Fallen Heart Flame, I'll Take It Myself

Xiao Chen's calm words exploded like thunder beside Su Qian and the Inner Academy elders.

So it really was for the Fallen Heart Flame!

Su Qian's expression instantly turned extremely grim. Suppressing the shock and faint anger in his heart, he said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency Xiao Chen! The Fallen Heart Flame is the foundation upon which Jia Nan Academy was built, while the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower is what countless students rely upon for cultivation! How can it be handed over so easily? Your strength may be unfathomable, Your Excellency, but surely you must still be reasonable!"

The elders behind him also surged with energy. Though they knew they were no match for him, their duty to protect the Academy's foundation meant they could not back down.

The students in the plaza below also recovered from their earlier shock. Upon hearing the words "Fallen Heart Flame," they immediately erupted into an uproar. It was the Inner Academy's greatest treasure, the source that allowed countless people to cultivate so quickly!

"Elder Su Qian, you misunderstand." Facing everyone's hostility, Xiao Chen remained as composed as ever. "I am not here to seize it by force, nor do I intend to cut off Jia Nan Academy's foundation."

His gaze shifted toward the towering Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower below. His eyes seemed able to pierce through the tower itself and see the violent flames sealed deep within.

"The Fallen Heart Flame's energy is violent. Though it has provided the Academy with great convenience in cultivation over the years, it is itself like a volcano that could erupt at any moment. From what I can sense, the seal within the tower has already loosened. The flames inside have been accumulating power for far too long. Within a few years at most, they will likely erupt completely. When that happens, not only will the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower be destroyed, but the entire Inner Academy—even Jia Nan Academy itself—may suffer utter devastation. Am I right, Elder Su Qian?"

Su Qian's pupils contracted, and his expression grew even more solemn. What Xiao Chen had said was precisely the deepest concern he and the Academy's upper ranks had harbored all along! The Fallen Heart Flame had become increasingly violent in recent years, while the reinforced seals were growing less and less effective. It had practically become a constant source of worry for him. Yet this man had seen straight through the heart of the problem at a glance!

"What Your Excellency says... is true." Su Qian admitted with difficulty. "But even so, Jia Nan Academy will devote all its strength to reinforcing the seal. We will never give up so easily!"

"Reinforcing the seal is merely drinking poison to quench thirst." Xiao Chen shook his head. "Heavenly Flames are spiritual beings born of heaven and earth. They possess intelligence. Forcibly sealing it will only intensify its resistance. Only by guiding and subduing it can the problem be solved once and for all."

He looked at Su Qian, his tone carrying unquestionable confidence. "My younger brother, Xiao Yan, possesses a unique cultivation method that allows him to devour Heavenly Flames and evolve. Having him subdue the Fallen Heart Flame is the best choice. Not only will it resolve the Academy's hidden danger, it will also fulfill his path of cultivation."

"As for the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower's cultivation effects after losing the Fallen Heart Flame..." Xiao Chen paused. Light flashed at his fingertips, and a crimson crystal emitting astonishing energy fluctuations appeared in his hand. "This is Earth Core Flame Jade Marrow. It contains pure and immense fire-attributed energy. Though it cannot compare to the Fallen Heart Flame's miraculous nature, it is enough to preserve the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower's effectiveness for a hundred years. It may even be gentler and more beneficial to fire-attributed cultivators. I can give it to the Academy as compensation."

Earth Core Flame Jade Marrow! Sensing the vast yet gentle energy within the crystal, Su Qian and the elders stared wide-eyed! Its rarity might not match that of the Fallen Heart Flame, but as a stable source of energy, it was immensely practical for the Academy! It was enough to offset most of the losses from losing a Heavenly Flame!

Xiao Chen's proposal was not a forcible seizure, but a seemingly mutually beneficial solution: help the Academy resolve its hidden danger, provide compensation, and allow Xiao Yan to obtain a fortunate opportunity.

