Heart Flame Enters the Body

"Go and sit down on the jade platform." Great Elder Su Qian pointed ahead, where ten specially made jade platforms, as green as jadeite, were placed.

Upon hearing Elder Great Elder Su Qian's words, the group didn't hesitate and followed his instructions, each taking a seat on a jade platform.

After they sat down on the jade platform, the intense heat that had been baking them suddenly subsided, replaced by a refreshing coolness.

Having witnessed the jade platform's extraordinary nature, the group felt both curiosity and anticipation. Judging from the current situation, they were likely about to undergo the Heart Flame Body Tempering.

After everyone was seated on the jade platform, Great Elder Su Qian whispered a few words to one of the elders.

After speaking, the crowd saw the two elders approach along the front, stopping only when they were almost at the edge of the cave entrance. Then, the two elders changed their hand seals, and with a deep shout, they thrust their hand seals into the cave entrance.

A deep shout accompanied the landing of the hand seal. Then, strange fluctuations emanated from around the dark, deep Black Hole. Subsequently, ripples, like waves on water, spread across the Black Hole.

"Space Barrier!" Lin Ming said softly, watching the ripples spread like water.

Everyone present was familiar with the Space Barrier that had appeared. Those who could achieve a top-ten ranking on the Strong Ranking were almost all among the top five in the selection competition before entering the Inner Academy. Therefore, they had all witnessed the opening of the Library Pavilion. The Space Barrier was also opened when they entered the Inner Academy later.

However, places with Space Barrier are all extremely important. And the Space Barrier that has appeared here now is certainly not something simple to protect.

After the spatial ripples appeared, the two elders changed their hand seals and then beckoned to the source of the ripples. Instantly, a mass of matter the size of a human head, emitting a pale white halo, slowly floated up from the dark Black Hole until it passed through the ripples and hovered about half a zhang above the ground.

After this pale white light came to a standstill, another pale white light slowly floated up from below.

After a while, ten pale white orbs of light floated in the air above the ground and stopped in front of everyone.

Looking at the ten pale white orbs of light floating in front of them, some people were bewildered, while others were overjoyed.

Seeing the blank expressions on most people's faces, Great Elder Su Qian smiled and waved his hand. Instantly, the pale white layer around the ten pale white orbs floating in front of him began to dissipate rapidly, gradually turning transparent.

A moment later, it turned into a completely transparent, pale white ball of light, revealing what was inside.

Clusters of flames, seemingly invisible yet visible to the naked eye, appeared within the transparent orbs of light.

Within the transparent light clusters, these flames rose and curled, displaying their fiery forms. However, due to the isolation provided by these transparent light clusters, Lin Ming and his group did not feel the temperature emanating from the flames.

"These ten flames are your reward, the Origin Heart Flame for tempering your bodies." Great Elder Su Qian's words rang out as everyone looked at the flames within these orbs of light.

Upon hearing that this was the Origin Heart Flame meant to temper their bodies, everyone present was overjoyed.

"Even with the combined strength of the Inner Academy, only three to four sets of this Origin Heart Flame can be obtained each year. And that's only under the condition of good luck... This thing is not very useful for those at the Dou Wang level and above, but for those below the Dou Wang level, it can pave the way for their advancement to Dou Wang, making their advancement almost without any bottlenecks."

"Of course, every sip and every bite has its price. To reach the Dou Wang level, to fly freely and be unbound by the ground, without paying any price is simply impossible."

"After the Heart Flame enters the body, its terrifying high temperature will be accompanied by intense pain during the body-strengthening process. Because of the constant burning, you won't even be able to faint; you can only endure it until the end. If you give up halfway, you will not only fail to achieve the desired body-strengthening effect but will also suffer considerable damage to your body."

"Therefore, I am now giving you a choice. Those who feel they cannot tolerate it may withdraw voluntarily. In this way, the academy can also conserve these Origin Heart Flame."

After listening to the Great Elder's explanation, the joy on everyone's faces had long since vanished, and some people were even swallowing hard.

"Great Elder... what is the success rate of this Origin Heart Flame Body Tempering?" someone stammered.

"In the past, half of the top ten on the Strong Ranking who came here to undergo the Heart Flame Body Tempering failed, with the highest failure rate reaching as high as 70% in one instance," Great Elder Su Qian said with a sigh in response to the question.

"Gulp!"

After Great Elder Su Qian finished speaking, all that could be heard was the sound of someone swallowing involuntarily, their throat bobbing. The failure rate was as high as 70%.

Only ten people undergo the Heart Flame Body Tempering each year, meaning at least five fail. Those ranked lower are now hesitant about whether to accept the Origin Heart Flame Body Tempering.

Great Elder Su Qian also said that those who fail will suffer damage to their bodies. Therefore, some people have already begun to hesitate.

Seeing that some people were hesitant, Great Elder Su Qian did not urge them and waited patiently.

After a while, seeing that everyone's expressions had returned to firmness, Great Elder Su Qian showed a satisfied look.

Great Elder Su Qian verbally stated that one could choose to withdraw. However, if someone actually withdrew, Great Elder Su Qian wouldn't say anything, but he could see the extent of that person's future prospects.

To continuously improve, one must endure all kinds of pain. Now, a path to becoming Dou Wang lies before you. Those who give up because they are afraid of pain will not achieve much in the future.

Fortunately, these students are all quite determined. Even if they fail this time, with such a firm will, their future achievements will not be too bad.

"Let's confirm one last time: are you all sure you've accepted the burning of the Origin Heart Flame and are willing to endure inhuman agony?"

When Great Elder Su Qian asked again, the ten people on the jade platform nodded in unison.

"Alright! Now that it's confirmed, you should all meditate and enter a state of deep concentration. Don't get distracted. Once the Heart Flame enters your body, you must endure the pain, no matter how much it hurts."

After Great Elder Su Qian speaking, the ten people on the jade platform each entered a meditative state.

Looking at the ten people already meditating on the jade platform in front of him, Great Elder Su Qian waved his hand at the ball of light, and ten balls of light appeared above the heads of the people above the jade platform.

"Pop!"

With a popping sound like a bubble, the unbound, invisible flame fell straight down, silently disappearing into the air as it touched the heads of the crowd.