In the Inner Academy, Xiao Yan used the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower and vast quantities of pills to rapidly improve his strength as though there were no threshold at all. In just one year, he advanced to Peak Dou Wang and could break through to the Dou Emperor realm at any time.
Just as Xiao Yan was feeling triumphant and preparing to break through to Dou Emperor, everything changed when he encountered Ling Quan. The man struck him so severely with a single Emperor's Seal Technique that Xiao Yan, already at Peak Dou Wang, was gravely injured. That gaze, as though he were looking at a pitiful, filthy insect, drove Xiao Yan to enter seclusion in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower for three months, where he broke through to Dou Emperor in one stroke.
Outside, Ninth Heavenly Venerate failed to sense Yao Chen's aura. After searching for more than half a year without finding him, he turned instead to the Xiao Family's remnants. After wiping them all out to vent his anger, he finally left the Black Corner Region.
However, Xiao Yan knew nothing of this and remained in the Inner Academy.
Before long, Xiao Yan, who no longer had to worry about his lifespan after advancing to Dou Emperor, began to feel troubled. Although his breakthrough had won him Jia Nan Academy's support, and he himself was a peak fifth-tier alchemist, the Inner Academy's resources could no longer meet his cultivation needs. Thus, Xiao Yan left the Inner Academy, joined the Enforcement Team, and roamed the Black Corner Region as an Inner Academy elder.
In an environment like the Black Corner Region, Xiao Yan thrived like a fish in water. He quickly acquired the resources needed for cultivation and prepared to go to the Jia Ma Empire