Su Qian struggled fiercely within. Reason told him that this might be the best chance to resolve the Fallen Heart Flame, this ticking time bomb, and the other party was even offering generous compensation. Yet emotionally, the Fallen Heart Flame had protected the Academy for years and had long become a symbol of it. How could it be casually handed over to an outsider? Besides, subduing a Heavenly Flame was unimaginably dangerous. What if something went wrong...

"Elder Su Qian," Xiao Chen said calmly, as though he had seen through his concerns, "since I am here, I will not let Brother Yan come to harm, nor will I allow the Fallen Heart Flame to endanger the Academy in the slightest. If you do not trust me..."

His gaze turned once more toward the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, his calm voice carrying an absolute power that seemed to control all things.

"Then I will personally take this Fallen Heart Flame out for Jia Nan Academy."

Before his words had faded, Xiao Chen took a step forward and vanished from where he stood.

The next moment, he appeared directly above the highest point of the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, standing in the air as he looked down upon the colossal tower suppressing the Heavenly Flame.

"What is he doing?!"

"Is he trying to force his way into the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower?!"

Under countless horrified gazes, Xiao Chen slowly raised his right hand. Spreading his fingers, he made a grasping motion toward the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower below.

Rumble—!!!

The entire Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower—no, the very ground of the entire Inner Academy—began to shake violently! The powerful sealing runes carved upon the tower by generations of Academy experts burst forth with blinding light as if provoked, operating frantically in an attempt to suppress the unrest at the tower's base!

Yet beneath Xiao Chen's seemingly casual grasp, an invisible yet incomparably vast Power of Space, like countless invisible hands, ignored those powerful seals. It passed directly through the tower, plunged deep underground, and precisely seized the violent flames that had been sealed for countless years!

Roar—!!!

An enraged roar, as though it had come from ancient times, suddenly sounded from deep beneath the ground! It was the Fallen Heart Flame's spirituality roaring in fury! The temperature throughout the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower abruptly soared to a terrifying level. The tower turned crimson, as though it were about to melt! A destructive aura of flame surged into the sky!

Every student and elder turned pale, seized by a fear as though the end of the world had arrived!

Su Qian's eyes nearly split with rage as he prepared to rush forward regardless of the consequences!

But at that moment, Xiao Chen's indifferent voice rang out once again, clearly overpowering the flames' roar.

"Quiet."

The two words seemed to contain the laws of heaven and earth.

That destructive aura soaring toward the heavens was forcibly pressed back down as if by an invisible giant hand! The crimson color of the tower quickly faded, and the tremors gradually subsided.

Xiao Chen's outstretched right hand slowly rose.

As his palm lifted, an invisible force enveloped a mass of incomparably dazzling and violent transparent flame. Like a giant dragon awakened from slumber, it was forcibly and slowly "drawn" from the depths of the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower!

The flames struggled and writhed violently, radiating terrifying heat capable of burning mountains and boiling seas. Yet beneath Xiao Chen's absolute control over space, all its resistance was futile. It could only be obediently dragged out and suspended in midair above the tower!

The entire Inner Academy fell deathly silent.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at this scene that overturned all comprehension. The Fallen Heart Flame, which had plagued Jia Nan Academy for countless years and been regarded as an enormous hidden danger, had just... been "grabbed" out of its seal with bare hands?

Su Qian froze in midair. Looking at the transparent flames still struggling above Xiao Chen's palm yet unable to break free, then at Xiao Chen's tranquil expression, he finally let out an incomparably complicated sigh.

He understood that before absolute strength, all perseverance and rules appeared pale and powerless.

Holding the struggling Fallen Heart Flame in his hand, Xiao Chen swept his gaze across the stunned crowd below before finally resting it on Su Qian.

"Elder Su Qian, now we can properly discuss the ownership of this Heavenly Flame, as well as... the placement of the Earth Core Flame Jade Marrow, can we not?"