly.”

“Hehe, every year, there are rash newcomers who can’t wait to enter the ‘Heavenly Flame Training Tower.’ They deserve this bitter experience…” The crowd burst into mocking laughter. Though the training speed inside the tower was fast, it was also rather tedious. Now that there were newcomers to liven things up, the old-timers naturally relished the opportunity for some entertainment.

“Newcomers entering the inner courtyard naturally don’t understand the rules. What’s so amusing about it?” A cool, indifferent voice suddenly spoke, drawing everyone’s attention. They saw a tall, slender woman in a silver robe. Though her face was slightly gaunt, it was undeniably beautiful, with skin as fair as snow and brows like fine paintings. The most astonishing feature, however, was her waist-length hair, a rare silvery hue. The combination of her silver hair and silver robes gave her an icy, aloof aura, making her seem untouchable and distant.

The crowd glanced at the silver-robed woman, who had been silent all along. At first, their eyes gleamed with the usual admiration men have for beauty, but it was soon replaced by a hint of wariness.

After the silver-robed woman spoke, the mocking laughter nearly ceased immediately. It was clear that she held significant influence and power within the inner courtyard; otherwise, mere beauty would not command such respect and fear in this place where strength reigns supreme.

“Haha, if it isn’t Yue girl. I hadn’t seen you, Old Man. These fellows just have too much time on their hands. There’s no need to bother with them,” Elder Liu said, his gaze turning to the silver-robed woman, chuckling.

“Elder Liu.” The silver-robed woman responded, breaking her cold demeanor and giving him a faint, fleeting smile that made the surrounding students lose their composure for a moment.

“Yue girl, which level do you plan to enter for your training this time?” Elder Liu cast a glance at the rigid Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, then turned back to the silver-robed woman with a warm smile, treating her much more kindly than the other students.

“The sixth level, I think.” The silver-robed woman paused briefly before replying.

“The sixth level? One needs to be at least a six-star Dou Ling to enter. Has Sister Han Yue already reached that level?” Her answer immediately caused a wave of surprise in the crowd.

“Eh?” Elder Liu was also a bit taken aback by her response. His eyes, gleaming with a sharp light, scanned her for a moment before he sighed, “It seems you’ll be eligible to compete for the elder position in the inner courtyard in just a few years. Such cultivation talent and speed are truly astounding.”

“I owe it all to the ‘Heavenly Flame Training Tower.’ If I had to train alone, I’d probably only reach the Dou Ling stage now,” the silver-robed woman shook her head, then shifted her gaze to Xiao Yan and Wu Hao. “Elder Liu, perhaps we should help these two out of the heart flame’s torment. Delay could harm their bodies.”

Elder Liu, however, shook his head and smiled. “Wait a moment, Yue girl. When you first entered the ‘Heavenly Flame Training Tower,’ how long did you last against the heart flame?”

Frowning slightly, Han Yue pondered for a moment and replied, “Seventeen minutes, and that was because someone reminded me beforehand.”

“A newcomer’s potential can be judged by their first entry into the ‘Heavenly Flame Training Tower.’ Since they don’t know how to disperse the heart flame, those who last longer show greater resistance. This is beneficial for future advancement in the tower. Of course, it’s not an absolute measure, but it gives a rough idea.”

Elder Liu smiled. “These two have lasted eight minutes. Not bad at all.”

“Do you want to test their limits?”

“Yes, test… If I’m not mistaken, this black-robed youth should be Xiao Yan, the one who led the freshmen to victory in the ‘Flame Energy Hunting Competition’ against all the seniors and the Black and White Guardians. Many of us old fogeys have been talking about him lately.” Elder Liu glanced at the large Heavy Dark Sword on Xiao Yan’s back, grinning.

“Is he Xiao Yan?”

Hearing this, not only did the surrounding seniors exclaim in surprise, but even the usually indifferent Han Yue’s eyes flickered with astonishment.

Elder Liu nodded with a smile, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, his hands in his sleeves, waiting for their limit to be reached.

“Yue girl, if you have something else to do, you can leave. I’ll handle it here.”

“As you see fit. I’m curious to see how long this famous newcomer can last.” Han Yue shook her head slightly, her cool gaze sweeping over Xiao Yan and Wu Hao. She had heard plenty about the freshmen who managed to defeat all the senior teams in the ‘Flame Energy Hunting Competition,’ something that hadn’t happened in recent years. This sparked her interest in the leader, whom she had heard of but never met.

