Library Pavilion, Choosing Treasures

"Strange Fire?"

Lin Qingtian's pupils shrank sharply. Feeling the terrifying heat descending from the sky, his expression changed drastically, and the Earth Yellow Dou Qi Armor around him let out an ear-piercing crackle as spiderweb-like fissures rapidly spread across its surface.

High in the air, Lu Yu's expression was as calm as still water. He gently pushed out with his right palm, and the Earth Core Flame in his palm condensed into a dazzling crimson-green palm print, sweeping downward with the might to destroy heaven and earth. It truly seemed like a blazing sun falling from beyond the heavens into the mortal world, unstoppable!

The edge of the arena instantly fell silent. Everyone's eyes widened as they stared at the scene in disbelief.

Boom—!!!

An earth-shaking explosion thundered into the clouds. The earth-yellow shield Lin Qingtian had hastily condensed shattered like paper, and the violent shockwave sent his entire body flying more than ten zhang.

Only after his legs plowed two deep trenches into the ground, shattered stones spraying everywhere, did this strongest contender of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament barely drop to one knee and just manage to steady himself.

"Do you still want to continue?"

Lu Yu drifted down to the ground, and with a light brush of his sleeves, the crimson Dou Qi surging around him slowly receded.

Lin Qingtian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, propped himself up with his heavy sword, and gave a bitter smile. "I lost... I never expected your Dou Qi to be this dense, and for you to possess a treasure like Strange Fire..."

"Thank you for holding back!"

Lu Yu nodded and said nothing more.

That was right. He had indeed held back with that strike just now. If he had used the Earth-tier Dou Skill, Heavenly Dragon Flame Finger, empowered by the Earth Core Flame, Lin Qingtian probably would have been seriously injured even if he did not die.

Just as the battle on this side came to an end, the match on another arena was also nearing its conclusion.

On the stage, a purple, graceful figure moved like a dream. Every step Little Fairy Doctor took seemed to land atop clouds and mist, and each time she brushed past Liu Yu, a crystal-clear Purple Butterfly quietly came to rest among the folds of her clothes.

Liu Yu clenched her silver teeth, lightning surging wildly around her. The longsword in her hand turned into a blinding bolt of electricity, thrusting straight at Little Fairy Doctor's throat, only for that purple figure to drift past like a wisp of smoke.

Not only did she easily avoid that fatal strike, but with a light lift of her delicate hand, another Purple Butterfly descended.

In the blink of an eye, eighteen Purple Butterflies had already dotted Liu Yu's body.

"Explode."

Little Fairy Doctor's red lips parted slightly as her delicate hands formed a seal.

Boom!

In an instant, all eighteen Purple Butterflies bloomed at once, and billowing Poison Mist swept across the entire stage like a tide. The mist was an eerie purple, gleaming with a dangerous light beneath the sun.

Below the stage, Vice Principal Hu Gan's expression changed sharply. With a wave of his sleeve, majestic Dou Qi transformed into a violent gale that swept out. When the Poison Mist dispersed, Liu Yu was already lying unconscious on the ground, yet her complexion was unexpectedly rosy and normal.

"Vice Principal, please don't worry."

Little Fairy Doctor gave a graceful bow, a faint smile appearing beneath her purple veil as she said, "I showed restraint. Senior Sister Liu Yu will wake up safely in half an hour."

Hearing this, Hu Gan's taut expression finally eased. He turned and looked around, then waved his sleeve. "Disperse! Those who should be cultivating, go cultivate. Those who should be in class, go to class!"

After the watching students gradually left, Hu Gan's gaze swept over Lu Yu, Little Fairy Doctor, and the other three students who had not taken action. He gave a slight nod and said, "The five of you, follow me."

"According to the academy's rules, the top five of every selection tournament are qualified to enter the Library Pavilion and choose one treasure."

Hu Gan explained as he walked, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Since Lin Qingtian and Liu Yu chose to issue challenges, they must bear the consequences. If they won, naturally there would be nothing to say, but if they lost, they would have to pay the price. This chance to choose a treasure has nothing to do with them now."

At the side, Lin Qingtian silently nodded. Before the matches, Hu Gan had already informed them of the rules.

