Inner Courtyard

Elder Su looked at Xiao Yang and spoke slowly in a somewhat aged voice. "As the victor of this year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition, you will be rewarded with a Crimson Fire Crystal Card, along with one hundred days of Fire Energy."

"A Crimson Fire Crystal Card?" Xiao Yang froze for a moment.

He still remembered Fire Crystal Cards, but he had forgotten their exact rankings.

After so many years, it was perfectly normal to forget such insignificant details.

"Hehe, within the Inner Courtyard, Fire Crystal Cards are divided into five colors from lowest to highest: black, blue, cyan, crimson, and purple. The Black Crystal Cards in your hands are the lowest-grade Crystal Cards and only grant you the qualification to cultivate on the first and second floors of the Heavenly Flame Training Gas Tower.

"Blue Crystal Cards grant access to the third and fourth floors, and so on. The Crimson Fire Crystal Card in your hand allows you to cultivate on the seventh and eighth floors.

"To upgrade a Crystal Card in the Inner Courtyard, you need to pay Fire Energy in exchange. Upgrading from a Black Crystal Card to a Blue Crystal Card requires one hundred days of Fire Energy. Exchanging a Blue Crystal Card for a Cyan Crystal Card requires two hundred days of Fire Energy, while upgrading from a Cyan Crystal Card to a Crimson Fire Crystal Card requires three hundred days of Fire Energy.

"Now that you have received a Crimson Fire Crystal Card as a reward, it is equivalent to saving six hundred days of Fire Energy. Adding the hundred days of Fire Energy awarded to you, that is quite a substantial sum."

Xiao Yang nodded. Having read the original novel, he knew the purchasing power of Fire Energy. This was truly no small amount.

However, Xiao Yang had swallowed up the Fire Energy of nearly all the Senior Students by himself. Together with the hundred days awarded to him, he had accumulated more than two thousand five hundred days of Fire Energy—nearly seven full years' worth.

That figure was unexpected, yet entirely reasonable.

In the original novel, Potato had said that Xiao Yan and the others robbed all the Senior Students clean. With the rewards included, each of the fifty New Students received a little over one hundred days of Fire Energy.

But just like the three big characters in Azure Sky Dragon Transformation Art, that was purely Potato being bad at math.

The reason was simple. The number of New Students and Senior Students was equal. Subtracting the twenty days awarded to the New Students, it meant that each New Student had to obtain nearly eighty days of Fire Energy from the Senior Students on average.

But the problem was that, aside from the two Black White Twin Devils teams, the greatest amount of Fire Energy Xiao Yan obtained in the original novel was from someone named Leng Bai—a full eighty-six days.

The least was from some insignificant team, only twenty-five days. Averaged out, that was merely fifty-five days each.

After all, the higher the floor of the Inner Courtyard's Heavenly Flame Training Gas Tower, the more Fire Energy was required for a single day of cultivation.

On average, it would already be quite good if each of the fifty Senior Students possessed sixty days of Fire Energy.

This time, the two Black White Twin Devils teams responsible for guarding the checkpoint had both been spared by Grand Elder Su Qian.

Among the remaining forty Senior Students, an average of sixty days of Fire Energy per person already meant Xiao Yang had been quite lucky.

After all, which true genius did not have their own pride? Who would come bully New Students and shake them down for no reason?

"Alright." Elder Su's voice interrupted Xiao Yang's thoughts again. A crimson Crystal Card floated before him. "Your reward is already inside. Transfer the Fire Energy from your Black Crystal Card into it, then return the Black Crystal Card to me."

Xiao Yang did as instructed.

Taking back the black Fire Crystal Card, Elder Su nodded slightly and said with a beaming smile, "Alright. Since all of you have passed the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, follow me into the Inner Courtyard."

With that, he turned around first and slowly headed up a flight of rough stone stairs toward the hillside.

After taking only a few steps, Elder Su suddenly spoke. "Oh, right, little fellow. I am Su Qian.

"I am the head of the Inner Courtyard elders. Generally, they call me the Grand Elder.

"If you encounter any difficulties in the Inner Courtyard, you may come find me. Work hard. I very much want to know whether you can break through to the Dou Emperor realm—or even... the Dou Zong realm—before graduation."

Xiao Yang was stunned for a moment. He had not expected his participation in the Fire Energy Hunting Competition to draw out Grand Elder Su Qian himself.

In the original novel, when his older brother entered the Inner Courtyard, there had also been an Elder Su with the same surname, but he had not been Grand Elder Su Qian.

But on second thought, it was not strange. Leaving aside his battle record, the fact that he was a nine-year-old Da Dou Shi was enough to alarm Su Qian.

Having said that, Grand Elder Su Qian turned and slowly made his way up the rough stone stairs toward the hillside.

Xiao Yang stepped forward and followed.

The stone stairs were not particularly high. In just one or two minutes, Xiao Yang and the others reached the final step. With a light leap, they stood atop the hillside, and the sight before them made them slowly draw in a breath of slightly cool air.

"So this is the Inner Courtyard?" Low murmurs escaped from the New Students atop the hill.

Beyond the hillside lay an enormous sunken basin. Judging from its shape, it looked as though a gigantic meteor had fallen from the sky and smashed it into existence.

Within the basin stood towering buildings that rose into the clouds. Looking down from above, they could see dark figures, like fleas, constantly flashing and leaping across the buildings. As their gazes stretched farther ahead, they discovered that the basin was astonishingly vast. Even at the edge of their sight, they could still see only soaring structures and lush greenery.

It was hard to imagine that, amid the endless mountains behind Jia Nan Academy, such a remarkable place had been hidden!

"Hehe, little fellows, welcome to the heart of Jia Nan Academy: the Inner Courtyard!"

Elder Su smiled at Xiao Yang, clapped his hands, and laughed.

"Come. I'll first take you to get settled in the Inner Courtyard."

"Creak."

The door of a villa slowly opened, and Grand Elder Su Qian led Xiao Yang inside. "Alright, little fellow. This will be your residence from now on. Are you satisfied?

"Oh, and every week, the Inner Courtyard organizes the students to enter the Heavenly Flame Training Gas Tower together once. Don't forget that!

"Also, the Inner Courtyard has places such as the Fighting Skills Hall and the Cultivation Method Pavilion. If you want Cultivation Methods or Fighting Skills, you can take a look there.

"Of course, you'll need Fire Energy to exchange for them. Compared to the Outer Courtyard, the Inner Courtyard is actually much freer."

"If there are no problems, then rest well. If anything comes up, you can come find me."

Grand Elder Su Qian waved at Xiao Yang, then turned and walked out the door, eventually disappearing from Xiao Yang's sight.

After Grand Elder Su Qian left, Xiao Yang began taking stock of the rewards he had gained from single-handedly tearing through the Inner Courtyard this time.

First was a Cultivation Method Fusion Card. Second was a Chance Instance Card, which could let him enter a treasure secret realm in some world. As for what treasure he might obtain, that depended on himself.

Lastly, there was a wisp of the Source Fire of the Hellfire Phoenix, a Saint-Tier Magical Beast from the world of Panlong.