Of course, she wasn’t the only one interested. After hearing Elder Liu reveal Xiao Yan’s identity, many of the seniors who had planned to leave stopped, focusing their varied gazes on the two. They, too, wanted to see if this guy lived up to the hype.

As word of Xiao Yan’s identity spread, more and more seniors gathered, making the circle grow larger. If the tower weren’t so spacious, it might have become congested.

As time passed, the onlookers’ surprise grew. To their amazement, Xiao Yan and Wu Hao had now lasted fourteen minutes, and though their faces were like red coals, they seemed far from their limits.

“Indeed, impressive…” Elder Liu tugged at his beard, nodding with a grin, his eyes filled with admiration.

Time continued to pass. But at sixteen minutes, Wu Hao’s body began to tremble slightly. Seeing this, the surrounding students knew he was reaching his limit.

Noticing his reaction, Elder Liu extended his right hand, bony and claw-like, and aimed at the trembling Wu Hao. A wisp of white flame appeared on his fingertips, forming a rotating fire vortex.

With a flick of his finger, the fire vortex shot out, hovering about a foot from Wu Hao’s heart.

“Come out!” With a slight twist of his palm, Elder Liu shouted softly. The milky-white fire vortex spun rapidly, emitting a suction force. Finally, under the pull of the flames, a slightly twisted, invisible flame was forcibly extracted from Wu Hao’s heart, sucked into the vortex, and crushed into nothingness.

As the invisible flame left his body, Wu Hao’s trembling ceased. His legs gave way, and he sat down heavily, his face, once like a red coal, cooling rapidly. He panted like a wild ox, his body and spirit utterly exhausted, with no thought for the onlookers.

“Haha, sixteen minutes without any preparation. That’s quite good,” Elder Liu smiled, praising. “This batch of freshmen seems stronger than usual.”

Beside him, Han Yue nodded slightly. This freshman’s resistance to the heart flame was even greater than hers. Though she had lasted seventeen minutes, she had received prior instructions on how to manage it. Thus, in a way, she had cheated.

“That Xiao Yan… he’s still holding on? Such flame resistance, comparable to that guy…” Han Yue’s gaze shifted to Xiao Yan, whose eyes were still closed, and she murmured in astonishment.

“No wonder he led the freshmen to victory over the seniors. This kid does have some real skill.” Elder Liu smiled, looking at Xiao Yan, who showed no sign of reaching his limit. “Today, I will see just how long you can hold out.”

But as Elder Liu spoke, Xiao Yan’s body trembled. The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief; at least this guy wasn’t going to do something as shocking as leading the freshmen to beat the seniors again.

Elder Liu was taken aback, then somewhat disappointed. “My expectations were indeed too high…”

“Elder Liu, nearly eighteen minutes. Such resistance to the heart flame is quite impressive. Few in the inner courtyard can match it,” Han Yue said, seeing Elder Liu’s disappointment. Her words made the other students feel a bit ashamed.

“Haha, indeed, very impressive…” Elder Liu chuckled awkwardly, waving his hand to create another white fire vortex. With a snap, the vortex hovered near Xiao Yan’s heart.

The milky-white flame reflected off Xiao Yan’s red face, creating an odd effect.

“Come out!” Elder Liu shouted again, and the fire vortex spun. But at that moment, something unexpected happened! Instead of the expected invisible flame, a large amount of cyan flame suddenly surged from Xiao Yan, forming a wave that engulfed Elder Liu’s milky-white flame.

The white fire vortex, unable to forcibly dissipate the cyan flame as before, was instead swallowed up, leaving the onlookers dumbfounded.

The cyan flame, after consuming the white flame, did not dissipate. It seemed to act on its own, protecting its master. After consuming the threatening milky-white flame, it launched an attack, startling the students and even Elder Liu.

“Disperse!” As the cyan flame approached, Elder Liu shouted urgently.

The surrounding seniors retreated hastily, causing chaos. Everyone feared being engulfed by the mysterious cyan flame.

Facing the approaching cyan flame, Elder Liu’s expression became grave. He waved his hands, and a stream of white flame formed a protective shield, enveloping Xiao Yan and the cyan flame.

The relentless cyan flame finally collided with the white flame shield.

BOOM!

A violent surge of energy erupted, shaking the shield and the entire tower. The massive explosion sent shockwaves through the tower.

Han Yue, retreating, formed an energy barrier around herself. The impact rippled across her barrier, but fortunately, it did not harm her. After retreating several steps, she turned her gaze to the explosion, stunned to see the aftermath.