Underground Black Tower

An unusually violent energy fluctuation suddenly rippled through the plaza.

For a moment, Xun Er was the first to sense the heat fluctuation, followed by Ruo Lin Mentor on the judges' platform. Their expressions changed sharply at once.

Almost simultaneously, their gazes abruptly turned and settled on the black-robed youth standing proudly in the arena with a heavy ruler in hand. The source of that violent energy fluctuation was right there!

"How many trump cards does this guy actually have?!"

Xiao Yan deeply inhaled a breath of slightly scorching air. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he slowly stepped forward, raising the Heavy Xuan Ruler above his head. The veins on his arm bulged like little writhing snakes!

"Ha!"

With Xiao Yan's shout, a pale-red ruler beam two meters tall shot forth.

"Force-Dispelling Water Mirror!"

A beautiful figure flew into the arena. As Ruo Lin Mentor's soft cry fell, a vast amount of pale-blue Dou Qi erupted from her palm, forming an oval blue water mirror before her that shielded the terrified Lu Xing behind it.

The water mirror was over a meter thick. Rather than a mirror, it resembled a watery city wall protecting the two of them.

Boom! Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!!!! The ruler beam from the Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler collided with the water mirror. The intense heat instantly vaporized the water, and thick white mist filled the entire plaza.

The obstruction of the water mist prevented everyone from seeing what was happening in the arena.

"What happened?"

"What a powerful fire-attribute Dou Technique. It has to be at least Mystic Low-Rank, right?"

"I think it looks like Mystic Middle-Rank."

"He's incredible. He's so young, yet he has already cultivated a Mystic Rank Dou Technique to this level!"

Some sharp-eyed students had already noticed that Ruo Lin Mentor had intervened just now, which meant Xiao Yan had won.

Before long, with a whoosh, Ruo Lin Mentor suddenly waved her hand and dispersed the white mist around them, revealing the situation in the arena.

Protected by Ruo Lin Mentor, Lu Xing was naturally unharmed. Instead, Xiao Yan's face was deathly pale as he forcibly held himself up and panted without pause, so out of breath he could barely catch it.

Only after swallowing a Qi Recovery Pill did Xiao Yan finally recover somewhat.

"I'd better not use the Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler before reaching the Dou Shi realm. It actually drained all the Dou Qi in my body." The consumption of an Earth Rank Dou Technique was simply too terrifying; every trace of Dou Qi in Xiao Yan's body had been drained away.

And even after draining Xiao Yan's Dou Qi dry, the ruler beam he fired was only two meters tall, not even one-tenth of the Earth Rank Dou Technique's true power.

"Xiao Yan Gege, are you all right?" Xun Er and Xiao Yu hurried into the arena as well to check on Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan exhaled and waved his hand. "I'm fine. I just overexerted my Dou Qi. I took a Qi Recovery Pill just now, so I'll be fine soon."

"Let me support you, Xiao Yan Gege." Xun Er placed Xiao Yan's arm over her shoulder. That intimate gesture drew envy, jealousy, and resentment from everyone around them.

Xiao Yu snorted. "If you keep pushing yourself like this, you'll get yourself killed sooner or later."

"I had no choice but to go all out. If I lost, it would be the Xiao Family's reputation on the line." Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile, then looked toward Ruo Lin Mentor on the other side. "Ruo Lin Mentor, this means my challenge was successful, right?"

Ruo Lin Mentor frowned slightly as she looked at Xiao Yan. Although that ruler beam had not seemed overwhelmingly powerful and looked to be around Mystic Middle-Rank or high-grade, only she, who had blocked the attack, knew that if she had not been a Five Star Da Dou Shi, she could never have stopped it with merely a high-grade Yellow Rank Dou Technique.

Her right palm had actually been burned! She was a Five Star Da Dou Shi!

"Was that an illusion? Why did it feel like his Dou Technique could draw upon the power of heaven and earth? That's impossible. Only Dou Techniques at Earth Rank or above can draw upon the power of heaven and earth." Ruo Lin Mentor was beginning to doubt her entire understanding of reality.

How could a youth from Wutan City possess an Earth Rank Dou Technique? In the entire Jia Ma Empire, only the imperial family and the Misty Cloud Sect likely possessed Earth Rank Dou Techniques. And it was even more impossible for a mere Dou Zhe to successfully cultivate an Earth Rank Dou Technique.