In Jia Nan Academy, fighting had never been forbidden. Although failing a challenge would not strip them of their qualifications to enter the inner academy, wanting to receive extra rewards after losing was nothing but wishful thinking.

A moment later, everyone returned once more to Hu Gan's study.

The Vice Principal walked over to a bookshelf and rhythmically tapped the wall several times with his palm. With a deep rumble, a dark passage slowly appeared.

"Follow me."

Hu Gan stepped into the passage first. Lu Yu and the others exchanged glances, then followed closely behind.

After passing through the winding passage, dazzling sunlight suddenly poured down. Everyone instinctively narrowed their eyes, and once their vision recovered, the sight before them was stunning—

This was a valley enclosed on three sides by sheer cliffs. In the center of the open ground within the valley stood a grand and ancient pavilion.

On the mottled plaque, three vigorous and ancient characters were faintly visible. Though eroded by the passage of time, they still emitted a pressure that made one's heart tremble.

Library Pavilion!

Hu Gan led the five of them slowly toward the Library Pavilion, but just as they were about to arrive, he abruptly stopped. Facing the Library Pavilion, he cupped his hands and bowed. "The top five of this Inner Academy Selection Tournament have been decided. According to the rules, I have brought them here. I ask the two elders to open the doors!"

Carried by Dou Qi, his deep voice echoed endlessly through the valley, startling several birds into flight.

As soon as his words fell, two gray-robed figures suddenly appeared without warning before the Library Pavilion's doors. The two sat cross-legged as though they had been waiting here all along. There was not the slightest fluctuation of Dou Qi around them, yet they gave off an unfathomable pressure.

"Thousand Hundred Elders..."

Lu Yu's pupils narrowed slightly, and his heart chilled. These two seemingly ordinary old men were none other than Jia Nan Academy's hidden guardians, peerless experts at the Peak Dou Zong level.

They sat there motionlessly, yet they seemed to have fused with the surrounding space, indistinguishable from it.

The Thousand Hundred Elders' gazes slowly swept over everyone, but when they passed over Lu Yu, they suddenly paused.

One of the gray-robed elders frowned slightly and let out a soft sound of surprise.

"Strange Fire?"

"Greenish red intermingled... It seems to have been born in the depths of underground magma. Is it the Green Lotus Core Flame?"

"That wasn't right..."

The old man shook his head and murmured to himself, "The Green Lotus Core Flame's color leaned toward blue-green, its fiery shape like a lotus, resembling a volcanic eruption. Though your flame was similar in form, its essence was different..."

"Could it be some kind of Exotic Flame not recorded on the Exotic Flame Ranking?"

Hearing this, Lu Yu immediately cupped his fists respectfully and said, "Senior's insight is keen indeed. This junior's flame is called the Earth Core Flame. It is indeed not one of the twenty-three Exotic Flames on the Exotic Flame Ranking."

At that moment, the other gray-robed old man also cast him an interested look, stroking his beard as he smiled. "Interesting. Although this flame is not on the ranking, in this old man's opinion, its power is no weaker than the Green Lotus Core Flame, nineteenth on the Exotic Flame Ranking."

"Little fellow, you truly had good fortune."

Lu Yu smiled faintly and said no more.

The three students beside Hu Gan, however, showed shock on their faces, their gazes filled with disbelief.

Exotic Flames were already extremely rare, and the twenty-three Exotic Flames recorded on the Exotic Flame Ranking nearly encompassed all known Exotic Flames in the world. Yet the person before them had actually found an unlisted Exotic Flame. Such luck was truly enviable!

The Thousand Hundred Elders exchanged a glance and raised their hands to form seals at the same time. In an instant, ripples like water waves spread through the space before the Library Pavilion, and a silver-glowing spatial doorway slowly took shape before everyone.

"Go in."

One of the old men said calmly, "Remember, each person may only take one item. Every treasure has an energy layer set over it, so do not try to force it."

As the spatial doorway fully opened, an ancient, timeworn aura rushed toward them.

Hu Gan's expression was solemn as he instructed them gravely, "Remember, you only have one hour. Opportunities cannot be forced; only what suits you best is truly the best. Be sure to act within your limits, and do not be greedy."

The five of them nodded in unison, then took a deep breath and stepped into that dazzling spatial portal. As their figures gradually entered, ripples spread across the spatial doorway, before it finally returned to calm.