Ruo Lin Mentor shook her head, feeling that it was impossible. How long had a sixteen-year-old youth even cultivated for? It was not as though he had started cultivating in his mother's womb. How could he have cultivated so quickly?

Ruo Lin Mentor walked up to Xiao Yan and gently used Water Attribute Dou Qi to soothe his body. "Since you have met the academy's requirements, you may naturally experience firsthand what our academy's cultivation cheat device feels like."

"Thank you, Mentor."

"However, let me remind you of something. If you think defeating a student from the Mystic Rank Class means you are guaranteed a place in the Inner Academy, then you are gravely mistaken. To secure a place in the Inner Academy, you must at least reach Nine-Star Dou Shi. Furthermore, my requirement for you is not simply to enter the Inner Academy, but to place among the top five in the Inner Academy examination." Ruo Lin Mentor's usual gentleness vanished, and her tone became stern.

"Top five? Why the top five?" Xiao Yan looked puzzled. Could the top five enter an elite class? Ruo Lin Mentor smiled at the confused Xiao Yan and said softly, "The top five in the Inner Academy examination may enter the Scripture Pavilion of the Inner Academy and choose one item. It counts as an academy scholarship. The Scripture Pavilion contains countless treasures, including Earth Rank Skill and Combat Techniques. Every collection the academy has obtained since its founding is kept inside."

!!!!!

Since Jia Nan Academy's founding, he could choose one item from all its collected treasures!!!!!!

That collection was even more terrifying than the Jia Ma Empire's imperial treasury! "Work harder, little genius. Don't waste your talent. To secure a spot in the top five, you must at least possess the strength of a high-level Da Dou Shi."

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and nodded heavily. He had originally thought that entering the Inner Academy as quickly as possible would be best, but now it seemed that securing a top-five place before entering the Inner Academy was the better choice.

"No matter what, I should first confirm whether the Heavenly Flames are in the Inner Academy."

Time passed quickly, and three days went by in the blink of an eye. News of Xiao Yan defeating a student from the Mystic Rank Class despite being a lower realm spread like wildfire, and all kinds of rumors filled the air.

No matter how wildly the news spread throughout the Outer Academy, Xiao Yan paid it no mind. Aside from cultivating, he was now only waiting for news from Ruo Lin Mentor.

"She's finally here."

His powerful Soul Power had already sensed Ruo Lin Mentor's arrival. Xiao Yan exited his cultivation state and hurried out of the dormitory.

Ruo Lin Mentor gave Xiao Yan a sideways glance. "You certainly are impatient."

Xiao Yan shrugged and defended himself. "I was eager to see Ruo Lin Mentor."

"Where's Xun Er? Aren't you two usually inseparable?"

"Xun Er is in secluded cultivation. Ruo Lin Mentor didn't come just to ask after her student's cultivation, did she?"

Ruo Lin Mentor said irritably, "Fine, fine. Let's go. We need to ride a griffin to reach the Inner Academy, and we have to return to the Outer Academy today. After all, you are not yet a student of the Inner Academy."

The Inner Academy and Outer Academy were actually not that different overall. The only real difference was that credits had become Fire Energy, and all the students now shared a common goal: entering the Heavenly Flame Training Qi Tower to cultivate.

Xiao Yan followed Ruo Lin Mentor for over ten minutes before arriving at a sunken area. Within that depression, an enormous black tower was buried deep underground, with only its pointed tip exposed above the surface.

A tower buried underground?! This bizarre sight made the astonishment on Xiao Yan's face deepen. He muttered, "Could this be the so-called Heavenly Flame Training Qi Tower? I never expected it to be buried beneath the ground."

Ruo Lin Mentor walked up to a plainly dressed Elder and respectfully said, "Elder Liu, this is Xiao Yan. Three days ago, he received approval from the Outer Academy to come and experience the wonders of the Heavenly Flame Training Qi Tower."

Elder Liu opened his eyes and glanced at Xiao Yan before slowly nodding. "Kid, you're not bad. You knew to come and experience it in advance. Not bad—quite farsighted."

Xiao Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose. That had not been his intention at all.

"Go on in. I'll be watching you."

Xiao Yan clasped his fists in thanks. "Thank you, Elder Liu."

After Xiao Yan entered the pitch-black doors, Ruo Lin Mentor asked with a smile, "Elder Liu, how long do you think that kid can last?"

Elder Liu stroked his beard and smiled. "For an Eight-Star Dou Zhe to enter the Heavenly Flame Training Qi Tower is simply asking for trouble. He won't last more than a minute."